Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Strait Lumber Co.

     Located in the Front Range city of Aurora, Colorado, at 11150 E. Colfax Avenue, Strait Lumber Co. has been family owned & operated since 1936. As an active member of the Aurora Chamber of Commerce nearly since its inception, Strait Lumber Co. boasts the title of Aurora's oldest business.

    Seth O. Strait moved his family of five from Aberdeen, South Dakota to the small mountain town of Copper Spur, CO in the late 1920's. There he and his three sons were introduced to the operation of a small logging and saw mill business. By 1932, they invested in a saw mill operation of their own in Deckers,  Colorado. There they cut and milled timbers for the railroad and mining industry. What wood could not be used for that was hauled to a small parcel of land just west of the current Fitzsimmons campus in Aurora in order to store some of the lumber from the mill that was to be delivered to that area. Community interest began to grow regarding the lumber stored at the Aurora location. In 1936 Seth traded a few loads of lumber in order to purchase the property and build a small store, he named it Straits Mill and Lumber Company. By 1938 business had grown so much that the family moved from Deckers to Aurora to manage the store full time.

     When WWII ended in 1945, Seth's sons, Clint, Russell, and M.L. returned home from the Service and purchased the store from their father. In 1947, the store was moved west again to its current location of 11150 E. Colfax Ave. By the 1960's Strait Lumber Co. had grown to be one of the area's largest lumber, paint, and hardware suppliers. As the Denver metro area continued its rapid growth, the business dynamic began to shift. Many local businesses, including Strait Lumber, found the need to evolve and change in order to compete with the bigger, nationwide retail chains that were beginning to make their appearance in the Denver area. Gone were the days of thriving solely as a "main street" hardware store.

    Upon retirement of Clint and Russ, M.L.'s son Mark returned to the business in 1978 and sequentially became the family's third generation owner/operator. As he realized the need for diversification of products and the opportunity for growth in the Colorado lumber market, much of his attention was geared toward custom and commercial builders. Catering to the needs of these types of customers became the primary focus of the business. The hardware store continued to operate as Mark felt the need to retain a diversification of products. In 1991 Strait Lumber became an Ace Hardware dealer, and proudly continues that affiliation to this day.

     The success of Strait Lumber for over 70 years can be attributed to their belief that customer service, quality products & value pricing are always a top priority. The sales staff offers professional, personal service to all customers and takes pride in the ability to access a wide variety of building materials. They have decades of knowledge and experience in the industry and can help with the smallest, do-it-yourself jobs, to the largest commercial building projects.

     Stock inventory includes over two acres of engineered wood products, dimensional lumber, sheet goods, Trex decking, pressure treated and fire rated materials, and an entire line of green building materials. As the market expanded to include the entrance of "green builders" and demand for environmentally friendly building materials grew, Strait Lumber became one of Colorado's first FCS (Forest Stewardship Council) certified lumber retailers. This unique certification enables them to supply lumber to builders working on LEEDs certified projects.

     Keeping with the tradition of the past, Strait Lumber Co. continues to operate as an independent, family owned operation, with the realization that future success is dependent on the strong partnerships forged with its customers and community. Semi custom and custom home builders, remodelers, and commercial contractors remain the heart of their business.

"You can count on us being there for all your building supply needs today, and still tomorrow."

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