Mead Lumber Company, a 100% employee-owned building material supplier with 56 locations across nine states, announced that President and CEO Dave Anderson will retire at the close of the company’s fiscal year on November 30, 2026. Jon Cohen, a veteran building materials executive with more than 25 years of industry experience, has been named as his successor and joined Mead Lumber July 1, as President. Anderson will continue to serve as CEO through the transition, with Cohen assuming the role of President and CEO on December 1, 2026. Upon his retirement, Anderson will continue to serve as a member of the Mead Lumber Board of Directors.

Anderson’s retirement marks the conclusion of a distinguished career in finance, leadership and governance. A Certified Public Accountant, Anderson first joined the Mead Lumber Board of Directors in 2017, serving through 2020 before being named President & Chief Executive Officer. Under his leadership, Mead Lumber has continued its long tradition of disciplined growth, operational excellence and a steadfast commitment to its employee-owners and the communities it serves.

Beyond his work in the building materials industry, Anderson has devoted more than three decades to public service and community leadership, including 16 years on the Millard Public Schools Board of Education, along with past chairmanships of the Nebraska Association of School Boards, Millard Public Schools Foundation, Goodwill Industries of Omaha and the Omaha Children’s Museum.

“Leading Mead Lumber has been one of the great privileges of my career,” said Anderson. “This is a company with deep roots, an incredible culture and employee-owners who show up every day committed to taking care of each other and our customers. Continuing to serve on the board allows me to stay connected to a company and a team I care deeply about, while making room for fresh leadership to write the next chapter. Jon brings the right combination of operational depth, industry knowledge, and people-first leadership to take Mead Lumber forward. I look forward to supporting him and the board.”

Cohen brings more than 25 years of building materials experience to Mead Lumber, with deep expertise spanning operations, supply chain, finance, technology and enterprise strategy. Most recently, he served as Division General Manager at Weyerhaeuser, leading multi-state sales and operations. Prior to his return to Weyerhaeuser, Cohen spent eight years at US LBM, one of the nation’s largest building material distributors, where he rose to Senior Vice President of Business Solutions and led cross-functional initiatives across operations, technology, manufacturing and purchasing. Earlier in his career, Cohen held leadership roles at Builders FirstSource and spent 17 years at BMC West Corporation, where he progressed from operations into general management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado.

“I am honored to join Mead Lumber, a company built on integrity, employee ownership and a genuine commitment to the communities it serves,” said Cohen. “Having spent my entire career in building materials, I understand what makes a company like this special. I’m looking forward to learning from Dave over the coming months and working alongside our employee-owners to invest in our people, our locations and the quality products and service our customers have counted on for more than a century.”

The transition follows a structured succession process led by the Mead Lumber Board of Directors. Cohen will serve as President while Anderson continues as CEO through November 30, allowing for a seamless handoff for employee-owners, customers and business partners. Cohen will assume the combined role of President and CEO on December 1, 2026, becoming just the sixth person to lead Mead Lumber in the company’s 116-year history.

About Mead Lumber

Mead Lumber is a 100% Employee Owned Company that has become one of the leaders in the building materials industry, ranking in the top 10 nationally for companies serving Professional Builders. Mead Lumber now has 56 operating locations in Colorado, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming, including several lumber yards and retail hardware stores, six truss and wall panel manufacturing plants, and a countertop manufacturing facility. Mead Lumber specializes in providing a complete line of materials to builders and homeowners, including lumber, building materials, trusses & wall panels, millwork, kitchen cabinets and countertops, siding, decking, windows, doors and hardware.