September 2023

As we approach Fall, we can feel our busy season getting started. Thankfully, prices continue to drop on most of our domestic lumber. We continue to increase our product lines and services, and we are working hard to complete the renovation of our 7,500 s.f. warehouse in downtown Manchester. We already have lots of material there that we shuffle back and forth from Parkerville.

I want to tell you about improvements in our solid wood milling department and the team that works there. About 4 years ago the head of that department retired after working for me for over 20 years. When he left, I felt we lost some of our capacity to produce more complex projects. As we adjusted, we probably turned down a few projects that we would have taken on otherwise. That department is filled with powerful machines that spin large, sharp cutter heads at high speeds, so skill and experience are essential.

Over the past year or so, one of our younger employees took it upon himself to really delve into the mechanics, operations, and set-up of this equipment. His confidence and comfort in managing and operating this equipment has trickled down to other employees in that department. They have all been doing great. Consequently, we are planning to set up 2 additional machines that we purchased from The Woodery last year. One is a SCMI shaper, the other machine is called a Mikron Moulder, and its primary function is to produce curved and elliptical casings for doors and windows. Our goal is to expand our mill department significantly, but unfortunately, that cannot happen until we add space to our operation. We are working on that, too.

I’d also like to welcome John Golemba to our team. John is a career woodworker who I worked with in the 90’s when he was the operations manager of the 60,000 s.f. woodworking shop at BKM (now Red Thread) in East Hartford. We did subcontract work for BKM back in the 80’s and 90’s, and for Red Thread more recently. John went on to run his own successful woodworking business for many years. He joined our team last month and is primarily managing the production of projects that come in through our lumber store. His skills and technical ability are an asset to our business and customers.

On September 9th, we will be participating in the Woodcraft open house in Manchester. Parkerville and Woodcraft are good friends and refer customers back and forth on an almost daily basis. Drew and his family do a great job operating both their Manchester store, as well as their operation in West Springfield, MA. We hope to see you at that show.

As we get close to the holiday season don’t forget to plan your Holiday projects early. We’re not only here to supply wood and other materials, but also to provide you with our decades of combined experience to assist you in building your projects. Whether you purchase material here or not, our advice is always free. We are here to make you look good.

Looking forward to seeing you at the shop.

Sincerely,

David Harris
President