Industry News – November 2026
Anthony Moody Joins Robinson Lumber Company As Sales Executive
Anthony Moody recently became a sales executive at Robinson Lumber Company, headquartered in New Orleans, LA.
Founded in 1893, Robinson Lumber is a fifth-generation, family-owned business that sources and supplies kiln-dried North American hardwoods, including Red and White Oak, Hickory, Ash, Poplar, Walnut, Hard Maple and Cherry, to customers in more than 70 countries. The company dries approximately seven million board feet of lumber annually and operates 14 locations worldwide, including sales and sourcing offices in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
Robinson’s flagship concentration yard in New Albany, IN, is strategically centered in the heart of the best White Oak and Hickory region in North America. The New Albany yard specializes in 4/4 pulled-to-width and ripped White Oak, in addition to 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses, processing green lumber into kiln-dried lumber and strips for export and domestic shipment. The facility features computer-controlled modern kilns with a capacity of 360,000 board feet, along with stacking, surfacing and ripping operations. Robinson Lumber is FSC certified.
Moody brings 13 years of sales experience to his role, including four years in the hardwood lumber industry. He joined Robinson Lumber from Missouri Walnut Group, where he served as an outside sales representative, applying his knowledge of National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) lumber grading to help customers select the right species, grades and thicknesses for their needs. Before entering the forest products industry, Moody spent nearly a decade as an outside salesman with Freedom Scaffold, developing new accounts and managing projects.
Moody earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Northeastern State University, where he also played football. He is certified in NHLA Hardwood Lumber Grading.
Moody resides in Joplin, MO, with his wife, Amanda, and their two children, 13-year-old Anastasia and six-year-old Atlas. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his family and watching football and basketball.
Robinson Lumber is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the American Hardwood Export Council, the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, the International Wood Products Association, the North American Wholesale Lumber Association, the National Wood Flooring Association and the Southern Lumber Exporters Association, among others.
For more information, visit roblumco.com.
Taylor Nigbor’s Promotion At Granite Valley Forest Products
Taylor Nigbor was recently promoted to the role of green lumber buyer at New London, WI-based, Granite Valley Forest Products. His purchasing regions include the Northern and Appalachian regions.
The sawmill/concentration yard produces 35 million board feet annually and carries the following in 4/4 through 8/4: Ash, Hickory, White Birch, Aspen, Poplar, Red and White Oak, Basswood, Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple, Walnut, Yellow Birch and white pine.
Value added processes such as random width, pulled to width and ripped to width lumber are available. The company sells domestically and exports.
Nigbor has been in the forest products industry for little over one year and all that time was spent at Granite Valley, where he started in the IT department. While in IT, he specialized in data analytics and process improvement through technology before transitioning into green lumber purchasing. Prior to Granite Valley, Nigbor spent about seven years as a crew foreman for a tree removal service, specializing in heavy equipment operation — skid steers, excavators and stump grinders.
He graduated from Wild Rose High School in Wild Rose, WI, and earned an Associates of Applied Sciences degree and the title IT Software Developer.
Nigbor enjoys bowhunting, fishing with his kids and coding/tinkering with technology.
“Above all,” Nigbor shared, “I am blessed to have most of my free time spent with Kendra, my wife of 10 years, and four young children – one son and three daughters.”
Granite Valley Forest Products is a member of Lake States Lumber Association, National Hardwood Lumber Association, American Hardwood Export Council and Forest Stewardship Council.
Call Nigbor’s cell at 920-209-1993, the office at 920-250-5439, email tnigbor@granitevalley.com or visit granitevalley.com to learn more.
Cleereman Industries Adds Ray Tharpe As Sawmill Sales And Design Specialist
Cleereman Industries recently welcomed their newest team member, Ray Tharpe. Tharpe is joining the team as the sawmill sales and design specialist.
“With a lifetime dedicated to the forest products industry, Ray brings an exceptional depth of knowledge, hands-on experience and leadership to our team. As a fifth-generation logger and sawmiller, the lumber industry has been a part of his life from the very beginning,” shared a Cleereman Industries representative.
Throughout his career, Tharpe has more than 26 years of experience working in hardwood sawmills, operating and servicing virtually every type of machine from log intake to finished lumber. His background includes 15 years in professional lumber manufacturing, with 12 years in upper management, where he helped lead operations, improve efficiency and solve complex production challenges.
In addition to his manufacturing experience, he spent 11 years as the owner and operator of RTM Industrial Maintenance, a nationwide millwright and installation company specializing in industrial equipment installation, maintenance and repair. His expertise also includes mechanical and structural engineering, as well as 26 years of troubleshooting and repairing industrial, mechanical, electrical, pneumatic and hydraulic systems.
“What sets Ray apart is his practical, hands-on knowledge. Having professionally operated and installed nearly every piece of equipment found in a conventional hardwood sawmill, Ray understands the challenges our customers face and is passionate about finding solutions that improve performance and reliability,” added the company source.
President Paul Cleereman said, “This is exactly what makes Ray such a valuable addition to Cleereman Industries. Over his years in the sawmill industry, Ray has built, installed, run and troubleshot sawmill equipment firsthand — not just ours, but equipment from other manufacturers as well. That kind of well-rounded, hands-on background goes far beyond sawmill sales; it’s a long history of real, boots-on-the-ground work in the mill. That depth of experience means Ray doesn’t just understand our equipment on paper — he understands it the way our customers do, from years of installing, running and fixing it himself.”
Outside of work, Tharpe is a devoted family man and proud father. When he’s not at the mill, he enjoys spending time with his daughter Addi, being outdoors hunting, fishing and riding side-by-sides.
Visit cleereman.com to learn more.
Comact Unites Expertise Through A Portfolio Of Established Brands
Comact, a global leader in high-performance OEM wood processing technologies, recently announced the launch of Comact Cutting Solutions, bringing together Smith Sawmill Service, Oleson Saw Technology, Checkmate Precision Cutting Tools and the proprietary BLADE brand under a common organizational identity.
“Customers will continue to work with these established brands as they do today, with each maintaining its unique identity, expertise, products and customer relationships,” shared a Comact representative.
Comact Cutting Solutions was created to reflect the collaboration that already exists across these businesses. While each brand will continue to operate under its own name, customers, according to Comact, will benefit from access to a broader range of products, expertise and resources backed by Comact’s OEM knowledge of the complete sawmill.
“Bringing these businesses together within Comact Cutting Solutions reflects how we work with our customers: as one team focused on the performance of their entire cutting operation,” said Dustin Norris, vice president of Comact Cutting Solutions. “Our expertise goes beyond the cutting tools themselves. We work alongside customers to address operational challenges and improve cutting performance, backed by Comact’s deep understanding of mill operations.”
The Comact Cutting Solutions portfolio includes circular saws, bandsaws, knives, guides, filing room equipment, consumables and related products. The organization also partners with ISELI, a global leader in precision machinery and technology for professional filing room operations and serves as the exclusive ISELI dealer in the United States.
Customers will continue to work with the same brands, companies and teams they know today, with Comact Cutting Solutions bringing together complementary expertise, products and resources — all backed by Comact’s OEM expertise. For more information about Comact Cutting Solutions, visit ComactCuttingSolutions.com.
For over 100 years, Comact, which has 16 sites in North America, has been a leading OEM in high-caliber wood processing equipment, digital technologies, cutting solutions, project services and aftermarket support.
For more information, visit comact.com.
National Wood Flooring Association Names Todd McDonald As Technical Support And Training Manager
The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) recently announced that Todd McDonald has been appointed as the new technical support and training manager. In this role, McDonald will provide technical assistance, educational support and lead NWFA/NOFMA mill inspections. He will work part-time with NWFA while transitioning out of his business and is due to join the organization full-time on November 30, 2026.
Throughout his career, McDonald has been heavily involved with the NWFA. As a longtime regional instructor, he has taught courses across the United States and provided hands-on demonstrations at the NWFA Wood Flooring Expo. McDonald has served on the NWFA Certified Professionals Board, the NWFA Education and Research Foundation Board, the Wood Floor of the Year Committee, and as chair of the Technical Education Committee. He is an NWFA certified installer, sander and finisher and wood flooring inspector.
“While teaching classes as a regional instructor, I have had the opportunity to witness firsthand the immense pride wood flooring professionals at all career levels take in their craft,” said McDonald.
In other news, The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) has provided flooring for its 89th home in support of the Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E. program (Restoring Independence Supporting Empowerment). The R.I.S.E. program builds mortgage-free, custom, specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders. The home dedication for retired U.S. Army Captain Leslie Nicole Smith took place recently in Nashville, TN. Flooring for the project was donated by NWFA member Middle Tennessee Lumber.
Captain Smith volunteered to deploy following the events of 9/11. Her duties as a public affairs officer involved interfacing with high-level officials, dignitaries, celebrities and high-ranking military officers. She was less than a year into her deployment when she suddenly began to feel excruciating pain in her left leg. An ultrasound revealed a growing blood clot that had broken off into thousands more, spreading throughout her body to vital organs, resulting in the loss of her left leg and her vision.
“The clots were believed to have been caused by Captain Smith’s exposure to chemical agents and gasses emitted from mass grave sites,” said Stephanie Owen, NWFA president and CEO. “They were so severe that doctors at Walter Reed Medical Center initiated the paperwork that gave her 24 hours to live, but Captain Smith was determined to fight. Despite losing her leg and her eyesight, she now works to help other service members and their families navigate their new normal.”
U.S. Army Captain Leslie Nicole Smith
In addition to the 89 homes already completed, NWFA currently is working with its members to source wood flooring for 16 additional R.I.S.E. homes in various stages of planning and construction. Currently, 163 NWFA member companies have donated product, logistics and installation services in locations throughout the United States, with a total value of more than $7 million. A list of all NWFA R.I.S.E. participating companies can be found at nwfa.org/giving-back.aspx.
The National Wood Flooring Association is a not-for-profit trade organization, with more than 3,000 member companies world-wide, dedicated to educating consumers, architects, designers, specifiers and builders in the uses and benefits of wood flooring.
The NWFA is in St. Charles, MO, and can be contacted at 800-422-4556 (U.S. and Canada), 636-519-9663 (local and international), or at nwfa.org.
