KWPA'S NEW MEMBER: BEAM & BARON

Beam & Baron is a one stop shop for builders, architects, designers, and homeowners who want to bring nature home by incorporating naturally beautiful wood elements into their building or renovation projects. As a custom manufacturer, it specializes in producing wood beams, flooring, moulding, decking, stair treads, and reclaimed lumber products that elevate any design style.

“If it can be milled, we can do it,” says Karri Weaver, salesperson at Beam & Baron.

Whether the team is working on manufacturing 26-foot-long wood beams to ship to Hawaii for a retail establishment or wide plank oak flooring to deliver to a designer in New York City, its focus is on the customer’s needs.

“Built for you,” is not just a motto, it is the company’s philosophy as Beam & Baron manages the customer’s order from start to finish.

“We oversee the project from day one,” says Weaver. “From selecting the appropriate grade and species of lumber, to the final production. We have our hands on the order every step of the way.”

Located in Williamsport, PA, Beam & Baron not only shares a connection with the city’s history as it was once known as the Lumber Capital of the World, but it also has ties to Brick Mill Furniture—a retail entity that was recently recognized by INC 5000 as one of the fastest growing private manufacturers in the United States.

Owned by the same families, both Beam & Baron and Brick Mill are driven by a shared commitment to craftsmanship, quality, and integrity. Not only do they divide commercial space as Beam & Baron is located adjacent to Brick Mill and its new 34,000-foot manufacturing facility, but they both use locally sourced, sustainable production materials.

Ironically, Beam & Baron was born from additional commonalities.

 “After years of building furniture, we saw similar problems in building materials like flooring, beams, and decking,” said Zach Wahl, president of both entities. “Mass-produced, low-quality products do not last. They lack value.”

Using overseas production and inferior or imitation wood-look-alike materials can affect manufacturing quality.

“We have found that people are willing to pay more for premium custom-made domestic products,” says Weaver. “We are meeting a need by providing quality sustainable products mostly from Pennsylvania native species such as cherry, walnut, white oak, and wormy maple.”

Beam & Baron was also founded to provide cohesiveness to a project.

“At Brick Mill, we were contacted at the far end of the design project. People were having trouble matching furniture’s grain structure, color, or style to the décor,” says Wahl. “One way to eliminate that obstacle is to get involved in a project sooner. That is another reason we formed Beam and Baron. When the entities work together, it optimizes the design.”

Although the company’s customer base includes the entire U.S., locally, examples of Beam & Baron’s offerings can be found at its showroom located at 325 West Third Street in Williamsport. The extensive showroom offers a variety of displays including stair treads, beams, flooring, moulding/domestic wallpaper, and examples of reclaimed barnwood and native Pennsylvania hardwood paneling. There are also decking samples complete with outdoor chairs made of sassafras or hemlock.

“The showroom is designed to help people envision how a product can impact a project. The tide is turning. More people are incorporating natural wood elements to bring nature home,” says Wahl. “Since we opened about 6 months ago, we have seen growth. It’s exciting.”



For more information, visit: https://beamandbaron.com.

KWPA MEMBERS, INDUSTRY PARTNERS & LEGISLATORS, GATHER AT KWPA'S ANNUAL MEETING

A big thank you to those who attended KWPA’s Annual Meeting entitled, “Industry Acronyms & PMA," on Tuesday, Oct. 14th. Over sixty people gathered at Mt. Nittany Overlook Event Center, Centre Hall, for an evening of inspiration and education.

The program began with updates from PA State Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, Rep. Paul Takac, and PA State Rep. Michael Stender. They each shared how they support the industry which has a $39 billion economic impact on the state annually. Additionally, Senator Gene Yaw, Senator Cris Dush, & PA State Rep. David Rowe showed their support of the sector with staff attendance.

We also had special guests from Pennsylvania Forestry Association - PFA, @Penn State Extension, Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania, Inc., Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, Northern Tier Hardwood Association, RT Machine Company, REMMEY The Pallet Company, Rishel's, Bingaman & Son Lumber, Inc., Bloomsburg Children's Museum, Keystone Timber & Forestry LLC, Alderfer Lumber, Forcey Lumber Co., Inc., Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, & WestEnd Logging & Custom Carving LLC

KWPA chairman of the board, Nate Metzler from Metzler Forest Products LLC presented Reilly Kriner, an ecosystem management major from Penn State University & a Pennsylvania College of Technology graduate, with the Lauchle Scholarship. Reilly captured the audience with an incredible acceptance speech that shared his connection to the forest.

Chuck Coup, executive director of Pennsylvania Sustainable Forestry Initiative Implementation Committee offered a presentation on SFI’s 30th anniversary and Fred Strathmeyer, Executive Director of Pennsylvania Forest Products Association shared information on PFPA.

KWPA also unscrambled the ABCs of the industry by exploring acronyms and their role in the wood products sector before Stephanie Phillips-Taggart, executive director of KWPA, offered the audience a little PMA (positive mental attitude) as she recounted how the organization has supported the industry over the last year.

The evening was made possible by the following sponsors: Cabinet Joint, Keystone Timber & Forestry LLC, Lewis Lumber Products Inc, Metzler Forest Products LLC, Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, REMMEY The Pallet Company.

In addition, wonderful door prizes were provided by: Bingaman & Son Lumber, Inc., Bloomsburg Children's Museum, Lewis Lumber Products Inc, Lumber Heritage Region of Pennsylvania, Inc., Metzler Forest Products LLC, The PA Hardwoods Development Council, Rishel's, and WestEnd Logging & Custom Carving LLC.

THE ABC'S OF THE INDUSTRY

Have you ever noticed how many acronyms there are in the wood products industry? Acronyms or abbreviations formed using the initial letters of a multi-word name or phrase are abundant in our daily lives.



The earliest known use in English emerged from the telegraphic code developed for the United Press Association in 1879. 

According to AI (artificial intelligence) industry representatives find themselves trying to unscramble letters because they work in a complex field.

Wood product industry acronyms are said to combine the elements of forestry, biology, chemistry, engineering, manufacturing, and sales. A convergence of terminologies from multiple fields, result in the use of acronyms.

They are not meant to confuse people. Instead, they are terms used to quickly communicate detailed information about products, processes, and organizations. While the abundance of jargon can be challenging for newcomers, it serves as a practical shorthand for experienced professionals. Even those individuals that have been part of the industry for years may need to pause from time to time to decode the letters. It is for this reason that the KWPA board thought it was best that we crack the code of acronyms at our annual meeting. During the meeting, we distributed a list of common industry acronyms, which you can find here. Keep the document handy to use it for a future reference.

ATTENTION FOREST LANDOWNERS:

WOODLAND MANAGEMENT GRANT OPPORTUNITES AVAILABLE

Are you a forest landowner? If so, you maybe eligible to receive up to $25,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to improve forest health and resilience. This opportunity is thanks to the Shapiro Administration’s investments in on-the-ground projects have contributed to significant improvements in water quality in Pennsylvania’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Learn more here.