Bosch Lumber helps rebuild Killdeer after hail storm

KILLDEER-Ask people how they pronounce Bosch Lumber and the answer might not always be the same, but President Troy Bosch said he doesn't mind.

"We answer to either or," he said with a chuckle.

The company was founded in 1946 in Dunn Center, with locations popping up in Taylor and Killdeer in 1952 and Dickinson in 1959, but over the decades Killdeer and Dickinson became the two main locations Bosch said.

His grandfather, Joe, eventually sold the company to his five sons in 1975 and Bosch bought it from his father in 2011 and his uncle in 2013.

Then nine years ago, another Joe became a part of Bosch Lumber, Joe Hurt.

Hurt is the manager at the Killdeer location and he said he thinks he fits right in with the community and company.

"These people are my family now and they can't get rid of me if they tried," he said. "Yea, they are stuck with me for life."

Hurt moved from California to Dickinson for a "breath of fresh air" and started working with the company after management learned of his past in construction.

He said he believes his background helps when customers come in asking questions on their projects because he can bounce around ideas or help clarify things.

The company provides building materials including framing, shingles, windows, siding, cabinets, insulation and more at their locations.

Hurt said it's also an added benefit to have a hardware department attached because people can buy the small odds and ends for a project in one location while also picking up the bigger pieces like lumber or drywall.

Working together

When a large hail storm wreaked havoc on Killdeer last July, Hurt was at the store helping people pick up what they needed to patch together their homes.

"I was home and the storm hit and before I could even get my problem solved, I had people calling and asking me if we were going to open and stuff," he said. "For me personally, this community has done a lot for me. Whatever I can give back to this community in times of need, I'm there for them."

Bosch said during that time he had workers from Dickinson driving the 35 miles to Killdeer every day trying to lend a hand to help people while also helping the employees stay on top of the high demand.

He said he was proud to see the Killdeer workers take the initiative to open the store even though the storm blew threw on their day off.

"They are just good guys. That didn't take me making a phone call, that's the kind of employees we have," he said. "They see that and see that it needs to get done and they get it handled. It's fantastic to have people like that work here."

The storm, which produced baseball sized hail, caused damage to homes, vehicles and businesses.

Hurt estimated they supplied around 50 truckloads of shingles alone for homes and businesses.

The building, like almost every other in Killdeer, took a hit but Hurt said they put repairs on the backburner.

"This spring we are going to do everything," he said. "We were trying to take care of the public first. They needed us and we had to do what we had to do for the community to get put back together."

Although it was widely said that Killdeer looked like a warzone after the severe storm, no one was seriously injured, which put the events in perspective.

Hurt said it was encouraging to see the community work together through such an ordeal.

"The community really pulled together for everybody. It was a tough experience but a good one at the same time," he said.

Building a legacy

Bosch's grandfather Joe passed away in 2002-way before Bosch decided to start working for the family business again.

He moved back to Dickinson in 2004 and started working the same jobs he worked in high school, from working the sales counter to loading up trucks.

"Just like starting over basically," he said. "Learned by doing for the most part."

Bosch said he's enjoyed getting to see some of the family owned businesses survive in the area.

"A lot of the contractors that we work with are second generation contractors so their fathers would have been people that my Dad worked with, that I would have worked with our taken loads out to when I would have been in high school," he said. "It's kind of neat to see that change."

He said that while people might see Bosch Lumber as a small part of the home building process, he thinks it's valuable not only for the customer but for himself.

"I think that's the most rewarding part, getting to see people in their new home that you've had a hand in helping them bring their dreams to life," he said.

Bosch said that "their thing" is hospitality and giving people a great experience.

While some experiences, like the hail storm, weren't enjoyable, they still show the hospitality that Bosch wants the company to be known for.

While Hurt said he knows that there is still some work to do around Killdeer to mask the damage from last year's storm, he's happy to help out the community that has helped him out along the way.

"The least I can do is be here for them," he said.