Pictured is an example of Woodfold Manufacturing Inc.’s fantop louvers. Woodfold purchases approximately 250,000 board feet annually. Alder is the primary species.
Forest Grove, OR–When it comes to the environment a lot of companies talk the talk but they don’t necessarily walk the walk. Woodfold Manufacturing Inc., headquartered here, is different. In fact, the company sees its efforts to minimize environmental impact as a “journey with no end,” and has committed to a relentless pursuit to have zero waste and impact on the world around it.
“As our world population has tripled in the last 60 years, all of our natural systems have experienced a measurable impact; from the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land we use,” said Leigh Ann Bateman, purchasing agent for the company, which manufactures accordion doors, wood interior shutters, roll-up doors, and bookcase doors. “Over time, we’ve grown to understand that true business sustainability takes into account the relationships between environment, community, and people.”
Operating from a 160,000-square-foot plant that employs 105 persons, Woodfold’s shifts run four days a week for a total of 36 hours. The company’s primary species is Alder, which it purchases in 5/4 and 6/4, Superior and Select grades. Woodfold buys about 250,000 board feet of lumber annually from select suppliers.
This is a sample of a mural mountain scene accordion door by Woodfold Manufacturing Inc., located in Forest Grove, OR.
Founded in 1957, Woodfold Manufacturing’s green efforts date back to 1993, the year the company converted from a solvent-based coating to a water-based one, thus reducing its volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions by 80 percent.
A year later the firm conducted a plant-wide energy audit, converted all production facility lighting to metal halide lighting (which consumes 50 percent less energy), and upgraded its air handling system. Other green initiatives would follow over the years, making Woodfold not only a pioneer in sustainability, but also an ongoing proponent of environmental consciousness.
Finished products are sold through distributors across the U.S. Justin Norman, the firm’s sales manager, handles the sales and Rick Alvarado oversees Woodfold’s plant operations.
An employee-owned company, Woodfold was founded by John Marontate, who retired in the 1990s. Now headed up by Mark Lewis, president, the business got its start in 1957 as a manufacturer of church pews. The firm – which no longer makes pews – evolved its product line slowly over the years to accommodate changing customer wants and needs. One of its newest products, for example, is a side sliding door that will complement its current lineup of vertical rolling doors. “We’re going into production very soon on the side doors,” said Bateman.
Woodfold’s Rainbow sliding doors are a hit in a children’s room.
Woodfold has earned a reputation among designers, architects, and homeowners as the “go to” company when faced with a real challenge. How to turn an odd-shaped window into a work of art, how to divide a cavernous room into cozy retreats, and how to assure better security without sacrificing eye appeal are just a few of the challenges that the company has tackled with ease.
“We’re able to do all this and more thanks to a unique combination of assets, which include exceptional design and engineering; timeless, traditional craftsmanship; and the finest Hardwoods, man-made materials, and hardware,” Bateman said. “Of course, we also have the most advanced technological advances in equipment, machinery, and process workflow. All of these elements come together and really set our company apart from the crowd.”
That differentiation helped Woodfold make it through the recent housing market recession, which hit the company hard in 2008 and 2009. “We had a pretty significant layoff and have yet to start hiring again,” said Bateman, who credits the firm’s lean manufacturing techniques (which were in place pre-recession and then stepped up during the business slump) and status as an employee-owned firm with helping buoy the manufacturer during those challenging years.
Alder louvers by Woodfold offer the homeowner aesthetic beauty inside and out.
“We did a lot of internal and cross training within the firm to get everyone on board with the lean principles,” said Bateman. Woodfold’s ongoing environmental measures also helped and have been increased significantly over the last five years as more customers demand greener products. In 2008, for example, the manufacturer partnered with a team from Oregon State University to evaluate its processes looking for opportunities to improve energy efficiencies in order to further reduce its carbon footprint.
“We then achieved our Forest Stewardship Council COC certification, which allowed us to manufacture and sell FSC-certified wood products,” said Bateman. One year later the company received the Innovation in Sustainability Award from the Portland Business Journal and Small Business Environmental Stewardship Award from EPA’s SBO/SBEAP. To illustrate its commitment to environmental sustainability, Woodfold has published charts that show the firm’s progress in reducing electricity consumption, natural gas consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and solid waste recycling.
Bateman said more green efforts are on the agenda for Woodfold, which this year plans to introduce a line of bookcase doors that keep gun cabinets tastefully out of sight. “With all that’s going on right now with gun control issues we want to step up into that area and help out where we can,” said Bateman, “while also growing our business within our existing customer bases.”
