2 Jul 2026 03:45
Nick Morrison, Brian Studebaker, Brandon Romine, Edmund Allen Lumber
In this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, host Jennifer Alger sits down with three team members from Edmund Allen Lumber out of Illinois: Nick Morrison, Sales Manager; Brian Studebaker, Millwork Manager; and Brandon Romine, Marketing Director. Together they reveal how a 129-year-old cedar and Douglas fir wholesaler has evolved into a full-service custom millwork operation that regularly takes on projects nobody else will touch.
The company serves a dealer network of roughly 450 customers across Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana, sourcing the bulk of its Western Red Cedar from Canadian mills and manufacturing everything else in-house. Brian walks through the millwork department's capabilities, from a 54-inch McDonough resaw and six-headed molder to a CNC that lets them replicate any historical molding profile. Brandon explains how he moved from sales into marketing and rebuilt the company's web and Instagram presence to solve a recurring problem: customers kept saying, "I didn't know you did that."
The standout story is a clock tower restoration in Madison, Wisconsin. Lightning struck the tower, and the team had to replicate nine or ten unique molding profiles, fabricate stack-laminated corbels, and get everything hoisted by crane a hundred feet in the air while watching pieces swing in the wind. It captures exactly what Edmund Allen Lumber does best: the work nobody else wants to figure out.
The conversation also covers the custom design process from architect sketch to final CAD, the economics of quoting without charging design fees, tariffs pushing cedar costs up as much as 45 percent, and the shift from new single-family construction toward remodels and multifamily. The team's message is simple: if you can dream it, they can probably make it.
Chapters
00:00 What Edmund Allen Lumber Sells: Cedar, Douglas Fir, and Beyond
03:27 Inside the Millwork Department
05:24 Wholesale Model, Dealer Network, and Architect Partnerships
06:35 From Instagram Screenshot to Final CAD
09:51 The Clock Tower Restoration in Madison, Wisconsin
14:34 Brandon's Journey from Sales to Marketing Director
23:12 Where to Find Edmund Allen Lumber
32:36 Educating Customers on Checking in Cedar Timbers
35:11 Tariffs, Supply Chain, and the State of the Market
41:18 Fifteen Years of Change: Expanding the Mill Shop
44:41 New Construction vs. Remodels and Where the Market Is Heading
The Woodpreneur Podcast brings stories of woodworkers, makers, and entrepreneurs turning their passion for wood into successful businesses - from inspiration to education to actionable advice. Hosted by Steve Larosiliere and Jennifer Alger
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