Millwide Insider 3-2013 | Page 6

Southeastern US focus OUR SKILLED TEAM DELIVERS AND SUPPORTS YOUR USNR PRODUCTS !

USNR ’ s Florida operations

Southeastern US focus OUR SKILLED TEAM DELIVERS AND SUPPORTS YOUR USNR PRODUCTS !

USNR ’ s facility at Jacksonville , Florida is home base for our team of nearly 100 personnel in that region . These dedicated individuals take great pride in the the manufacture and delivery of a wealth of USNR ’ s products , but primarily the largest machines that make up our vast array .
The operation ’ s roots stem all the way back to 1879 when Lafayette Moore built his first dry kiln . In the early years Moore was based at Cordele , Georgia , and through several partnerships he manufactured kilns for mills in south Georgia , Alabama and Florida . In 1906 Moore moved to Jacksonville where , through partnership with C . J . Williams they established the L . Moore Dry Kiln Company . They sold their first kiln on the west coast to a Weyerhaeuser mill at Snoqualmie , Washington in 1916 . In 1919 they opened a second kiln manufacturing facility at Portland , Oregon and changed the company name to Moore Dry Kiln Company . Moore died in 1922 at the age of 76 years .
In 1923 then sole owner C . J . Williams separated the two arms of the company into two distinct corporations . After his death in 1956 ownership of the two companies was also separated . Eventually the Jacksonville company was acquired by US Natural Resources ( USNR ), and the Portland company was acquired by Coe Manufacturing , now USNR as well .
Today the Jacksonville site is where USNR ’ s lumber dry kilns ( Counter-Flow kilns , track kilns , package kilns , Kiln Boss controls , Sloped Grate Green Burners ), Coe veneer dryers , industrial freezers and some of our lumber handling machines are manufactured .
The Jacksonville complex covers 10 acres ( 7 city blocks ), and 130,000 square feet of buildings housing engineering , sales , administration , purchasing , manufacturing , warehousing and a technical service hub . Recent improvements have seen the expansion of the manufacturing plant
to accommodate a healthy list of orders for new products , upgrade components and parts .
Troy Johnson leads the Jacksonville team . He has been with USNR since 2006 , first in project management and now in operations . Troy is ably supported by a talented team of individuals that is expanding as well , as it works to meet the needs of USNR ’ s customers in all corners of the globe .
6 Millwide INSIDER | ISSUE 3 - 2013