Hardwoods Specialty Products Focuses On High-End Langley, B.C. – Hardwoods Specialty Products, headquartered in Langley, B.C., a Vancouver suburb, is one of the largest companies in North America focused on the distribution of Hardwood lumber and sheet goods to industrial companies. Annually, Hardwoods Specialty Products purchases in excess of 80 million board feet of all higher end grades of Oak, Maple, Ash, Beech, Cherry, Birch, Hickory, Poplar, Walnut and Alder in 4/4 to 16/4 on selected products, in addition to exotic woods. “We focus on high-end Hardwoods, typically the top 35-40 percent yield cut from a Hardwood log,” explained Lance Blanco, president and CEO. “We stay away from lower-end grades. “The majority of our product lines are sourced from North American production,” commented Blanco. “We focus on partnership accounts with what we believe are the best suppliers available. We also have a very strong import department, BY MATTHEW FITE with an overseas staff.” Hardwoods Specialty Products, more than 50 years old, has 27 distribution facilities: nine in Canada and 18 in the United States. It employs a hub-and-spoke model of distribution in 10 regions: British Columbia, the Canadian Prairies, Manitoba, Ontario, the Pacific Northwest, the Rocky Mountain region, Northern California, Southern California, the Great Lakes and Texas. In each region is a main distribution yard with smaller distribution centers located elsewhere. In earlier times, the company was owned privately by the Sauder family, which had a variety of wood and wood products businesses. One man spurred the company’s growth. In the late 1970s, Sauder Moulding and Millwork developed an expansion goal under Ron Smalley, the company’s president. Blanco says Smalley is a Canadian, a tough guy who is very abrupt, tremendously driven, outrageously frugal and a beloved figure in company history. “People still tell stories about him,” Blanco explained. “They love him.” Smalley expanded the company to many parts of the United States. In the early days of this expansion, Blanco noted, Smalley carried the history of the company in the trunk of his car. When he flew to another city, according to Blanco, people in the company had to wait for answers about a Please turn to page 37 Dan Besen, Hardwoods Specialty Products’ vice president 22 Hardwoods...The All-Purpose Material
An aerial view of Hardwoods Specialty’s facility located in Aldergrove, British Columbia. Adam Reeve handles sales from the company’s Riverside, Calif. office. Annually, Hardwoods Specialty Products purchases in excess of 80 million board feet of all higher end grades of Oak, Maple, Ash, Beech, Cherry, Birch, Hickory, Poplar, Walnut and Alder in 4/4 to 16/4 on selected products, in addition to exotic woods. Hardwoods Specialty Products’ Aldergrove, B.C. facility. FEBRUARY/2011 23
