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Michael R. Kuhns, Aaron R. Kelson, and Robert J. Lilieholm (†),
Department of Forest Resources, Utah State University

INTRODUCTION

The 1997 Utah and Nevada Wood Industry Directory is a comprehensive information source for businesses and individuals involved in the buying or selling of raw or finished wood products in Utah and Nevada. The directory contains data supplied by wood processing businesses in Utah and Nevada who responded to a survey in October-December 1996 (see Appendix A for a discussion of survey methodology and a copy of the survey instrument). Information obtained includes types of products manufactured, services available, wood species and amounts used, equipment available, and wood waste use.

The information presented in this directory was supplied by businesses. As a result, we cannot guarantee its accuracy or timeliness. No endorsement of a business is implied by inclusion in this directory. Businesses that were not included either chose not to participate in the survey, or did not return their surveys. Although we contacted over 800 businesses, in some cases we may have missed a business. If you would like to have your business included in future directories, fill out the survey form at the back of this directory (Appendix A) and return to the indicated address. Send general comments or questions to Extension Forestry, Department of Forest Resources, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-5215.

This directory is being published as a cooperative effort between Utah State University’s Department of Forest Resources and Cooperative Extension, and USDA Forest Service Region 4 State and Private Forestry. We also have received valuable assistance from the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands (UDFFSL) and the Nevada Division of Forestry (NDF). Keith Schnare from the USDA Forest Service, Dave Schen from UDFFSL, and Pat Murphy of NDF have been especially helpful by supplying business lists, reviewing survey forms, and helping keep the project on track.

HOW TO USE THIS DIRECTORY

Businesses are listed in alphabetical order by business name and state, with Nevada businesses listed first and then Utah businesses. These lists include mostly manufacturers, along with the few wholesalers who responded. Wholesalers are indicated by the words “Wholesale Only” under the product categories.

Several cross indexes are included following the business listings to help locate certain types of businesses. Indexes are included for products manufactured, wood species used, county, whether a business is mainly a primary or secondary manufacturer, and whether a business exports or markets outside its home state.

In the business listings the following fields are included (if a field name does not show or if the field is empty, no information was supplied for that field by the business):

  • Business Name — as indicated on the returned survey.
  • Address — mailing address (also usually the business location).
  • County — county of the business or business office.
  • Phone and FAX — business telephone and facsimile numbers.
  • Location — detailed business location, or address if different from mailing address.
  • Contact — name and title of contact person.
  • Activity Level — whether the business is full-time or seasonal.
  • Time in Business — number of years in business.
  • E-mail — business E-mail address.
  • Internet — business Internet (WWW) address.
  • Products Manufactured — product lists; “Top” is shown after a product if it is one of the company’s top products in terms of dollar value produced.
  • Primary Products — list of primary products manufactured or sold; primary products generally are made directly from logs or roundwood, usually with minimal processing.
  • Secondary Products — list of secondary products manufactured or sold; secondary products generally are made from primary products and involve much more processing.
  • Wood Waste Use — indicates whether a company sells, gives away, or uses any of its wood waste, or landfills most of its waste.
  • Market outside state? — indicates whether a business sells products outside its home state.
  • Export to other countries? — indicates whether a business exports, would like to export, or is not interested.
  • Available Equipment — available manufacturing and logging equipment.
  • Wood Species Used — wood species used in manufacturing. Cottonwood/poplar may indicate use of true poplar (Populus species) or tulip-poplar/yellow-poplar.
  • Annual Wood Use — volume of wood used annually in thousands of board feet (MBF); also includes other amounts or units.
  • Related Services — wood products-related services available from the company.

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

Based on survey returns, Utah’s wood products industry generates an estimated $243 million in annual sales, with an average of $1.17 million per business. Nevada’s businesses reported $117 million in annual sales, with an average of $1.46 million per firm. These estimates include only those manufacturing businesses that responded to the survey, and assume an average sales figure for respondents who did not supply sales information. The estimates are conservative since they do not include businesses strictly involved in wholesale, or those that did not respond to the survey.

Manufacturers of primary products reported annual sales of about $29 million in Utah and $7.9 million in Nevada. For comparison, the USDA Forest Service Intermountain Research Station reported $27 million in annual sales of primary wood products in 1992 (‡). From our survey, secondary product annual sales were $214 million in Utah and $109 million in Nevada. Primary manufacturers averaged $848,000 in annual sales per year in Utah, and $1,975,000 per year in Nevada, although the Nevada figure represents only four businesses. Secondary manufacturers averaged $1.2 million in annual sales in Utah and $1.4 million in Nevada.

Wood products manufacturing businesses covered in this directory account for 4,725 full-time and 373 part-time jobs in Utah, and 2,059 full-time and 65 part-time jobs in Nevada. About 90 to 91% of these full-time jobs are in secondary manufacturing, so primary manufacturing employed about 477 persons in Utah and 191 persons in Nevada. Businesses averaged 19 to 21 full-time and 0.7 to 1.5 part-time employees (‡‡).

(†) Extension Forester/Associate Professor, Research Assistant, and Associate Professor, respectively.

(‡) Keegan, C.E., D.P. Wichman, and D.D. Van Hooser. 1995. Utah’s Forest Products Industry: A Descriptive Analysis, 1992. USDA-FS Intermountain Res. Stn. Resource Bull. INT-RB-83.

(‡‡) For comparison, the USDA Forest Service study mentioned previously estimated forest industry employment in Utah at 517 full-time employees in 1992, with 194 workers harvesting timber and 323 manufacturing primary products. The wages paid in the forest industry sector in 1992 were estimated at $9.3 million. Of course, these figures do not include secondary manufacturers.