By Tami Mosser
Reporter, The Daily Record

Melvin Yoder says he's a pretty laid-back guy.

And, he guesses, most of his 200 employees would probably stay the same.

Yoder has been the CEO of Yoder Lumber for 35 years, but the business has been part of his life since he was a teenager.

He is the second generation to run the business that began as a portable sawmill in 1944. His dad would move the equipment from site to site, he said, and clear the trees. "I used to go and help in the summer when I wasn't in school," he said, "when I was 14 or 15 years old."

Come to think of it, Yoder said, he's not really sure how much labor he contributed in those days. But he sure did like being there.

For 52 years, he's been a part of the business, which had its roots on his father's property in Charm and since has grown to include Holmes County sites in Berlin and Buckhorn, as well as another facility in Parkersburg, West Virginia.
But this coming week will be his last, sort of.

Yoder will formally vacate the company's top spot, which will be filled by current company president Robert Mapes. Trent Yoder already has assumed the title of chief operating officer and Tony Yoder is serving as chief production and technology officer. Melvin Yoder will stay on part time and will help oversee the company's sawmill operations.

And it if seems like there are a lot of Yoders at Yoder Lumber, Melvin Yoder has a simple explanation: It's time for the next generation of the family to step up. It's practically a family tradition.

Yoder and his four brothers grew up in the business, though he is the only one who remains. The brood also included his five sisters in what Yoder called "a large, lively family." The third generation to be part of the family business includes his two sons, his three nephews and a son-in-law.

The changing of the guard was carefully planned, Yoder said. "I'm 71 years old and the third generation has been in place for eight to 10 years and they're ready to step up," he said. "And the company is positioned pretty well."

It's a much bigger company than Yoder said he ever dreamed it would be. But over the years, he said, opportunities presented themselves and were just too good to pass up. After starting with portable milling, the first facility was built at the family farm in the early 1960s. The Berlin facility just south of state Route 39 had been a manufacturing facility that produced wheelbarrow handles. But what made the site attractive to Yoder Lumber was its dry kilns that would allow the company to sell lumber directly to the customer.

The next purchase came in 1999, when the Yoders bought its Buckhorn site after Semac Industries went into bankruptcy. Along with the Semac deal came a facility in Parkersburg, West Virginia. That move also took Yoder Lumber into foreign markets and Yoder said the company continues to maintain an even split between foreign and domestic clients.

The Semac acquisition was made only after consulting with the family's next generation, Yoder said, to make sure they were on board and planning to take the company into the future.

It has helped to be a bit laid-back over the years, Yoder said, but what some may see as laid-back, Yoder sees as more deliberate and considered. "You don't have to re-do so many things," he said, "if you take time to make a decision." And no decision is made is a vacuum. "I try to get input from staff, from workers and so on before I make any decision, he said. "... We put a lot of trust in employee feedback. They're out there on the floor. They see things everyday."

And they've seen plenty of change, not only in the size of the company but in the market it serves. What at one time had been hard physical labor has given way to computerization and advanced technology, which has resulted in a change in the workforce requirements. And, Yoder said, customers are more and more inclined to seek just-in-time service and delivery. None of that is going to change, Yoder said, adding "the good old days would be nice to have again, but they're not coming back. The good old days are the good old days."

And there were some not-so-good days, too. The recession of nearly a decade ago forced any number of sawmills out of business, though Yoder noted that the local competition weathered the storm and continues to be fierce.

"We put a lot of emphasis on the quality of the product we make," including value-added items like stair treads, table tops, panels and handrails. The product is not necessarily the cheapest on the market, but Yoder said the better quality means less waste and better production levels for the company's clients.

As he prepares to cede control of the business, Yoder said he anticipates more new product introductions and continued growth, including in the company's trucking division. And even as he and his wife prepare to do a little traveling, he said he'll be around if the family needs him.

Running a family business "has got its challenges, but we're usually able to work through it and get everyone in the same mindset, same level," he said. "We never get into fisticuffs, we we try to get everyone to express their opinion and we go from there."

"The entire company has had many last memories with Mel over the past 53 years," the company's leadership team said in a release. "Mel has always put his employees needs above his own and he has left our future leadership with many golden nuggets of his 53 years of knowledge of the hardwood industry. We hope that Mel will enjoy his retirement to the fullest with many fishing and hunting trips and traveling with his family."

Reporter Tami Mosser can be reached at 330-287-1655 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..