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Business View Magazine
ue added there, other than, in our case, treating the
wood.”
Keeping the Competitive Edge
Since the beginning, Wheeler has reacted to potential
downturns by capitalizing on its strengths. As the world
changed, this innovative company had the foresight to
diversify and become market - rather than product –
oriented, always, putting the customer first. That mind-
set continues today.
“Most of our contractors we’ve done business with for
many years. They know our products are good and our
lead times are what we tell them. With our engineered
products, plans and chalk drawings, we add value in-
house, whereas our competitors are often lumber bro-
kers or people who can’t offer the complete package
unless they outsource. Anything that has to do with de-
sign is a selling point for us.”
Change for the Good
During the recent recession, the house truss business
suffered, prompting Wheeler to sell two of their three
facilities. It kept Kansas and, thanks to the improving
housing market, has opened a new plant in Houston.
The biggest company “reface” came in 2003, when
a fire and explosion destroyed the treating plant. “At
that time, we were treating wood with creosote,” says
Parrett. “When we decided to rebuild at the same lo-
cation, we switched to copper naphthenate. This non-
hazardous chemical doesn’t have the restrictions that
creosote has; it’s oil-based, cleaner, and works just as
well. There’s been a push since 2003, to convince rail-
roads that copper naphthenate is a good alternative
to creosote. We’ve accomplished a good deal of that.”
Copper naphthenate works very well for bridge appli-
cations where there is traffic travelling underneath,
