First and foremost, the late Ted Freres of Stayton was recognized by the Portland Wholesale Lumber Association as Lumberman of the Year for 2018. Ted passed away from pancreatic cancer last June, and was represented at the December award ceremony by his sons.
“We are deeply honored that PWLA has honored our father posthumously as Lumberman of the Year,” said Tyler Freres, vice president of sales. “His contributions to the wood products industry were born out of a deep love for the industry, the people he interacted with, and the resource that he worked with every day.”
Tyler said his father would have been surprised by this honor as “he was a humble man, who lived by the notion that everyone should win in their relationship with the company he helmed for nearly three decades.” He credited his dad for “his love of innovation, his belief in investing in new technology, and his willingness to grow the company under his leadership.”
“He was committed to the Santiam Canyon and especially to causes that supported children,” Tyler said.
According to information on the PWLA website, Ted Freres was “the son of a lumberman with humble beginnings on the North Fork of the Santiam River where his father started a small sawmill in 1922. His first job was cleaning chips and sawdust out of the bins and off of the chains at the mill.”
After graduating with a degree in business from Oregon State University, Ted brought his expertise to the family lumber business. A plaque with Ted’s name is now hanging at the World Forestry Center in Portland.
“Ted was never the person that sought recognition for his efforts, but he had a long, accomplished career that left a mark on the industry and the people he worked with,” said Kyle Freres, vice president of operations. “To us, this award is a reflection of the respect and appreciation he built over his life. And, we can’t thank PWLA enough for the award recognizing a great man. Above all, this award reflects what type of person our dad was, and the integrity and honesty he brought his business and his personal relationships.
“As a family, we are all adjusting to life without dad, and providing support to each other when it is difficult,” he added. “At the company, we continue to develop our new product, which Ted was instrumental in making a reality. The new product, new markets and new opportunities are driving changes throughout our operations, and we
will continue to adapt to the
challenges ahead.”
A major contribution by Ted was to introduce the computer to Freres Lumber. Today, the company’s state-of-the-art manufacturing processes, controlled by advanced computer technologies, have made Freres an industry frontrunner. Last month, the Lyons-based company was granted a Canadian patent for its Mass Plywood Panel, a veneer-based product that will allow builders to build taller structures for less cost, faster, and using less wood than any other mass timber product in the current market. That patent came a day after the hard copy of its national patent arrived in the mail, according to company officials.
“The patents received recognize the unique nature of our product, and the time, effort and capital invested to develop the world’s only veneer-based mass timber panel,” Kyle said. “These patents allow us to legally protect our intellectual property and to develop relationships to grow the market for this new, innovative product going forward.”
Additionally, Freres Lumber received fire test results from Southwest Research Institute, verifying that MPP demonstrates the necessary life safety fire protection performance for single- and multi-family, and multi-story structures up to 18 stories high.
MPP has met or exceeded multiple industry building and fire safety standards tests, including APA certification and SwRI fire safety performance evaluation.
Freres Lumber spent the last three years researching, developing and testing MPP, Tyler said.
“And our hard work has come to fruition with the patents being awarded and industry tests verifying the strength, safety and versatility of this product,” he said. “The ASTM E119 and E84 tests are rigorous tests that exposed the panels to intensely hot flames. The test results allow designers and developers to use MPP in buildings that require fire resistance ratings.”
Kyle added, “The fire test report is an important report determining how our product is used in construction, and the type of building it is used in. Being able to provide information about how our product behaves is important to architects and engineers, and substantiates our product’s use in commercial construction.”
As demand for the company’s new product increases, Kyle said the company will add shifts to accommodate that demand, “creating more jobs in the Canyon.”
Most recently, and adding to the company’s many accomplishments, Freres Lumber was named to Fast Company’s annual list of the World’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019. The company ranked as the fifth most innovative company in the Urban Development/Real Estate category.
