When Matthew Thomas recruited Bill Anderson to his company, Ogden-based J.M. Thomas Forest Products Co., he may have hoped he was bringing a breath of fresh air to the respected wholesale distributor of lumber-based building materials.

Anderson, brought in as a sales territory manager with a promise of advancement, did bring a fresh perspective to J.M. Thomas, and he moved quickly up the ranks at the company, to executive positions and, in 1999, to the president's desk.

Anderson defined the business's corporate culture according to his personal standards of honesty, ethics, high standards and setting difficult but realistic, goals. At the time he took the reins, J.M. Thomas' productivity and profitability were on a downward spiral, along with employee morale.

To combat this, Anderson decided to cultivate a team culture at J.M. Thomas, which meant making some difficult decisions — like letting go of several skilled, but "me-first," members of the sales staff.

Anderson also reduced product lines to three key revenue streams: engineered wood products, framing lumber and such products as boards, siding and decking.

Initially, sales and profits suffered. But within a year, while total sales had decreased slightly, the company's earnings had more than tripled. Since then, both sales and profitability have soared.

Managers attribute the firm's success to Anderson's emphasis on regular employee-manager feedback, empowered employees and the unflinching belief that doing "good" is good business.