History

The Box Factory Plan
In the 1950's, two brothers, John & Ross Gorman, were struggling to make ends meet.

Heavy frost had damaged much of their orchards which was their only source of income.

The young men were aware of a need for better packaging in the fruit industry.

They started a fruit box business as a temporary second income until their new fruit trees started to produce.

This was the beginning of Gorman Bros. Lumber.

Sawing Logs
In 1953, the brothers decided to set up a small sawmill.

They purchased a 12” circular band saw and the 54” band saw shown on the left.

The saws allowed for greater production, and the company continued to grow.

Growth Continues
The business obtained a timber license by the mid-1950's that led to more production and the need to hire more people.

Quality Bins
Gorman Bros. developed durable packaging bins and eventually opened a distribution plant in Oroville, Washington, U.S.A.

Disaster
On November 21, 1969, disaster struck when an electrical short caused a huge fire that destroyed the mill. Fortunately, nobody was injured in the fire.

Rebuilding in the 1970's turned out to be good for the company. Changes made to the mill in the rebuilding process meant more diversification and modernization.

Steady Growth
In the 1990's, forty years after Ross and John decided they needed a ‘temporary second income', the Gorman Bros. mill was running strong.

In 1999, the new Waco Molder replaced the old planer. A trip to Sweden was required to find this specialized piece of equipment.

A 60,000 square foot lumber storage building was also added to the mill.

Today and Beyond
One of the great concerns of any business, and their customers, is succession planning – will the business continue, and if so, who will run it when the founders retire?

Statistics show that the majority of businesses do not make it to the next generation.

At Gorman Bros., we have had the good fortune to make this transition successfully.

A number of family members have worked in various departments of the mill for many years, gaining the experience and skills for some to earn senior positions as part of the Management Team.

In 1996, six years before he passed away, John Gorman turned his responsibilities as a Director and co-manager over to Bill Reedy (President). At the same time, Ross Gorman turned his co-management responsibilities over to Ron Gorman (CEO) who was already a Director of the Company.

Ron and Bev Gorman had been serving as second-generation Directors since 1994. Bev retired in 1999, and Kathryn Vernon assumed her role as Director.

The corporate vision and strategic planning have been firmly in the hands of an experienced second-generation team for many years, and they are training others to one day carry this company into the third generation.