from-dreamer-to-doer
Lita Abele on a job site with clients from South State Inc
Lita Abele has always been a dreamer. But she never stopped at imagining what her life could become – she worked relentlessly to build it.
“I always dreamed that someday I would be a boss,” says Lita Abele, president and CEO of U.S. Lumber. “I used to imagine dressing like a businesswoman, wearing a suit and carrying myself that way. I would say to myself, ‘Someday I will be a businesswoman.’”
Today, Abele leads U.S. Lumber, Inc. in Woodbury Heights, a company whose materials have helped build some of the region’s largest construction projects, including Atlantic City casinos, Philadelphia’s professional sports stadiums and infrastructure along the New Jersey Turnpike.
The business itself began decades ago when her husband founded the lumber firm in 1974. Years later, after learning the industry and launching a successful lumber brokerage of her own, Abele merged her company with his and eventually became the majority owner when he stepped into semi-retirement.
But the path that led her into the lumber business started thousands of miles away – and long before she ever imagined working in construction. Before coming to the United States, Abele was a high school teacher in the Philippines.
“We could get by – we could eat three times a day – but there weren’t many opportunities to move ahead,” she says. “When I saw the United States on television, I started to dream. I imagined life there would be different, that maybe there would be more opportunity.”
Eventually she applied for a visa and made the journey to America with only a few dollars in her pocket. “It was scary,” she says. “But as long as I was here earning dollars and doing honest work, I was willing to do it.”
She worked as a housekeeper and nanny. The experience was difficult at first, marked by long hours and harsh treatment. Eventually she left that situation with the help of neighbors from the Philippines and found a new position with another family who treated her with kindness and respect.
During those years, she began preparing herself for something more. She enrolled in adult education classes, studying bookkeeping and computer basics. But it was a weekend trip to Boston that changed her life. “That’s where I met my husband,” she says.
The two met by chance in Boston during a dinner outing with friends. A stranger who had been glancing in her direction finally introduced himself. Their relationship eventually brought her into the lumber business.
Once she joined the company, Abele approached it the only way she knew how – by learning everything she possibly could. “Nobody here wanted to teach me anything,” she says. “So what I did was learn on my own.”
“I studied price sheets, sales journals and handwritten inventory records and taught myself how every part of the business worked,” says Abele. “My husband helped by quizzing me on lumber pricing, challenging me to calculate orders and totals until I understood the process completely.”
The transition to CEO wasn’t always easy – some employees were skeptical about her leadership at first.
“I didn’t hold it against them,” she says. “I just worked hard and focused on my values – respect, courage, remembering where you come from and always saying thank you. They’re simple things, but powerful.”
Abele believes leadership means staying connected to every part of the business. She maintains an open-door policy and keeps a close eye on daily operations without micromanaging. But above all else, she emphasizes the importance of relationships – especially with customers.
“Without customers, I wouldn’t have a job,” says Abele. “I always say thank you because I really mean it.”
