National Hardwood Magazine - August 2018

ALLEN & ALLEN CO.

ALLEN & ALLEN CO. Continued Allen & Allen can grind custom knives for customers’ unique design needs. An extensive library is available from which to choose. current project mix, we source materials for a number of private ranches/estates, wineries and microbreweries as well as a number of restoration and refurbishment projects in historic San Antonio.” Along with Miller, Martin and Luhring, key personnel for Allen & Allen Co. include: Chief Operating Officer Wade Payne; Executive Vice President Carlos ‘Coddy’ Pena; and Director of Inventory Management Michael McGinnis. Allen & Allen Company’s industry associations include memberships in the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the Lumbermen’s Association of Texas & Louisiana, The Associated General Contractors of America, the Associated Builders and Contractors Inc., and the National Association of Home Builders. As for what’s in the future for Allen & Allen Co., Christina Martin said, “Our team believes in the following mission: Allen & Allen Co. is dedicated to helping customers complete their projects with maximum satisfaction in our products, our service and our people. Our goal is to provide value for each and every customer, regardless of whether that customer is a commercial contractor, professional designer or individual consumer. For that reason, we treat every single customer as we would like to be treated. Our reputation for honesty, integrity and personal service since 1931 is our guide to customer relations. It is our job to service our customers with open communications and prompt assistance.” n Exclusive representation in Spain through Iberia Agencia de Maderas, S.L. For more information visit www.lumberhardware.com. 42 AUGUST 2018 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

NHM ANNUAL SURVEY Continued from page 39 added to the difficulty. We have also seen many delays in container shipping with equipment shortages, rail delays, and overbooking of ships. This year, we started a new product line of Walnut lumber that is sawn exclusively from veneer logs. It is not something we sorted out of our regular production, it is lumber sawn from logs we used to sell to the veneer companies. It has been well received. Another change we have seen is the increase in smaller, specialty grade shipments for individual projects. They have actually worked well, as the availability of LTL trucks is much better than flatbeds. u Please turn the page Bucky Pescaglia Missouri-Pacific Lumber Co. Fayette, MO The Hardwood markets are robust. We are working very hard to satisfy the demand for our products in both the domestic and export markets. Walnut is our primary species as it represents over 90 percent of our production and it has experienced high demand in all grades and thicknesses. For most of this year, there have been very few Walnut items that have stayed in our inventory for very long. Pricing remains an area of concern. The unprecedented demand for logs from both domestic mills and those that are being exported has pushed prices right at or near record levels. Since our products take anywhere from four months to over a year to go from log to kilndried lumber, we have to stay very in tune with the lumber prices so we are not caught with a large, expensive inventory if the market were to soften. The low unemployment rates have pushed up wages too and that has reduced our margins. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t have issues with truck, rail or ocean freight shipments. Finding flatbeds that are willing to tarp is getting more difficult every day. The nationwide driver shortage and the new electronic logging devices have only Vertically Integrated. Quality Oriented. Ready To Service You. White Hard Maple Soft Maple • Yellow Birch • Red Oak • White Ash Birdseye Maple • Basswood • Aspen Northern Hardwoods P.O. Box 189 South Range, MI 49963 FSC Certified Ryan Peterson – Sales Manager (715) 533-6193 rpeterson@northernhardwoods.com Phone: (906) 487-6400 Fax: (906) 487-6415 www.northernhardwoods.com The Standard in White Hard Maple Since 1968! AUGUST 2018 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 43