West Wind Hardwood Inc.

West Wind Hardwood Inc. is located in Sidney, BC (Vancouver Island) and was established in 1978 with Ove Nielsen(father) and Jan Nielsen(son) joining partnership as custom builders and woodworkers; further developing a line of marine products (teak, mahogany and oak) which was marketed across Canada. Ove, a second generation cabinetmaker from Denmark, began his apprenticeship in 1948 and Jan completed his apprenticeship in 1980. As the recession of the early 80's intensified, the demand for custom products declined while the appreciation of our stock of lumber increased. In 1984, we sold the manufacturing portion of the company allowing us to concentrate solely on quality lumber.

In 1991, Ove and his younger son, Lars, built and ran a second warehouse in Nanaimo, BC; but due to ill health, Ove retired and closed this location in 1994. Two locations on the Island were redundant and we felt strongly that staying on the Island allowed us to maintain a desirable lifestyle for our families. Bigger isn't always better! Lars became the new partner with his brother, Jan, and in 1994, West Wind Hardwood Inc. moved to larger premises, but still in Sidney. We are now happily concentrating on our commitment and friendly service to our customers! They range from the various levels of Government, schools, boatyards, custom woodworkers, cabinet shops, luthiers, carvers, hobbyists and Do-It-Yourselvers (DIY'ers).

Not to be forgotten are Else (Ove's wife and retired) and Shelley (Jan's wife). As this is truly a family-run business, they have been involved in the office management and accounting practices since the very beginning. Several part-time employees have also contributed to our success.

We stock fine hardwoods, softwoods, boat lumber, veneer and marine plywood, melamines, MDF's and veneers. Our specialty is the unusual, including boat lumber of all sizes and dimensions, and our ability to provide custom cutting on site. Combined, West Wind Hardwood provides 78 years of woodworking skill and knowledge of wood. All three men have personally built boats: 1) Ove - 46' Robert Allan Forestry Design, 2) Jan - 22' Howard Chapelle/Bill Garden Power Launch and 3) Lars - 22' Bartender (under construction). Currently, we are sending 13,000 BDFT of edgegrain Douglas Fir to the Yukon for the restoration of two large "Gold Rush" paddle wheelers and 3,000 BDFT of Red Cedar and marine plywood to New York for a 41' Trimaran. As we are located on Vancouver Island, this gives us a distinct advantage to locate sources of quality edgegrain Douglas Fir, Red and Yellow Cedar, Sitka Spruce, Western Yew and Curly Maple.

Call our toll-free number of 1-800-667-2275 or (locally) 656-0848; our fax number is 604-656-9663; our e-mail address is westwind@islandnet.com.

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