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TOP QUALITY WORK — Oaks Unlimited has 25 employees at its Jonathan Creek location. Team members include: from left, Joe Pryor, president; Ellie, company mascot; Karen Pryor, secretary/treasurer; Trent Thomas, vice president; Rick Parton, plant manager; Ray Shepard, sales; and Tina Parker, office manager.
HIGH HONOR — Mark Taylor, Oaks Unlimited export sales manager, accepts the 2021 Governor’s Export Award at the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion.
GREEN IDENTIFIER — Pictured is company president, Joe Pryor, beside one of the green-end lumber stacks. Approximately 12 of these packs will be loaded into one container heading to international markets.
Ray Shepard with live edge slabs
ADAPTING TO CHANGING CONDITIONS — Standing next to live-edge slabs, Ray Shepard helped open the local retail market for Oaks Unlimited during the pandemic.
Joe Gosnell — Pete Wyatt stacking lumber
ATTENTION TO DETAIL — Joe Gosnell and Pete Wyatt stack green lumber.
TOP QUALITY WORK — Oaks Unlimited has 25 employees at its Jonathan Creek location. Team members include: from left, Joe Pryor, president; Ellie, company mascot; Karen Pryor, secretary/treasurer; Trent Thomas, vice president; Rick Parton, plant manager; Ray Shepard, sales; and Tina Parker, office manager.
HIGH HONOR — Mark Taylor, Oaks Unlimited export sales manager, accepts the 2021 Governor’s Export Award at the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion.
GREEN IDENTIFIER — Pictured is company president, Joe Pryor, beside one of the green-end lumber stacks. Approximately 12 of these packs will be loaded into one container heading to international markets.
Ray Shepard with live edge slabs
ADAPTING TO CHANGING CONDITIONS — Standing next to live-edge slabs, Ray Shepard helped open the local retail market for Oaks Unlimited during the pandemic.
Joe Gosnell — Pete Wyatt stacking lumber
ATTENTION TO DETAIL — Joe Gosnell and Pete Wyatt stack green lumber.
Oaks Unlimited, a Haywood-County based hardwood lumber company, received a 2021 Governor’s Export Award recognizing its success in exporting Appalachian hardwood products internationally.
In a ceremony at the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion, Oaks Unlimited was one of eight companies saluted by Gov. Roy Cooper. The Jonathan Creek business received the “E-Commerce Award” for its success in adapting to changing market conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are very humbled by this award,” said Joe Pryor, president of Oaks Unlimited, as he thanked all of the company employees for their contributions.
This is the second major award earned in the past six years by Oaks Unlimited, which specializes in high quality Red Oak, White Oak and Poplar lumber. The company previously received the prestigious 2016 Exporter of the Year by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
When announcing the awards, Gov. Cooper noted how each of the companies worked with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) to increase international sales.
“When the pandemic made travel impossible, EDPNC helped us by providing assistance to improve our website,” said Mark Taylor, Oaks’ export sales manager, who accepted the award at the Governor’s Mansion. “We also were able to create a new video highlighting our capabilities and products, and our export sales continue to grow.”
Approximately 75% of the company’s sales comes internationally, split equally between the Asian and European markets, according to Pryor. The hardwood is used primarily for interior-finished products such as furniture, cabinets, flooring and doors.
“We lost the ability to travel there, and we weren’t able to have our customers come here to see our operation,” said Pryor. “We had to find new ways to communicate and showcase our product. You have to be able to adapt.”
He recognized the importance of the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grants, which are designed to help small businesses in North Carolina fund costs associated with international sales.
Oaks Unlimited represents a three-generation family business in the forest-products industry. Pryor’s grandfather worked in a stave mill in Tennessee, producing the narrow strips of wood used in barrels. His father owned and operated a stave mill in Marshville, North Carolina, before purchasing the Jonathan Creek site in 1980. At that point, the family recognized the potential opportunity in the international marketplace with true Appalachian hardwoods.
Now, the business occupies more than 20 acres, importantly located at a 3,000-feet altitude, which is a critical climate component to producing top quality lumber.
Pryor outlines the exacting process involved after the hardwoods arrive: first with grading and stacking the green lumber, all in precise, spaced vertical alignment for flatness during the air drying. All the air drying occurs under roofed sheds before kiln drying to ensure the lumber remains bright.
The lumber is then kiln-dried in separate buildings and graded by certified standards. Lumber is always graded twice — before it is stacked and after kiln drying. Computerized scanning and measurement then ensure that customers know what they are buying and receiving.
Before shipment, the ends are trimmed, the lumber is triple banded, and — importantly for many buyers — the ends of each pack are painted the company’s dark green color, with the company applied to the stack’s side.
“Besides making the whole pack look better, it’s an identifier for us since the ‘80s,” said Pryor. “We’ve had international customers ask specifically for the lumber with the green ends.”
With 25 employees to sell and process its product, Oaks Unlimited maintains inventories of more than two million board feet of 4/4 through 8/4 lumber.
While the softwood lumber industry is controlled by behemoths such as Georgia Pacific and Weyerhauser, the hardwood business is primarily operated by small, family-owned companies, Pryor said. And, as he noted, it’s been a roller-coaster ride for the past 15 years, as the industry has shrunk from annually producing more than 14 billion board feet to less than 7 billion.
“First, it was the recession, then we had some recovery; then, the tariffs, then some recovery,” said Pryor. “Then, the pandemic went from a complete shutdown to huge boom.”
However, the increasing demand in the past year has been countered by less supply and transportation issues buffeting the industry and customers alike.
Oaks Unlimited recognized a new opportunity during the pandemic, opening its doors to local retail customers.
“If you want one board, we will help you,” said Pryor, showcasing some of the live edge slabs and random-width boards available. Previously, the company did not sell less than a truckload (12,000 board feet) of lumber.
Pryor notes the new retail sales represent only one percent of overall sales but sees the business as an opportunity to serve local Western North Carolina customers with quality product. Additional expansion plans include adding a sawmill to the operation this spring.
Looking to the future, Pryor has passed on his knowledge of the industry to the next generation, as son Tripp is the international program manager for the Washington D.C.-based American Hardwood Export Council. A trained Mandarin speaker, Tripp helps spread the word about the U.S. hardwood industry to growing international markets.
“Oaks Unlimited isn’t high profile. We keep our heads down, and try to do our best, top-quality work,” said Pryor, praising the expertise of the company’s sales and operational team.
All of Appalachian hardwoods are verified sustainable by Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers.
Oaks Unlimited was one of two Western North Carolina businesses to receive a Governor’s Export Award for 2021. Also recognized was Fletcher-based Equilibar, an engineering and manufacturing company which provides precision fluid control valves and back pressure regulators.
EDPNC selects award winners from the more than 600 companies the trade team works with each year. Other winners ranged from a sport fishing boat manufacturer to a telecommunications equipment supplier.
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