National Hardwood Magazine - September 2023

Ron Jones

Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc. has reinvested in the company, installing a new planer mill located in its new 27,500-square foot lumber storage/load building in Franklin. Third-Generation, Family Owned Business Marks 40 Years O Excellence In The Hardwood Lumber Industry Story By Manufacturer & Business Association’s Business Magazine Additional contributors to this story: Paul Miller Jr. and Michelle Keller Photos By Megan Ciafre/R. Frank Media with additional photos provided by Ron Jones Hardwood Sales “We are always looking for future opportunities.” – Steve Jones, President and Director of Domestic and Export Sales The Northern Appalachians are known for their high quality of American lumber – a rich and diverse basket of Hardwood including Red and White Oak, Black Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple, Ash, Yellow Birch, Hickory and Poplar. Here the experts say you’ll find some of the most beautiful Hardwoods with the best grain patterns and colors in the world. And it’s here, among the rolling hills of Northwest Pennsylvania, that you will find Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc., a family owned and operated business that prides itself as being experts in the Hardwood lumber business for the past 40 years. With headquarters and sales office located in a historic rail station in Union City, PA and a sprawling lumber yard, warehouse and dry kiln manufacturing facility in Franklin, PA, Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc. is an industry leader in the sales of premium grade Northern Appalachian kiln-dried Hardwood lumber. The company, which procures its lumber from a 150-mile radius of its Northwest Pennsylvania operations, produces up to 10 million board feet of Hardwoods annually. Key markets include customers that purchase wholesale lots including cabinet, furniture, millwork and flooring manufacturers, and distribution yards nationally and internationally. Ron Jones Hardwood Sales’ reputation for high quality is a credit to the Joneses’ more than 100 years of expertise, as well as their strategic approach to investments in their operations, equipment, and team of 35 professionals, many of whom have been with the company for 20 years or more. Steve Jones, President and Director of Domestic and Export Sales, credits his father, Ron Jones, for laying the framework that the company’s success is built upon. “We’re just taking it to the next level,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard and continually reinvent ourselves with our product mix, with the markets that we have, and how we do business.” At Ron Jones Hardwood Sales, “We are always looking for future opportunities,” Steve Jones continued. “We’re never staying static. What we do today does not mean that is what we do tomorrow. Our employees know that, and they get it.” Proud History Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc. is a true American success story, the road to entrepreneurship was a journey two decades in the making for founder Ron Jones. Back in 1959, Ron had just graduated from Union City High School looking to start his career in the local lumber business — a thriving industry for the small Pennsylvania town. He set out by earning his technical and grading certification from the prestigious National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) School in Memphis, TN, and returned home the following year to take a job trading lumber for Union National Furniture Please turn the page Ron Jones Hardwood Sales Inc., a family owned third generation Hardwood lumber business, headquartered in Union City with a lumber yard in Franklin, PA, marks its 40th year. President Steve Jones, Founder Ron Jones, and Sales/ Procurement Nate Jones. Members of the Jones Hardwoods Inc. managerial team in Franklin include (from left): Operations Manager Ben Krieg; Office Manager Cheryl Xander; Quality Control Kevin Williams; and Inventory Manager Chad Moon. 26 SEPTEMBER 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry SEPTEMBER 2023 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 27