For over a century, New Klein Lumber has helped build Iola, one project at a time. The Eisenbart family has been part of that history for 66 years, and brothers Steve and Bill Eisenbart have spent decades carrying the business forward.
This weekend, the pair will serve as City Marshals for Farm City Days, an honor that recognizes their longstanding ties to the community.
A profile of Richard and Jan Knewtson, this year’s Farm Marshalls, will be in Friday’s Register.
The brothers were surprised by the selection, which comes as the family business enters a new chapter. Steve’s daughter, Nicole Joy, and her husband, Kyle, took over the lumberyard this summer.
For Steve and Bill, the recognition is an opportunity to celebrate not only their work at the lumberyard but also the community that has supported them through decades of change.
PAUL KLEIN established Klein Lumber in 1903, when indoor electricity and plumbing were far from commonplace. The business grew alongside Iola, supplying materials for homes, businesses and farms as the community developed.
Klein operated the lumberyard through the first half of the 20th century before passing ownership to his grandson, Klein Boyd, in 1960. That same year, Norb Eisenbart, the father of Steve and Bill, began working there.
Boyd managed the business until his death in a fishing accident in 1981. His wife, Mary, took over and operated the lumberyard until 1989, when she sold it to Norb. This is also when the name of the business changed to New Klein Lumber.
Bill had established himself as a carpenter while working part time at the lumberyard and became assistant manager after his father purchased the business. Steve, who first worked there in 1973, spent several years in Kansas City before returning to Iola and the business.
The brothers gradually assumed management responsibilities and took over the business full time when their father retired in 1998. “Basically, we’ve been part of the Klein Lumber family since back in 1960, when Dad started,” Steve said.
THE BUSINESS’S longevity is among the accomplishments Steve values most. When their father retired, the brothers committed to keeping the lumberyard operating.
“I told our dad that we were just going to keep running it until we ran it in the ground,” Steve recalled. “We haven’t run it in the ground yet.”
Much of that staying power comes from the relationships the family has built with customers. Steve said he takes pride in knowing people trust the business to meet their needs and treat them fairly.
“We’ve built a pretty good rapport with our customers. We feel like they’ll come back and see us whenever they need something,” he said. “And they have the trust in us that we’ll treat them right and take care of their needs.”
That philosophy dates to Steve’s early days at the lumberyard. When he joined the business in 1973, Boyd reminded him that competing lumberyards carried many of the same products. “We have the same products that they have,” Steve recalled Boyd saying. “All we have to sell is service.”
The lesson stayed with the brothers throughout their careers. Although they occasionally disagreed while working together, they said their parents taught them to get along and remain professional with customers.
