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May/June 2007 Page 27
WHO’S WHO - Petree
Continued from page 26
well the firm’s dedication to customer
service.
Petree will be responsible for resourcing
Western Red Cedar not only for Lazy
S, but also for Columbia Cedar, a sister
company out of Kettle Falls, Wash., that
also manufactures Western Red Cedar
in tight knot tongue and groove, channel,
decking and board with the same
dedication to quality and service.
Petree began his career in the industry
30 years ago, working in production and
sales. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys
hunting, boating, golfing and camping
with his family. He and his wife of 30
years, Linda, have two grown children
and two grandsons.
•
CASH BARGAIN -
Continued from page 4
money up and was fond of saying he
earned it back,” said Binney. The pair
tore down the buildings on the property
and sold the salvaged materials from it
and all the buildings they were tearing
down as used lumber. At the same time
that the Depression was ending, they
were earning a living from what had
become a full-fledged lumber yard. Over
the years, the area has become the
depressed inner city.
The current brother-sister team bought
the business when their dad, Frank
Binney retired, in 1993. To follow in their
father’s footsteps was not either Wally or
Betsy’s intent. As a bass guitar player in
the 70s for the band Prisoner, Wally was
on the road to fame and fortune when
fate intercepted. A deal with Columbia
records fell through when the band’s
drummer, who had played with the
Beach Boys, fell off a boat and drowned.
Back in Kansas City, Binney resumed
working for the family business, which
he had started doing at the age of
twelve. His fingers are still callused from
strumming the bass, now years later,
with his current band, Five Wrinkly
Dogs. Betsy taught English at the
Northwest Missouri State University in
Maryville before deciding to come back
to the family business, three years after
Wally had returned.
Business fluctuates, depending on the
fortunes of the neighborhood, said
Binney. “Hispanics are good customers.
They pay cash, have lots of family influence,
and as long as we’re not impacted
with other factors, like when gas prices
went up, we do well with the combination
of product, people and pricing,” he
acknowledged. “It’s a ‘pick up and go
store’ with good customer service. Our
employees know what they’re doing.
They’re there to wait on people and help
them out.”
Some of those employees, numbering
thirty between the four stores, have
been with good-natured Binney and
Calcara for many years. Manager
Beverly Boldez, has worked at the company
for 20 years, and Barry Findley in
the door department, 30 years.
Despite the security challenges of the
low income locations, Binney foresees
opening more surplus sites, progressing
outward from the city. But the area
would have to meet the economic level
criteria. High income sectors would not
be suitable, he said.
Growing up during the Depression
shaped Harriman’s business practices
and lifestyle, as well as influencing
Binney. His grandfather retired at age
89, at which time he was drawing a
salary of $24,000. He had kept his
money in the business. Binney inherited
Harriman’s frugal habits and as a result,
he and his sister have never had to borrow
money.
His modern day kids, however, don’t
seem to have picked up the basic business
principle of taking in more than you
spend, shrugged Binney. Son Cody did
listen to his dad, however, to pursue a
more practical side of his chosen direction
in the music field and is studying
recording engineering. Daughter Erin, is
at her dad’s side, learning the family
business.
Cash Bargain prices are about as good
as it gets. Yet Binney still hears ol’timers
yammering that they can’t see how people
can afford to build a house these
days, just as they did when he was
twelve, working for his dad. “Things
were $1.00. Roll roofing used to come
with a bag of nails and a can of tar. I can
remember father and I agonized when
sheetrock was $2.99 and we had to
raise it to $3.01 and what that would do,
and now its $9.29 a sheet,” reminisced
Binney.
Channeling off-grade materials into
housing construction not only fulfills a
need for affordability. It’s also good
stewardship of natural resources.
•
West Coast
Business Trends
Continued from page 9
are running at 10 to 20 percent off our
capacity production of Cedar specialty
products. Fortunately we are diversified.
If we don’t have the clear wood we need
for one product, we can produce more
lattice or more of another product that
doesn’t require the highest quality to
make. Right now we see a big demand
for 2x4 eight-foot rails, but no supply is
available. There is also a lot of demand
to help you get material that is scarce or
sell material that isn’t scarce.”
Gene Doroshenko, also with
Bakerview, said, “Cedar is very tight and
we have been working extremely hard to
find it. We pick up a couple of thousand
feet here or there, instead of the usual
truckload. Because we inventory, we
can put together a truckload, but instead
of the usual two items, there might be as
many as 10 items on the truck.”
Across the border in Tumwater, Wash.,
Michael Bryan, sales manager for Welco
said, “We are a Western Red Cedar seller
and buyer. We produce Cedar at our
sawmills, but we also buy outside material
to sell. Our customers are cautious,
no one is buying huge inventories, only
for immediate needs. We are seeing an
uptick in activity and orders are picking
up. However, I see buying ahead consisting
mainly of fill-in and I see shorter
order files ahead for our Cedar products.”
Gary Knight of R B Lumber, Oregon
City, Ore., said, “Cedar is a three tiered
market right now. Domestic Western
Red Cedar is in tight supply and it is fairly
high priced. Imported material such as
the stuff they call Chinese Cedar, is
plentiful and very reasonable in price.
Then there is the S1S two edged low
grade domestic material that is remanufactured
into fencing. This market is very
strong. Domestic sawmills are getting a
lot of pressure from imported species.
Continued on page 28
THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
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John Day, Oregon
Contact Mark Majors
1-541-575-2602
markm@drjlumber.com
For quality softwood
lumber in
Ponderosa Pine
for 7/4x6 No. 2 clear material, but there
is no supply.”
Archie Rafter of Sawarne Lumber,
Richmond, B.C., said, “Supply and
demand are imbalanced now. Logs are
tight and it is a supply driven market.
Activity is fairly spotty, but we are still
seeing business being done. There is
some reluctance from buyers due to
high prices. We don’t see a ‘wall of
wood’ suddenly arriving from Cedar
mills, so there is no reason to expect
prices to decline. We don’t expect a
quick resupply of Cedar. We are staying
busy, even though we are selling from a
lean woodpile. To be successful in the
Cedar market right now you have to be
quick and creative.”
Dave McCloskey with Bakerview
Forest Products, Abbotsford, B.C., said,
“We are finding lots of demand for
Cedar, but supply is still short. We see
small volumes, dribs and drabs becoming
available. Prices are still going up
and you see big dollars for clear material.
It is available if you are willing to pay
the price. The exchange rate keeps
going up. Right now it is just over 87
cents to the dollar. Although Western
Red Cedar is our bread and butter, we
also sell Douglas Fir, Hemlock and other
species. Due to beetle kiln there is an
abundance of Spruce available now and
prices are coming down. I have only
been in the industry seven months. For
a newcomer it is harder because you
don’t have those long term relationships
Prairie City, Oregon
Prairie
Wood
Products
Wallowa, Oregon
Contact Brenda Lovell
1-541-575-4516
brenda.l@centurytel.net
For premium studs in Douglas
Fir/Larch, White Fir,
Lodgepole and Ponderosa Pine