Hulett, WY— Neiman Enterprises, Inc., headquartered here, saw a golden opportunity in 2020 and capitalized on it, adding a sawmill in Gilchrist, OR to its existing portfolio and, thus, increasing its capacity to produce Ponderosa Pine lumber in this era of high demand.
Jim Neiman, president and CEO of Neiman, stated, “When we heard that there was a sawmill available in Oregon that was surrounded by primarily Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole and Sugar Pine, it caught our attention. We obviously are always looking for opportunities.
“Our specialty is Ponderosa Pine,” Neiman continued. “That’s what we have cut for all three generations of our company. When we saw that there was a place that was just right for that, and we knew that there were not a lot of companies that cut Ponderosa, we felt that we needed to look and see if this was an opportunity. When we went out and saw a couple of national forests and other landholders, including state land, that had wood available there with a sawmill, obviously we had deep interest. When we found out that there was a good labor force – there, you have all the key components to entice us to look at it.”
Neiman bought the Gilchrist, OR mill from Vancouver, BC-based Interfor Corporation, one of the largest lumber producers in the world. With Interfor Corporation’s existing sawmill in place and operational for a good part of 2020, this allowed for a smooth transition for Neiman Enterprises, Inc. “Interfor’s continued support of their employees throughout this transition should be commended, and we look forward to partnering with the employees and community to ensure the long-term success of this historic operation,” said Jim Neiman.
Neiman Enterprises, Inc. is a leading producer of Ponderosa Pine boards, solid Pine pattern and industrial (shop) lumber at facilities in the Black Hills of South Dakota; Devil’s Tower Forest Products in Hulett, WY; Rushmore Forest Products in Hill City, SD – which has reman capabilities – and Spearfish Forest Products in Spearfish, SD. Neiman Enterprises, Inc. also operates a sawmill in Montrose, CO, manufacturing 2×4 and 2×6 premium studs. Jim Neiman said the Gilchrist location will complement these existing sawmills and allow his company to further expand its customer base for high-quality Ponderosa Pine lumber products.
Since the recent purchase from Interfor, many improvements are in the works. These include updates to the sawmill and to the planer, a brand-new moulder facility and enhancements to the shipping facility including a new tarping station and scale. End matching capabilities is planned for the end of 2021. All these upgrades will allow the mill to operate even more efficiently and safely than before.
The Gilchrist mill produces 1×4 through 1×12 Ponderosa Pine, Lodgepole Pine and Sugar Pine boards as well as 6/4 shop. About 70 percent of production is in Ponderosa Pine. “Ponderosa Pine is, by far, our bread and butter,” said Sales Manager Mike Stevens. All these products are often used in new home construction and home repair and remodel projects.
“We are going to set up the Gilchrist facility to run almost exactly as we are doing out of the Black Hills,” Stevens added, “providing pattern capabilities and some shop out of that facility.”
Stevens said, “With the new machinery that we are going to be putting in at the end of this year, the capabilities are certainly going to be significantly higher than what we are doing right now. We have taken the approach of trying to move a lot of our – what I call – ‘open market’-type material into pattern because it is more specialized. It is not a commodity as much.
“Once you start producing a higher-end pattern material for a customer, the chances of them going out and trying to replace it with somebody else is very small,” Stevens stated. “As long as you do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it, and do it right, that is how we keep our customers. The capacity that we are going to have out there is going to be substantially more. We are fortunate that we’ve got some really good people on staff here in the hills, and they have a seasoned team there in Gilchrist as well, which bodes well for us to continue to sell more Ponderosa Pine solid Pine paneling all over the U.S.”
The Gilchrist mill is slated to produce over 100 million board feet of lumber annually. “Even though it may seem like a lot of lumber, it still is not enough to keep up with the current demand,” Jim Neiman observed.
“One of the exciting things about the Gilchrist operation – beyond both a good supply of Ponderosa and a good workforce – was to go into a community that was founded in 1938 by the Gilchrist family, just two years after my granddad started, and to see an operation that was built all-new and to study the impact of what the Gilchrist family had on a community and their interest in growing a whole community,” said Jim Neiman. “So, that was an additional, rewarding part, to consider: How do we take that history that the Gilchrist family provided and continue it?”
Especially important to Neiman Enterprises are responsible harvesting practices. “Logging is crucial for the health of these forests,” Stevens emphasized. “This mill positively impacts the environment in many ways, including responsible harvesting to create the conditions for the forest to better reproduce, as well as, reducing the impact of fire and bug infestation.”
“The continued growth and survival of Neiman Enterprises is dependent on maintaining healthy forests,” Jim Neiman pointed out. “To achieve this, we are a certified participant in the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. This important initiative is dedicated to maintaining and preserving forests not only for industries dependent on timber, but also for private and public landowners.”
Stevens noted that, “New home construction continues to rise, and the professional repair and remodel market is poised for yet another record year. Additionally, the retail markets, ignited by Do It Yourselfers, are outperforming anything ever witnessed in the lumber industry. With the current state of the market, it is essential for family businesses like Neiman to continue their efforts to responsibly harvest and produce lumber at their mills.”
Neiman said, “Our commitment to sustainable forestry not only ensures the long-term stability of our company, but also guarantees future resources through a cycle of renewability. We will continue to strive toward advances in renewable energy and value-added products to meet the demands of our markets while maintaining a healthy environment.”
For more information, visit www.neimanenterprises.com.
