Gommercial EWP provider returns to its roots

D eoBuur, THE FoRMER commercial division of Trus IlLJoitt. is celebrating its predecessor's 50th anniversary by getting back to its roots: providing innovative engineered wood products for commercial projects.

The new focus was instituted last August, when Atlas Holdings LLC partnered with a group of former Trus Joist leaders to buy the unit from Weyerhaeuser, rename it RedBuilt, and move its headquarters back to Boise, Id.

Trus Joist was founded in May 1960 by wholesale lumberman Harold "Red" Thomas and inventor Art Troutner. When its parent, TJ International, entered into a joint venture with MacMillan Bloedel in 1991, the company became Trus Joist MacMillan. Weyerhaeuser bought the company in 1999 and the focus shifted to residential building.

"Trus Joist enjoyed significant growth during the housing boom when it adapted its innovations to fit the needs of residential builders, but these groundbreaking products were initially designed for commercial construction," said president and c.e.o. Kurt Liebich, who oversaw commercial and industrial operations at Trus Joist for Weyerhaeuser before serving as the division's chief execu- tive. Tom Denig, who was president and c.e.o. of Trus Joist MacMillan, is now chairman of RedBuilt.

According to Liebich, Weyerhaeuser's business model was not a good fit when it came to the needs of the commercial construction industry.

"Theirs is production-and-distribution system that delivers an array of relatively standard engineered wood products to dealers who then sell to residential builders and contractors," he said. "Little is 'standard' in commercial construction. Success in this arena demands a high degree of consultative, personal service and technical engineering skills, coupled with state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facilities."

Liebich added that being a stand-alone business allows RedBuilt the flexibility to make decisions and design processes based solely on customer needs.

"We have a unified team comprised of technical representatives and engineering and production associates that shepherd individual projects, not products, through the entire construction process from design inception to manufacturing to jobsite support," he said. "Our ultimate goal is providing our customers with not just the best products, but with the best solutions that meet their building needs."

RedBuilt operates commercial manufacturing plants and design centers in Chino, Ca., Hillsboro and Stayton, Or., and Delaware, Oh., a design center at headquarters, and 13 design and sales offices located across the United States. Products include open-web trusses, Red-I Joists, and Redlam LVL that is used for beams, headers, forms, and scaffold planks.

"Because we don't share manufacturins with other

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REDBUILT'S team provides support through the entire construction prograrn, from initial design through manufacturing and lobsite support.

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