Morrison Terrebonne: Building center continues to expand

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center LLC in Houma is built on a strong foundation with solid family values. The hardware store offers the same strength to the Tri-parish area daily.

Consolidated in 1999, Morrison Terrebonne was once two separate hardware businesses in Houma – Morrison Home Center on Barataria Avenue and Terrebonne Lumber and Supply Company on Windmill Street.

Morrison Home Center, which was formerly called the Houma Brick and Box back in 1924, has always been a family business. Before the merger, Chester Morrison, one of the family members, owned and operated the home center.

A group of investors – led by primary shareholder M.L. Funderburk – started Terrebonne Lumber and Supply Company in 1937.

Separately, the two companies could stand against any competitor, with Morrison Home Center catering to small, “do-it-yourself” businesses and Terrebonne Lumber catering to top-notch contractors.

The merger allowed the two businesses to offer the entire spectrum of hardware needs, according to Keith Voisin, vice president of retail sales and marketing and one of the company’s current co-owners.

After the merger, the company was co-owned by Morrison, Robert Vice, Brunelle Landry and Ray Voisin.

As of 2003, the store was turned over to their sons – Keith Voisin, Greg Landry, David Vice and Douglas Gregory, Chester’s son-in-law. The transition took just over a year to complete.

“The transition from fathers to sons was a very interesting process,” Voisin said. “Our fathers were ready to retire and we were ready to take over. Our fathers definitely prepared us to run the company just as they did.”

“Together, our fathers made savvy business partners and we, the sons, make savvy business partners where we all bring something different to the table creating the perfect entrepreneur,” he added.

Each of the sons handles a different aspect of the business. Gregory serves as the president and chief executive officer, Greg Landry is the vice president of contract sales and David Vice is the vice president of operations.

Since their fathers’ retirement, Greg Landry and David Vice have shared their time and energy with Terrebonne Concrete LLC, a business they owned prior to coming into partnership with Morrison Terrebonne.

The sons-turned-executives “meet twice a month to hammer out the details of the business and bounce creative ideas off one another,” Voisin said.

Not much has changed about the business since the merger in 1999. Customers can still expect to come in and speak with someone who has knowledge and experience in hardware products, he said.

Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center stretches 20,000 square feet and covers several city blocks on Barataria Avenue.

The company still maintains use of the old Terrebonne Lumber Supply building for bulk deliveries, but the sales take place in the Morrison Home Center building.

In recent months, the company has ventured into retail hardware, catering to the everyday gardeners and home shoppers desiring the right tools to design their kitchens or prune their lawns.

At the new location on St. Charles Street in Houma, which is a co-operative of True Value, residents can find the same quality products and family values as the Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center location, Voisin said.

Morrison Terrebonne’s branch of True Value opened in July.

Voisin said the Morrison Home Center has been associated with the True Value organization for many years. True Value is a buying co-op where the members co-own the business in addition to buying products from the co-operative.

St. Charles True Value resides in the 14,000-square-foot former Winn-Dixie building.

“We felt it was time to expand our retail square footage into an area where we had a little more marketing potential than our present location on Barataria Avenue,” he said. “Houma is growing and we needed to be in a place where we could grow.”

St. Charles True Value offers any product needed for a home or business’ interior/exterior design. Store Manager Nelson Bertinot runs the daily operations of the store.

“We are a big part of the daily operations at Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center and St.

Charles True Value,” Voisin said. “However, we feel that we have left St. Charles True Value in capable hands. Nelson is a qualified manager whose values are the same as ours.”

St. Charles True Value, 1218 A St. Charles St., is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The telephone number is (985) 223-0670.

Business Spotlight Keith Voisin and Greg Landry (pictured) of Morrison Terrebonne Lumber Center, LLC, are among the latest generation to operate the home center and lumber company. Voisin, Landry, Doug Gregory and David Vice took over ownership from their fathers in 2003. Since then, not much has changed. The company continues to provide solid home repair products and advice. The latest addition to the company is the St. Charles True Value, located on St. Charles Boulevard in Houma. * Photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN