National Hardwood Magazine - Christmas Buyers Guide 2014

FORECASTS JOEY JOSEY

FORECASTS JOEY JOSEY JOSEY LUMBER CO. INC. SCOTLAND NECK, NC One of our business goals for 2015 is to work harder to help our customers make more money by providing them with higher yielding lumber. We want to keep providing lumber that sells itself. If things continue as it has thus far, 2014 should be a banner year for the Hardwood industry. The challenges we face in this industry don’t vary greatly, they just get harder each year. Our challenges seem to be finding good people to do our demanding, yet rewarding jobs. Another challenge is attempting to work with government on ways to support us, rather than suppress us. The cost of transportation and shipping are getting higher every day. Currently, diesel fuel is at or slightly below what it was a year ago, yet freight cost has risen 20 plus percent. Despite those added costs, in 2014 our company added a third kiln and introduced some new species of kiln dried Hardwood to the markets. It is our plan to expand those Hardwood choices in the coming months. Our customer base has expanded to all parts of the world. When we went from a green wood mill to a green and kiln-dried mill, the game changed. We have been selling tomatoes for 31 years and now we’re selling apples. It is a real exciting learning experience. JOE ZONA DEER PARK LUMBER INC. TUNKHANNOCK, PA In 2015 we will continue to improve on our relationships with our customers. We will also be looking at ways to be more efficient and productive. We will also be implementing a revamped quality control program at our mill. 2014 definitely is ending better for us than 2013. One of the biggest challenges we face heading into 2015 is the shortage of labor. I know we are not alone in the industry with this problem. We have work and our business to run and support, but always seem short on help to do it. We are currently installing a new 80,000 board foot capacity kiln by American Wood Dryers. We also replaced our chipper, bought a new Taylor forklift, and a new yard pack saw. In November we will be adding a saw deviation monitor to our main headsaw for quality control purposes and a new larger sawdust blower for our silo storage. In regard to transportation and shipping, we are having no issues currently with any export shipments. There does still seem to be some shortage of flatbed availability for domestic loads. We sell to the domestic market as well as to Canada and China primarily. Most species and grades have been strong for most of the year. The last few months we saw a slowdown that was kind of a typical summer trend. Things do seem to be ramping back up again with China starting to buy more volume recently. J.C. FRITZ FITZPATRICK & WELLER INC. ELLICOTTVILLE, NY My main goal for 2015 is to serve my customers with timely shipments and the quality products they have come to expect. Also developing new customers that use a variety of products will be a main focus. This year is ending much stronger than 2013. My customers are encouraged by the direction the economy is heading and it has showed in their orders this year. The biggest challenge we face is figuring out what specie will stay in demand this year. Also having a mix of products so that my customers don't have to look elsewhere is important. Finding trucks in the domestic market has definitely been a Please turn to page 26 24 CHRISTMAS 2014 ■ NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE

What’s on your wish list? THE QUALITY OF OUR LUMBER WILL PUT OUR NAME AT THE TOP. Established in 1886, Taylor Lumber Worldwide LLC is a leading manufacturer of RIFT & QUARTER SAWN lumber. Our quality manufactured lumber is produced from the highest grade Appalachian forest logs, known for their clarity and excellent grain. RIFT & QUARTER SAWN lumber is offered in the following species: Ash, Cherry, Hard Maple, Red Oak, Walnut, White Oak. Plain sawn lumber is also available. All lumber is precision-end trimmed, export graded and packaged. At Taylor Lumber, we are committed to providing our customers with consistent quality and efficient service. From our state of the art processing centers to the talented sales staff of Taylor, we guarantee that our lumber will satisfy each customer. TAYLOR LUMBER WORLDWIDE LLC 800.296.6223 www.taylorlumberinc.com