It starts by sawing the right logs, the right way-

As a young twenty something, I sat in the “saw box” with Wally Purcell, a veteran sawmill manager, who explained to me the way to cut this monster 3 1/2 foot diameter log to get the highest grade value. It was 1980, and I had just been hired to be the salesman for a world class sawmill in Estacada, Oregon owned by Crown Zellerbach.  For years, this mill cut big Douglas Fir logs from the Mt. Hood National Forest. The mill  known as Estacada Lumber  was one of the best quality, 40 foot cutting mills in world, shipping its products all over North America, Australia, Japan, and Europe. That experience trained me for what was ahead, an almost 40 year career in sales of timbers and specialty wood products from sawmills in the Pacific Northwest. It gave me a knowledge and understanding for doing things right, looking for premium products and selling to people who appreciate quality.  Appearance and quality was the heart beat of this old mill; its sawdust and the smell of fresh cut Douglas fir, gave me the passion that seeped into the core of who I am today.