Yard sees many changes in 100 Years

EEW BUSINESSES survive for f 100 years, especially with ownership remaining in the same family, but Larsen Brothers Lumber Co., Inc., San Leandro, Ca., has.

Of all the lumber companies listed as doing business in San Leandro in 1882, only Larsen Brothers remains, although at that time it was J. Larsen Lumber, named for its founder, Jens Larsen, an immigrant from Denmark.

Business in those days, according to family records, involved more than lumber. Feed for horses, coal and sand hauled from San Leandro Bay, now the Oakland airPort, were common items. Jens, his wife, Christina, and theirtwo sons andtwo daughters worked together at the yard which he had bought from T'N. Willis.

Grandson Harry Larsen, Jr. carries on the business which was destroyed by fire in 1956 and rebuilt, onlyto be displaced bythe BART station in 1965. Now located on three acres at 14200 Washington Ave., the yard grosses about $1.8 million annually with l3 people emPloYed. In addition to selling lumber, they manufacture wood windows, frames, doors, moulding, pine and redwood sidings on the premises' The business mix is 3590 contractor, 3090 individual, l09o state and federal government, and 2590 industrial.

Story at a Glance

Dealer reaches century mark .. lhird generation manages firm . . . resists home center image.

Maintaining the lumber yard concept rather than becoming a home center, the business concentrates on stocking lumber and plywood including hardwoods which theY Purchase from brokers and wholesalers. A wide range of Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine, redwood, ash, oak, mahogany, birch, maple and other quality woods is available.

Ron and Gary Haagenson manage the yard with Larsen. Both were recently added to the board of directors. The company has remained family centered over the 100 years with Jens' two sons taking over in l9l5 and changing the name to reflect their proprietorship. When James died in 1920, HarrY continued to run the business. In 1925 he married and his wife joined him in working at the yard. Their two sons, Harry, Jr., and James, worked there, too. James died in 1965 and Harry, Jr. continued to work with his parents. Harry, Sr. was active until his death in 1967, his wife until 1973.

Last year Larsen built a larger office and showroom at a cost of about $180,000. The complex also includes three warehouses and a mill for custom work.

For the next five years the goal is to increase sales to individual buyers as well as beef up the industrial and government sales. Management anticipates fewer and fewer sales to contractors if present conditions continue.

The commemorative plaque and official resolutions of commendation recognizing the 100-year-span of business also acknowledge the perseverance, tenacity and common sense which have helped the Larsen family to overcome many obstacles for three generations.

THIRD GENERATION Harry Larsen, Jr. carries on at Larsen Brothers, a 100 year old firm in San Leandro, Ca. Concentrating on lumber, plywood and hardwood, the yard has its own mill and is one ol the few olfering custom millwork in the area. The truck is an immaculate 1950 Dodge flatbed.

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