- Columbia Forest Products
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Columbia Forest Products 
Type Employee-owned Industry Forest Products Founded 1957 Headquarters Greensboro, North Carolina, USA Key people Brad Thompson (CEO) Employees 2,000 Website www.columbiaforestproducts.com 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. It specializes in decorative, interior veneers and plywood panels that are used in high-end cabinetry, fine furniture, architectural millwork and commercial fixtures. The company distributes its products primarily through a network of wholesale distributors, mass merchandisers and OEMs. 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-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 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 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. In 1986, it acquired two additional plants in Chatham, Virginia and Trumann, Arkansas. In 1989, it acquired the Laminated Products Division in Thomasville, North Carolina, 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. In March 1996, it acquired two hardwood plywood plants in Danville, Virginia and DeQueen, Arkansas. 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. In June 2007 Mohawk Industries, Inc. (MHK) signed a deal with Columbia Forest Products to acquire two pre-finished solid plants and one engineered wood plant in the U.S. and an engineered wood plant in Malaysia.[1]
Columbia Forest Products relocated its headquarters at the end of 2007 to Greensboro, North Carolina from Portland, Oregon.[2]
References
- ^ "Mohawk purchases Columbia Flooring assets". FloorBiz.com. July 10, 2007. http://www.floorbiz.com/BizNews/NPViewArticle.asp?ArticleID=2124.
- ^ "Plywood manufacturer to move headquarters to Greensboro". The Business Journal. May 26, 2008. http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2008/05/26/story7.html?page=all.
External links
- Columbia Forest Products (official website)
Categories:- Companies based in Greensboro, North Carolina
- Forest products companies of the United States
- Companies established in 1957
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