Pittsfield, PA—Located 40 miles east of Erie, PA, Meridien Hardwoods supplies all grades and thicknesses of Hardwood lumber in Walnut, Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple, Red Oak, Ash and Poplar. The company’s customer base includes distribution yards and furniture, kitchen cabinet and architectural millwork manufacturers.
Keeping up with the needs of an ever-changing Hardwood lumber market, Meridien Hardwoods of Pennsylvania continues to provide quality Hardwoods at an impressive pace. The company has grown from a basement office to capital facilities that encompass 15,000,000 board feet of Hardwoods annually, 250,000 board feet of kiln capacity and 1,000,000 board feet of dry storage.
Dan Ferman established Meridien Hardwoods in 1983. His office was in the basement of his home in Sugar Grove, PA, for three years. Then in 1986 he bought the 18-acre concentration yard in Pittsfield, where the company operates today.
In the early days there was an office building, garage and one pole building for storage. Over the last few decades the firm has achieved success by continually adding and updating equipment. Expansions included five dry kilns, two trim lines with 40 sorts, two double end trimmers, an automatic lumber stacker, two T-sheds and several storage buildings. In more recent years the company has added two Walnut steamers to their facilities. Between these two steamers, the company has a steamer capacity of 65,000’.
The company motto, ‘Providing Everything You Need From the Forest,’ speaks for itself. Meridien Hardwoods sources lumber from its Northern Appalachian region including Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, and also Ontario and Quebec.
“During a normal cycle we’ll have 500,000 feet of lumber on sticks and the kilns will be filled to capacity at all times,” Dan Ferman said. “All of our Hardwood lumber is inspected before and after kiln drying and customers can count on getting the lengths, color and sort of their choice.”
Ferman said the company is exporting more of its lumber now than in previous years. “We load containers here and ship through the ports of New York, Cleveland, OH, Baltimore, MD, and Norfolk, VA.”
A family operated business, Ferman’s wife Anne handles administrative duties along with an assistant, Mike Rulander. His sons Shawn and Brandon are also a part of the company and have been in the lumber industry from very early ages.
Shawn Ferman has been with the company approximately 30 years driving forklifts, loading and unloading kilns and trucks, and supplies both trim lines with lumber. Brandon Ferman, now the General Manager, began piling lumber in junior high school. He completed several grading and kiln drying courses before graduating in 2001 with a Business Management degree from Penn State University. Afterwards he joined the company’s sales staff and currently handles export sales and inventory.
Another family member, nephew Michael Songer, is an invaluable asset to Meridien’s sales team. Songer has been with Meridien since it was founded. He graduated in 1982 from the NHLA inspection school and graded for a few years prior to starting in sales with Meridien. “I wish I had 10 Mike Songers,” Dan said. “He does an incredible job for us.”
Lumber Buyer Jeff Childs is another valuable member of Meridien’s team. Jeff graduated in 1975 from the NHLA inspection school before spending the next 40 years involved in sales and purchasing, including the last 10 years at Meridien. A former president of the Penn-York Lumbermen’s Club, Jeff is based in Ohio and specializes in the purchase of green lumber, particularly Walnut, to bring to Pittsfield to be dried.
Having completed construction on the newest steamer in 2018, Brandon said, “Currently we’re handling more Walnut than anything else but we do have the flexibility to switch to different species depending on market conditions.”
“We are always happy for the opportunity to start new relationships and strive to strengthen existing ones,” Dan commented. “We have a strong customer base and a good sawmill base with dedicated employees that keep our operation running.”
Meridien Hardwoods is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Assoc., the Penn-York Lumbermen’s Club, Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc. and the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Assoc.
For more information visit www.meridienpa.com.
