/ Business of the Month / Pukall Lumber
Business of the Month:
Pukall Lumber
Congratulations to:
Pukall Lumber
10894 Hwy 70 EastArbor Vitae, WI 54568
Phone: (715) 356-3252
https://www.pukall-lumber.com/
From humble beginnings starting with a portable sawmill, Pukall Lumber Company has evolved to become the areas largest private employer, and yet one that remains rooted in family values and community. Since 1937, this family-owned and -operated wood products manufacturer has grown steadily to become one of the largest pine lumber mills in the state and the premier lumber and building supply businesses in the Northwoods of Wisconsin.
"My parents were the big reason for our success," said Sue Pukall, who manages Pukall Lumber with her husband Rick. "My father came back from WWII in his mid-20s and just worked and worked and worked until he was 95 years-old, and my mother worked alongside him until she was 80 when she retired. They just kept plowing their profits back into the company. They didn't live a grand lifestyle. They just loved working and being part of the community."
According to Sue, her parents built the business up very slowly and thoughtfully, and made it a smooth transition to today's third generation. She says Rick was interested in joining the business and learned from her father. "Rick was really the driving force behind adding the retail store in Manitowish Waters, the kitchen and bath design center in Woodruff, and the new hardware store in Minocqua. He's really made the transition to this generation successful, continuing to evolve the business model to expanded retail building supplies and customer service."
Sue added, "When my grandfather started the business, it was just a sawmill. He said, 'well, if we're selling lumber we might as well sell other building supplies.' So, you just have to constantly adapt."
As a family-owned company, the business has a history of adapting to the times, starting with her great grandfather who immigrated to Wisconsin from Germany and started his own farm, part of the country's Homestead Act enabling families to secure 160 acres if they cleared the land for farming and agriculture.
"One day he was taking logs to a sawmill 12 miles away by horse-drawn wagon and asked himself why he was hauling logs that far, thinking 'why don't I just build my own sawmill?' He was already in his early 60s then." she said.
"My grandfather took over that sawmill near Wittenberg but then The Great Depression happened and the sawmill closed. My grandfather loved to hunt and fish and so he came up here with two of his former employees and started a portable sawmill, and that's how all this started," said Sue.
So, what is the future of Pukall Lumber? They are currently in the early stages of planning an upgrade and expansion of the sawmill. "We really need to invest to become more efficient," Sue said. "We want to be here in the community for the employees. We want to make sure that we've got jobs not only for our own employees but the loggers and other suppliers as well."
Pukall Lumber also has a private foundation that supports many non-profits in the Lakeland area. Sue added, "The Pukall Foundation is something that my parents set up. They always felt that if we didn't have the community to support us, where would we be? You have to give back."
Congratulations to Pukall Lumber for its history from humble beginnings to continual evolution and growth, ability to be flexible, taking advantage of new business opportunities, growing in a very thoughtful business manner to minimize risk, growing its employee base by 20 percent, and planning for the future with new technology for the mill - all while investing in the community.
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We welcome your nominations of a
Vilas County business!
Click on this link to complete the brief nomination form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScz9FmpIeCvvDCJGnSz-zbR7HqJHF3m02VVSJM-lujH5i0XWA/viewform
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