Third Place
Dick & Ron Flynn
Custom Cut Lumber Company
Eugene, Oregon

About eight years before his last run as a Union Pacific engineer, lifetime railroader Dick Flynn began considering what to do after retirement.

One of the things he considered, though he had never done it, was sawmilling. Five years ago, he bought what he calls "a cheap sawmill." "It was a big mistake," he recalls.

In 2004, he switched to a Wood- Mizer LT40 hydraulic and noticed several advantages that allowed him to increase production. And in 2005, brother Ron retired and together the two incorporated as Custom Cut Lumber Company near Eugene, Oregon

By mid-2005, the Flynns purchased a Wood-Mizer LT70 hydraulic and an edger. Business took off as area contractors discovered the high quality fence posts, boards and other products turned out by the Flynns' LT70. "

The Wood-Mizer sawmill is so accurate and dependable there is virtually no down time," Dick says. "We get compliments almost daily on the quality of our lumber. One of the biggest fencing contractors in the area told us he'd like to buy all our boards, but he knows this is not possible. But he said when they are doing a really high class fence, he is willing to wait and get the boards from us."

Dick credits Wood-Mizer's cantilevered cutting head for much of their quality. "Our logs around here are not uniform. The open side on the cantilevered head is a life saver. I saw one side of the log, and flip it over to cut the other side."

The Flynns say they cut over 2,000 board feet per day: a comfortable level of work that allows them to cut up to six hours a day, and not hire other employees.

The brothers appreciate their new success and the fact that Wood-Mizer's staff helps them learn what was a totally new business for them.

"We look at the Wood-Mizer as a savings account," Dick says. "It allows us to run a good business. We have the best of both worlds: A business we enjoy and the opportunity to deal with good people. Believe me; the people we work with are great."