Mark Willey, of Western Building Products, a Milwaukee, Wisconsin wholesale distributor, explains that his company has seen an increased demand for knotty pine during the past several years. ?We began stocking it a few years ago because we thought that in our market?Wisconsin and Northern Illinois?it would do well for use in cabins and cottages. We?ve found that while that is true, it is being used in many different types of homes and also that doors have become an important part of the trend.?

So much so that Willey?s company asked their supplier of six-paneled doors, Woodgrain Millwork of Fruitland, Idaho, to expand their knotty pine line. ?Bifolds are important in this market. So we asked them to come up with knotty pine bifolds, and they did. Then we went back and asked for French doors in knotty pine and they did that too.?

Currently, Willey?s company offers knotty alder on a special order basis. That?s about to change. ?We intend to start stocking it,? Willey explained. ?More and more high-end builders are asking for something really unique that sets their work apart. The knotty alder is so beautiful with its warm pink and brown tones. We?re seeing a significant increase in demand.?

Alex Mohr, corporate marketing manager for Woodgrain Millwork, explained that the percentage of sales of knotty alder doors has experienced a triple digit increase in the past year. 

?It?s just phenomenal and I?m not sure why, other than the fact that these doors are not only beautiful, they add a very ?homey? touch to all kinds of houses. It takes us back to a safer time.?

Mohr?s company is adept at tracking the evolution of wood product consumption. Woodgrain Millwork, based in Idaho since 1970, traces its roots to 1954 when Bud Dame founded a lumber and molding company in Utah. That family business moved to Oregon in the 1960s to be closer to product sources. In 1984, with Bud?s sons, Reed and Kelly at the helm, the company changed the name to Woodgrain Millwork to better reflect its primary endeavor?the manufacture of decorative trims and raw and prefinshed moldings. By then it was located in Fruitland, Idaho, where it remains headquartered today.

Through the years Woodgrain has learned the importance of adapting to the times. When changes in the timber industry made it increasingly difficult to obtain raw materials in the United States, the company expanded into South America, securing reliable and renewable resources through the acquisitions of plantation forests.  When new opportunities within the wood products industry occurred, Woodgrain made the most of them by acquiring new divisions. Currently the company includes 22 manufacturing and warehouse facilities in the United States and South America. Earlier this year it joined with another privately held building products company, T.M. Cobb, to purchase CraftMaster Manufacturing Company, which produces both CraftMaster Door Designs and MiraTEC exterior composite trim.  Woodgrain?s other, wholly-owned, brands include Windsor Windows and Doors, a manufacturer of high-quality wood and vinyl windows, Decra Mold, a leader in the decorative molding industry, and MillSource, a leading millwork distribution company.

Its Woodgrain Doors division, headquartered in Nampa, Idaho, the largest manufacturer of pine doors in the world, is also about to experience a dramatic change. ?We are currently putting the final touches to a new pine-door manufacturing plant in Chile,? Mohr said. ?It will be producing our premium line of Radiata pine doors, including bifold, six panel and eventually French designs, all products that have historically been the bread and butter of our Nampa facility. That?s why the recent increase in demand for the knotty alder and knotty pine came at a perfect time,? he continued. ?With South America going online we were able to ramp up in Nampa to keep up with the tremendous demand for these new items,? Mohr said noting that throughout the company?s evolution, its leaders have developed strategies to save American jobs while doing business offshore.

Woodgrain?s new knotty doors come in a variety of styles. Interior and exterior, panel and bifold doors are available in both knotty pine and knotty alder. French doors and sidelights and a line of Shaker patterns, new to Woodgrain, but steeped in tradition with simple square cuts and an exceptionally clean design, are offered in knotty alder. So is the company?s special line of interior French doors enhanced with etched decorative glass. 

?These doors are the kinds of products that people want to reach out and touch,? Mohr said of the company?s knotty alder and pine products.  Industry insiders will have the opportunity to do just that at upcoming trade shows.  ?We are very excited about taking the newer products to the National Sash and Door Jobber Association Convention in San Antonio this October 12 through 15,? Mohr said. ?Our friends in the industry will have a chance to see our new Shaker doors and also the expanded line of French doors. Those are available in fir, and poplar as well as the knotty alder. We will also soon introduce a new line of doors in American red oak. Overall, we have some beautiful new products that of course reflect the Woodgrain commitment to quality manufacturing.?

 Mohr said the company would also be represented at the National Association of Home Builder?s convention in Las Vegas January 21-23, 2003. ?It?s our first time at that major show. We know that we?ve got some very special products to share. The timing seems right.?

As those who know this company and its product line can attest, at Woodgrain Millwork a knack for timing is typically the norm.

Woodgrain Millwork is a leading producer of mouldings and the largest manufacturer of interior pine passage doors in the world.  With over 20 manufacturing and warehouse facilities in the United States and South America and four divisions, the company serves markets nationwide.  For the Woodgrain Millwork product distributor near you, call

1.800.452.3801 or visit the web site at www.woodgrain.com.

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