Last week, an overnight fire destroyed the sawmill at Colby Lumber Company in my hometown of Boscawen, NH. The Colby name has been a mainstay in the local lumber scene for nearly a full century. After a number of years participating in the trade, the family opened their first sawmill in 1950. To my knowledge, this was a smaller operation that focused on assembling boxes for the U.S. Army.
Colby Lumber would persevere for many years as a reliable supplier in the rough cut lumber market. Their modest beginnings would evolve as their property expanded into 13 separate buildings across their sprawling property. They specialized in sawing planks of common wood types such as pine, hemlock, oak, and maple. As years went by, the family-owned business would watch competitors get swallowed up, either to bankruptcy or acquisition. Still, they weathered every economic storm the lumber market would throw at them. Their independent business model had outlasted so many other entities that its present-day existence had become a true rarity in 2024.
Word had gotten out that Colby Lumber was planning to downsize in the coming weeks as brothers and co-owners, Jim and Joe Colby, were approaching a well-deserved retirement. They were expecting to run a limited schedule for select customers, but nothing full-time. Change was inevitable and this devastating fire made the transition much harder.
It's been 12+ years since my last paycheck at Colby Lumber but I often think back to my time there with heavy gratitude. I consider this five-year period as my first "real" job before my career got started. Operating a fork truck, safely using a saw, and "sticking" lumber became second nature. The mill's busy production line reinforced the importance of arriving early and staying late whenever needed, understanding directions on the fly, and learning to be comfortable in uncomfortable job duties.
The Colby brothers knew my chosen career path was not the sawmill but they always showed grace when I took job interviews or started a new internship. I'll always remember that. They were also my first employer to set me up with a retirement plan, even if it meant depositing just $20/week into an IRA. The guidance they provided for developing my soft skills and enabling me to have more personal financial responsibility takes on greater meaning after a seismic event like last week's fire. Much has happened in my professional life since my last day there, but they were the ones who pointed me in the right direction.
We all have to start somewhere to build a career and I'm glad mine was Colby Lumber Company. I realize that old job does not relate very well to my current one in marketing, but it provided a foundation to build on. I hope you can look back on your early development as fondly as I look back on mine. The mill is not coming back and the history for their business has changed forever. I'm just glad I could be a small part of their long journey.
Masonite International now Owens Corning
1moSo cool, so sweet, so earned!