Written by Cape Cod & the Islands Magazine
Mid-Cape Home Centers celebrates 125 years of doing business on the Cape and beyond this year. We spoke with Marketing Director Crystal Pieschel about the organization’s past and its hopes for the future.
Congratulations on the anniversary! One hundred and twenty five years is a long time. Can you share with our readers a little bit about how the company began in 1895?
Thank you. We do have quite a rich history. Our company, which now services the Cape, islands, and all of the South Shore, began as a small lumber yard in Chatham with only three team members. In 1895, Oscar C. Nickerson was captain of a schooner off the coast of Cape Cod, and he decided to settle down with his family and purchase a local lumber yard in the area. Oscar had previous experience with lumber as ship cargo, so he was knowledgeable about the industry. He and his family grew the business along the railroad, and passed the legacy on for generations.
Pictured below is the very first Mid-Cape location in Chatham
Today, Mid-Cape Home Centers has six locations—Orleans, South Dennis, Wellfleet, Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard, and Middleboro. Tell us more about Mid-Cape Home Centers of today. What does it provide for the region’s home design community?
Simply put, Mid-Cape provides an “Experience that Builds.” We are committed to constantly evolving in order to better serve the local market. We currently offer everything from building materials, such as windows and doors, siding, and decking, to architectural support teams, product experts, first class delivery services, and complete kitchens complimented by in-house designers. We regularly evaluate our services, as well as the products and brands we partner with, so we can make sure we’re always passing on the best to builders and homeowners alike.
From your team’s perspective, how has the home design industry changed on the Cape and islands in recent years?
Across the country, the Cape is a well-known style of home. The rectangular shape, steep roof for shedding the harsh New England elements, a centered door, and a central chimney in the heart of the home. While the classic shingles and large windows will always be a staple on the Cape and islands, the architecture and design in our area is ever-changing. We continue to be amazed at the quality craftsmanship and creativity of the builders and architects we work with. Local builders, architects, and homeowners are pushing the limits to create original works of art that manage to boast the traditional Cape Cod themes while encouraging growth and development among the building community.
We saw that MCHC has over 200 year-round employees. What draws your employees to MCHC and what do the majority of your employees do?
I think it’s a combination of our team culture and strong values. Our values shine through in everything that we do. From “do the right thing” to safety and teamwork, being part of the MidCape team just gives you a good feeling about what you do every day. Many employees have been here for over 20 years, and more and more young professionals are seeing Mid-Cape as a great place to start or grow a career. As far as what the majority of employees do, we have a wide variety of positions: account managers, delivery drivers, material handlers, hardware, customer service, contractor sales, accounting, kitchen designers, and the list goes on!
We enjoyed learning about your Truck-for-a-Cause campaign. How did that get started and what organizations has MCHC supported through the effort?
A team member and I were brainstorming on new ways to display the company’s commitment to local organizations and causes. We thought, what better way to be a positive voice and show support to the community than by using our 75-plus truck-delivery fleet that drives across the community every day. That was in late 2018, when Cape Cod Village was getting ready to break ground right in our backyard in Orleans. Those diagnosed with autism need support from local community members. We decided to dedicate the first truck to autism awareness, and had it wrapped just in time for the Village’s groundbreaking ceremony, which was held in our Orleans showroom. Shortly after that, we did a teamwide vote for the next cause, and supporting veterans took the lead. We also have many veterans on our Mid-Cape team, so it was a natural fit. We wrapped two trucks in honor of veterans. We’ve raised money for Support Our Troops, the Falmouth Fund, and first responders. Currently, we have six Trucks-For-a-Cause across our locations, and we’re not done yet!
Lastly, what do you enjoy most about operating a business on the Cape and islands?
The community is unlike any other. There is a genuine sense of closeness and shared commitment to local businesses, and a mentality of being there to support each other that is truly organic and special