National Hardwood Magazine - October 2022

At just one of its four locations, the facility operates a kiln capacity
of 450,000 board feed running eight kilns, a stacker, grading
line, planing line, two rip saws, three moulders, a wood waste
system, seven lift trucks and four distribution trucks to produce
lumber.
With four locations, Holt & Bugbee Company has a
plant in Tewksbury, MA on 25 acres with 550,000 board
feet of kiln capacity, nine kilns, two stackers, two inspection
lines, two planers, an automated grading line, three
rip saws, five moulders, a resaw, primer, end matcher
and a wood waste boiler. This operation also has 12 lift
trucks and five delivery trucks.
On 10 acres in Mount Braddock, PA, Holt & Bugbee
operates 450,000 board feet of kiln capacity, eight kilns,
a stacker, grading line, planing line, two rip saws, three
moulders, a wood waste system and seven lift trucks and
four distribution trucks.
Holt & Bugbee utilizes lift trucks at three of its four locations.
The plants in Boyertown, PA, and Elmwood Park, NJ, both have
multiple lift trucks.
Sourcing all of their lumber from sawmills, Pierce said
the product mix is based mostly on current trends. “We
buy species mostly based on demand, but we really focus
on high grades with good lengths and widths in all
our products. If you buy from us, you’re going to get the
highest quality product. We have a reputation for quality
lumber and serving our customers with attention to their
needs. Our custom mouldings, wide and long plank flooring,
and smaller precise orders are our bread and butter.”
Some of the equipment manufacturers utilized by Holt
& Bugbee include Weinig moulders, Mereen-Johnson
rip saws, Yates American planers, Irvington Moore and
American Wood Dryers and SII dry kilns. Average inventory
is 8,000,000 board feet, companywide.
Holt & Bugbee purchases approximately 25M board feet in Hardwoods annually in Poplar, Red and White Oak, Hard and Soft Maple,
Walnut, Sapele, Red Grandis, Hickory, cypress, Alder, Ash, Alaskan yellow cedar, pine, Basswood, Birch, and Cherry. Pictured above
are (from left): Mike Pierce, William Collins, Roger Pierce, Ben Pierce, Phil Pierce, Sean Herlihy, and James Herlihy.
Quality Hardwood Lumber, Millwork And
Moulding At Holt & Bugbee Company
By Michelle Keller
Tewksbury, MA–Holt & Bugbee Company, headquartered
here, is a distributor of Hardwood and
softwood lumber, flooring, custom mouldings, and
millwork. The company purchases approximately 25M
board feet annually in Poplar, Red and White Oak, Hard
and Soft Maple, Walnut, Sapele, Red Grandis, Hickory,
Alder, Ash, Basswood, Birch, Cherry, Euro Beech, Jatoba,
African Mahogany, Teak, Ipe, pine, Douglas fir, cypress,
Western red cedar and Alaskan yellow cedar (kilndried,
S4S, Dressed, 4/4 through 12/4).
With a history of success dating back to 1825, Holt &
Bugbee has withstood many storms, including the COVID
pandemic. “When the pandemic began, it was a really difficult
time for everyone. Obviously because of lockdowns
Photos By Alexis Ann Photography
it was extremely difficult to do business,” Head of Marketing,
Ben Pierce explained. “We didn’t sit still while it was
happening. We took advantage of the time and used it to
audit our operations and make several improvements.”
Pierce said Holt & Bugbee maintained their operations
at the height of the pandemic and also gave to the communities
in which it serves. “We did a great job of staying
safe and reducing the spread of COVID-19 at work. Not
one employee was laid off and we managed to get to
the other side as a stronger and more versatile company.
The communities that we serve are just as important to
us as our business. We’re thankful that we were in a position
where we could donate $20,000 to local food banks
to give back to the people who were hit hardest.”
“We buy species mostly based on demand, but we really focus on high grades with good
lengths and widths in all our products. If you buy from us, you’re going to get the highest quality
product. We have a reputation for quality lumber and serving our customers with attention
to their needs. Our custom mouldings, wide and long plank flooring, and smaller precise
orders are our bread and butter.”
Pierce added, “Our third plant located in Boyertown,
PA has a 40,000 square-foot storage capacity, a planer,
rip saw, two lift trucks and four delivery trucks. Located in
Elmwood Park, NJ, we have a 20,000 square foot storage
facility with two lift trucks and four delivery trucks.”
–Ben Pierce, Head of Marketing, Holt & Bugbee Company
Lumber species is
purchased based on
demand to produce
high grade products
with good lengths
and widths.
It was the entrepreneurial savvy of businessman John
Cutter that established Holt & Bugbee in 1825. Cutter’s
goal was to establish a sawmill for rough cutting Mahogany
logs in Charlestown, MA. Armed with nothing
more than a strong knowledge of the trade and a single,
but powerful, idea, Cutter struck a bargain where
he would supply an equally industrious sea captain with
much-needed block ice. The captain would deliver the ice
to South America and, on Cutter’s behalf, exchange it for
rough Mahogany. With the emptying of the seaweed-encased
block ice, the ship’s holds then became available
for transporting the Mahogany logs back to Cutter.
By 1850, Cutter’s son-in-law, Stephen Holt, entered the
business, carrying on the company’s tradition. He was
followed by John Bugbee 10 years later and, with his ar-
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OCTOBER 2022 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 27