National Hardwood Magazine - March 2012

Adriatic Wood Products
Offers Lumber From A To Z
Brooklyn, N.Y.—Adriatic Wood Products Inc.,
located here, is a distributor of domestic and imported
Hardwoods. The firm purchases approximately 1 million
board feet annually including most domestic and exotic
species. Offering species from A to Z, or from Ash to
Zebrawood, Adriatic’s Hardwood lumber is available in
thicknesses from 4/4 through 16/4 depending on the specie.
Family owned and operated, the
company is also among the leading
manufacturers of custom and stock
mouldings in the northeastern
United States. Adriatic offers a complete
selection of crown mouldings,
chair rails, base and door casings.
Complementary accessories are also
available, such as rosettes, fluted
pilasters, carved capitals, corbels
and appliqués.
From a 90,000-square-foot manufacturing
facility, Adriatic has the
capability to sand, prime, emboss,
carve and apply compo resin to most
mouldings. Curved mouldings can
be manufactured in wood or in flexible
resin using stock or custom profiles.
All of Adriatic’s wood products are
kept under cover in a climate controlled
facility to protect from
weather elements. With milling onsite,
the company has the ability to
machine, dress, resaw and rip lumber
to exact specifications.
Marketing products throughout the
United States and internationally,
Adriatic ships by container, and
nationwide carriers. “All of our lumber
is end waxed and wrapped in
boxes,” co-owner John Grbic said. “If
it’s going by tractor trailer we strap
it down, wrap it with plastic and
tarp it. If it’s traveling locally we
wrap it and put it on our own closed
trucks.”
Key salespeople include John
Grbic, Erich Riechmann and Chris
Magas. “We also have three outside
sales people that travel our tri-state
area,” Grbic explained.
“My father established Adriatic
Wood Products in 1982,” he continued.
“He came to the United States
in 1970 and worked for a moulding
and millwork company for many
years. When that company closed,
he opened his own.
“By 1988 he purchased half a parcel
land from the city and he built a
45,000-square-foot facility in
Brooklyn. In 1998 we added another
45,000 square feet to that building
by purchasing the other half of the
parcel.”
When asked what he attributed
Adriatic’s continued success to,
Grbic commented, “We are committed
to service. Adriatic specializes in
offering a quality product in the
time frame we promise. With the
capability to carve and press mouldings,
we offer a lot of things in that
department that other companies
don’t.
“We also get to know our customers
and get to know what they are work-
BY MICHELLE KELLER
ing on so we can offer them the wood
that works best in that particular
application,” he continued. “It’s not
just about the sale, it’s about the
relationship. We service cabinet and
furniture manufacturers in our
area, and I tell them don’t let that be
your problem, let it be mine.”
Currently reconstructing the company
website, Grbic said the goal is
to educate consumers. “We’re in the
process of building an informational/educational
website where the
customer can look at the wood and
get information about how to measure
the amount they’ll need and also
explain what types of wood work
best in specific applications.”
As for equipment, he said, “All of
our moulders are Diehl and Weinig.
We also have embossing, carving
machines, large lumber planers and
profile sanders. We have resaw
capability, with which we resaw the
thicker heavy boards.”
Adriatic’s lumber and wood products
have been utilized in some
interesting places. “We’ve gotten
involved in projects for the Plaza
Hotel, The Ritz Carlton, and the Taj
Mahal,” Grbic offered. “Some of our
products have been placed in the
homes of celebrities such as
Madonna, Beyonce and Jay Z.”
Grbic also mentioned Adriatic
installed replacement products in
the Dakota building where John
Lennon and Yoko Ono lived.
Adriatic offers samples of their
products for the customer to view
and select before starting a large
Please turn to page 38
18 Hardwoods Have Workability