Who’s Who In Hardwoods – June 2026
Wellborn Cabinet: Over Six Million Board Feet Processed
Shane Coker is the sawmill and planer mill manager at Ashland, AL-based, Wellborn Cabinet. His responsibilities include purchasing, kiln-drying, stacking, steaming lumber and log yard maintenance.
Wellborn purchased 6.2 million board feet of 4/4 Hard Maple, Cherry, Gum and Hickory in 2025. Annually, Wellborn averages 3.5 million board feet of 4/4 grade lumber and cross ties. The company also manufactures cabinets (processing over six million board feet of lumber solely for cabinet parts), mouldings and lumber by-products.
Coker has worked for Wellborn Cabinet for 32 years and spent 16 of those years in his current role. Coker has 36 years of experience in the forest products industry, and his first role was in timber cruising / land management. He has skills as a sawyer and in creating rift and quarter-sawn products.
Coker attended Wadley High School in Wadley, AL, and Randolph-Roanoke Career Technology Center for forestry in Wedowee, AL. He was also educated at Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC, for lumber grading and drying and attended the National Hardwood Lumber Association’s lumber grading school in Memphis, TN.
Coker enjoys traveling with friends and family as well as hunting and fishing.
Kathy Melton Coker is his wife of 31 years and together, they have children Tristan Coker and Ashtan Wortham.
Visit wellborn.com for more.
Over 3.5 Million Board Feet Purchased By Indiana Hardwood Specialist Inc.
Steve Ison is a lumber purchaser and plant manager at Spencer, IN-based, Indiana Hardwood Specialist Inc. Ison’s responsibilities include purchasing all materials needed for production, machine maintenance, electrical management, setting up transportation, customer interactions and hiring and firing employees.
Indiana Hardwood purchases around 3.5 to 4.5 million board feet of 4/4 kiln-dried lumber annually. Their best seller is plain sawn White Oak. White Oak is also offered in rift and quartered. They also sell Red Oak, plain and rift and quartered Hickory, Ash, Walnut, Maple and Cherry. Their Walnut and Cherry are steamed.
For stair treads, they use FAS 5/4 in all aforementioned species. Most of the 4/4 is No. 1 Common but FAS can be used for long length orders. Herringbone, risers, nosing, skirt boards and slip tongue are all offered in addition to flooring.
While Ison started his career with Indiana Hardwood 41 years ago, he has been in his current role for over 20 years. His first job in the forest industry was making railroad ties. He also has experience installing and finishing floors.
Ison attended Owen Valley High School in Spencer, IN and spent a few years at Ivy Tech Community College.
He enjoys restoring old Mustangs, hunting, fishing, gardening and wood working.
With his wife of 29 years, Debra, he has two children Blake (23) and Brooke (21).
He is on the board of directors with the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, of which the company is also a member. They are also members of the National Wood Flooring Association and the National Hardwood Lumber Association.
For more, call 812-829-4866, email sison.ihsfloors@gmail.com or visit Indianahardwoodspec.com.
Michael Dickinson: Sourcing Specialist At Martin Guitar Co.
Michael Dickinson is sourcing specialist at the C.F. Martin & Co. Inc. (the Martin Guitar Co.) headquartered in Nazareth, PA. The company purchases 1 million board feet of lumber a year, with thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, RWL 6 and wider quarter sawn. It also uses 8/4, 10/4, 12/4 and RWL in flat and quarter sawn flatsawn, 104mm RWL. C.F. Martin also purchases slabs of special cut 13/4. The company also offers guitars made from veneers.
C.F. Martin sources a large variety of wood in more than 200 species. During the last year, Dickinson has sourced White Oak, Red Maple, Hard Maple, Maple, Cherry, Claro, Black and Euro Walnut, Birch, Basswood, Redwood, Mahogany, East Indian, Honduras and Brazilian Rosewood, Spanish Cedar, Kingwood, Myrtle as well as Katalox and Ziricote. Yellow cedar, engelmann, european, red and sitka spruces and ebony are also offered.
With this lumber, which includes processed wooden parts and raw lumber, C.F. Martin manufactures guitars, ukuleles and strings for musical instruments. It purchases other commodities necessary to support production of musical instruments.
Dickinson’s first job in the forest products industry was in 1990 when he piled products as they came off the sander. Dickinson has worked in his current position since 2009. At C.F. Martin, Dickinson has performed everything from cutting down trees in the forests of the world through building the final product. He has also worked with tracking products from the stump to the end product. In his work at C.F. Martin, Dickinson has collaborated with many government and nongovernmental groups to shape treaties and laws in the U.S. and world.
Dickinson is involved in many industry associations. He works with the Preferred By Nature, the Forest Stewardship Council, the International Wood Collectors Society, the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans, the National Association of Music Merchants and the American Purchasing Society.
Dickinson earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Saint Leo University. He also possesses many certificates and awards, including being a Certified Purchasing Specialist.
An avid woodworker, Dickinson likes to build and repair musical instruments. He’s also a musician who enjoys playing guitar.
Visit martinguitar.com for more.
