Main Street Business

How did a Wharton MBA and digital media executive end up owning a reclaimed wood mill in Pine Plains?

During the downturn of 2008, when I saw friends losing their jobs on Wall Street and I was looking for something new, I noticed the emergence of a “maker movement.” I was inspired by businesses that were making tangible products, and I sought to do the same. In Pine Plains, I found Dale Mitchell, who had founded Antique Vintage Woods of America, one of the first reclaimed and specialty wood companies in the region. I bought his inventory in 2010.

How would you describe your business?

Now called The Hudson Company, we source and manufacture the highest quality reclaimed and non-reclaimed wood flooring, paneling, and beams to client’s custom specifications. As a fully integrated, locally-owned and operated mill, we control every aspect of the milling process. 

Lots of flooring companies resell imported floors, but we take great pride in working collaboratively with architects and designers to provide unique products that are manufactured in the Hudson Valley. Few companies can partner with clients to create and install a custom handmade, hand-finished wood floor.

Why use reclaimed wood?

Apart from the positive environmental impact of preserving mature trees and diverting wood from landfills, there are also aesthetic and practical reasons to use reclaimed wood. Reclaimed wood, when properly milled and finished, is exceptionally beautiful and has properties not found in recently harvested lumber. We prefer to work with antique timbers that grew to maturity and were harvested over 150 years ago when wood was denser. Reclaimed wood can be wider, longer, and easier to maintain. But for me, it’s pretty simple: I’m just enamored with the beauty of historic, antique wood. 

What did you do first when you bought this business two hours north of New York City?

Admittedly, I didn’t know anything when I started. There’s no handbook or business school case for this type of specialized business. I started learning the basics immediately: the sources for reclaimed wood, the different tree species, and the unique properties that differentiated our business while simultaneously trying to understand what the market wanted. It was clear that clients wanted bespoke, handmade materials, so I brought all of the milling in house to control product quality and satisfy demand. 

Next, I hired a wood flooring expert, and together we went door to door to meet every architect that would see us. Once we earned clients’ trust, we actually had to deliver what we had promised. Manufacturing is riddled with challenges, so it took us a few tries to get it right. 

Where does the wood come from?

Much of our reclaimed wood comes from the Ohio River Valley: Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, and New York. It’s primarily oak, pine, and hemlock which I source directly by searching for old barns, factories, and structures to buy. Sometimes a source is close at hand like the antique heart pine timbers we purchased from the 1850s factories being demolished in Torrington. 

One of our specialties is antique French white oak from 17th and 18th century chateaus that are being dismantled. A few years ago, my son Oliver came with me on a scouting trip, and we drove all across France in search of antique lumber. We ate great food, met amazing people, and returned with beautiful antique French Oak. We also import old teak from India, and some of that wood, which resists decay, was used to build parts of the High Line in New York City.

What is the process to turn reclaimed wood into usable construction material?

We start by searching for embedded metal using a magnetic detector, then we remove the nails, hooks, and fasteners. Then the lumber is re-sawn and kiln-dried for several days. Next it’s re-planed to the right thickness, ripped to width, molded with the specified edging detail (i.e., tongue and groove for floors or shiplap for walls) and then the ends are matched. Finally, it goes to our finishing shop in Ridgefield, CT.

Who are your clients?

Our clients are architects, designers, and fine home builders, but also homeowners who want to add an old beam or custom floors to their home. You can find our wood in museums, hotels, commercial buildings, restaurants, and exceptional homes from Brooklyn townhouses to country estates. Everyone is welcome in our showrooms.

How do you work with your clients?

We provide guidance throughout the entire process from inspiration and wood selection to specification, surface treatment, and finding an installer. Early on, we worked closely with The Whitney Museum of American Art on the flooring for their new building, and that working relationship became a model for complex custom installations. We supplied 270,000 board feet of wide heart pine that we sourced from the Phillip Morris Factory in Louisville, KY, and the Maidenform factory in Bayonne, NJ. During the milling process, the architects from Renzo Piano’s office, the general contractor Turner Construction, the flooring installer, and representatives from the Whitney all visited our Pine Plains facility multiple times to refine the specifications. I think the project was so successful in large part because there was ongoing and frequent direct dialogue between all the creative partners. 

 How has the company grown since you acquired it?

It’s changed a lot. When I purchased it from Dale Mitchell there were about three employees, and today we are the second largest employer in Pine Plains. Currently, we maintain a mill in Pine Plains, a warehouse in Hudson, a finishing facility in Ridgefield, and showrooms in Greenwich and Manhattan. We’re currently in the process of buying an additional ten acres in Pine Plains, and in the next two years, we will build over 50,000 square feet of production, office, and showroom space so that we can increase our capacity and centralize our operations. The town of Pine Plains has been incredibly supportive of our growth. •

To learn more about The Hudson Company you can visit thehudsonco.com.