“Our people make a huge difference. Their work ethic and commitment set the tone for the company, and it resonates with our customer base. Their relationships with our suppliers and customers have enabled us to endure for over 50 years.” – Jonathan Jenkins, President, Culpeper Wood Preservers
Culpeper Wood Preservers, headquartered in Culpeper, VA, was founded in 1976 by Joseph (Joe) Daniel, Sr., starting as a local pressure treater with a single location. Culpeper now has 18 locations East of the Mississippi River, ranging from Maine down to Florida. Of the 18 locations, Daniel acquired 15 of them and built two from the ground up.
“When Joe first decided to start the treating company, he didn’t know where his customers would come from, so he sold to whoever. Once the business started progressing, he shifted to selling primarily to independent retail lumber yards,” said Chris Brown, vice president. Culpeper has since focused on tailoring their business to the independent retail lumber yards by striving to provide the products they want and need to succeed.
“A large part of the success of this company is due to the philosophy that Joe started it with, which is, ‘Do what you say you are going to do, how you say you are going to do it, when you say you are going to do it, for the price you promise and do it every day.’ This has truly served our company well,” said Jonathan Jenkins, president.
Initially, the company mainly sold CCA dimensional lumber and timbers. “For years, we offered just one treatment and one retention,” Brown said. “All that has changed, and we have gone through quite a few different retentions and chemicals.” Culpeper now offers various products treated by various chemicals and in multiple retentions. They offer decking, dimensional lumber, KDAT, fencing, Culpeper Columns, Palmetto primed trim boards, heavy timbers, plywood, porch flooring and T&G and custom millwork, as well as Slyvanix decking. They can offer these products in treatments such as Micropro, Borate, CCA, FlamePro Fire Retardant and Naturewood CA-C. “Each treatment has a different use, with the Micropro used for residential uses. CCA has several uses, but a lot of it is marine uses. Then, several other treatments we offer go into industrial usage, as well. We have a treated product for any use out there,” Brown continued.
Between the company’s 17 treating plants and their recently acquired Pleasant Garden Dry Kiln Company, they purchase 700 million board feet of lumber annually with the capability to grow by 25 percent — the majority of these plants, on average, treat 50 to 60 million board feet per year.
Despite the size of the plant, each one is constantly being brought up to date, from the installed equipment to the blacktop being laid. “When we first acquire a new plant, the first thing that we do is look at the equipment that our folks are using. Sometimes we go in and replace all of the equipment, sometimes it’s as simple as making sure that the forklifts have cabs, so our employees aren’t out in the open air in the dead of winter,” Brown said. “We go to extreme measures to make sure our employees are happy and well taken care of.” Culpeper makes capital investments every year into every one of its plants, ensuring its employees are comfortable and happy.
“Our people make a huge difference. Their work ethic and commitment set the tone for the company, and it resonates with our customer base. Their relationships with our suppliers and customers have enabled us to endure for over 50 years,” Jenkins added.
Through the positive atmosphere that Culpeper has continued to foster for their employees, they can provide quality products to their customers.
Every customer of Culpeper is given an inside and outside sales representative, and each assures the customer that they are not just order takers, but they are building a partnership, one that will help the customer grow their business. “It is a partnership we form with our customers,” Brown said. “We’re a family-owned business, and we want to continue to make long-standing partnerships with our customers, so if they need pieces, we pull pieces and rarely say no.
“We get to know our customers and educate them through our education department about the different treatments, retentions, and grades and what would best suit their customers and their intended use. We want to ensure that we have the products to cover that intended use,” Brown noted.
Culpeper’s representatives are in the know every step of the way with their clients’ orders; from the moment they place an order to the moment they receive it, there is never a step in the process that isn’t communicated. “When our customers place an order, they get confirmation. If they change their order, they get confirmation and are given an ETA of when to expect it,” Brown said. “Our customers’ know what to expect, so they can tell their customers when they will get it. If we have the product in our yard, they should expect it in one to three days, and if we need to order it or wait for the product to be delivered to us, it may take five to seven days. No matter how long it is going to take to get what our customers want into their hands, they are going to know where we are in the process of getting them exactly what they want.”
Culpeper’s urge to go above and beyond is a testament to what products they are willing to keep on their shelves, which is literally whatever the customer wants and needs. “We take the stance of if a customer wants it, we stock it,” Brown said. “There isn’t a line that is ever drawn regarding what our company will stock. We’ll stock the same grades and thicknesses in various ways depending on the treatments and the retentions. This allows us to have such a quick turnover when a customer puts in an order. So, to keep up the inventory that we need to make this happen, we have to constantly try to find new suppliers.”
As Culpeper continues to meet whatever demand their customers throw their way, they are looking to expand. Their expansion isn’t about becoming a larger company but it’s about being able to get closer to their customers so that they can help them build their footprint.
Culpeper Wood Preservers is a member of the American Wood Preservers Association, Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, Treated Wood Council, Northeastern Retail Lumber Association, and North American Wholesale Lumber Association.
For more information, visit www.culpeperwood.com.
