1. About Us
  2. History

Macbeath Hardwood Timeline

  1. After a partnership with Alex Gordon that created the Gordon MacBeath Lumber Company in the early 1940's, Kingsley Edwin (K.E.) MacBeath decides to venture out on his own. He establishes the MacBeath Hardwood Company on 930 Ashby Avenue in Berkeley, California.

  2. On October 1st, MacBeath Hardwood officially incorporates in the State of California.

  3. With sales exploding and inventories expanding, MacBeath Hardwood quickly outgrows the warehouse in Berkeley. Expansion is necessary, and the company acquires the Davis Lumber Company on 2150 Oakdale Ave in San Francisco, California.

  4. Founder K.E. MacBeath always believed in the school of thought that success never rests. After much research and careful calculation, he sees an opportunity and branches out to Salt Lake City, Utah, acquiring a five acre property on 1576 South 300 West.

  5. K.E. MacBeath's son, William MacBeath named President of the company

  6. Expansion continues into Southern California when MacBeath Hardwood acquires the Brush Industrial Timber Company in Montebello, California, strategically straddling the Los Angeles and Orange County line. This move securely places the company as one of the leaders of hardwood distribution on the west coast.

  7. FIRE! Making the front page of the Los Angeles Times, MacBeath-Montebello catches fire on the back end of the property, burning everything to the ground except for the front office. Never a company to fold in the face of adversity, MacBeath Hardwood rises from the ashes and builds an even stronger branch on the same property.

  8. While wholesale business was MacBeath's trademark, a healthy retail business is developing, namely at our Berkeley location. The company decides to further immerse itself into the hardwood industry by acquiring dry kiln facilities from Hammermill Paper Company in Edinburgh, Indiana. With the purchase of this 15 acre property, MacBeath Hardwood is now a fully vertically integrated company,involved in retail business, wholesale distribution, and finally, production of hardwood lumber products.

  9. Joe Cortese named President and CEO.

  10. Manuel Lavrador named President and CEO. Joe Cortese elected Chairman. Tragically, Manuel is diagnosed with cancer not long after he is elected president, and his tenure is cut short when he passes in December of 1997.

  11. Carter Rothrock named President and CEO. MacBeath-Edinburgh moves, successfully acquiring the property formally occupied by Bradford Forest Products. This new property offers a much more streamlined layout for a lumber company, along with a lumber sorter, milling facilities and newer, more efficient dry kilns.

  12. MacBeath Hardwood expands into the south bay area, securing a 33,000 square foot warehouse in San Jose, California. This is the beginning of a major product expansion, and MacBeath is soon recognized as a leading distributor of hardwood plywood and other related panel products.

  13. MacBeath Hardwood relocates corporate headquarters from San Francisco to Edinburgh. For the first time in its 60+ year history, MacBeath has its executive and financial centers paired with the production facility, all under one roof.

  14. Jonathan MacBeath named the sixth President and CEO in company history. It marks the first time since 1984 that a MacBeath has held the top position in the company.

  15. In July, MacBeath Hardwood purchases a 63,000SF warehouse in Stockton, California. This property includes 10,000SF of retail space that is to open later in the year. This distribution center will service both wholesale and retail woodworkers in the California central valley as well as parts of the Bay Area. It will also serve as a hub to feed the Berkeley and San Francisco branches.

  16. MacBeath Hardwood acquires Woodworkers Source, a hardwood and accessory emporium based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. Woodworkers Source was founded by Keith Stephens in the late 1970s and blossomed into a three store chain, servicing amateur and advanced woodworkers from across the state of Arizona. These locations make up MacBeath's southwest division, with branches in Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson. It also has one of the largest selections of hardwoods and accessories available online in the entire nation.

  17. MacBeath's southwest division, Woodworkers Source, expands into a new warehouse facility located west of Phoenix’s downtown district. The 22,300SF warehouse sits on 1.2 acres, with three dock doors as well as one grade level door. The building is suited to handle the full-service mill, which is equipped with brand new Northtech machinery and a state-of-the-art dust collection system. The addition will serve as the distribution hub for its three retail stores, located in North Phoenix, Tempe and Tucson, AZ. It will also be designated as their online fulfillment center. The 5,000SF office will serve as the admin space for the division.