Gilco Lumber, Inc.... - Miller Publishing Corporation

80 percent of
Rhinelanders’
customers that
service residential
clients are hired for
renovations.
Rhinelander’s
Relocation Is No Barrier To Growth
– Jeff Hanke, owner of Rhinelander Door and Millwork Inc.
BY CLARE ADRIAN
Crandon, Wis.– The move from Rhinelander to Crandon in 2000 opened the door to vertical
growth for a period of time like Jeff Hanke, owner of Rhinelander Door and Millwork Inc., had never seen
before. Larger operational space, new accounts and increased sales in the housing industry contributed to a
doubling of an already 20 percent annual growth rate. Just about 2005, the national economy stepped in to
readjust the slant with a housing slump. And yet, Rhinelander’s consistent reputation for quality products,
competitive pricing, and fast lead time factor in to maintain steady growth Hanke can’t complain about.
These days, most of Rhinelander’s accounts are in the commercial
sector anyway, many who regularly deal with a particular segment
such as educational or business firms. And 80 percent of customers
that service the residential clients are hired for renovations. “They
remodel to keep busy,” observed Hanke.
Rhinelander’s doors are the face of the product that many cabinet
builders in the area have chosen since 1992 when Hanke decided to
break from the electrician’s code to rekindle a fondness for woodworking
he’d discovered in high school shop class, this time as business
owner. “I had a good idea that if I stayed an electrician at the
Oak Creek Power Plant I would have always wondered if I was capable
of managing and running my own business. I’m glad I did it. I
enjoy my business and the time I spend here.”
The drive to have his own business necessitated Hanke to overcome
a stifling introversion. “Talking to people was a learning process. It
took a lot of Pepto Bismol to talk to customers and get orders in the
beginning,” he recalled. His first impulse was to offer a partnership
to a friend gifted with salesmanship, which the friend turned down.
Since that time, Hanke has opened up to talking freely to anyone and
his friend regrets his decision.
For those first eight years, the Rhinelander-based company operated
within a 4,000 square foot crowded box of a building that housed
60 percent of the current equipment. Maneuvering materials from the
storage unit across the street was tedious in the winter months,
reflected Hanke, and there was no way to achieve adequate flow
through.
The hunt for an alternative property extended beyond Rhinelander,
20 miles to the east, where Crandon Industrial Park presented an irresistible
gift of 5 acres to bring the business to the town and provide
work for Crandon residents. The move allowed expansion into a new
14,000 square foot shop space and 2,000 square foot office. Flow
through into processing of the 168,000 board feet of lumber Hanke
purchases per year for client orders is greatly improved.
In Crandon, as he had in the city of Rhinelander, Hanke continues to
do business with cabinet contractors across Wisconsin, Minnesota,
Michigan and somewhat in Illinois. Requests for cabinetry matched
doors can usually be filled with Hardwood species available from
sawmills and distributors that obtain logs from the Nicolet Forest in
northeastern Wisconsin, the most frequently requested being North
American Hickory, Cherry, Maple, Birch and Ash. An occasional
order for an exotic such as African Mahogany slips in. No one vendor
supplies the exact lumber criteria that Hanke is seeking at any given
time. “They may not have the quality or standard we’re looking for in
one species but may excel in another. We shop around for the best of
what we’re asking for and then look at price.”
The one-week lead time doesn’t afford Rhinelander the luxury to
sort through, reject, send back and wait for lumber. Hanke affirmed,
Please turn to page 55
22 Hardwoods...The All-Purpose Material