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Wood Company Inc. has leveraged its versatility and expert craftsmanship to make the move from material supplier to a premier architectural millwork firm.

In 1976 the company began operations as a Teak importer. The Clearwater, Fla.-based company is based in a prime location to serve both the Southern United States and the Caribbean, ultimately leading to its entry into the yachting industry, as a supplier of lumber, trims and components.

As the boating and luxury yachting industry began to weaken, Wood Company moved into the architectural woodwork industry, while continuing to fabricate mouldings, millwork, exotic and domestic veneers, wall panels and stile and rail doors.

Today 90 percent of the company’s workload consists of a variety of millwork jobs for corporate, hotel and casino interiors; yacht, golf and country clubs; judicial and government buildings. Ten percent of the company’s work remains dedicated to components, and the rest is comprised of yacht interiors.

“New business is reliant on the experiences repeat customers have to come to rely on,” says David Henshaw, Wood Company’s chief operating officer.

This reputation is reinforced by the many awards and honors the company has received from associations like the Associated Builders and Contractors, the Architectural Woodwork Institute and the Association for Retail Environments (formerly known as the National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers).

Henshaw describes the company’s approach to manufacturing as “Old School,” beginning with the raw materials used in its production department.

“We always found that by not cutting corners in the purchasing of the materials, the final outcome was always better,” he says.

According to Henshaw, the quality of Wood Company’s end product is also ensured by the amount of time invested and emphasis on accuracy on the front end. During the company’s “information gathering process,” employees make many jobsite visits to ensure correct measurements and “eliminate outside influences,” which may affect install schedules or project flow.

“We strive for early information dissemination,” Henshaw says. “We work diligently in the preparation of shop drawings and product specification to reduce rework and ensure on time deliveries.”

The early preparation process allows Wood Company employees to concentrate on fabrication, finishing and installation.

“We try to schedule preliminary drawing reviews with the design team and general contractor in order to clear up any inconsistencies, which may delay drawing or sample approvals,” Henshaw explains.

All drawings are created using AutoCAD; the company employs three full-time engineers to generate the shop drawings.

“With 40,000 sq. ft. of efficient plant layout, we are able to concentrate on several facets of production at any one time,” Henshaw explains. “Our rough mill and moulding shop work independently from our cabinet shop — which is a separate operation from our architectural division.”

Manufacturing functions are executed under the scrutiny of Wood Company’s plant manager Richard MacClinchy. After contract review, one of Wood Company’s four project managers are responsible for specification adherence, as well as schedule tolerances.

Many of the hotel projects the company takes on are very complex, so project managers coordinate with the other trades to ensure proper integration between the woodwork and the work of the electric, plumbing and HVAC installations. Wood Company’s installation efforts vary depending on the size and type of projects, but the company maintains between 25 and 50 installers at any one time.