Sarah and the upper management team had a rough stretch about a year ago. Against Sarah’s strongest recommendations, the owners decided to buy lumber directly from lumber mills and hired Jack Jones, a lumber professional, to handle the purchasing. Prior to this, Frame Tec utilized the services of resellers. Resellers usually provide fixed bids for lumber pricing when a project is estimated. They hold their prices and normally bear the risk for changing market conditions. Sarah was very concerned that the company was taking an unnecessary risk by losing protection from market fluctuation because lumber is Frame Tec’s largest single cost. The market had been relatively stable historically, however, so Sarah accepted the owners’ decision and hoped for the best.