Columbia Forest Products is the largest manufacturer of
hardwood veneer and hardwood
plywood in the United States. Founded in 1957, it is headquartered in
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
. It specializes in decorative, interior veneers and plywood panels that are used in high-end cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural
millwork
Millwork is historically any wood mill produced decorative materials used in building construction. Stock profiled and patterned millwork building components fabricated by milling at a planing mill can usually be installed with minimal alter ...
and commercial fixtures. The company distributes its products primarily through a network of
wholesale
Wholesaling or distributing is the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional or other professional business users; or to other wholesalers (wholesale businesses) and related subordinated services. In ...
distributors, mass merchandisers and
OEM
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
s. Since 1976, the company has been completely employee-owned and currently has 10 manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada. At the end of 2006, Columbia converted all of its standard hardwood plywood production to produce
formaldehyde
Formaldehyde ( , ) (systematic name methanal) is a naturally occurring organic compound with the formula and structure . The pure compound is a pungent, colourless gas that polymerises spontaneously into paraformaldehyde (refer to section ...
-free panels called PureBond. In 2007 Columbia added PureBond formaldehyde-free particleboard to its product range.
History
The company began in 1957 in
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city was ...
as Klamath Hardwoods, establishing its first hardwood veneer plant with 43 employees. In 1963, it was acquired by Columbia Plywood Corp. In 1966, it acquired additional facilities in
Presque Isle, Maine
Presque Isle is the commercial center and largest city in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,797 at the 2020 Census. The city is home to the University of Maine at Presque Isle, Northern Maine Community College, Hus ...
and
Newport, Vermont.
The company was restructured by an employee buy-out in 1976, acquiring its current name. In 1982, it built a manufacturing facility in
Old Fort, North Carolina
Old Fort is a town in McDowell County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 811 people in the 2020 U.S. Census.
History
Before the arrival of European settlers, the area that is now Old Forts was populated by the Catawba and Chero ...
. In 1986, it acquired two additional plants in
Chatham, Virginia and
Trumann, Arkansas
Trumann is a city in Poinsett County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 7,399 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Jonesboro Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Trumann is located in the Arkansas Delta at (35.676313, -90.51 ...
.
In 1989, it acquired the Laminated Products Division in
Thomasville, North Carolina
Thomasville is a city in Davidson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 27,183 at the 2020 census. The city was once notable for its furniture industry, as were its neighbors High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad commu ...
, as well as a hardwood veneer face manufacturing mill in
Rutherglen, Ontario. In 1991, it acquired a half-round slicing operation in
New Freedom, Pennsylvania
New Freedom is a borough in York County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the borough had a population of 4,874. Once an industrial/railroad town, the community has evolved into a mostly residential town.
History
New Freedom Borough is locate ...
. In March 1996, it acquired two hardwood plywood plants in
Danville, Virginia
Danville is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States, located in the Southside Virginia region and on the fall line of the Dan River. It was a center of tobacco production and was an area of Confederate activity ...
and
DeQueen, Arkansas
De Queen ( ) is a city and the county seat of Sevier County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 6,629 at the 2010 census.
The placename is the anglicization of the family name of the Dutch merchant and railway financier, Jan de Goeij ...
. In August 1996, it acquired two plants in
Hearst, Ontario (Plywood, PBC & Melamines) and
St-Casimir, Quebec. In December 1996, the Laminated Products Division became Columbia Flooring. In January 1997, it acquired an additional hardwood plywood plant in
Cuthbert, Georgia
Cuthbert is a city in, and the county seat of, Randolph County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,520 in 2019.
History
Cuthbert was founded by European Americans in 1831 as seat of the newly formed Randolph County, after Indian Remov ...
. In 2000 CFP acquired an existing veneer plant in Mellen Wisconsin. And a few years after, a massive overhaul in the plant took place, and an in-line dryer system was installed to streamline production and ensure the plant stayed competitive and profitable.
In June 2007
Mohawk Industries
Mohawk Industries is an American flooring manufacturer based in Calhoun, Georgia, United States. Mohawk produces floor covering products for residential and commercial applications in North America and residential applications in Europe. The com ...
bought four factories from Columbia Forest Products: two pre-finished solid plants and one engineered wood plant in the U.S., and an engineered wood plant in Malaysia.
Columbia Forest Products relocated its headquarters at the end of 2007 to
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...
from
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Columbia Forest Products(official website)
Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina
Forest products companies of the United States
Manufacturing companies established in 1957
1957 establishments in Oregon