Bray Log & Lumber

The top supplier for Barn, Log Home and Timber Frame manufacturers in America

Background

This is just a note to describe what my company can do for you and why. Bray Log & Lumber started 15 years ago as a small one man operation to service the log home industry supplying pine cants and boards. It did very well the first five years until the 2008 collapse and like many companies I got caught with some sizable bad receivables and have been trying to dig out ever since during the last decade which we all know how that was. This recovery has helped immensely.

The entire time I was and am handshake partners with another Log Home company and we specialized in cedar log homes. This was a fairly steady income although fairly stagnant and no real opportunity for growth so two years ago began to branch out into the barn industry providing them board and batten. This still limited the growth opportunity since barns are very price oriented which does not lend itself to cedar which is higher cost than some other alternatives.

Finances

As my financial situation became more stressed I decided to start reaching out to the timber frame market and was very well received since many of my suppliers for log homes are a natural fit for timber framers as well as being able to provide job lot shipments. While talking with a number of my new contacts I have found what this was actually made to do. I am building a network so timber frame and log home companies can interchange their strengths in their marketplace while minimizing their weaknesses.

Network

Many of the companies have approached me with a network to take their competition with each other and become a giant team. Some timber framers have C&C machines while others do the work by hand and would like to make use of those machines and vice versa. I can bring you together so you can get the business and not push your work schedules. What I am building is a network for log and timber frame companies to work together and become more effective taking advantage of each other's strengths as this grows together.

My biggest issue is still having to overcome the financial burden from the past 8 years and trying to stay afloat although the future looks bright. This is the primary reason for my needing 50% deposits to satisfy my mills. Hopefully you will understand and we can in the future work towards a more standard terms but the mills require it now. I appreciate the general acceptance, it has been a godsend.

Moving Forward with you

The network is now about 150 companies and mills with more coming on board all the time. This gives you the ability to share skills, inventory and sales most companies do not have the time to share.

This network was not the plan when I began calling but it has shown the direction it is going to take and am very excited where it is going. There are so many unique skills in this group and only limited by your imaginations. Please share with me which projects/excess inventory, etc you would like to consider farming out or abilities you have that are not being fully utilized. I will offer it out to the network and see who can be helped with it.

Thank youi

Gary Bray