Rebuilding for the Future

Logansport, Indiana - August 21, 2000

The fire which swept through Cole Hardwood, Inc. on Saturday June 13, 1998 destroyed 10 buildings covering approximately 140,000 square feet.  We lost all our dry lumber storage and 8 million feet of fully processed dry lumber.  We also lost our office, half of our green and dry lumber inspection and handling capacity, our planing mill, retail store and break room.  But we never lost heart!

Since 8 a.m. on the following Monday, when Milt Cole and the Cole family announced that no employee would miss a paycheck and that the company would be rebuilt, the outpouring of love and support from our community, state, country, and the lumber industry as a whole has been overwhelming.  With the partnership of our insurance professionals at LUA, our vendors and customers, our loyal employees and countless other individuals, the plans for rebuilding the physical facilities have taken shape, and those plans are being executed at a rapid and efficient pace.

The first priority, to build a shed to store fully processed dry lumber, was achieved the week of September 7, 1998 with the completion of a 23,000 sq. ft. building.  Construction of a 34,000 sq. ft. building which will house our break room and more dry lumber storage was completed in June.  

Construction of a steel building encompassing over 85,000 square feet is also complete.  This building  houses our new office with customer and guest parking, retail store, dry lumber inspection and handling and, of course, more storage.   In addition, this building will also include our new planing, sanding, and gang rip processing systems.

Construction is complete on a 4th building which will include green lumber inspection and a stacker.  Canopies which cover all the open areas between our kilns, processing stations, storage sheds and loading areas, are also complete so inclement weather will no longer be a hindrance to our productivity and we can better serve our customers.

Our new buildings and canopies now cover 200,000 sq. ft. and  house the most efficient lumber handling and processing systems available today.  Moving forward, we'll keep our 1.3 million feet of kilns drying the best hardwood lumber in the Midwestern United States and we'll continue to buy, process, sell and deliver the finest hardwoods from our new facilities in Logansport, Indiana. 

Please stop by and visit when you're in town!  The coffee and tours are still free!   

That's a promise from Milt Cole, and the entire Cole family.