Nestled in the heart of Ontario’s picturesque Muskoka region, Home Building Centre Gravenhurst stands as a hub for all the community’s building needs. Renowned for its striking landscapes, abundant wildlife, and charming lakeside communities, Muskoka Cottage Country is a favorite destination for many, especially during the summer when Toronto and area residents escape the urban hustle and bustle. With a rich history rooted in the First Nations heritage, Muskoka delivers natural beauty and cultural significance, making it an ideal setting for building dream getaways and even year-round homes. HBC Gravenhurst primarily supplies builders and contractors who work on custom homes and cottages, but the store also caters to weekend warriors and DIY enthusiasts. This dual focus on professionals and hobbyists alike underscores the store’s dedication to being the heart of Muskoka’s construction community.
The first iteration of HBC was Beaver Lumber, an iconic historical player in the Canadian building supply industry, once ranked as the fourth largest building supply chain in the country with 138 stores. Owned by Molson, the chain was known for its extensive range of building materials and strong community presence. In 2000, Beaver Lumber was acquired by Home Hardware, a cooperative of over 1,000 independent Canadian hardware stores. This acquisition led to the rebranding of Beaver Lumber stores as Home Building Centres.
The Gravenhurst location has seen four different ownership groups over the years. Today, the store is managed by Rob Glecoff and his wife, Aly, who together with their partners (Michael Stockfish, Dave Lyle, and Rob Jameson), have continued to build on the legacy of their predecessors. Rob serves as the Managing Partner and General Manager, while Aly, a true jill-of-all-trades, handles everything from HR and payroll to mixing custom colors in the paint department. This dedicated group of individuals and their team of nearly 50 in-store employees ensure that Home Building Centre-Gravenhurst remains essential to the local building community. One of the key differentiators for the team at HBC Gravenhurst is its commitment to core family values and an old-school mindset. This dedication to customer service means that the store goes above and beyond to meet the needs and expectations of its clientele. “We provide great customer service, making sure that we work with and partner with customers and service them and over-service them all we can,” Glecoff adds.
For Rob, Aly, and the leadership team the focus and business model for HBC has always been building reciprocal relationships with local builders, contractors, and DIY enthusiasts. This commitment is a cornerstone of their business model, ensuring that every customer—professional builders to weekend warriors—receives top-notch service and support. This means cultivating a robust referral network by farming out HBC installs and projects to the local contractors who are also regular clientele. “We want to be the one-stop shop for everyone building, renovating, and upgrading in the Muskoka region,” says Rob Glecoff. The referral network benefits customers and strengthens relationships with local contractors. By providing consistent business opportunities and ensuring a steady stream of high-quality products, HBC Gravenhurst has become the go-to source for these professionals. This mutual dependence fosters a collaborative environment where contractors can confidently rely on the store for excellent service and support.
HBC Gravenhurst prides itself on offering a diverse range of quality products, ensuring that both homeowners and professional contractors have access to everything they need in one convenient location. Customers can find everything from lumber, hardware, and plumbing supplies to paint, electrical components, and home improvement essentials. This extensive product range is meticulously curated to meet the high standards of quality and durability that professionals expect, while also being accessible and user-friendly for DIYers. Rob Glecoff highlights the store’s commitment to providing top-notch products, stating, “We work hard to make sure that they can move on competently with their jobs without being held up.”
“This extensive product range is meticulously curated to meet the high standards of quality and durability that professionals expect, while also being accessible and user-friendly for DIYers.”
The store’s partnership with Home Hardware further enhances its offerings. As part of a cooperative with over 1,000 independent Canadian hardware stores, HBC Gravenhurst benefits from collective buying power and a vast network of suppliers. This ensures a steady supply of the latest and best products on the market, keeping the store well-stocked and competitive. Glecoff emphasizes, “If there’s something they want to see or something that they want us to bring in, we work hard to do that.” This flexibility and responsiveness to customer needs set HBC Gravenhurst apart from its competitors. As a Home Hardware co-op member, HBC is not limited to the corporate catalog, but also empowered to diversify its product lines with local or locally sought-after materials at its own discretion.
In addition to standard building materials, HBC Gravenhurst also features the Beaver Homes and Cottages division, offering pre-designed home packages that simplify the building process for both contractors and homeowners. These packages come with detailed plans and all the necessary materials, providing a hassle-free solution for building beautiful, custom homes and cottages in the Muskoka region. The Beaver Homes & Cottages division is a perfect complement to the offerings at HBC, enriching the store’s extensive range of products and services with a premium, tailored building experience. This division provides customers with the opportunity to work closely with local consultants who support them throughout the entire build process, from design to completion. The addition of Beaver Homes & Cottages significantly enhances the value proposition of HBC Gravenhurst. With over 100 models to choose from, ranging in style from traditional to contemporary, and customizable plans, this service caters to a wide array of tastes and requirements. The guarantee that comes with each package, covering design, price, quantity, and quality, provides customers with peace of mind, ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget. This focus on customer success aligns seamlessly with HBC Gravenhurst’s commitment to exceptional service and quality, making it an indispensable part of HBC’s comprehensive building solutions.
While supply chain disruptions and lumber shortages have certainly posed challenges for the construction industry, Home Building Centre-Gravenhurst faces an even more significant obstacle: the shortage of skilled labor. As Rob explains, “The shortage in trades actually affects us more than people would think because there’s a lot more work out there than the people available with the proper skills to do it competently.” This shortage of skilled workers means that many projects are delayed or substandard work is performed, leading to frustrated customers and increased pressure on those who are highly skilled and in demand. “The good people are busy,” Glecoff notes, “they’re booked two years out.” HBC Gravenhurst is actively working to support the growth of the trades, ensuring that there are more qualified professionals available to meet the area’s construction needs. By addressing this labor shortage, HBC Gravenhurst aims to maintain the high standards of quality and service that its customers have come to expect. New materials and methods have become more popular, driven by the need for efficiency in a market where skilled labor is in short supply. “The landscape has changed significantly since the pandemic,” Glecoff notes, pointing out that efficiency improvements have been necessary as the availability of skilled labor has decreased.
Despite these challenges, the focus on relationships remains constant. HBC Gravenhurst has not experienced a dramatic “Eureka” moment but rather has continually evolved, adapting to new demands while keeping its core values intact. This blend of innovation and steadfast relationship-building ensures that HBC Gravenhurst can meet the evolving needs of its customers and community while maintaining trust and confidence.
Home Building Centre-Gravenhurst’s commitment to supporting its community is deeply ingrained in its operations and values. As a business rooted in family and history, HBC Gravenhurst prioritizes giving back to the community that has supported its growth and success. One of the key organizations they support is GAP (Gravenhurst Against Poverty), which assists underprivileged individuals in the area. In addition to GAP, HBC Gravenhurst supports Habitat for Humanity, contributing to local projects that build homes for those in need. They also actively engage with local groups like the Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce, reinforcing a commitment to being an integral part of the community. Rob Glecoff emphasizes that its contributions are not about gaining recognition but about genuinely helping and ensuring that the community remains a great place for everyone. “We just feel that we’re in the community and part of the community, and we like to support the community to make sure it’s a good place for everybody,” Glecoff explains.
HBC Gravenhurst’s approach to community support is characterized by a culture of quiet giving. They prefer not to promote its charitable activities widely, focusing instead on the impact and benefits to the community rather than seeking accolades. This ethos of understated generosity reflects the company’s core values of family and community. As Glecoff notes, “We don’t do it to kind of spread the word that we do it. We just do it to help.” This philosophy ensures that the support is driven by genuine care and commitment, aligning with its overall approach to business and customer relationships.
HBC Gravenhurst plans to continue growing its business incrementally, focusing on one customer and one job at a time. This steady and sustainable growth strategy has served them well over the years, transforming a small local store into a robust provider of building materials and home improvement products. “Builders are happy being able to come to and send their customers to one place, which means we have to diversify inside and out,” says Glecoff. He envisions ongoing expansions, potentially involving new facilities and an even broader range of services and products. This growth is driven by maintaining a fundamental commitment to customer satisfaction and a desire to be the best for their clients. “I think that we’re a conscientious business that helps everybody from the builder to the DIYer. It is who we are and who we want to be. Sometimes the wheel is happy being a wheel. It doesn’t mean that you don’t grow what needs to be growing. We will always need to diversify and adapt to meet our customers’ needs and wants, but I don’t see any huge, massive changes occurring in the next few years. We know who we are and we’re happy being that.”
The future of HBC Gravenhurst is bright, with plans to keep lines of communication open with customers and to continuously adapt to their needs. Glecoff emphasizes that its ultimate goal is to offer more selection and maintain the high level of service that its customers have come to expect. By staying true to its core values and focusing on building strong relationships, HBC Gravenhurst aims to continue thriving and supporting the community for many years to come.
