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| spotlight INNOVATION in the LUMBER INDUSTRY Chuck Gaede ’00 and Matt Hagery ’02
For Chuck Gaede ’00 and Matt Hagerty ’02, a barbecue is as good a place as any for inspiration, innovation and opportunity—a casual discussion in 2011 between the two about the lumber industry over plates of ribs and slaw led to the development of a new lumber trading platform: Woodbrowser. Hagerty and Gaede, who initially bonded through Colby-Sawyer’s tennis and club hockey teams, combined their decades of experience in lumber sales and business operations to develop a different method of trading lumber, one that melds traditional lumber trading practices with innovative, transparent online capabilities. Gaede noticed that there was a clear need for an online purchasing platform that connected buyers directly to mills and removed the typical commission-based middleman. He and Hagerty enlisted the
support of fellow alumni Timothy Ingraham ’03 and Drew Drummond ’02 to draft a business plan, raise money and develop the online platform. According to Hagerty and Gaede, Woodbrowser’s only goal is to get buyers the best products available at the best price, removing any incentives to push unwanted products. After years of expansion and hard work, Woodbrowser now has an office and export warehouse in Grantham, N.H., and serves 140 customers in 26 states and four countries. Woodbrowser caters to largequantity buyers and sellers, such as retail lumber yards, developers and modular and prefab manufacturers. A visit to the company’s website allows customers to access “the only transparent, flat-fee lumber trading process in the market” and to search the inventories of more than 70 mills. Gaede and Hagerty intend to double their company’s customer base over the next year, hire three lumber sales traders and bring in their first in-house programmer and marketing director. The future is bright for Woodbrowser, proving that innovation and collaboration, with just a touch of technology, can lead to success in our global economy. —Lauren Sullivan To find out more about Woodbrowser, visit woodbrowser.com.
Chuck Gaede ’00 and Matt Hagerty ’02, creators of the online lumber trading platform Woodbrowser.
award in Business Services from NH Business Review in Oct. WMUR news anchor Erin Fehlau presented the award. He was not only recognized for his excellence in the field of entrepreneurship … she also mentioned his unyielding community-mindedness as a part time police officer and firefighter, and his work with Hospital Days and skijoring events.
2003
LISA NOYES HARDENBROOK 18 Hampton Towne Estates Hampton, NH 03842 603.292.6964 litha81@hotmail.com I hope that this issue of the magazine finds the class of ’03 well. I can’t believe it was 15 years ago this Sept. that we all met on the mountain for the 1st time! We only have a couple newsworthy items to report. Lida Vanasse has had a great year. In July she completed her 1st Ironman in Lake Placid, NY. She’s also completed 3 half Ironman triathalons. Lida writes that the Ironman was quite an experience, especially when a thunderstorm struck while they were out on the bike. Kayde Czupryna Gower and her husband, Doug, welcomed Mason Henry on June 19. Kayde, Doug and Mason are doing well and are enjoying their family of 3. That’s all for now.
2004
ERIC J. EMERY PO Box 8 Quechee, VT 05059 (603) 359-9844 ericemery6@msn.com
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