Distributor Spotlight: Metro Hardwoods

Metro Hardwoods offers a lot more than its name implies.

Metro Hardwoods’ flagship facility in Maple Grove, MN, also serves at the company’s headquarters.

Well rooted in the distribution of hardwood lumber since its flagship location opened in Maple Grove, MN, 25 years ago, Metro Hardwoods has grown in leaps and bounds through a combination of organic growth and strategic acquisitions. Today the company owns and operates four distribution facilities in four states, three sawmills, a trio of dry kilns and a wood planking and millwork plant.

Metro Hardwoods’ dramatic growth is also reflected by its ever-expanding range of product offerings. The company has steadily added to its full line of northern hardwoods to also stock Appalachian and exotic hardwoods. In addition to hardwood lumber, Metro Hardwoods inventories a wide variety of panel products including hardwood plywood from Columbia Forest Products, particleboard, MDF and thermally fused laminates (TFL). Further illustrating the breadth of its product line are specialty products such as thermally enhanced hardwoods, woods reclaimed from deconstructed buildings and sunken logs, flexible veneers and wood veneer edgebanding.

Rick Turk, General Manager of Metro Hardwoods.

Rick Turk, general manager of Metro Hardwoods, said Metro Hardwoods goes to great lengths to meet and exceed the expectations of its customers who are primarily involved in the manufacture of kitchen cabinets, store fixtures and architectural millwork.

“We never forget what our true role is as a distributor and that is to keep and maintain sufficient inventories to meet the needs of our customers with next-day, guaranteed delivery,” Turk said.

Making Green Easy.

Metro Hardwoods was one of the first North American distributors to receive FSC chain of custody certification, just one example of its commitment to providing customers with the widest selection of green building products available. Green building products, including CARB-compliant materials, are neatly categorized on a sister website: wemakegreeneasy.com. The website includes downloadable specifications for each product, plus a valuable library of “green” resources such as LEED, CARB and FSC rules and certifications.

What’s more, customers tackling LEED building projects can count on Kay Stoebe, Metro Hardwoods’ resident LEED AP, for expert advice.

“We were the first hardwoods distributor in the country to employ a LEED AP staff member,” Turk said. “Education, clarification of the rules and LEED submittal assistance are what we focus on. In return for this service we simply ask customers that they consider us when purchasing products for the project.”

A Special Bond with Columbia.

Columbia Forest Products PureBond hardwood plywood.

The supplier-distributor partnership between Metro Hardwoods and Columbia Forest Products extends back more than 20 years.

“We want to align ourselves with only the best manufacturers in the business,” Turk said. “Unique attributes, cutting edge manufacturing techniques and unparalleled quality certainly fits who Columbia Forest Products is.”

The bond between the two companies became even tighter when Columbia introduced PureBond hardwood plywood panels a decade ago, discontinuing the use of urea formaldehyde in favor of a soy-based resin.

“Once PureBond panels were introduced into the marketplace, we were 100 percent in,” Turk said. He added that many of Metro Hardwoods’ cabinet and case goods customers routinely specify PureBond hardwood plywood panels because of their well-earned reputation for high quality and indoor air safety.

Turk elaborates on Metro Hardwoods’ long and strong relationship with Columbia Forest Products. “A partnership is a give and take relationship,” he said. “I must trust the manufacturer to produce a quality product at a competitive price. They in turn must trust that I adequately represent their products in the marketplace. We must work together as true partners to grow market share. Adversity is never an option. Columbia fits this mold as good or better than anybody. They are a true pleasure to do business with.”

Learn more at Metro Hardwoods www.metrohardwoods.com.