Lögberg-Heimskringla - 05.02.1993, Page 7

Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 5. febrúar 1993 • 7
bY Gary Miller
La Grange, Ky. — When Jón Sig
Guðmundsson Sr. established a
Hardwood company more than
28 years ago, he honoured his native
Iceland by naming the new company
Northland Corp. Today, the firm
retains its respected name and compa-
ny creed, both of which stand for sup-
Plying consistently high quality hard-
'vood lumber, moulding and other
^ood products made of domestic,
jniportedf and exotic species to discrim-
inating, knowledgeable customers.
“We make it advantageous for pro-
fessional purchasing agents worldwide
by allowing their companies to turn
Problem-free shipments from North-
•and Corp. into efficient product con-
trol and improved profits through a
carefully customized system,” said Sales
Manager Bud Abney. “Several options
related to drying methods, length and
"fidth variations, cutting techniques,
and loading procedures are outlined on
a printed manifest available to all cus-
tomers and interested buyers.”
The manifest that accompanies every
0rder includes footage, grade, package
numbers, average width, and number of
Pieces in each bundle of lumber and
‘uiported and/or domestic veneers.
From its 50-acre site in La Grange,
Ky., Northland Corp. handles rough or
Planed lumber in standard or custom
thicknesses, lengths, and widths from
SuPpliers throughout North America
and overseas. “We buy green specified
In a recent article in Lögberg-
Heimskringla, I pledged myself to
fulfilling the ambition of Steini
Kristjansson to reach the goal of
$1,000,000.00 for the Chair of
Icelandic at the University of
Manitoba.
The nature of this campaign will
be such that we give people the
opportunity to contribute to the
Chair: through their WiIIs; in
ntemory of someone special; or
simply because of a conviction
that the Chair is an important
Part of our Icelandic Heritage in
North America, a unique and
special part of that Heritage,
Image and Pride.
If you wish to know more about
the Chair or if you wish to make
widths and lengths from certain suppli-
ers, and a full range of log products
from other suppliers,” Abney said. “The
specialties that are bought green are
offered as products that exactly fít our
customers’ requirements. This allows
Northland Corp. to maintain good aver-
ages in our random stock.” Thicknesses
offered are primarily 4/4 through 16/4;
in certain species, such as Basswood,
20/4 through 24/4 is available.
Prior to joining Northland Corp.
nine years ago, Purchasing Manager
Ken Wiggins, a National Hardwood
Lumber Assoc. school graduate, had
experience inspecting at several fine
sawmills. After seven years of inspecting
at Northland, he was promoted to pur-
chasing manager. Vince Elpers recently
joined Wiggins in purchasing.
Northland Corp. purchases its products
from the regions that yield the finest
quality hardwood. Some of the quar-
tered White Oak lumber fumished by
Northland Corp. is even prominently
displayed as flooring in two dining
rooms in the White House.
The firm also handles many imported
species including Jatoba, Purple Heart,
Mahogany, Wenge, and others.
Kiln drying takes place in the firm’s
natural gas-fueled Brunner-Hildebrand
and Scotch kilns, which have a total
drying capacity of 750,000 board feet
per charge. Large enclosed warehouses
on the premises can store 13 million
board feet of kiln dried lumber. In addi-
tion, two partially enclosed air drying
sheds constructed in 1988 hold a com-
the future please contact me at:
Ncil Bardal
HIP Committee
3030 Notre Dame Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba
R3H 1B9
Your donation will be recorded
and a tax receipt will be issued
by the University.
Anyone wishing to know more
about the Chair and its work,
please phone me at 949-2200
anytime.
A list of current supporters will
appear in this space from time to
time and a barometer will be on
the side to indicate the giving
from the time of Steini’s passing.
Thank you for your support.
bined total of 2.5 million board feet. A
new, fully enclosed 24,000-square-foot
warehouse currently under construction
will facilitate inventory and shipping
functions, enhance loading and unload-
ing activities, and provide immediate
access to the high-quality lumber at
Northland Corp.
“Northland Corp. prides itself on
producing lumber that is flat and
straight, since the hardwoods that arrive
here are measured and graded before
and after kiln drying by qualified inspec-
tors. Among the 80 people employed by
Northland Corp., ten are NHLA school-
graduated lumber inspectors. The hard-
wood is also double-end trimmed, sort-
ed into five separate lengths, end-coat-
ed, and banded into bundles with metal
straps before delivery to distributors,
manufacturers, and industrial accounts
or shipped for export,” said Abney. “We
also provide inventory services for our
customers, a practice which reduces the
buyers’ own stock and increases their
cash flow.”
State-of-the-art equipment also helps
to achieve consistently high-quality and
high-value products. A fully automated
S 382 Newman Whitney planer package
stacking capabilities were installed in
1986. An Irvington-Moore stacker de-
sticker with an attached hoist is also
used. Automatic stacking equipment
and nine forklifts move 5 million board
feet through Northland Corp.’s process-
ing facilities. Seven of the forklifts are
Caterpillar and the other two are new
Hyster, 15,500-pound models. Much of
the concentration and distribution yard
has been paved with concrete to allow
for easier equipment movement and
better drainage.
Northland Corp. primarily uses con-
tract truckers to deliver orders. There
are also two rail spurs on the Northland
premises which together allow the
simultaneous loading of up to nine box-
cars. Both standard and mixed loads are
available.
In order to achieve such processing
precision, Guðmundsson Sr. and his
two sons, Jón Jr. and Öm, have built
upon several decades of experience in
the wood products business. Before
Guðmundsson Sr., chairman of the
board, came to the United States in
1950, he gained valuable experience
working at his family’s hardwood busi-
ness in Iceland. In 1968, he purchased
28 acres on Highway 146 in La Grange,
Ky., 25 miles northeast of Louisville.
Once he had acquired the land, he
immediately began air drying lumber at
the concentration yard. The next year,
he purchased Larkins Bros. & Yost, a
Louisville kiln drying and distribution
J.C. Benedict, Calgary, AB.......$20.
Mr. Stefan Sigurdsson, Kopavogur,
Iceland......................$12.55
E.G. Westman, Blaine, WA.......$12.55
Arni Gudjonson, Riverton, MB......$50.
A. Emily Oleson, Glenboro, MB....$12.55
Frida Kalkfleisch, Nepean, ON.....$40.
Barbara & Dennis Sigurdson,
^ Winnipeg, MB......................$100,
yard established in 1933. Throughout
the years, Guðmundsson Sr. taught his
sons the tools of the trade. Öm is presi-
dent and chief executive officer at
Northland, and Jón Jr. is vice president
and chief operating officer. Bud Abney
who previously worked as a national
inspector for the National Hardwood
Lumber Assoc., Memphis, Tenn., is a
23-year veteran of Northland Corp. The
new Chief Financial Officer, Roy
Johnson, joined the firm recently, bring-
ing an impressive list of credentials-and
vast experience to the management
team.
Sales representatives of the firm
include Bari L. Jenkins, marketing co-
ordinator and sales representative for
the Rocky Mountain states, the
Virginias, and the Carolinas; Jim
Mewhinney, salesman for Michigan,
northem Indiana, Ohio, New England
states, and Eastern Canada; Annette
Mefford, sales representative for
Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, Southem
Illinois, and Southern Indiana; Kim
Washburn, who handles sales in the
Southeastern states, Texas, and
Oklahoma; Evelyn Bowman, in charge
of sales in the Northwestern states,
Tennessee, and Westem Canada; and
Jody Vaigo, sales representative for the
Midwestern states and Northern
Illinois. Guðmundsson Sr. handles
export sales. Bud Abney said all
inquiries are welcome.
The company and its employees are
actively involved in several industry
organizations, including the National
Hardwood Lumber Assoc., in which
CEO Örn Guðmundsson serves as
chairman of the NHLA rules committee
and is a NHLA director, the Kentucky
Forest Industries Assoc., the Indiana
Hardwood Lumber Assoc., the Lake
States Lumber Assoc., the Kentucky
Forest Industries Assoc., the Hardwood
Distributors Assoc., the Canadian
Lumbermen’s Assoc., the Forest
Products Traffic Assoc., and the
American Hardwood Export Council.
“Our primary emphasis at North-
land Corp. is on the highest quality
control standards and the most efficient
management systems,” Abney said. “We
do a tremendous job in helping our cus-
tomers maintain high-volume sales with
strict quality control. Because we do
this they can buy the exact volumes of
particular items customized to their
needs. Northland Corp.’s many cus-
tomers can be assured of the dedication
and commitment of its employees to
deliver only the highest-value, top-qual-
ity products at competitive prices.”
Courtesy of National Hardwood
Magazinc.
In memory of a dear sister Jónina
Bjamason from Caroline Gunnarson,
Winnipeg, MB................$200.
In memory of Margaret Stephenson of
Markerville from Edwin Stephenson,
Markerville, AB..............$20.
Mr. Lome V. Palmason,
Wolfeboro, NH, USA.............$10.
s personal donation now or in
This space is provided monthly by Neil Bardal Inc.,
Family Funeral Counsellors, for the use of community groups.
If your group would like to use this space, please call us at 949-2200.
BILLBOARD
PAMILYIFUNERAL
COUNSELLORS
HIP COMMITTEE
Donations to Lögberg-Heimskringla Inc.
'ln memory of aunt Runa Johannson Thordur Teitson, Markham, ON....S25. 0\
Garrett ofPortage la Prairie, from
Sigga C. Moore, Toronto, ON...........$50.