National Hardwood Magazine - April 2017

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Chip

INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Chip Corley: A Sawmill Manufacturer Through Good And Bad Times The sight of molten lava and the sulfurous smell of Mount St. Helens shortly after it erupted remain with Chip Corley’s senses as much as the sound of sawmill equipment his family has made for over 100 years and the laughter of grandchildren he now enjoys. On a project for Weyerhaeuser shortly after Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, Corley took a company helicopter tour of the damaged timberland that included a drop into the crater. “The sight of the molten lava in the crater and the sulfurous smell, I’ll never forget,” he commented. As Chairman, co-CEO and self-proclaimed cheerleader of Corley Manufacturing, Corley and the company his grandfather started in 1905 in Chattanooga, TN, has lived through two severe economic reversals -- the Great Depression and By Cecil Yancy With Chip Corley the “so-called Great Recession,” he said. Through good times and bad, Corley’s always been tied to the lumber industry. He began working summers at the company at age 14, while his grandfather was still active. After earning an undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College and an M.B.A. from Amos Tuck School of Business, he did a stint in the U.S. Army, pointing out, “universal military training was required then.” Following service to his country, Corley went to work for Warner & Swasey, a machine tool manufacturer in Cleve- as the company’s representative in Europe and the Middle Chip Corley 48 APRIL 2017 NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

East, before returning to the family business in 1978. He was a member of the board of directors at Corley Manufacturing eight years prior to his joining the company, which is now in its fourth generation. Corley’s grandfather had actually started the family business as a small machine and saw repair shop in the Chattanooga area before purchasing the rights to make circle saws from a company that had burned to the ground. Since Chip Corley’s been at its helm, Corley Manufacturing has acquired controls and optimization manufacturer Lewis Controls, the Tyrone-Berry line of carriage feeds and added bandmill headrigs, vertical and horizontal resaws, linebar systems and optimized carriages and edgers to its product offerings. In the intervening 38 years, the company has faced the tough times associated with the “so-called Great Recession,” as Corley dubs it. “Tough times in the lumber industry are seriously ampli- said. “We owe our survival to great employees, not too much debt, pure stubbornness and answered prayers. I believe our industry in this country has a very solid long-range future considering our plentiful timber resource and huge consumer base.” The company is an associate member of the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., Southwestern Hardwood Manufacturers Club, Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association and the Southern Forest Products Association. “Being involved with these associations has provided a great opportunity to get acquainted with many outstanding sawmillers and to get better insights on their needs, likes and problems,” Corley said. Asked about retirement, Corley said, “I seriously considered retirement at one time several years ago, but I got over it,” he laughed. “Chuck Boaz, my two sons, Jack and Michael and Marv Bernhagen at Lewis Controls do an excellent job of running the day-to-day operations of the business, but I enjoy staying involved and helping where I can,” Corley said. lady with eight grandchildren, instantly bringing our combined total to 15,” Corley said. “One of our joys is to spend holidays and annual vacations with as many of them and their parents as we can collect together.” WHERE THE LUMBER INDUSTRY GROWS NEVER WORRY ABOUT LEAD GENERATION AGAIN With a searchable database of over 20,000 lumber companies, finding your next trading partner is fast and simple. Lumber Blue Book is your go-to resource for profitable leads. GET PREDICTIVE CREDIT SCORES Ever wish you could predict the likelihood of negative credit events like defaults and delinquent payments? Fueled by over billion of industryspecific Accounts Receivable data each year, Blue Book Scores deliver just that. Learn more at lumberbluebook.com or call us at 630-668-3500. APRIL 2017 NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 49