To all our friends and customers
Early in March, when COVID19 started to come into our daily lives businesses in our industry questioned if they would have any business at all or even be able to stay open. Many sawmills cut back or closed in preparation of a downturn in business. At Dain’s, we focused on trying to make our facility safe for our customers and employees while working on a plan to keep our 172-year-old company in business and our employees employed.
People staying at home began planning the building of decks, raised garden beds, updating their homes, as this is where they would be spending most of their time. Although well stocked with materials for a normal year, we soon became very busy as well as our pressure-treated vendors were also busy trying to fill those orders. As COVID and shelter in place orders continued, more homeowners dived into home renovation. Contractors began ordering excess materials in anticipation of a shortage of building materials. Once the state allowed contractors to resume working, we were hit with a frenzy of people looking for materials, in particular pressure treated lumber for exterior structures at a volume that we have never experienced before.
Supply and demand caused pressure-treated products to skyrocket in price while the inventory dwindled. Lumber mills and chemical treaters were and are still not able to catch up. This coupled with the lack of chemicals available to treat the lumber has caused the problems in the supply chain that we have been experiencing as a consumer and retailer. Supply and demand problems are now seeping into the framing and plywood markets.
The past two months have been the most incredibly difficult times as a retailer. The surge of business and phone calls from customers wanting materials, quotes and answers has placed a strain on our retail operations that we are struggling to keep up with. Employees have been working non-stop to get back to customers. Sadly, we have not been able to keep up with this unprecedented demand. We apologize to every customer that we have been unable to attend to, get back to in a timely fashion and to any customer who has experienced any frustrations in our customer service. We are reflecting on what changes we can institute to improve our customer experience and ask for your patience as we navigate our way through this.
At the present time, we are still unable to get many pressure-treated products and quite frankly have no idea when we will get stock. We have managed to get one truck of pressure-treated a week with some products like pressure-treated decking with pressure-treated 4x4’s remaining the hardest stock to get.
Although this has been an extremely trying time for us, we remain grateful that the staff and families of Dain’s Lumber have remained healthy. Sadly, some of our customers have succumbed to this virus. Our hearts go out to their families. We also express sympathies to the many businesses that have had to shut down or close their doors. While we do not know what lies ahead, we can only hope that the pandemic comes to an end sooner rather than later.
On the river, in the turmoil of white-water rafting, there is an expression to “point positive” and that, I believe, is what we need to do. I thank you and pray that we all remain safe and healthy.
- Jeff Dain & James Dain
