Kretz Lumber, which has grown from a small sawmill into a global supplier of wood products, was established in 1929 by Joseph and Myrtle Kretz. At the time of start-up the responsibilities in the company were split between Mr. and Mrs. Kretz and their three sons; Charles, Leon and Raymond.
This ownership ran the company in some form until the early 1970s when Joseph and Myrtle’s grandson, Dan Kretz, took over the business. Under Dan’s leadership the company grew from a small sawmill operating one shift into a two-shift sawmill operation with dry kilns and a dimension plant. In December, 2000, Dan Kretz sold his share of the business to the employees under a legal structure called an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
Over time, Kretz has grown from that original sawmill that sold “green” lumber to secondary manufacturers, mainly in the region of the Great Lakes, to a “Global Wood Products Company” with markets for its products in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Canada, and Mexico in addition to its loyal customer base in all regions of the United States.
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