Neiman Reed Lumber Company sales team (from Left to Right): Tim Cheney; Douglas Greene; Jay Orendorff; Dennis Bauder; Dennis Wachs; Scott MacKechnie, Sales Manager; Ed Langley, Sr. Vice President; John Banks; and Greg Mitchell.
Panorama City, CA ¨C Neiman Reed Lumber Co., based here with a 5-acre wholesale distribution yard, is a division of Lumber City Corp., Chatsworth, CA. With affiliates, the company employs over 500 people in California.
The company purchases 1.5 million board feet annually of Hardwood species including Maple, Oak, Alder, African Mahogany, Sapele, Genuine Mahogany, Spanish Cedar, and Albus. In softwoods, Neiman Reed distributes ponderosa and sugar pine, white fir, Douglas fir, cedar, and other species. Softwood plywood makes up an additional 15percent of sales.
¡°Furniture, door and window, as well as millwork manufacturers, are our primary Hardwood markets,¡± Neiman Reed¡¯s Hardwood Purchasing and Sales Agent John Banks explained.
Offering just-in-time delivery, Neiman Reed specializes in mixed truckloads to its broad base of industrial accounts in the southwestern U.S., most serviced by its own fleet of trucks. ¡°We have seven 18-wheelers and two bobtails that go out twice a day for delivery,¡± said Banks. ¡°About 90 percent of the operation is covered with sheds. Most stock comes in paper wrapped so the wood is not affected by weather elements to begin with,¡± he continued. ¡°Our lumberyard is covered, taking that extra measure to ensure quality of the product when it arrives.¡±
Offering just-in-time delivery, Neiman Reed specializes in mixed truckloads to its broad base of industrial accounts in the southwestern U.S., most serviced by its own fleet of trucks.
When asked what sets Neiman Reed Lumber apart from other distributors, Banks commented, ¡°The Neiman Reed Advantage, as we like to say, makes us one of the largest stocking distributors in the United States. We carry a diverse inventory and we are a custom one-stop-shop. For example, if a customer is building a high-end custom door, they can get any species of lumber in Hardwoods or softwoods they¡¯re going to need plus we can provide the lower grades of lumber to crate it.¡±
Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certified, the company is also certified in heat treatment to fulfill the needs of export markets. Banks said, ¡°Our product lines are always changing with market demand. Lumber is a natural resource and, as inventories run low, we are seasoned at developing new programs and maintaining responsible forestry.¡±
Neiman Reed¡¯s distribution center is served by the Union Pacific railroad. Stock arrives daily by truck, van, rail and container, including overseas shipments originating from six continents. Lumber and plywood are sourced from many domestic mills, but a large percentage of the inventory mix now includes imports from South America, Canada, China, New Zealand, and Europe.
Founded in 1948 by Robert M. Neiman and Robert L. Reed, Neiman Reed began as an idea between the two U.S. Marines¡¯ officers who met serving their country during World War II. During this period of time, Neiman and Reed developed a close relationship and decided upon leaving the Marines, they would go into business together.
By April of 1948, Neiman Reed Lumber and Supply Co., was born. Taking over the former site of Alert Lumber in Van Nuys, CA, its primary markets were wholesale lumber and plywood.
Neiman Reed Lumber Co., based in Panorama City, CA, with a 5-acre wholesale distribution yard, is a division of Lumber City Corp., Chatsworth, CA.
In 1963 the company created a subsidiary called Neiman Reed¡¯s Lumber City to operate a home and garden improvement center on a five-acre site in Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Two years later, the decision was made to go ahead with multiple Lumber City locations¡ªLumber City #2 opened in 1967 on a site adjacent to the original wholesale operation on Burbank Boulevard in Van Nuys.
Prior to that time and almost from the beginning, the company operated what had become an active retail ¡°do-it-yourself¡± business in front of the wholesale operation. At first, the retail aspect of the company business sold only lumber and operated only on weekends, when all traditional lumberyards were closed. In 1948 and for some years, Neiman Reed was the only lumberyard in the area to stay open for weekends. That ¡°new¡± concept in retailing back in 1948 came from the request of nearby owners of a new housing tract who had plenty of projects to complete. The ¡°cash and carry¡± business was so successful that first weekend that they never again closed on a weekend. Slowly, paint and hardware and building materials were added to the product mix.
In 1981, 51 percent of the company stock was sold to British company-UBM Group, PLC based in Bristol, England, with plans to buy the remaining portion within five year¡¯s time. However, the U.S. shareholders bought back the 51 percent of the stock four years later. As the U.S. shareholders were planning for retirement, a search was launched for a U.S. buyer, hopefully with a solid track record in the lumber industry.
The search ended with Jess Ruf, who had been the President of Lone Star Western¡ªa conglomerate of home centers as well as retail lumberyards and wholesale lumber operations.
Today, general headquarters are located in Chatsworth where Owner and President Jess Ruf keeps tabs on its wholesale lumber operation, as well as a 10-store home-center chain. Those with locations include: South Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Lakes, Big Bear, Thousand Oaks, Moorpark, Simi Valley, Agoura Hills, Burbank, La Crescenta and Glendale. The general offices also oversee an affiliated 10-store chain, Patioworld¡ªCalifornia¡¯s largest in-stock dealer of premium patio furniture and accessories. Locations include LA stores Pasadena, Woodland Hills, Thousand Oaks and Fountain Valley. Bay area stores include San Rafael, Sunnyvale, San Carlos, Walnut Creek, Pleasanton and Morgan Hill.
The company purchases 1.5 million board feet annually of Hardwood species including Maple, Oak, Alder, African Mahogany, Sapele, Genuine Mahogany, Spanish Cedar, and Albus.
Neiman Reed Lumber Co. employs 40 people in sales and operations at the Panorama City yard. It¡¯s headed by Sr. Vice President Ed Langley, General Manager Tim Cheney, Sales Manager Scott MacKechnie and Operations Manager John Maraganis. Support personnel in A/R, A/P, IT, credit and collections, human resources and payroll, etc., are located at the company¡¯s general offices.
¡°Neiman Reed is a name synonymous with service and integrity,¡± Sr. Vice President Ed Langley states on the company website. ¡°We are keenly focused on meeting our customer needs each day by building strong ties with both suppliers and customers. As the laws of supply and demand dictate our industry, we work diligently to have the vast inventory available, priced competitively, to ensure next-day deliveries for most orders. We pledge to be good listeners, to act responsively, and to come to you when you need us. We appreciate long-standing business relationships. By building these relationships and understanding the dynamics of a fast-changing marketplace, Neiman Reed pledges to be poised for the challenges of the future.¡±
Well positioned as a leader in its field with the expertise and resources available to gain market share, Cheap IWC Replica Neiman Reed Lumber Co. is poised for growth. Its rich history so far is but a prelude to the many chapters yet to be written.
