Warren Trask, A Best-In-Class Distributor, Continues To Diversify Their Import Offerings
“We work closely with our customers and strive to add value to their product mix.”– Gil Adams, vice president of sales, Warren Trask Co.
Pictured from left to right is Dan Maher, purchasing, Mike Miller, president, Erin Carr, purchasing and import specialist, Gil Adams, vice president and Paul Burnham, general manager of Warren Trask Co.
Warren Trask, headquartered in Lakeville, MA, is a successful century-old business, that has continued to succeed due to the deep respect and connection the employees have for each other and the company.
“We have had four generations of the Adams family be a part of the company since it was founded in the 1920’s and the legacy continues with my son, Dean,” Gil Adams, vice president of sales, said. “As younger family members come into the business, they are afforded the opportunity to draw on the experience and knowledge of prior generations.”
Continuing to bring the next generation on board has helped ease Warren Trask into the next century, with multiple family teams working throughout the company. Some notable family teams are Erin Carr, Warren Trask’s product manager and import specialist, and her son, William Heim, who serves as operations manager. As well as Brendan Nugent, Fir timber buyer and specialist, who is the son of past president and salesman Bernie Nugent.
Warren Trask continues to build lasting partnerships throughout the forest products industry. They foster these relationships through their dedication to product excellence and knowledgeable employees that have helped be a key to Warren Trask’s longevity and success. Through regular in-house product knowledge training and marketing strategies, the sales team at Warren Trask is better able to communicate with their customers, which helps form lasting relationships.
Dan Maher, purchasing, IT and Inventory of Warren Trask Co.
“When Warren Trask first started, we primarily distributed Eastern White Pine and Spruce from mills in the Northeast. We now purchase and sell lumber from all over the world. Our imported species include Dark Red Meranti, Red Balau, Ipe, Accoya, Western Red Cedar and Radiata Pine. Our domestic species include Eastern White, Sugar, Ponderosa and Southern Yellow Pine, as well as Douglas Fir uppers and timbers. We handle over 10 million board feet of imported lumber annually,” Dan Maher, product manager, said.
“The majority of our Dark Red Meranti, Red Balau and Ipe is sold as decking. However, what sets Trask apart is our full line of accessories designed to complement each of these lines,” Maher continued.
“We work closely with our customers and strive to add value to their product mix,” said Adams. “Our Lakeville distribution yard has a modern racking system, allowing us to pull orders and deliver to our customers on time.” Warren Trask constantly monitors their yard operations to meet the changing demands of their customers.
Sitting on 32 acres of land, Warren Trask has multiple warehouses, expansive outdoor storage and rail access. “Our headquarters allows us the opportunity to inventory a wide product offering. We are also able to run our own fleet of trucks and offer our products the way our customers want to purchase them. We unload rail cars, flatbeds and containers daily. We strive to provide our customers with the materials they need quickly and efficiently,” said Mike Miller, president of Warren Trask.
Pictured is the Warren Trask Company’s Sales and Engineered Wood team. From left to right is Josh Darling, Christopher Duarte, Brendan Nugent, Kimberly Severance, and Dean Adams.
Warren Trask’s second location in Menands, NY, acquired in 2013, has been key to expanding business into New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Menands began as a satellite location, situated on 2 acres, that quickly grew into a key part of the business.
While looking for growth opportunities and sustain their best-in-class standards, Warren Trask added Boise Engineered Wood Products in 1996, Claymark’s primed and treated Radiata Pine in 2006, Versatex PVC in 2010, BlueStar in 2016, Elk Creek Fir Timbers in 2019, Fairway Railing and Accoya Modified Wood in 2023. For 2025, Western Red Cedar was added to their specialty lumber offering.
“The Accoya brand already had great visibility and a recognizable name in the marketplace prior to us stocking it,” said Miller. “What we have done is make it more readily available to our customer base by taking on a large stock position in the product line. Extended lead times had been one of the obstacles in bringing the product to market. We have cut the lead time on getting Accoya into the field from several months, to just a few weeks.”
Warren Trask’s fleet truck loading area at their Lakeville, MA, location.
“What stood out to us about Accoya is the 25-year ground contact and in water warranty, and the 50 years above ground warranty,” said Adams. “Because of the unique qualities of this product, we wanted to make it affordable and available to our customer base.”
“Accoya is more than just an outstanding decking option; its dimensional stability and rot resistance make it perfect for exterior siding as well,” said Maher.
Warren Trask, just over the past year, has offered over 80 SKUs of Accoya to their clients, including boards, patterns, posts, balusters and handrails. “We stock a wide variety of rough sawn material, from 1×4 to 1×12 and 5/4×4 through 5/4×8, as well as 2×4 through 2×8 and have partnered with some great millwork companies. By doing this, we are able to provide any profile that our customers need,” Maher noted.
Warren Trask offers Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products from AJS & BCI Joists, Versa-Lam Beams, Versa-Lam Columns to Versa Studs.
Warren Trask works with manufacturers and suppliers, such as Blue Star, to ensure that they are offering their clients top quality materials. “From the forest floor through the mill and export process, Blue Star’s Dark Red Meranti is managed ‘under one roof’. Having complete vertical integration is a unique characteristic of the manufacturer, and ensures a high-quality end product,” stated Miller.
Erin Carr, purchasing and import specialist of Warren Trask Co.
Erin Carr, product manager and import specialist, works closely with customs brokers and suppliers to support the company’s imported product programs, including Dark Red Meranti, Red Balau, Ipe, Accoya, Western Red Cedar and Radiata Pine offerings. “While we aren’t directly importing Claymark’s Radiata Pine products, Claymark remains a premier imported line that we are proud to offer our customer base,” Carr said. “We stock a wide range of primed Claymark products, including Solid Gold and Centurion trim boards, along with Tru-Side Bevel siding and Tru-Pine material for pergola and exterior applications. Our inventory spans common trim and pattern sizes, beginning at 1×2 profiles and extending through larger structural dimensions up to 6×12, depending on the product line.”
Paul Burnham, general manager of Warren Trask Co.
Paul Burnham, general manager at Warren Trask, noted that they recently began marketing Cedar products. “We have wholesaler relationships, and we are known for our lumber. So, while we may have been coming into a mature market, we were able to overcome any obstacles that we faced and become a true supplier of clear vertical grain Cedar, which is becoming increasingly harder to come by these days,” he continued. “We are able to offer boards in 4-inch through 12-inch and in thickness of 4/4, 5/4 and 8/4, as well as bevel siding.”
“Having an experienced and knowledgeable purchasing department has been instrumental in the company success over the years. Having strong partnerships with quality manufacturers will position the sales force to deliver value to our customers. Maintaining quality products that deliver results to our customers is an ongoing process,” said Adams.
Warren Trask employs over 75 employees throughout their sales department, yard and trucking operations.
Warren Trask distributes 25 million board feet of Eastern White, Sugar, Ponderosa and Southern Yellow Pine, Douglas Fir, Radiata Pine, Dark Red Meranti, Red Balau and Ipe through their two distribution centers.
Warren Trask is a member of Western Wood Products Association, North American Wholesale Lumber Association, Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association and the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association.
For more information, visit wtrask.com.
