A new giant bestrides US

Summary
• American Hardwood Industries was formed in October 2007.
• The production facilities have a combined capacity of 350,000m³.
• The Rossi Export brand is being retained.
• Ted Rossi is chairman and CEO of the new company.

In October 2007, a new leading force in the American hardwood industry was formed by the merger of Rossi American Hardwoods and Hardwood Lumber Manufacturing. The resulting American Hardwood Industries Inc comprises four strategically placed sawmills at Blue Triangle Hardwoods, Emporium Hardwoods, Graham Lumber and Northern Hardwoods which, between them, produce high quality hardwood lumber, logs and by-products.

The production facilities throughout the eastern US have a capacity of more than 150 million board feet, or 350,000m³, and make it one of the largest and most diverse manufacturers of sawn hardwood lumber in the US.

In Pennsylvania, Blue Triangle Hardwoods is a fully integrated sawmill with dry kilns producing export quality lumber in all major species and specialising in northern Appalachian oaks and yellow poplar.

Also in Pennsylvania, the Emporium Hardwoods sawmill has dry kilns and a concentration yard facility producing northern hardwood lumber. It specialises in high quality black cherry and hard maple.

In Tennessee, Graham Lumber Company has a modern sawmill, dry kilns and a concentration yard facility producing Appalachian hardwood lumber, specialising in high quality white oak, and offers “pulled and ripped strips”.

Over in Michigan, Northern Hardwoods is a state-of-the-art sawmill with dry kilns producing northern hardwood lumber. It specialises in high quality white hard maple and what sales manager Diane Beauchamp describes as “beautiful red leaf soft maple, yellow birch, and honey wheat red oak”.

These four centres of production, based on the best available resources, are able to offer specialist production to customers around the world looking for professional expertise in hardwood lumber from the temperate forests of the US.

American Hardwood Industries intends to maintain the ‘family’ business relationships that Rossi American Hardwoods built up over so many years. Heading the Rossi Export Division is John Read Jnr as vice-president export sales, with Matt Gauvrit as export sales manager.

Based in Cromwell, Connecticut they co-ordinate export sales with all the production centres, including Cross Creek Sales, which is an affiliated American Hardwood Industries operation situated in Augusta, Georgia. It is a wholesale division for domestic and export shipments of northern, central and southern Appalachian hardwoods and southern yellow pine. Cross Creek maintains inventories at Turkey Creek Dry Kilns, which incorporates a grading line and dry kilns.

Specialised solutions

Consequently, this new hardwood group is able to offer a wide range of specialised solutions to meet the demands of customers, in domestic and export markets, who are increasingly focused on exactly what they want. Exports are made under the well-established Rossi brand.

The Rossi Export brand, well-known all over the world for the past 30 years and represented by sales agents covering more than 40 countries, is being maintained. With strong financial resources, American Hardwood Industries is actively seeking opportunities with partners that share its basic business strategy and commitment to build relationships worldwide. Corporate headquarters have been established in Cromwell, Connecticut where the highly experienced team of hardwood specialists is led by chairman and chief executive officer Ted Rossi and new president and chief operating officer Dave G Marshall.

Ted Rossi remains very involved in key industry associations as (founding) president of the recently formed Hardwood Federation in Washington DC, first vice-president of the National Hardwood Lumber Association and as a board member of The American Hardwood Export Council.