Everything old is new again

by Heather Hayes
For Virginia Business
August 2005

Mountain Lumber Co. sells wood, but its founder and owner Willie Drake has yet to cut down a single tree in 30 years of business. That’s because this Ruckersville-based company gets its supply of lumber for flooring, beam and millwork products from old houses, barns, tobacco warehouses, grain elevators, factories, piers and other structures. The timbers are then put through a painstaking reclamation process that includes “de-nailing,” kiln drying, sawing and milling.

The origin of Mountain Lumber’s products is part of their appeal. “Our buyers like that they’re being environmentally-friendly by using recycled wood, but they also like that they’re getting a product that is truly unique,” says David Foky, director of marketing for Mountain Lumber, which has 50 employees and had revenue of $6 million last year.

Demand for the company’s chestnut, heart-pine, oak, Chinese elm, cypress and other types of wood is so high that Mountain Lumber is hard-pressed to keep up. That’s one reason why it recently purchased Madison Wood Flooring in Madison County. The deal provides the company with a 20,000-square-foot factory, state-of-the-art kilns and milling equipment, and a steam-based boiler system that uses sawdust to generate electricity.
The expansion gives the company the space it needs to add production lines and to set them up efficiently. Some production facilities will remain in Ruckersville where Mountain Lumber will keep its showroom and sales offices.

Foky believes the company’s prospects are unlimited. “We knew we were turning out an excellent product, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised by all the demand,” he says. “We keep setting expectations and goals for growth and we keep blowing past them.”