PHILLIP “BUBBA” Ingleburger heard the jangle of the door at Builders Supply Co. at 301 SE Atlantic St. one morning in the spring of 2025. He was surprised to find people from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development standing in front of him, and at first, he was mildly concerned.
“They came in one day, and they were holding a card from the state of Tennessee. It kind of startled me for a second! I was wondering what we had done or hadn’t done,” Ingleburger said, laughing. “They said the governor had tasked them with recognizing businesses that have been around for over 100 years.”
The company received a plaque commemorating the occasion. While Ingleburger and his partner, Carl Dixon, purchased Builders Supply Co. in 2005, the company has been a fixture in Tullahoma since around 1915-1918. The earliest records found were from 1922, but they indicate that the business had been around for several years prior. It was founded by the Sanders family; Pat Welch, Sanders’ son-in-law, ran the company until he sold it to Ingleburger and Dixon. Ingleburger said their current building was built in the 1950s, replacing the original structure.
Ingleburger and Dixon had an extensive background in the building supply industry even before owning their own companies. Ingleburger worked at Franklin County Lumber for 17 years, and Dixon started out at Henley Supply but eventually joined Franklin County Lumber as well. Both men worked in outside sales. The two became close friends over the nine years they worked together. After that, they decided to become business partners. Dixon owned a shelving and mirror company, and Ingleburger bought half of that business. The company was hired to do things like installing wire shelves, shower doors, door locks, and mirrors in new houses that were being built. Then, an opportunity emerged that piqued their interest.
“We understood that Builders was for sale, so Carl made the call. We came over and sat down with Mr. Pat Welch, right here in the office I’m sitting in now, and we made a deal and bought it,” Ingleburger said.
Ingleburger and Dixon currently have four businesses together, one of which is a rental home venture, but the rest are directly related to building and maintenance. Their sons work in various capacities throughout the companies. Ingleburger’s son, Kyle Ingleburger, works at the Tullahoma lumberyard. Dixon’s oldest son, Chase, works at the Monteagle location of Builders Supply Co., which Ingleburger and Dixon bought from John Greeter in 2007. Dixon’s youngest son, Jacob, works at their plumbing and electric store. It is truly a family business.
Builders Supply Co. in Tullahoma currently has 18 employees. Ingleburger said that a lot has changed in the last 20 years since he and Dixon bought the company, including the fact that when he first took over, they were still hand-writing invoices and keeping everything in filing cabinets. They have since moved to computer systems, which took some adjustment, but has made the entire process more streamlined and accessible. He said they also saw changes in the equipment used for jobs.
“Chris Evans, who has been here over 40 years, was just talking about this with me the other day,” Ingleburger said. “We were talking about how these days, we sell very few hand-driven nails — the ones that you would manually drive with a hammer. Used to, we would buy them by the pallets. We would buy roofing felts by the truckload, but now if I have a pallet or two, I’ve got more than enough, because they have gone to synthetic felts.”
Another major change in the building industry is that today, most building crews specialize in one field rather than being jacks-of-all-trades, like they were in the past. It is more common to have separate crews for jobs such as masonry, framing, electricity, and plumbing, to name just a few.
“These guys have learned that if they focus on a trade and get good at it, they can make a really good living,” Ingleburger said.
Though the company has evolved with the times, some things remain the same: commitment to quality service, treating people with respect, and prioritizing family. While Ingleburger has his son, Kyle, working alongside him at the lumber yard, he also has a wife, Dana, and a daughter, Anna Duncan, who works in agricultural development and communications at the University of Tennessee.
That emphasis on relationships extends to how Ingleburger and Dixon approach their business. They’ve built their success on community connection and trust, and they’re committed to offering great products and services even in a competitive market.
“We strive to give the best quality and best service we can,” Ingleburger said. “We’re not always going to be the cheapest, but we try to be fair with our pricing.”
For Ingleburger, success requires respect and showing appreciation.
“Respect people. Tell them thank you,” he said. “A simple thank you goes a long way to build others up.” Ingleburger said he is incredibly grateful for his employees and loyal customers.
“We are nothing without our dedicated employees, and also the wonderful community that supports our work — we couldn’t exist without all of these great people,” Ingleburger said. GN
