Western hardwood firm expanding

llAC BEATH HARDWOOD Co.

lUlof San Francisco established its fourth distribution yard last month when it acquired all of the outstanding shares of Brush Industrial Lumber Co. of Los Angeles.

The yard is operating as Brush Industrial Lumber, a subsidiary of Mac Beath, continuing the 40-year hardwood tradition founded by John A. Brush in 1935.

Currently MacBeath operates yards in Salt Lake City, Berkeley and San Francisco. Its carload sales division is active in the Northwest and Los Angeles areas.

The firm anticipates that the new acquisition will increase its gross sales 25Vo over the next year. The new yard can potentially become MacBeath's largest.

So far the biggest challenge has been locating and purchasing enough top grade hardwood to meet the expected sales increase. "The new yard has put a strain on our buyers," admitted president W. E. "Bill" Mac Beath. "But," he added with a smile, "we're meeting the challenge."

The new yard covers two and onehalf acres. seven miles south of downtown Los Angeles. It has over 35,000 sq. ft. ofcovered storage.

Last month MacBeath added a tractor and 20' traller to Brush's fleet of bob-tail lumber trucks. Complete milling facilities will also be added.

Joseph L. Cortese, former manager of MacBeath's San Francisco yard and secretary-treasurer of the company, is managing the yard. Key Brush employees will form an integral part of MacBeath's warehouse and marketing team.

MacBeath Hardwood opened in Berkeley, Ca., January l, 1955. In l96l they purchased Davis Hard"wood, San Francisco, and in 1965 opened a third yard in Salt Lake City.

John A. Brush was born in Lancaster County,'Pa., October 9, 1888 and came West as an Army Captain during World War I- He commanded an all black regiment in Arizona and served in the medical corps in Hawaii.

Following his discharge Brush worked in the sawmills of the Pacific Northwest. Then, at the depth of the depression and contrary to the advice of his family, Brush decided to open a lumber yard in Los Angeles.

Story at a Glance

MacBeath Hardwood acquires Brush Industrial Lumber, its fourth yard . . firm now has facilities in Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area and Salt Lake City.

According to a long-time friend, Brush reasoned that if he could make his business succeed during the depres' sion then he would be assured of suc' cess in good times.

Originally established at 59th St. and Central Ave., he moved several times before settling at the present location in 1957. Brush began bY handling pine and alder, but soon Eastern and imported hardwoods were added to the inventory.

"Jack" Brush prided himself on his skill as a lumber grader. He pioneered two grades of sugar pine, "shop-outs" and "Factory A." The first was later recognized by the WWPA and renamed f2 Shop.

He insisted upon precise grading and established a wide reputation for accurate tallies.

In his personal life, Brush was a man of extraordinary charity. In the '30s and '40s he visited Boyle Heights, a depressed area of Los Angeles, every Christmas Eve and anonymously distributed hundreds of dollars worth of food and toys to needy families.

According to friends Brush sponsored scores of foreign children. He brought a young Japanese man to Los Angeles to learn the lumber business, and he put an African man through business school.

One long-time friend reported that he was "very devoted to children" and was always concerned for their education.

"In continuing the Brush operation we want to preserye the memory of "Jack" Brush and to continue his reputation for accurate tallies and fair dealing," observes Bill MacBeath. Brush died Nov. 2, 1974.

MacBeath was also quick to point out that his own family was once native to Southern California. K. E. MacBeath, who founded his family's hardwood business, was reared in Arizona and Riverside County, Ca., before he moved to Berkeley to attend the University of California. As a young man the older MacBeath worked on a road crew which paved many new streets in central Los Angeles.

MacBeath began negotiating to buy Brush Industrial Lumber one year ago but encountered many legal delays before completing the purchase. "My father and I endured some frustrating months, but now we're looking forward to serving Southern California," Bill MacBeath said.

In his 52nd year as a hardwood lumberman. K. E. MacBeath remains vitally active in the management of Mac Beath Hardwood. Bill MacBeath became general manager of the company in '69 and president in '7 l. He is also on the board of directors of the National Hardwood Lumber Assn. and the Imported Hardwood Products Assn.

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