Steven Kaitz, who joined the family business in the mid-1970s, said the recession that followed in 1990 was the worst economic situation he had encountered in the lumber business. “It was difficult to build a brand new yard at the time,” he said, “but we persevered and ultimately became even stronger as we have through all recessions.”
In the early 2000s, National Lumber began growing and adding locations and business services. In 2002, the company launched Kitchen Views, a kitchen design division featuring showrooms and meeting places for builders and customers within the National Lumber stores.
In 2003, National purchased a manufacturing plant, Reliable Truss and Components. “We found that we were going to need to supply components and we found that the best way to control that supply was to manufacture,” Kaitz said. Reliable Truss and Components is now one of the National Lumber family’s prized companies.
In the later 2000s, as the building industry suffered through the Great Recession, National Lumber acquired several family-owned companies, integrating them into the National Lumber family and expanding the company’s service area.
Today, with nine locations, National Lumber employs around 650 associates, providing lumber, building materials, engineered lumber products, engineering and design services, kitchen and bath design services, tool and equipment rentals, installed insulation, truss and wall panel manufacturing, turn-key framing and custom millwork made in their own dedicated millwork facility.
“My father, uncles and grandfather would be very proud of what we’ve done here,” Margie Kaitz Seligman said. “With my son Benjamin now working as a salesperson in Newton, we have moved into our 4th generation as a family-owned and operated business. The leadership of National Lumber understands the responsibility it has to our 650 employees and their families. For us the workday begins at 5:00 am, and the entire National Lumber family strives to consistently be great and, clearly, we succeed.”
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2016 – SALES OVER $50 MILLION - Advertisement -
National Lumber CompanyHeadquarters: Mansfield, Massachusetts |