The Sawmiller's Promise - A Sawmiller Shares His Journey Of Wood Life

I remember working with wood for the first time in my school’s woodworking class. I was able to work with my hands and create a beautiful finished project. This is where my lifelong love for wood began.

I’ve seen the forest industry change a lot over the years. In the past, sawmilling was difficult work reserved for only the largest of operations. Millions of logs that didn't fit their production model were left in the forest to waste.

This all changed in the 1980s when a revolution began in a small garage in America. Two young entrepreneurs put their heads together to come up with a new kind of sawmill. A sawmill that anyone, anywhere could safely turn logs into lumber. A sawmill that could be brought to the logs instead of the other way around. A sawmill that found value in logs that the large mills didn’t.

Although they were told it couldn’t be done, the first Wood-Mizer sawmill was a true innovation for the sawmilling industry. Using thin-kerf blades, more boards were recovered from every log, less energy was used to operate, and fallen trees in the forest or city were able to be salvaged by a single person on-site.

For the very first time, someone like me could start sawmilling to run a business or build a dream woodworking project. It wasn’t long until Wood-Mizer became a global leader with sawmills and wood processing equipment being used all around the world.

Today, hobbyists, farmers, custom and commercial sawyers, woodworkers, furniture makers, pallet companies and more rely on Wood-Mizer to make a living or to follow a passion.

Just like tens of thousands of sawyers before me, I just had to have a sawmill – and not just any sawmill – it had to be a Wood-Mizer.

As part of the Wood-Mizer family of sawmill owners, I became more involved with the company beyond being an owner and I eventually became CEO of this amazing global family that is Wood-Mizer.

As I visit our customers and production facilities around the world, I see first hand the benefits of manufacturing products closer to our customers.

With new products, growing manufacturing facilities, and new locations, we are always focused on helping every single customer succeed.

Wood-Mizer has grown over the years to include equipment for virtually any type of wood processing application from forest to final form.

Wood-Mizer has a broader mission than selling machinery. Our founders were men of faith and conviction, and those ideals remain a part of who we are - servants to our communities and grateful stewards of our natural resources.

If you’re building a business or pursuing your passion like I have, Wood-Mizer is committed to your success. That’s my promise to you as a fellow sawmiller.

- John Smith, Wood-Mizer President and CEO