BIG TIMBER OWNERS OF NEW FIREWOOD BUSINESS DEDICATED TO HELPING REDUCE VETERAN SUICIDE & HEAL HURTING VETS Writer / Christy Heitger-Ewing Photography Provided
Firewood is always in demand and the inspiration to create a large-scale firewood distribution model unlike anything ever seen before in the state of Kentucky is something that has been percolating in the mind of Eddie Hager for some time. Hager’s two partners in Big Timber are Todd Dunn and Rick Gatti. Though Big Timber is in its infancy stage of operation, Hager, Dunn and Gatti have been talking about its development for the past year. “It took money, time and dedication to make this happen,” Dunn says. “We decided to take action and make the dream a reality.” “No cellulose material is thrown away,” Hager adds. “We’ve not had to haul anything off the property. Everything is being used in every aspect.”
Their combined experience made them the perfect team, with Dunn’s knowledge of streamlining production with the Ford Motor Company and Hager’s business knowledge of pushing his men to get things done. “And I’m so glad that Rick Gatti is on board with this production,” Hager says. “He’s a machine and will work seven days a week, if need be.” Since Hager had been in tree business for so long, he asked himself what he could do with all the big logs as he hated to see them go to waste. “Our portions on our wood are hearty,” Hager says. “With the name Big Timber, we want it to be big and better.” Hager traveled to Turin, Italy to meet with the owner of a factory that produces the TB 900 Pezzolato Firewood Processor,
a computerized state-of-the-art wood processor that can handle 36-inch diameter logs. The machine was mighty impressive but also came with a hefty price tag: $600,000. Ultimately, Hager decided it was worth the cost and he had it imported and set up — a feat that required several cranes to assemble. “We already had a small market for bulk firewood, but tapping into the firewood industry was my and Todd’s dream,” Hager says. “Now it’s happening as we speak.” One of the things that Hager felt strongly about was wanting American wood to be sold in America rather than European white birch, which he says is not even a good wood. “We are all about America,” Hager says. “That’s why we want to build this business up because it’s not fair for Americans to not be able to keep a job. I want jobs to stay
StMatthewsMag.com / OCTOBER 2020 / ST. MATTHEWS MAGAZINE / 33
