While the transition in leader- ship has been a smooth one so far, Mike and Laura know there’s a lot at stake in their new venture. Not only is their own financial future on the line, they also have 150 employees and their families to consider. “At any given time we can have 10 million dollars of product in the pipeline and three million dollars of inventory sitting in the yard,” says Mike. “There’s a lot of pressure to make good decisions.” Pressure, indeed. Townsend Lumber Inc., is not only one of the largest employers in the area, it’s the largest hardwood sawmill and kiln- drying facility in the province, pro- ducing more than 24 million board feet of lumber per year. Another mill, Kitchener Forest Products, is also part of the family holdings. “The lumber industry can be un- predictable at the best of times,” explains Mike. “The timeframe be- tween sourcing timber and produc- ing a saleable product is a long one, so there’s not a lot of room for error. Finding ways to minimize financial risk is a big part of the job.” “When my dad invented the Breeze Dried Stick in 1994, it was a huge leap forward,” says Laura proudly. “Air flow is important when lumber is stacked to avoid staining and product damage. Dad’s patented design used diagonal ridg- es to maximize airflow and cut kiln- drying costs by up to 50 per cent. It revolutionized not only our busi- ness, but the entire industry.” Today, the manufacture and sale of Breeze Dried sticks has become a profitable business in its own right. The BreezeWood Floors division, created in 1999, has become a lead- ing manufacturer of solid hard- wood flooring.
“We offer a 100 per cent Cana- dian product,” says Mike. “People in Tillsonburg can buy a floor that may have literally come from 20 km away, making for an extremely low carbon footprint.” “We used to send our flooring to a facility in Toronto for finishing,” adds Laura. “But then we invested in our own finishing line. It means we now have complete control over the quality of our product.” Today, you can buy the Breeze- Wood product in retail stores in Till- sonburg, Kitchener and Orillia, and at www.breezewoodfloors.ca. “A big part of the Townsend Lum- ber story is its commitment to envi- ronmental stewardship,” says Karen
Keller, Sales and Marketing Man- ager. “We are certified by the Forest Steward Council and the Rainforest Alliance, and only buy logs from lo- cal woodlots that have been respon- sibly harvested. ” “I’d say ninety-five percent of our timber is bought from private land owners within a 250 km radius. The rest is bought from area conserva- tion authorities as part of their forest management programs,” says Mike. Over the years, the Townsend family has diversified its operations to ensure that all byproducts from the facility are used in some way. “In addition to kiln dried lum- ber and flooring, we also produce precut pallet and packaging com-
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