Business Hall of Fame honors Fitch Lumber

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce will honor 12 local business leaders at its inaugural Hall of Fame Nov. 13. The Daily Tar Heel will feature each of its inductees. Mac Fitch and his late father, Miles Fitch Sr., will be inducted.

Mac Fitch has done just about every job there is at Fitch Lumber.

In his early days, he sometimes drove the trucks. Now, he sits at a big oak desk as president of Carrboro’s longest-running business.

“In our 100 years, I was probably our worst truck driver we ever had,” he said.

When Fitch walks around his lumber company he waves hello to his regular customers and pats his longtime employees on the back to show his appreciation for their hard work.

“I still enjoy it,” he said. “All of our empoyees are just one big family.”

The economic crash

Fitch Lumber relies on custom home builders in Chapel Hill and Carrboro for its business.

So when the banks stopped lending to home builders during the economic recession in 2008, it hurt the lumber company.

“If we didn’t have the walk-in business,” Fitch said, shaking his head. “That crash came tumbling down on little businesses like mine.”

Reuben Davis, a former UNC football player and the owner of a concrete company in Chapel Hill, said he was grateful for the service he always receives at Fitch Lumber, even during the tough economic times.

“I’m glad they weathered the storm in 2008,” Davis said as he looked at items in the store’s hardware section.

“It’s like one of those old general stores. They have everything you need.”

Marc Atkins, a salesman at Fitch Lumber, helped walk Davis through the store to show him to the products he would need.

Atkins said he’s grateful for Fitch’s leadership during the economic recession.

“Through tough times we’ve always had a job,” Atkins said. “It’s good people. It’s 108 years of Fitch Lumber Co. And it’s just great.”

The big boys

Fitch said his company rarely struggles to compete with major home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s.

“You give good service,” Fitch said. “You can’t always beat them on price, but you can have the best service.”

Fitch said he learned the importance of quality customer service from his grandfather, who established Fitch Lumber, and his father.

“A lot of times I don’t even waste the gas,” Davis said. “I come here before I even go to those places. You don’t get the personal service.”

On a regular morning in Fitch Lumber, shoppers can smell the fresh cut lumber piled up outside. Employees are helping customers on every aisle. And sometimes, Mac Fitch is walking around his miniature empire, taking stock of the incredible company he helped build.

“If we’re short a man out here, I’d go out there everyday,” Fitch said, pointing to his showroom floor. “I just can’t lift as much as I used to.”

city@dailytarheel.com