Wholesaler expands Colorado redwood market

strong wholesalers are not new to the state, with 3590 of the redwood shipped to the Rocky Mountain region ending up in Colorado, but Reid found many dealers carrying a limited line of products; i.e., primarily decking. Ready for the challenge, Reid has enjoyed promoting a wider variety of redwood siding, paneling and garden grades.

He spent much of last year educating customers and end-users about redwood's properties and applications. Working with the California Redwood Association he developed a slide seminar that describes redwood in a technical, architectural and historical context. He also used CRA literatureto distribute detailed information to architects, builders, lumber dealers and consumers.

One aspect ofthe educational process has been to dispel the idea that redwood is "too expensive." Reid explained, "Redwood is really very competitive with cedar. when I get people to look at the figures and they see redwood is comparable, most people choose redwood over other species."

Established in 1948, Reid & Wright, a family run business, began selling to lumber and building material dealers in the San Joaquin Valley of California. They narrowed their product line down to primarily selling redwood as their customer base gradually changed to industrial users, remanufacturers and furniture makers. With amanufacturing plant of their own in Arcata, Ca., where they stock anywhere between 3 and 7 million feet of lumber, and offices in Hawaii and Colorado, Reid & Wright sell redwood internationally. Now through the energies of Richard Reid, they are back in the business of selling redwood and other lumber products to dealers in a growing new market.

Reid brought special qualifications for selling redwood to Colorado. Coming from a 'redwood family' he has lived and worked around redwood all his life. "I've worked in mills, in remanufacturing and in sales and distribution," he explains. "There's something about pulling lumber on the green chain day after daythat gives you a special feeling for the lumber. Being the new kid on the block, I've got to offer dealers something new. What I'm offering them is my own experience and specialization in redwood and Reid & Wright's physical capability to deliver the products they want."

"Redwood is beautiful and being well accepted," says Reid describing his venture in Colorado. He especially enjoys seeing the success of customers who have expanded their redwood line, whether it's with new products or products they haven't carried before. Many of his customers are selling more redwood than ever before in spite of high interest rates and slow construction starts. When asked what sort of a future he sees for redwood in Colorado, Reid replied without hesitating: "Nothing but growth."