Cqrue out customer relqtionships with custom millwork

It fiANY lumber dealers have disIVlcovered that an on-site custom millwork facility can be more than a profitable little side business. Such operations allow companies to differentiate themselves from the competition as custom millwork specialists.

According to owner Bill Lovvorn, custom millwork is the ideal outlet fbr showcasing the founding principles of Fort Smith, Ar.-based Lovvorn Wholesale Lumber Corp.: "providing top quality. highly responsive customer seryice and superior products."

"Those principles continue to be our major priority," he says. "We do more than just take your order. We listen to your needs, make suggestions to reduce costs. and monitor your order through plant scheduling, production, and right up until you accept delivery."

The company gives out a set of random 3- to 4inch samples, 10 to 12 profiles in all.

If nothing else, a millwork shop gives dealers the opportunity to provide vastly personalized services to their customers. Countless shops advertise their ability to create any profile the customer wants. "If you can dream it, we can build it!" reads the motto at Carolina Lumber & Supply Co.. Atlanta. Ga.

"We can make or match anything using stock parts or sub-assemblies, all-new custom parts or a combination of both," claims Rick Baumgarten, president of Lee Lumber & Building Materials Corp., which features a 20person millwork shop at its Chicago, Il., yard. "Because of our size, we can handle any job-large or small."

Yukon Lumber Co., Norfolk, Va.. boasts that it can meet any woodworking requirements, whether that's "l0 feet or 1,000 feet of custom moulding. With several hundred knives on hand, chances are we have the moulding profile you're searching for. If not, we'll gladly grind a knife to your specifications and shape the lumber of your choice."

"When an architect or builder calls me with a special request, I make it a workable item," says Carl Smith, an estimator and draftsman at Gates Lumber Co. Memphis, Tn., for over 25 years. By "workable," he means he'll do what it takes to ensure the item fills the design request and meets his own quality standards. What if the client likes a particular crown pattern, but it doesn't work with the l0foot ceilings they're planning? Smith alters the design to make it fit any space or architectural format.

Although it also can match any

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