About Us – Hartzell Hardwoods

One Family.
150 Years.

While it is impressive for any one company to survive since 1875, it is even more remarkable to see a company thrive for so long under the ownership and management of one family. Hartzell has been able to achieve this milestone through progress and groundbreaking innovations within its two companies: Hartzell Air Movement and Hartzell Hardwoods. The integrity and dedication of these companies have led Hartzell to manufacture top of the line lumber and air movement products.

Hartzell Hardwoods has been an innovator and leader in the hardwood industry since 1875, from the company’s pioneering role in the steaming of walnut to its current position as a leading producer of top-quality thick lumber. The company was exclusively in the walnut business until the early 1960’s; today it also produces white oak, red oak, ash, and cherry. Hartzell Hardwoods produces 22 million board feet of lumber annually, operates 36 kilns, and also houses a high-tech stacker/grader station.

Long recognized as a worldwide leader in walnut and top quality thick lumber, Hartzell Hardwood’s philosophy continues to be characterized by innovation, quality, and integrity.

Since 1927 when Hartzell first engineered the propeller fan, the Hartzell name has been the name for quality air moving equipment. The company was the first to build heavy-duty industrial fans using an airfoil propeller blade. Through the years, Hartzell has developed and produced products that have led the company to having the broadest lines in the air moving industry. Currently, Hartzell Air Movement operates a fabrication and weld facility, a foundry and machine shop, a fiberglass fabrication facility, and a finishing and assembly plant. They also feature Hartzell’s Rapid Ship Program which is designed to give prompt delivery of stock quality air moving equipment. Today, Hartzell Air Movement continues with the traditions of the past – changing with its markets to always be a leader in the marketplace for high quality, industrial air movement systems.

Community & Culture

At Hartzell, we are proud of our long-standing commitment to the communities where we live and work. We work throughout the year to help those in need by supporting numerous nonprofit organizations through financial donations and organizational support. Our employees are active partners in these efforts, volunteering their time and giving generously to make a positive difference in the community.

The Hartzell "Great Place To Work" committee challenged employees to donate items to benefit the Piqua City Schools. Employees collected school supplies such as pens, pencils, binders, art supplies, crayons, markers, folders, glue, construction paper, notebook paper, scissors, subject dividers, highlighters, hand sanitizer, socks, and coats. Hartzell employees came together to support their local school district!

Hartzell Norris Trust

Hartzell: Healthy & Well-Defined Culture

At Hartzell, our people and their passion for great products make all the difference. Many of our employees have been with Hartzell for their entire careers and that says something about a company. Hartzell began as a family-owned business in 1875 and the Hartzell family is still actively involved in the business today.

Being part of this long heritage and tradition is a source of pride to our employees, families, customers and everyone else associated with our business.

We believe a healthy, well-defined culture helps people maximize their performance. Everything we do is driven by our core values. Together as one team, we embrace the values that make Hartzell an extraordinary company.

Our Process

Hartzell Hardwoods has a rich history of being North America’s premier Walnut producer. We are proud to be the original Walnut company with over 140 years of experience producing the industries’ highest quality hardwoods. Taking “Pride in Every Board” isn’t just a slogan or tag line, it is a way of life at Hartzell and we strive every day to find new and better ways provide our customers with products that not just meet, but exceed expectations. We continue to invest in our facilities and now have 2 strategically located concentration yards in Ohio & Missouri in the heart of North America’s best Walnut & Oak forests. Both facilities are equipped with state of the art drying equipment, lumber handling machinery, and packaging facilities. Quality, value, and a commitment to our customers is what drives our production and allows us to successfully ship our hardwoods to customers in over 40 different countries worldwide.

Drying

Pioneered the steaming process for Walnut to turn white sapwood into a rich brown walnut color, a process universally adopted by the hardwood industry
Kilns & steam boxes heated using wood fired boilers (with natural gas powered back-up boiler in Piqua) to properly dry all material to between 6-9% MC
Steam all Walnut within 5 days of receiving at our facility, most material goes directly from the truck to the steam box
Large Air Dry Yards at both facilities managed carefully so all material enters the dry kiln at proper MC% for optimal drying and quality
Utilize multiple T-sheds wrapped in mesh tarps (Shade Dry) to protect green lumber from damage due to natural elements
Pre-Dry all thick stock Oak in 2 state of the art pre-dryers with over 1 million board feet capacity to ensure all material lays flat, is evenly dried, free of drying defects, and maintains its natural bright color
Condition and equalize all kilns prior to unloading to ensure material is free of stress and evenly dried
Monitor all kilns daily & work with industry experts to perfect our drying process

Grading

Industries best team of NHLA certified graders with over 100 years of experience
2 grading lines in Piqua, and a new state-of-the-art lumber handling line in Kirksville
Grade all material to meet or exceed NHLA Grade Standards once received green, and again after kiln drying process
Fully automated sorting system enables speed, high yield, and maximum flexibility
Ability to pull specialized grades and sorts designed to increase customer yields and fit specific needs

Packaging

Packaging and overall appearance of the material we ship is a top priority at Hartzell
Every board is hand-piled into each unit by our professionally trained staff to ensure Hartzell's packaging standards are met
Hartzell end paint and logo carefully applied when requested
Custom logo and painting available to meet our customers' specific needs
All material is packaged with the intent for customers to ship directly to clients without the need to re-handle or re-package
Quick shipments of multiple items to allow for customers to meet changing demands in a fast-paced industry
Specialize in mixed shipments of multiple items
Highly experienced loaders for both containers & flatbeds
Willing and prefer to book all shipments and handle all shipping documents

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The Team

Focused on developing long-lasting partnerships with our customers
Hartzell strives to provide the best quality hardwoods to customers around the world. We are able to provide this superior quality through purchasing our green lumber from the top sawmills in North America. In partnering with our suppliers & customers, we are proud to help transform North America’s spectacular natural resource into the most beautiful products that enhance homes & businesses worldwide. Building and maintaining relationships with our suppliers is the core of our business and what has allowed Hartzell to succeed in business for over 145 years.