In the case of Huntsville, Ala.-based Wilson Lumber, a definitive “door slam” came courtesy of boll weevils in the 1940s, when the notorious pests ruined the cotton crop of a farmer named Clyde J. Wilson. Fed up with the onslaught of bugs upon his cotton fields in rural Winston County, Alabama, Wilson partnered up with his brother-in-law up the road in Huntsville to focus on a more resilient commodity both had access to at the time: timber.
“Grandad had a portable sawmill. They started cutting trees down and bringing them to Huntsville in 1949,” says Robb Wilson, Wilson Lumber’s CEO and third generation owner who’s been working in some capacity for the company since the age of 12.
By 1951, Clyde Wilson had bought out his brother-in-law (who, according to family lore, had a wooden leg and much preferred teaching to millwork), making Clyde the sole owner of the operation. From those humble beginnings, Wilson steadily grew, gradually expanding its offerings beyond lumber to paint, nails, hammers and all manner of building supply. As the company grew, so did Huntsville, which is now Alabama’s biggest city and continues to sprawl as one the U.S.’s top aerospace hubs.
As the company evolved over the decades—adding a door shop in 1971, a showroom in 1981, a truss plant in 1984, a second lumberyard in 1986, another truss plant in 2019, a second millwork plant in 2022—bedrock principles have remained. Namely, putting people first and abiding by Christian values. Today, the company has approximately 365 employees and annual sales exceeding $125 million.
“I’m sure granddad never dreamed Wilson Lumber would look like it does today,” says Robb. “But I think he’d be proud of the way we’ve grown the company and stayed true to the values that he instilled in us, to treat people how they want to be treated and to do the right thing.” ...
Wilson Lumber has been an LMC Dealer since 2023