Import/Export Wood Purchasing News - December 2023/January 2024

Integrity, Knowledge and Premium Hardwood Selection at Houston Hardwoods
Bruce Dahn, kiln-dried sales, Natalie Crane, green sales and office manager and Joe Carrier, general manager, at HHP.
HHP, Inc., located in Henniker, NH, was founded in 1989 when Richard
Carrier and Ross D’Elia purchased Henniker Hardwood Pallets. They broke
ground on where the current mill stands, a few years later in 1992. HHP has since
become a family affair with Richard Carrier and his brother, Marco Carrier, both
now being HHP’s principals and Marco Carrier’s son, Joe Carrier serving as
HHP’s general manager.
HHP has an annual production of 13 million board feet, with 80 percent made
up of Northern Red Oak. “The Red Oak from this region here in Central New
Hampshire is sought after for its tight grain, consistent color, and its lack of
mineral,” said Bruce Dahn, hardwood kiln-dried sales manager. “Our customers
won’t have to do any color sorting at the end of the day. The product that they
buy from us is over trimmed and over edged so that they get a better yield and
a better end result, allowing the customer to take our product and put it straight
into their production process.” HHP is known for their consistency across all of
HHP has a vast amount of equipment, which includes: McDonough double cut carriage, two
PHL resaws, a PHL/Comact optimizing edger (pictured here), that feeds the Trim Expert, on
to a PHL trimmer and PHL 60 bay bin sorter, with USNR scanning, as well as the VisionTally,
as well as seven Nyle Dry Kilns.
HHP: Taking Pride In Quality Products
By Terry Miller
“One thing that Marco and Joe have always emphasized
is the quality of the products that we produce
here at HHP and the pride that we have when we
put it into the marketplace.”
– Bruce Dahn, HHP, Hardwood Kiln-Dried
Sales Manager
their Red Oak production, as well as
their other primary species, which include,
Hard and Soft Maple, Ash and
Yellow Birch.
HHP saws 4/4 and 5/4 boards on a
regular basis. “While our primary and
biggest item is still 4/4, we always try
to keep at least one kiln charge of 5/4
a month in process so we have it as a
regular item across all grades from the
uppers right down into the common
grades,” Dahn continued.
HHP offers custom widths and
lengths, as well as proprietary grades.
Their bin sorter allows them to hone
in on their customers’ needs as they
grade their kiln-dried lumber for a
second time. “Re-grading our kilndried
material ensures we catch any
HHP has a drying capacity of 75,000 board feet
each dry kiln, with an annual drying capacity for
the Northern Red Oak of 6 million board feet.
Continued on page 26
Page 4 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n December 2023/January 2024
Houston Hardwoods,
headquartered in Houston,
TX, offers among
the largest selection of
hardwoods in Texas.
More than 600,000
board feet of hardwoods
are purchased annually
in Alder, Ash, Cherry,
Maple, Red and White
Oak, Walnut, Birch,
Pecan, Poplar and many
more species. Additional
product offerings
Tim McCoy, President of Houston Hardwoods.
include mouldings,
softwood and imported lumber, plywood, MDF and melamine, edgebanding and
veneer sheeting.
With what may be the best balance of hardwood species and industry experience,
Houston Hardwoods
continues to fit the niche it found
in providing superior service and
quality products. “We offer most of
the common domestic hardwoods
and also quite a few of the exotic
woods,” President Tim McCoy
explained. “I would say 75 percent
of our lumber is domestic and the
other 25 percent is imported.”
A solid business plan and reputation
for excellence is what McCoy
said keeps the operation successful
and competitive. Houston Hardwoods
was minimally (if at all) impacted
by the covid pandemic that
began in 2020. “It was business as
usual for us,” he explained. “We
changed our operating hours to adjust
to the needs of our employees,
but we’ve since reinstated them
and we’re back at full capacity.”
Founded in 1990 by McCoy,
president, and Guy Pike, vice
president, Houston Hardwoods
also specializes in marine products
which include marine grade
plywood, Teak plywood, and solid
Teak lumber as well as Teak and
Holly boat decking. A combined
80 years of industry experience,
McCoy said, “When we opened
this business, I had worked
at another hardwood company
and Guy was in the remodeling
business prior to this operation. We
have a lot of experience in the lumber
industry. We brought different
approaches, ways of thinking and
educational backgrounds to the
table; that helped set the stage for a
successful business.”
Today, Houston Hardwoods
operates from a 50,000-square-foot
facility with about 18 employees.
After just the first five years of
operation, they started adding
moulders to the equipment lineup.
Now the company’s two SCMI
moulders streamline the production
process and designate specific
machines to certain tasks. “We are
By Michelle Keller
“We’re constantly exploring new ways to have the best product
and service possible because keeping our customers happy
has definitely been the key to our success.”
– Tim McCoy, Houston Hardwoods, President
continuously seeking new ways to offer the best product and service possible
because keeping our customers satisfied is the key to our success,” McCoy said.
Since inception, the company has been growing steadily both in terms of sales
and line/product expansion. “We’ve grown every year since then,” said McCoy.
The company itself has also evolved into a full-blown manufacturing facility that
specializes in planing wood and producing custom moulding. “Our mill capabilities
were limited in the beginning,” said McCoy. “About five years into it, we
started adding moulders to our equipment lineup. That’s become a big part of our
business.”
Continued on page 26
Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n December 2023/January 2024 Page 5