National Hardwood Magazine - July 2012

Spotlight: Keith Swaner

Spotlight: Keith Swaner Swaner Hardwood Company: Providing The ‘Best’ For 45+ Years Burbank, Calif.— CEO and founder of Swaner Hardwood Company, Keith Swaner has been dedicated to providing only the ‘best’ Hardwood products for more than 45 years. Senior member of this third generation Hardwood lumber company, Swaner said he built his business on integrity and quality. He began his career in the forest products industry in Bruce, Miss., at E.L. Bruce Co. “I started with E.L. Bruce on an old sawmill, which people today probably don’t know much about. It was a steampowered sawmill run with pulleys made of rope,” Swaner explained. In the following years Swaner managed Angeles Hardwood Co. in Los Angeles where he distributed, among other fine Hardwoods, Alder from Goodyear Nelson Hardwood Lumber Co., located in Sedro Woolley, Wash. “I actually ended up buying Goodyear Nelson, which was an Alder sawmill,” Swaner said. “We ended up cutting over 100,000 board feet per shift a day at that mill.” In 1967 he established Swaner Hardwood Co. “We were offering Alder in No.1 Common and it was very difficult to sell back then. In 1973, around the time that microwaves were just coming available on the market, we were offering a free microwave for every truck and trailer of No. 1 Common Alder purchased from us,” he laughed. “We were probably spending more for the microwaves than we were making on the lumber. That’s how tough times were.” Swaner wanted to offer the best quality Alder lumber available. “I sat everybody down and I said we’re going to move forward and our goal is not to be the biggest, but the best. I wanted to make the best Alder in the country. And we set out to do that.” As to what he attributes his success, Swaner said, “It’s simple—we’re a very old-fashioned company. We’ve always taken the high road. You don’t stay in this business very long if you take shortcuts. There really are no shortcuts in what we do.” Established in 1967, Swaner Hardwood Co., is privately owned and currently in its third generation. The company supplies Alder, Ash, Birch, Cherry, Eastern Hard Maple, Pecan, Poplar, Red and White Oak, Walnut, Mahogany and Teak along with other lumber products. Editor’s note: Spotlight is a recent addition to National Hardwood Magazine in which a long-standing member of the lumber industry is recognized for his or her achievements in the business. If you know someone you would like to recommend for an upcoming issue please email editor1@millerwoodtradepub.com or call (800) 844-1280. 34 Hardwoods Have Versatility

Penn-Sylvan International Adds Dry Kiln Capacity For Specialized Services Spartansburg, Pa.— Penn-Sylvan International Inc., headquartered here, recently installed two Kiln-Direct dry kilns, bringing their capacity to 375,000 board feet. These two new small kilns are designed to dry one trailer load of lumber at a time. Vice President and Sales Manager Jay Reese said the new kilns are dedicated to specialty products and species, such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified Hardwoods, and odd thicknesses of traditional Hardwoods, particularly 3/4 and smaller volume items such as Grey Elm, Sycamore, or Beech. “The smaller kilns allow us to quickly turn on a customer’s request, and improves the overall quality of all of our lumber as we are no longer forced to put more than one thickness or species in the same kiln,” Reese explained. “We’re processing FSC controlled and FSC pure chain-of-custody lumber,” he continued. “We decided to install the new kilns because the availability of that kind of stock in this area warranted smaller charges and specialty items such as 6/4 Cherry and Walnut. We’re now able to do different FSC products that are hard to find.” Please turn to page 40 BY PAUL MILLER JR. Vice President and Sales Manager Jay Reese JULY/2012 35