College of Product Knowledge (CPK) 2026
One day. Hands-on training. New products. Everything your team needs to win selling season. đź“… Feb 4 & March 4.
MRS is located in Irvington, NJ, where we have four warehouses with a combined inside storage capacity of 150,000 square feet. We currently serve lumber yards, roofing & siding one-steppers, specialty dealers, and home centers in New Jersey, Eastern PA, lower New York (including Long Island), Connecticut, Northern Delaware & Maryland.
These well-seasoned and devoted folks have helped built and maintain the MRS we know today.
This is our team, a fun and talented group of people who are great at what they do and work hard to make MRS shine.
We are genuinely conscious of the role we play in the success of lumber retailers. Service excellence is a continuous goal and is approached in eight key ways:
To be recognized as the leading distributor of building products in our markets.
To provide extraordinary service and exceptional value of a preeminent distributor, and to develop a strong business partnership among our valued customers, suppliers, community, staff and owners through the endorsement of good business practices and the encouragement of sound business ethics.
We love to give in-person tours of our facilities to our customers, but if you can’t make it, here’s a virtual tour so you can learn a little more about our operations.
MRS was born in 1931, amid the Great Depression. Robert A. Boyd Sr. rented a warehouse in Paterson, New Jersey, and sold wood from southern mills on consignment. He called his business Manufacturers Reserve Supply, Inc. (MRS). He built a reputation with suppliers and lumber dealers based on trust and service. MRS evolved into a premier wholesale building materials distributor based out of Irvington, NJ, family-owned and operated by four generations of the Boyd family.
Established 1931
Robert A. Boyd, Sr. opens a warehouse in Irvington.

MRS founder Robert A. Boyd, Sr., standing at the right of the sign, opens for business in 1931.
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Robert A. Boyd, Sr. expands MRS product lines by pioneering a line of lumber specialties called Early American.

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At the end of World War II, Robert A Boyd, Jr. joined his father in the family enterprise.

Bob Boyd, left, shows a customer plywood paneling samples.
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On January 17, 1950, the company suffered a devastating fire loss to its headquarters and primary warehouse at 75 Woolsey Street. The entire facility was destroyed, along with the firm’s profitable insulation production operation.

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In 1959, Bob Boyd took over as President from this father and worked hard to keep MRS in step with the late 50s market changes and challenges for lumber wholesalers.

Left to right – Roy McClean, Sales Manager, Robert A. Boyd, Jr., President, and Herb DeRoth, General Manager, reviewing new marketing strategy.
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During the 1970s, the boom in home improvement, fueled by the DIY movement, created positive market conditions. These were reflected in the company’s dramatic rise in revenue during this decade as well as expansion of its territory to include Long Island, NY (1976) and Southwest Connecticut (1977).

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As MRS neared its 50th anniversary, Steve Boyd, the third generation of the family to join the business, came on board in 1979 after a successful career in the packaging industry. Steve brought new ideas, significant corporate experience, and valuable insights into operational efficiency.

Steve Boyd, second from right, at an industry convention in the late 1970s.
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Activity at MRS during the 1980s included the addition of new lines, expanded service, customer education and construction of a new 40,000 square-foot warehouse on the Irvington site.

MRS executives break ground for a 40,000 sq. ft. warehouse
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As trends and events unfolded in the late 1990s, the company’s management team exhibited a vision of the industry’s future that would prove to be accurate. Recognizing this vision, the North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA) names Steve Boyd as its Chairman in 1998.

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Brian Boyd started with MRS in 2010 and is the fourth generation of the MRS family business. His sales experience includes four years working in the millwork department of Guardian Building Products. Before leaving Guardian, Brian was responsible for all direct sales of the window division.

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After a precisely designed 8-year succession plan, Brian Boyd is named President of MRS, succeeding his father, Stephen Boyd. After 33 years at the company’s helm, Stephen takes on the role of Chairman.

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The new warehouse significantly increases MRS’s capabilities. Prior to the new facility, MRS had about 90,000 square feet of warehousing. Today the company has a total of over 150,000 square feet located in 4 warehouses.

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Being good is acceptable, but striving to do better is our perpetual goal. MRS acknowledges hard work and effectiveness. This is demonstrated by our “best practices” methodology, our use of the latest technologies, and our constant striving to improve through education and training.