Superior Hardwoods of Ohio, Inc, was founded in 1971 and has grown into the largest green lumber producing company in the state of Ohio. Total company annual production is over 50 million board feet. The company also owns over 3,500 acres of timberland which are in co-op with the Ohio Div. of Wildlife for hunting. They saw primarily red oak, white oak and poplar but also some hard maple and cherry at certain locations.
Superior Hardwoods has four operations each with bandsaw headrigs and linebars located in McArthur, Cambridge, Barlow and Wellston,
Ohio which also serves as its headquarters. Their facilities are positioned amongst the forestlands of eastern and southern Ohio enabling them to serve local, interstate, and international customers via the extensive interstate road and rail systems of this region.
Emmett Conway was raised in McArthur with sawdust in his veins as his father, Emmett Sr., was a forester and superintendent of the D. B.
Frampton Company, Ohio’s first large stationary sawmill.Wellston, Ohio new McDonough round way linebar in action daily. Graduating from Ohio University with a degree in botany in 1971, he began a logging company that expanded in 1974 to also include a portable sawmill. Emmett’s love for sawmilling grew resulting in the construction of Conway Lumber in McArthur, OH in 1978. His business continued to grow, leading to the acquisition of a sawmill in Wellston, OH in 1982. At that time he incorporated as Superior Hardwoods of Ohio. His continued passion for sawmilling and business growth led to the purchase of the Cambridge, OH facility in 1985. With the big dive in lumber prices and hardship for a lot of sawmilling companies around the country, Emmett also saw the opportunity in 2009. In a time when a lot of people were simply surviving, he chose to expand with the acquisition of a sawmill in Barlow, OH. As primarily a producer of green lumber, this move opened new doors for Superior Hardwoods with its
320,000 board feet of kiln capacity. “The dry kilns have given us added markets as well as added value, flexibility and diversity” says Emmett.
Emmett Conway doesn’t really see himself as the boss. “I am now a coach. I enjoy going to my various operations and not being the boss but coaching my employees on how to be successful in life” he says, “but every now and then, when they don’t listen, I do have to put my boss hat back on.” Continuing with his desire of sawmilling are his two sons, Will & Adam, both full time members of the “team he coaches.”
“Superior Hardwoods of Ohio has always had one constant philosophy” according to Emmett Conway, “every year, put money back into the company. A philosophy that continued with their latest equipment upgrade in June of 2010. The Wellston Facility received a new McDonough 2 press roll round way linebar. It replaced a 1973 McDonough linebar that they retired after 37 years of operating at a double shift production level most of the time. The linebar project also included a new McDonough infeed table, programmable setworks and a McDonough operator’s cab. “The decision to purchase another Mc-Donough was easy,” says Emmett, “We put a lot of lumber through the old McDonough linebar, running two shifts here at Wellston the majority of the last 35 years. McDonough machines work, they are proven.”
Superior Hardwoods believes in being involved and supporting the industry. All locations are members of the Ohio Forestry Association and the National Hardwood Lumber Association. Emmett is past president of OFA and still serves as co-chair of the OFA’s “The Paul Bunyan Show.” “In my spare time,” he says with a chuckle, “I enjoy golfing and spending time with my family.”
