WEATHER NOTICE:  The Legacy Centre Speaker Series has been postponed due to weather conditions and the closing of Knox County Schools. We have rescheduled this event for Friday, January 25, 7:15-9:00 a.m. You may register for the new date here. We hope you will join us next week! If you have any questions, please contact Ed or Cindy (865) 386-6248.

"Lessons in Humility: On the Last Train from Konnarock" presented by Leslie Mirts, CEO of Dealers Warehouse Corporation

The climb teaches. The descent defines us.

Pictured: Hassingers' White Top Railway in Konnarock, VA – “For God looked down upon the mountains and placed his hand there to rest… a valley so secluded, so lovely that it can only be reached by crossing a mountain.” (resident)

While Dealers Warehouse Corporation (DW) was founded in 1947 by the Hassinger family, its legacy spans over 130 years with roots that go back to a Pennsylvania logging enterprise started by Martin Luther Hassinger in 1880 and then the Hassinger Lumber Company founded in Konnarock, Virginia, by Luther Hassinger (son) in 1905. The family also extended the railroad into Konnarock. With the Depression looming and decline in lumbering operations, the family left its beloved Konnarock and changed course with the purchase of Bristol Building Supply Company. Soon after World War II, Martin A. Hassinger (grandson) established one of the first wholesale building supply businesses in the nation that led to the opening of Dealers Warehouse in 1947 (see company history and images below).

Dealers Warehouse is a wholesale building supply distributor to the residential and commercial markets in a seven state area. With Christ-centered principles that date back to its founding, DW believes that its “God-inspired mission is to strive for excellence in both the way people are treated and the way business is conducted." That means vendors, customers, and employees are considered family and viewed as eternal souls for which God sacrificed His only son.

So sit back and relax. Like the days of old when dear friends and family members would gather around the fire, join us on January 18 for an open, honest conversation with Leslie Mirts, CEO of Dealers Warehouse, as he recalls how failure has been a great teacher and seemingly constant companion on his leadership journey, both personally and professionally. Leslie will share how he believes the last five years of struggles in the business have changed him for the better. Like climbing up a steep mountain or taking the last train from what we know and love, failure and disappointment bring us to a place where God can reveal His best for us. For Leslie and DW, the impact of poor planning, misjudgments of their marketplace, and difficult economic conditions has taught humility. Along the way, God has brought renewed vision and purpose to what they do.

You will never hear this story in a press release. For these lessons define a generation of leaders willing to walk humbly before their God.

Meet Our Speaker: Leslie Mirts

Born in Chattanooga, Leslie Mirts moved to Knoxville at a young age. Upon completion of his early education at Webb School of Knoxville, Les attended the University of Tennessee, where he earned a degree in Business Administration. Les built houses for two years before going to work as a gopher for his father at Dealers Warehouse (DW) in 1983. His brother, Lynn, joined the DW team in 1976. Les became CEO in 1994, when his father passed away. This year, Les celebrates 30 years working in the business.

Although Les is a hard core UT sports fan, there are a few things that still come first… He and his wife, Kristin, have three children, Elizabeth, Rebecca, and Jonathan. His family attends Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church, where Les serves as an elder. His heart’s desire is to live at work and at home by John 14:21, “They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”  

Brief History of the Company:

Dealers Warehouse was founded in 1947 by the Hassinger family, but its legacy spans over 130 years with roots that go back to a Pennsylvania logging enterprise started by Martin Luther Hassinger in 1880. In 1905, his son, Luther (L.C.), expanded his father’s lumber business to the southwestern Virginia county of Washington near Bristol and organized the Hassinger Lumber Company and its company town, which his wife, Letisha, named Konnarock. In addition to lumbering operations, the Hassinger Lumber Co. built this wonderful community of Konnarock to support its workers with a sawmill, church, school and store; provided health care for its employees; and extended the railroad (White Top Railway and Virginia Creeper Trail) into Konnarock to haul freight.

Owning the mountain and over 30,000 acres, Hassinger Lumber became one of the largest timber producers in the eastern United States, helping make Washington County the largest exporter of timber in the country at the time. In fact, the company employed over 400 workers at the peak of operations. After college at the young age of 18, Luther's son, Martin A. Hassinger, returned to his beloved Konnarock to direct his family’s business from 1925 until the operations were suspended and property sold in 1928.

In 1929, as the Depression loomed, Martin traveled with his father and brother (Bill) to Bristol, Virginia, where they purchased Bristol Builder's Supply Co., a retail lumber business. Soon after World War II, Martin Hassinger expanded the Hassinger Organization, opening Central Warehouse in Bristol, one of the first wholesale building supply businesses in the nation. This was followed in subsequent years by the opening of Dealers Warehouse in Knoxville (1947), Reserve Warehouse in Chattanooga, and Hassinger Wholesale in Greensboro. Active in the business the rest of his life, Martin A. Hassinger passed away at the age of 100 on October 20, 2007, but his legacy remains at the forefront of Dealers Warehouse’s business philosophy.

More interesting historical facts and photos will be posted on Facebook in the days ahead. Stay updated!

Coffee, light breakfast, and TLC served.