Hedstrom Lumber Co. enters fourth generation of family ownership in Grand Marais
Nov 12, 2019 08:24AM ● By EditorBy Kelly Busche from the West Central Tribune - November 12, 2019
Sawdust slowly fell through the air and lightly coated everything in the Hedstrom Lumber Co.’s mill last week — appearing much more like snow than wood shavings — while about a dozen staff members worked to produce lumber.
The lumber mill’s former president, Howard Hedstrom, walked among the loud machinery and cheerfully greeted staff. After quick “hellos,” workers returned to their jobs of monitoring lumber production, sharpening saw blades, sorting wood by species and aligning lumber under laser lights for measurement.
The Hedstrom Lumber Co. is more than 100 years old and is now in its fourth generation of family ownership after Hedstrom, 71, retired earlier this fall.
A group of family and non-family members say they’re well-prepared and eager to take over leading the Grand Marais lumber mill, which processes about 1,200 logs daily for nationwide distribution. Although the mill is losing Hedstrom, the rest of the lumber industry is also losing a major advocate.
The Hedstrom Lumber Co. is one of the last fourth-generation family-owned lumber mills in Minnesota. It’s a title that mill staff proudly wear — and is one that likely won’t change anytime soon.
“Howard had a pretty huge legacy here … and he is responsible for so much of what was built here and so much of our reach within the industry,” said Tina Hegg Raway, vice president of finance. “(Now) we all have a lot of hats to wear in the company.”
The lumber mill is tucked in the forest along the Gunflint Trail in Grand Marais, a North Shore community of just over 1,300 people. Towering stacks of lumber and logs, a hot kiln building to dry wood, a mill building where the wood is de-barked and sawed, an office and more fill Hedstrom’s 30-acre site.
Howard Hedstrom’s grandfather, Andrew Hedstrom, started the mill in 1914 after emigrating to the U.S. from Sweden. It has been in the family ever since, during which it endured fires, major technology changes and numerous economic crises.
The mill isn’t the only entity affected by his retirement. The entire lumber industry will feel the impact as Hedstrom steps back from numerous boards and advocacy work, “which is really a shame," Hegg Raway said.
Chris Hegg, the new president, said Hedstrom advocated for lumber harvesting when the government would consider burning forests to manage growth. He also lobbied to fully fund the U.S. Forest Service and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, ensuring they could proceed with harvesting.
These effects were at both the state and federal level, Hegg said. “We're one of the smaller operations in the country on a big scale. And yet, he was one of the more influential people in the industry, which was always a bit of an irony to the rest of us,” he said.
To read more of the original article, watch a video report and see a photo gallery of the sawmill, follow this link to the West Central Tribune website. https://www.wctrib.com/business/manufacturing/4764461-Hedstrom-Lumber-Co.-enters-fourth-generation-o...