National Hardwood Magazine - August 2023

LAKE STATES Continued of

LAKE STATES Continued of lumber sold that you can’t find transportation for.” The wholesaler said he doesn’t expect much of a change in business climate for the remainder of the year. “We’re holding what we have, and our customers are cautious. I don’t think we’ll see a complete downturn, but we’re not going to trend up from here either,” he said. A Hardwood lumber supplier in Michigan said his markets are hot and cold. “Some stuff is moving and others are not,” he remarked. “Activity is a little better overall. It seems like there are a lot of different things going on. Some people don’t want to carry much inventory and others are watching their inventory closely. It’s just a mixed bag out there. I think the overall story is that things have slowed down. There is a little glimmer of optimism. Getting contract trucks is easier because it is less hard to find trucks.” The source said his customers’ business is hit and miss. “One of my best customers said he was taking 400 pallets a week and last month they dropped him down to 300 a month. That change of pace is hard on your pocketbook and your ego.” He said all species are sluggish currently. “Maple has even slow-bodied more for us in the last month. The price was coming down steadily but now everybody has tightened up on that too. Red Oak is the same way, we have a lot of outlets for it, but the price keeps ticking down.” Looking at what the next few months will bring he had a positive outlook. “In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen a slight increase. Whether or not that is an inventory juggle as much as anything else we just don’t know yet.” n NORTHEAST Continued from page 6 kitchen cabinet companies and wholesalers. “They are slow. I hear it every day when I call them up asking what they are up to and what do they need. With prices changing weekly, nobody is wanting to buy high-priced lumber and price themselves out of the market. It seems that everyone is waiting till the last minute,” he continued. When asked if he was having trouble with transportation he said, “No, there seems to be trucks available. They are calling us looking for work.” A lumber spokeswoman in Pennsylvania said, “Business in general has been weird lately. I can’t say that we have any established business right now, our sales have been spotty.” She continued to say that there is a big difference between the market, at the time of this writing, and six months ago. “We are trying to make sure that we don’t over produce and, instead, focus on the products that we currently have. I think that our sales are doing well with this adjustment.” She said that her company handles Red and White Oak in grades No. 3 and Better and in 5/4 thickness. When asked which specie was selling the best, she said that White Oak was moving well and that she refused to drop prices on it. She noted that her company is selling more to end-users, such as moulding, millwork, stair and flooring manufacturers. “A lot of customers that are into custom work are busy,” she added. She noted that her company has had difficulty with labor, causing their steadfast employees to wear many different hats. As for transportation, she said, “I try to establish relationships with owner/operators that are running a few trucks and promise them work. I stay away from the brokers, their prices are unreal.” A New York sawmill owner said, “Our sales are probably at a 5 out of 10 right now. We aren’t doing as well as we were six months ago due to the lack of demand.” His sawmill mainly deals in Red and White Oak in thicknesses of 4/4 through 8/4, with White Oak being his best seller. He noted that he primarily sells to Hardwood distribution yards and end-use manufacturers. He hasn’t heard any comments from his customers on how their sales are. When asked if he was having issues with transportation or labor he said that he wasn’t at the time. n SOUTHEAST Continued from page 7 fixed widths in Poplar, it’s our little niche for moulding and millwork companies and distribution yards.” While he hasn’t heard any comments directly from his customers as to how their sales are doing, he noted that they had a run of 700,000 board feet of Poplar, with about 10 loads of 12 and wider, all of which they were able to sell. “I’d say that’s good and we got a good price,” he went on. He mentioned that since they have downsized he has noticed that they are not having the transportation issues that they used to, however, when it comes to labor it’s a different story. “We are having a terrible time with labor, Please turn the page Javan Mallery - President javan@wolverinehardwoods.com 616-437-9093 Greg Liceraga - Sales greg@wolverinehardwoods.com 616-204-2759 HARDWOODS Paul Mallery - Sales paul@wolverinehardwoods.com 616-437-4218 www.wolverinehardwoods.com Hardwood Lumber and Plywood Sales Species: Michigan Hard Maple • Michigan Red Oak • Soft Maple White Oak • Cherry • Ash • Beech • Alder • Cedar • Aspen Basswood • Hickory • Poplar • Walnut • Figured Wood • Plywood Randy Wisner - Sales rrwisner61@gmail.com 503-616-6700 Services: Kiln-Dried 2 & Btr Northern Hardwoods Custom Thicknesses, Lengths and Widths Surfacing • SLR1E • Just In Time Delivery 2810 113th Ave., Allegan, MI 49010 (P) 269-686-7004 (F) 269-686-7944 David Wilson - Sales david@wolverinehardwoods.com 616-403-9902 Building Relationships as Solid as the Wood We Sell Doug Fisher - Sales doug@wolverinehardwoods.com 517-275-1060 Nolan Mulder - Purchasing nolan@wolverinehardwoods.com 616-745-3059 facebook@WolverineHardwoods 56 AUGUST 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry AUGUST 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 57