Our Story
Suburban Lumber was founded in 1958 by Joe Flynn and John Plotz – and is still family owned and operated. Decades of experience and our philosophy of continuous improvement makes Suburban a collaborative, reliable, and flexible partner to help you reach your building goals.
Suburban’s lumber yard serves customers in Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Ely, Fairfax, North Liberty, Iowa City and throughout all of eastern Iowa. The majority of materials are delivered to the jobsite with our large fleet of trucks and material handling equipment.
Our People
Kevin Dickey
Inside Sales Representative
Kevin Dickey
Kevin has been in the building industry for over 25 years, and we’ve been lucky to have him for the past three. He helps with everything from inventory to customer service to merchandising & displays. Kevin enjoys sharing his knowledge with customers on their home improvement projects, especially decking jobs. His favorite non-work activities are being outdoors, biking and hiking.
kdickey@suburbanlumber.com
Mary McWilliams
Inside Sales Representative
Mary McWilliams
Mary joined the Suburban team after a 37 year career in secondary education with an emphasis on career development in the trades. Through her work in the schools, she wanted to stay connected to the industry. She is responsible for receiving the merchandise to ensure it gets to the customers in a timely manner as well as helping with your other building needs.
mmcwilliams@suburbanlumber.com
Matt Koch
Sales Manager
Matt Koch
Matt has enjoyed working with both residential custom homebuilders and larger commercial projects since his start back in 2009. He also enjoys competing in the sport of barrel racing alongside his wife and taking care of their 5 horses and other farm animals including a potbellied pig!
mkoch@suburbanlumber.com
John Fiester
Outside Sales Representative
John Fiester
John has been specializing in residential single-family homes at Suburban since 2015. He's even helped customers design a custom man cave! Outside sales may be John's title at work, but it also fits in his personal life. In his free time he enjoys spending time in the great outdoors on a lake or hunting.
jfiester@suburbanlumber.com
Jeff Veigelt
Outside Sales Representative
Jeff Veigelt
Jeff is knowledgeable, accessible, detailed, and always anticipates his clients needs. You can count on Jeff to be there for your building material needs. When he’s not on the clock, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two dogs, swimming, camping and riding four-wheelers with their nieces and nephews.
jveigelt@suburbanlumber.com
Jason Lincoln
Outside Sales Representative
Jason Lincoln
Since joining Suburban in 2019, Jason's been demonstrating that design solutions, details and quick follow through are his forte. Jason also enjoys time outdoors hunting and fishing.
jlincoln@suburbanlumber.com
Brian Vancura
Outside Sales Representative
Brian Vancura
Brian started with Suburban in the Summer of 2007, and many of the beautiful custom homes throughout the Corridor can be attributed to his help and planning. His favorite projects are the custom cabins and lodges he’s been involved with! Besides cheering each project to the finish line, Brian can also be found cheering on the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears and the Hawkeyes.
bvancura@suburbanlumber.com
Chris Meloy
Outside Sales Representative
Chris Meloy
Since 2014, Chris has been a very reliable resource for his clients and always goes the extra mile to make sure their exact needs are met. Outside of work, Chris likes doing just about anything there is to do with his two sons.
cmeloy@suburbanlumber.com
Crystal Berry
Cabinet Design Specialist
Crystal Berry
When it comes to custom cabinetry work “Wow, that was easy!” isn’t something you often hear. Thanks to Crystal’s decades of cabinetry experience and her organized, detail-oriented approach, it’s become a common phrase around the Corridor. When she’s not working with new or repeating customers, you can find Crystal gardening, reading a good book, traveling or spending time with her family.
cberry@suburbanlumber.com
Jessica Walker
Cabinet Design Specialist
Jessica Walker
Since 2007, Jessica has designed numerous stunning kitchens and baths for her clients. She listens carefully to their ideas and helps guide them through to successful and timely completion. In her spare time, Jessica enjoys teaching dance classes to kids ages three through high school!
jwalker@suburbanlumber.com
Jim McGrew
Owner
Jim McGrew
Since 1998 Jim has helped customers and partners make the most of their projects and budgets. Jim’s had a hand in many changes over the decades that have helped Suburban grow as a business, but his dedication to the community and caring approach to customers is something he brought with him on day one and each day since. When he’s not in the lumberyard or showroom you can most likely find him spending time with his family or on the golf course.
jmcgrew@suburbanlumber.com
Dar Lehr
Accounting
Dar Lehr
Since 1991 Dar has been responsible for managing company billing, issuing customer credits, and documenting Suburban’s growth through photography. Be sure to check out her photo album next time you stop by!
dlehr@suburbanlumber.com
Melissa Barnard
HR Manager
Melissa Barnard
Melissa comes to Suburban Lumber after working in an elementary school for several years. She brings with her a keen attention to detail and a passion for accounting. Some of Melissa’s passions outside of work are reading, traveling with her husband and daughters, and trail running.
mbarnard@suburbanlumber.com
Jamie O’Connell
Operations Manager
Jamie O’Connell
Jamie has worked at Suburban Lumber since 2005 and has been in the lumber industry for 37 years! When he’s not passing on his wisdom and expertise to coworkers and customers, he enjoys spending time with his family & friends cheering on the Cyclones and St. Louis Cardinals.
joconnell@suburbanlumber.com
Brian Barnard
Yard Manager
Brian Barnard
There’s little that Brian hasn’t done or helped with since he came to Suburban in 1996. The everchanging business and industry still keeps Brian on his toes, and so does his passion for running. If you have a question about a product in our inventory or what movie a certain quote is from, Brian will certainly have an answer and a smile!
bbarnard@suburbanlumber.com
Victoria Naert
Cabinet Design Specialist
Victoria Naert
Victoria has over 14 years of design experience in all areas of the home. Her goal is to deliver functional and beautiful spaces for her clients to enjoy with their families. She believes everyone needs and deserves a safe, comfortable, and relaxing space to make memories. When she is not working on client projects, she enjoys gardening, home renovation projects, and crafting.
vnaert@suburbanlumber.com
Ethan Sullivan
Inside Sales Representative
Ethan Sullivan
Ethan joined the construction industry right after high school and hasn't looked back! He appreciates the opportunities to grow and increase his knowledge and skills at Suburban Lumber. When he's not working, you can most likely find him golfing, hunting, or hanging out with his friends.
esullivan@suburbanlumber.com
Travis Granberg
Estimator/Designer
Travis Granberg
Travis joined the Suburban Lumber sales team in 2023. He looks forward to expanding his role to include designing floor systems. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and family, including their dog and cats. Travis loves playing golf and disc golf, and doing handy work. He is also a major sports fan and passionate about all things Green Bay Packers, Iowa State Cyclones, and Iowa Hawkeyes.
tgranberg@suburbanlumber.com
Steele Starks
Outside Sales Representative
Steele Starks
Steele started at Suburban Lumber in 2021 by working in the yard as an apprentice while attending to Kirkwood Community College for Construction Management. He enjoys working with homeowners on residential projects ranging from new decking upgrades to custom homes. In his free time he enjoys working out, golfing and being outdoors.
sstarks@suburbanlumber.com
Erin Gustafson
Inside Sales Representative
Erin Gustafson
Erin is a Northwest Iowa native with a lot to offer Suburban Lumber! With almost 10 years in the industry, she has the dedication and enthusiasm to find the perfect solution for your project. When she’s not working with customers, Erin enjoys thrifting, reading, and spending time with her family.
egustafson@suburbanlumber.com
Careers at Suburban lumber
Interested in joining the Suburban Lumber team and learning about the professional building trades? Our current job listings are below.
CDL Driver
- Full-time
- 2630 Wiley Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Job Description
Interested in working at Suburban Lumber? We’re currently looking for a CDL Driver to join our team. Applicants must have Class A or B CDL license with a good driving record to drive semi, boom truck, tandem flatbed, panel van and 1-ton trucks. Job consists of basic deliveries (lumber, shingles, cabinets, windows, doors, etc.) to customers in Eastern Iowa. Must have the ability to lift up to 80 pounds. Previous boom truck experience is a plus. Position is full time Monday – Friday with an occasional Saturday morning. Suburban Lumber offers great benefits including healthcare, vacation, 401k, paid holidays, and NO overnights.
Lumber Yard Associate
- Full-time
- 2630 Wiley Blvd SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Job Description
Suburban Lumber has an immediate opening for a Yard Associate. We are looking for a responsible and hardworking individual with a positive attitude and good work ethic. This individual must be able to work in a Team Environment and must be able to work closely with other Yard Associates. Primary responsibility is to pull orders efficiently and accurately. Applicants must have knowledge of basic building materials and possess basic mathematical skills. Additional duties include waiting on walk-in customers, general yard cleanup, making occasional deliveries and assisting with deliveries. Forklift and previous experience is a plus, but not required.
A Pre-employment drug screen is required along with a High School Diploma/GED equivalent. Must have a valid drivers license.
Benefits include 401K, Health Insurance, Paid Holidays, Profit Sharing, and Paid Vacation. Typical hours are 7:30am – 5pm Monday through Friday
We love that Suburban Lumber is a one-stop shop for our homeowners. Their team streamlines the homebuilding process because we can take clients in the showroom to see and go over everything from start to finish - including siding, windows, and front doors to all the interior millwork, doors, cabinets and countertops.
H&V Development, LLC -
Westview Development, LLC
We recently bought several doors here. We appreciate that Dave took the time with me to make sure all of the measurements were accurate so our doors would fit properly. We have an old house being repaired after major storm damage, so the door openings are not standard sizes. He is very knowledgeable, gave a few suggestions, and ordered exactly what we wanted.
Most lumber companies, send us what we call a guesstimate, ( approx. value of what things might cost). This leads to cost overruns in almost every case. Suburban sends us a true ESTIMATE. A true take off is performed, thus leading to True costs. I can never recall where we had cost overruns when working with Suburban.
Great staff. Extremely knowledgeable and go the extra mile for their customers!
All of the treated joist were straight which enhanced the look of the finished project. The project required many different lengths of joists and beams. I followed the layout that was provided and it was accurate and saved me a lot of time. I can't say enough good things about Suburban Lumber and it was a pleasure to work with John.
Very accommodating and reliable company.
Great company with competitive prices.
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