One of the most important relationships builders and designers have is with the people who provide the products we build with. Before we make those purchases we require detailed information and guidance; about cost of course, but as importantly about availability, performance, and technical requirements to assure size, finish, and quantities are correctly specified before an order is placed. This requires confidence in the people we’re working with, and that confidence requires experience, actually many experiences that prove reliability over time.

Our longest and most reliable relationship has been with Miner Lumber – Miner’s for short. Miner’s is a fourth generation family business persisting through the ups and downs of the construction industry as they sustained a family culture that attracted and kept the experienced team we’ve been fortunate to work with for over forty years. Miner’s provides the majority of the products we build with and  is our most trusted supplier.

What this means in practice is that we know the people to call on for every need, whether that is to track down some new product we’re interested in, to know the difference between what’s in stock vs. what would have to be ordered (and waited for), to determine the difference in cost between different product features, to place the order but as importantly, to schedule the delivery to the jobsite when needed. What this means is that we have, and maintain, relationships. And because of that family culture, they are long term relationships.

Dave Miner (now retired), his son Eric (now running the company, and Luther Barstow (one of those lifers we rely on) recently hosted the Wolfworks team for a celebratory lunch to honor that relationship and their respect for the work we do. It was a chance for the next generation of Wolfworks to sustain those relationships and to congratulate Jamie as he retires. We look forward to continuing that relationship for years to come.