Lumberyard Owner At Lumberyard Owner At Miller Lumber Sales Attributes Growth to Competitive Prices, Knowledgeable Staff By Matthew Breazeale Toyota forklifts unload a truck of 2x6 Southern Yellow Pine. Miller Lumber owner Alan Walters carries Pine and Spruce materials, plywood, OSB treated lumber, Cedar, Cypress, and pattern Pine material. Prime Forest Products , Growing In the Right Direction By Zach Miller "It's going to place us on the map. Companies and lumber professionals will look at us more seriously, knowing that we possess our own iron and steel, as they say in the sawmilling business. Our lumber partners appreciate that we're heavily invested in our industry, and they want to align themselves with us." While aiming for a larger share of the wood industry's market, Prime Forest Products intends to remain faithful to its core values of sustainability, quality control, longevity, and fostering close relationships with customers, suppliers, and vendors. Last December, the Beaverton-based company, which specializes in customized industrial millwork markets, acquired Rainier Custom Remanufacturing in Sweet Home, OR; a facility Prime Forest has utilized for 15-plus years for its custom manufacturing. The 22-acre remanufacturing operation has been renamed Prime Forest Remanufacturing (PFR) under the umbrella of Prime Forest Products . In addition, Prime Forest also operates a cut stock facility in Springfield, OR. With the new acquisition, Prime now positions itself as a major manufacturer of high-grade Softwood . Brad Rodakowski, President of Prime Forest Companies, states that the merger "opens up unprecedented possibilities" for industrial lumber manufacturing. "Our existing customers want to grow and do more business with us because they like the quality and variety of our products and want to see Prime Forest Products expanding and thriving," said Brad, who has worked in the lumber industry for more than 47 years. “We are now positioned to control and tailor the production, sizing, drying and grading for our industrial customers. Our objective is to optimize production and strive for efficiency as much as possible.” Brad explained that the acquisition was primarily made to better serve their customer base, as Prime Forest was already utilizing the Sweet Home plant to process wood long before the purchase was made. "We want to ensure that the wood is dried correctly," he said. "Our customers inspect our lumber and conduct a prong test to ensure that the moisture content on the outside matches that in the core. The Sweet Home operation is the only place we have been able to have good success drying lumber," he continued. "We've been processing our wood at this facility for the past 15-plus years and the owner wanted to sell the operation. The opportunity allows us to create a solid foundation for the next generation in the industry." Another reason for acquiring the Sweet Home facility was to diversify the Prime Forest has positioned itself as a major manufacturer of high-grade Softwood . – Brad Rodakowski, President, Prime Forest Products “Our objective is to optimize production and strive for efficiency as much as possible,” said Prime Forest Products President, Brad Rodakowski. company’s offerings. "It's going to place us on the map. Companies and lumber professionals will look at us more seriously, knowing that we possess our own iron and steel, as they say in the sawmilling business. Our lumber partners appreciate that we are heavily invested in the industry and our products and customers want to align themselves with us. This growth is going to require more creativity and innovation and we are excited about the future,” Brad said. "When we engage with new potential customers we have a lot more to offer," he added. "This sets us apart now that we control all aspects of production." Prime Forest Products manufactures 22 million board feet annually of beveled Continued on page 42 Located in the Jackson metro area in Mississippi, Miller Lumber Sales, LLC boasts hard-working leadership and staff in operating a full-service lumberyard. Through building relationships one handshake at a time for over 70 years, Miller Lumber Sales, LLC supplies both common and hard-to-find Cedar, Cypress and Pine lumber. Owner Alan Walters took the reins in his leadership position for the nine-employee company in 2020. His leadership team includes, Tracy Kirkpatrick, administrative assistant, Jim Jones and Mike Anderson, both inside sales. Charlie Miller, who at the time had created a niche in the market by representing the Potlatch Corporation, founded the company in 1953. He ran operations until the early 90s when Mark Windham bought it. Mark sold the business to John Behan in March of 2019. John unexpectedly passed away in February of 2020 and for the remainder of that year, Walters ran the business for Behan’s family and bought the business from them at the end of 2020. “I enjoy interacting with the people, we have a lot of retail walk-in business. I'm still very much a part of that. I sit at the counter and greet people just like the other two sales guys do, in addition to my other responsibilities.” – Alan Walters, Sales/Owner, Miller Lumber Continued on page 51 Reliable . Focused . Committed WE WANT TO BE YOUR PREFFERED SUPPLIER We've got you covered from 38 distribution locations. Save time with one-stop shopping from a broad and deep line of lumber, panels, specialty wood products, engineered wood, building materials, millwork, and metal products - all from quality mills and manufacturers. Leverage the scope of a national distributor with local decision-makers who are closest to our customers. Access local experts with up-to-the-minute market information so you can make smart purchasing decisions with confidence, and grow your business. bc.com/distribution © 2023 Boise Cascade Company. All rights reserved. Page 4 Softwood Forest Products Buyer • March /April 2024 Softwood Forest Products Buyer • March /April 2024 Page 5
