MacBeath Hardwood Company

Since 1954, MacBeath Hardwood Company has been supplying high quality lumber products through a vertically integrated business structure. Founded by Kingsley Edwin (K.E.) MacBeath, the business is in its third generation of MacBeath family operation. Over the years, the business has expanded to include various locations and ventures. With its headquarters and concentration facility in Edinburgh, Indiana, MacBeath Hardwood has retail and wholesale distribution centers throughout California as well as a location in Salt Lake City.

Carter Rothrock is the company’s president and CEO, while Jonathan MacBeath serves as executive vice president and chief financial officer of MacBeath Hardwood. Jonathan’s grandfather founded the business and Jonathan is the sole owner involved in the daily business.  Carter and Jonathan work closely with a strong leadership staff, including Alan Ross, vice president and general manager of the company’s Berkeley, California, facility and Brian Wynk, MacBeath’s director of finance.

Turnkey services and quality products

The MacBeath Hardwood inventory is expansive and customers all over the country can count on the team for specialty domestic and imported lumber, panels, veneer and manufactured wood products. The business also carries finishes, adhesives hardware and tools to round out any project.

The company’s target market is large and varied. Customers include furniture manufacturers, cabinetry shops, millwork operations, contractors and even novice woodworkers. With a wide range of finished and rough wood, MacBeath serves the needs of builders, manufacturers and craftspeople throughout the U.S.

“Just-in-time inventory supplies are as important as ever,” says Jonathan. “Customers are ordering by the job and they are requiring very tight lead times. We carry a $10.2 million inventory so our customers don’t have to. We have the reputation of having a very broad inventory with lots of different thicknesses to offer. Our suppliers are sawmills that have been in business for decades, we are very loyal, as is our customer base.”

Jonathan and his colleagues take great pride in the company’s business model, which is a vertically integrated system that involves lumber processing, distribution, millwork, transportation and retail business. “Not many companies have their hands on as many rungs of the ladder as we do,” Jonathan notes. “Staffing is always a challenge, and our industry isn’t exactly a sexy one. Some of the states we do business in make it challenging, along with increasing energy costs. It requires consistent attention and we’re constantly trying to improve that wheel, but we like it that way. And we constantly have an eye on growth opportunities.”

New growth

MacBeath Hardwood is currently building a new corporate office to house sales staff and new accounting staff. “Last year we relocated the corporate headquarters from San Francisco, California, to Edinburgh, Indiana,” says Jonathan. “It’s going to be a 3,800-square-foot, two-story building. It will be the first time that the financial heart will be together with the production heart of the company all under one roof.”

Jonathan and his team have also launched a renewed business strategy for the concentration facility in Edinburgh, Indiana, to supply the company’s distribution centers out west. “It was the vision of K.E. MacBeath over 30 years ago and we are trying to get back to that,” explains Jonathan. “This will supplement our already thriving business of selling directly from our concentration facility to other distribution companies, as well as manufacturers all across the country.”

While facilities and technology are critical components to the success of the business, Jonathan says that the company’s greatest asset is people. “Our new accounting staff, headed up by our director of finance, Brian Wynk, has helped us become more efficient in a number of areas,” he elaborates. “We have recently had a software upgrade as well as a renovation to our website and online store. We are currently getting an average of 400 hits per day, 70 percent of which is new visitors. We also have a lot of exciting irons in the fire when it comes to projects involving automation.”

Beyond the company’s growth as a premium supplier of quality hardwoods, MacBeath Hardwood serves as a strong resource. The company’s knowledgeable team is complemented by connections with a number of organizations that work to promote the lumber industry.

These associations include the Forest Stewardship Council, the Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association and the National Hardwood Lumber Association among others. These affiliations help to foster lasting relationships and provide networking opportunities for the company as it expands to include new suppliers and customers.

With quality hardwood products and long-term relationships at the forefront of the operation, MacBeath Hardwood Company continues to serve a diverse market throughout the U.S.