“Leave it better than you found it.”
That’s a statement MANS President Doug Mans recalls being ingrained into his mind from a young age. And decades later, it remains part of the family’s — and the family company’s — DNA, one that has become MANS Lumber and Home’s current mantra and mission to “Keep on Building.”
Doug remembers his grandfather and great uncles using those words — leave it better than you found it — when he would take the younger generations on duck hunting trips, stressing the importance of preserving nature and beauty for those who will follow in your footsteps.
And it’s a philosophy that Doug has witnessed being lived out by what is now five generations of Mans family members, who have helped build and grow one of southeast Michigan’s oldest family-owned businesses for 125 years. As he and his family celebrate the company’s 125th year in the community, it’s a mantra he endeavors to live by as he envisions his children carrying on the family tradition for 125 years to come.
“Whether it’s our family business, a home we help build or renovate for our homeowners, or the communities in which our business calls home,” echoes Pete Mans, MANS’ Chief Operating Officer, “our mission has always been — and will always remain — to leave it better than we found it.”
On October 26th, MANS Lumber and Home will officially recognize its 125th year in business — a timeline that has withstood The Great Depression, astronomical lending rates of the 1980s, a housing bubble burst in 2008, and most recently a global pandemic — not by celebrating the company’s own accomplishments and longevity, but by thanking the homeowners, suppliers, vendors and communities that have made this rewarding journey possible.
“We have a lot to be thankful for,” says Anna Mans Motschall, Chief Financial Officer, “and 2025 will be an entire year of giving back and giving thanks. We know our great grandfather is looking down on us in approval and with his own famous gratitude, upon which he founded N.A. MANS way back in 1900!”
A 125-Year Commitment to “Keep on Building:” Communities, Relationships, Families and Trust
The company today known as MANS Lumber and Home was formally established in 1900
Already, Nick had taken the mantle from his father and began the more than century-old tradition to “leave it better than you found it” — both the family business and its local community at once!
Over the years, generations to follow would carry on the mission, as the company grew — adding both new locations and a growing team of employees along the way — each time endeavoring to improve lives, beautify communities, and make lasting memories in every homeowner’s project they touched. Withstanding economic and other headwinds throughout its lifespan, the company even survived a fire that destroyed its Trenton showroom in 1975, a tragic blaze that took six fire departments to extinguish.
Even during the lowest of lows — or, perhaps, because of them — the Mans family recognized and relished the importance of community.
“I remember being overwhelmed by the enormous generosity of our friends and neighbors, be they vendors, customers, or even strangers,” recalls Jim Mans, Manager of MANS’ Trenton location. “Our phones were ringing off the hook with offers of support and assistance. Office space, equipment, supplies, whatever we needed…people were coming out of the woodwork (no pun intended) to lend a helping hand in our time of need,” he remembers.
“You never forget those moments,” he adds. “We have more than 125 years of those types of memories. Which is why we’ve spent all of them doing our best to give thanks and give back. That’s what this 125th anniversary celebration is all about. Not us…them .”
Family First. Now and Going Forward.
In recent years, the family has continued to grow. MANS Lumber and Home continues to diversify — in part through strategic acquisition and in part through organic growth — to better serve more local communities, more local homeowners, and even more builder partners joining the extended “family.” Today, “leaving it better than you find it” is exemplified in 2025’s commitment to “Keep on Building,” whether it be homes, dreams, partnerships, or whole communities.
In 2021, the company welcomed Dillman & Upton to the family (a highly respected home-improvement and design fixture in the Oakland County community), underscoring that commitment to fully serving the needs and dreams of local homebuilders and homeowners. More recently, in 2024 Kurtis Builder Supply and Michigan Timber & Truss joined the family as well, two of the latest strategic partnerships the MANS Family of Companies pursued that exemplify the craftsmanship and integrity MANS has built its reputation upon.
Also in 2024, MANS Lumber underwent a thoughtful and strategic rebrand, updating both its visual identity and renaming the business to the current MANS Lumber and Home.
“It truly is a more accurate and current representation of who we are and what we offer the community,” says Meghan Mans-Kurili, directing the company’s marketing activities. “Our builder partners know us as a reliable, committed resource for their building and renovation projects, and our homeowner partners trust us as design collaborators, project managers, and suppliers of the highest-quality materials, supplies and finishes in the area. This rebrand reflects not only the current reality, but our vision for the future as well.”
Doug remarks that he’s both proud and confident about what the future holds for his family and his family business. “I often call to mind the movie It’s a Wonderful Life,” he says. “Not only did my grandfather start a savings and loan business to help his neighbors afford the financing to build their dreams and their dream homes — just like in the movie — but I truly have so much to be thankful for that I sometimes feel the urge to run down the streets yelling ‘thank you’ to anyone within ear shot,” he jokes.
His son Nick, Inside Sales Representative in MANS’ Rochester location, relates. “I really think he’d do that,” he says of his father. “That’s why I’m glad we have a whole year to work on this. We have a lot to be thankful for…it will take us a full 12 months to get to everybody.”
And for the next 125 years, more of the same, projects Chris Mans, Vice President of Sales for the company. “Our family, our business, our partners, our homeowners, our team members, our communities, the homes, and the dreams we help make come true…Leave it better than you found it. And keep on building.”
To be continued.
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MANS Lumber and Home has a full year of activities, events, promotions and other expressions of gratitude planned for 2025. Stay tuned for details as we roll these initiatives out over the course of the coming year. If you’d like to hear more in the meantime, feel free to contact us , and we’ll gladly share the details as they become available. We look forward to thanking each and everyone of you!
