Hardwood importer maps out business around the world

I IM Summerlin of Sumwood Inc.

U may sell imported hardwood from his Palos Verdes Peninsula, Ca., ofTices, but his is anything but a desk job.

Summerlin's travels have taken him around the globe, searching for new sources of rare, exotic hardwoods and refining relationships with faraway mills and suppliers.

Last year alone, as president of the International Hardwood Products Association, he logged more than 100.000 travel miles.

And Summerlin is just back from Italy, in time to finish preparations for his company's l0th anniversary party. The Oct. 17 Cajun-themed event in New Orleans, La., co-sponsored by business associate Robinson Lumber Co., is being held in conjunction with the National Hardwood Lumber Association's annual

Story at a Glance

lmporter Jim Summerlin travels thousands of miles each year in search of new sources. 10th anniversary of his firm business built on personal attention.

convention.

The importer's many journeys are reflected not only in the artifacts that adorn Sumwood's offices. but in the offices themselves. Each room is lushly decorated with furnishings, flooring, paneling and mouldings of fine hardwoods imported from a different area of the world. One office is of Hawaiian koa, others of woods from South America, Southeast Asia and West Africa.

Jim is joined in the business by his wife. Dawn, who serves as vice president, handling the books and running the offices. A common denominator, in their strong personal and professional relationship is their mutual love of travel. Together, there are few points on the map they have not visited. The exceptions are Russia and the Middle East, sources of much political unrest but little hardwood.

As company president, Jim is the buyer and the seller, and he considers the jobs done best when they are done by the same person. He knows what they have, what they need, and what the customer wants. "A lot of people will end up with the wrong wood for their needs and they become sour on hardwoods," he explains.

Sumwood has been successful for ten years by meeting those special needs. "lf we don't have something, I try to find out how people can get it. The sale's not the primary thing. If we have helped them, they will call back," Jim says.

Dawn adds: "Jim gives a great deal of personal attention. If somebody hears about a new wood, Jim will find out everything he canabout it, send out all the information, samples, etc. It's not just a sale with him."

Summerlin's background includes overseeing wood projects in the Philippines for ten years, two years in Hawaii, andmanagerial positions with venerable hardwood importer Robert S. Osgood, Inc., Los Angeles, Ca. After five years with Osgood, he decided to go out on his own.

Sumwood carries 88 different species and grades of rare hardwoods. Two special softwoods are also stocked, a pine from Malaysia and one from South America, only because they are unusually clear and available in wide widths and long lengths.

The company has five employees, including John Buchanan, who runs the yard in Long Beach, Ca. It houses about 600,000 board feet of wood, and a detailed computer system provides a print out of the day's entire inventory each morning.

About 80% of Sumwood's business is sold from inventory, 200/o direct. Ten years ago, the figures were reversed. Into the early 1980s, as interest rates were peaking, companies tried to keep their own inventories as low as possible. Sumwood's inventory grew.

"People are now buying in smaller quantities," Summerlin says. "They're more cautious. Before, it was very common to buy a truck load. Now that's rare. Our business has developed in line with this. Others don't want to take a risk and expect to get their wood right away. Direct imports can take six months. (ln ordering,) sometimes I guess right, some times I guess wrong, but over the years I've come out on top."

Still, there are more wholesalers around now than there were in 1978. Sumwood's customer list numbers 175. The company also does a small amount of foreign exporting, shipping woods to Pacific Rim countries such as Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

He usually communicates with faraway suppliers by telex or fax machines. He explains, "The phone presents troubles with time zone differences and inevitably, the person who answers on the other side will not speak English. Besides, I like to have things in writing."

Yet a majority of Sumwood's sales are made on a phone call. "Everything's verbal, often nothing is written," he says. "But we rarely have problems. You can trust people in the lumber business."

In fact, one of Sumwood's recognized keys to success is keeping the company small and personal. He sells only to wholesalers - no manufacturers - realizing he can't be everything to everybody.

And he is always on the look out for new woods. His term as 19871988 president of the IHPA afforded perfect opportunities. Summerlin led delegations to South America, Southeast Asia and West Africa. Therehe would meet government olTicials (such as the King of Ghana) and native mill owners and suppliers.

Most others would label the recent jaunt to South America as the most successful of the trips, since it resulted in many new sales with eager locals. But Summerlin considers the trip to Africa more productive, in the long run. "ln its 33 years, IHPA to my knowledge had never sent a delegation to West Africa before. Hopefully, we broke some new ground. We met some new suppliers and at least got people thinking about trading with Africa," he says.

Sumwood's next ten years may hold some surprises. Summerlin foresees two factors possibly changing the hardwood business. "Overall rapid modernization of all countries in the world will produce more customers and more competition to reach those new markets. Especially in China, as its standard of living rises, more competition will vie to reach this one billion people," he predicts.

Restrictions may also play a role. He says, "A lot of the harvested hardwood forests are being replaced with fast growing softwoods. In addition, there will be more pressure against harvesting the remaining tropical hardwoods. This will restrict cutting ofcertain trees and in certain areas and cause the price to climb higher and higher."

But the hardwood globetrotter will still be around. Somewhere.