Our History
The company has always been very involved in the wholesale (brokerage) part of the industry and, periodically, in manufacturing. Mr. Stringfellow moved from Reform, Alabama to Tuscaloosa, Alabama about 1920 and there he enlarged his wholesale operation. In 1927 he moved the company to Birmingham, Alabama where he, again, added to it. Around 1935 a sawmill cutting southern pine was built at Maplesville, Alabama and it operated for a number of years. The manufacturing end of the business was not always kind to the company and it was an on-and-off type thing. The wholesale part always had Mr. Stringfellow’s main attention and, as a result, it was always successful.
During the Second World War the company did a lot of business with defense contractors and governmental agencies. After the Second World War agencies, like the Tennessee Valley Authority, were good customers while they were constructing dam projects in North Alabama and Tennessee. While the retail lumber dealers have always been good customers, the company has enjoyed good business with other industrial customers for small pine timbers and crating material. Around the time of World War II, shipping remained mostly within the South while the Midwest also continued as a strong market.
Shortly after the Second World War the company secured an order for lumber requirements for a large apartment project in Birmingham, Alabama. These apartments were perhaps the very first project of this type after the war and there were several million board feet of lumber required.
Following the war years, one of the main markets for the company was governmental housing. These were mainly low rent housing projects around the eastern half of the country, most within the Southeast. At various times Mr. Stringfellow would venture into other activities in the lumber industry but his emphasis would always remain on wholesale activities. Stringfellow Lumber continues that brokerage tradition today.
Mr. Stringfellow died in 1971 and the company was sold by his estate to Jemison Investment Company, Inc. in 1972. Mr. John Jemison had been asked to arrange a sale of the company for the estate but he liked what he saw so much he bought the company himself. It was a very good match because Stringfellow is still owned by Jemison Investment Company, Inc. after 40 years.
The company has many long time employees, all of them specialist in what they do. Don Fisher, former Chairman, who has been with the company since 1956 recently retired as an officer but remains as a consultant. Bill Fisher, CEO and President, joined the company in 1982. Rob Steverson is Senior VP and CFO and began with Stringfellow 1977. Vice President of Sales, Tom Smith, joined Stringfellow in 2001. Stringfellow Lumber credits much of its success to the corporate knowledge shared by the stable work force. The leadership team of officers has an almost unheard of experience level in the lumber industry and also in a single company. Building on this experience and successful track record, Stringfellow Lumber is well poised to be your lumber and building materials supplier of choice well into the future.