Cristina Wasel leads our Door Division’s commitment to quality and getting things right. Her engineering expertise helps build tools and systems that work to prevent and solve issues on the production floor.
Cristina joined Lumbermen’s in May of 2022, and now holds the role of Quality Management Supervisor. “Quality is part of our commitment to our customers and to our Employee Owners, one thing I am very proud of is that Quality is a department of support,” says Cristina. “We build the process and tools for our teams to succeed, and investigate where do we need to improve. Quality is not about criticizing and pointing fingers, it is about learning from our mistakes and working ahead to prevent them.”
In her time outside of work, Cristina enjoys gardening, and spending time with her husband, their two children, and two cats. Cristina and her husband met when he was traveling for work in Mexico, and they have been together for 10 years, and this year celebrated another milestone. “This year I am very grateful and blessed to say I have become a US citizen, I am very happy to join this country.”
When asked about her experience at Lumbermen’s, Cristina had this to say, “I love working here, this has been a great opportunity for me to enter a different industry, the thing I love the most is the family oriented values of Lumbermen’s, and how that extends to the community around us not just the inside of the company.”
Brandon Kitkowski – Sales Consultant, Building Materials
Brandon Kitkowski has seen his business card change in 2025, going from Field Sales Representative to now Outside Sales Representative. However, his commitment to service and our customers is his defining characteristic.
Thai Xiong – Commercial Vehicle Driver
Thai Xiong is part of a new group of Employee Owners in Minnesota, joining the company in April of 2024.
Lumbermen’s Inc Grows Building Materials Division Leadership Team
Lumbermen’s is excited to announce leadership growth within our Building Materials Division. Significant growth in sales, workforce, and expansion into new territories like Minnesota in 2024 has led us to make some changes to our leadership structure.
Terry Lynn – Facilities Manager
Terry Lynn joined Lumbermen’s in September of 2007, as a member of the Grand Rapids Building Materials division.
Steve Hanker – Customer Service – Grand Rapids Building Materials
Steve Hanker has been with Lumbermen’s since 1996, when he joined the company as a Customer Service Representative.
Donna Ritsema & John Rutkowski
On December 7, 2023 Lumbermen’s celebrated the careers of Donna Ritsema (43 years) and John Rutkowski (31 years). Employee Owners, vendor partners, dealer customers, friends and family all gathered to congratulate these two on the positive impacts they have made for the company.