Windham Millworks is an international company building custom wood products for hospitals, churches, private homes and more, but what is the most amazing, is that most people who live here don’t even know what or where Windham Millworks is located.
The original business started in 1957 by Walter Pulkkinen. Since then, the building has expanded in many directions, but it remains a family-oriented business, now run by Chad and his brother BJ Pulkkinen. Their father Bruce is the CEO. Out of the 75 employees, craftsmen, installers and others, many are cousins and family members or have been with the company long enough to be considered like family.
“We can do anything inside a commercial building,” said Chad. Countertops, plastic, granite, wood, laminates, chair rails and cabinets, all of it. They have worked on three casinos, the Portland Jetport and are currently working at the 965,000 square-foot Maine General, a new hospital in Augusta. They are making 4,000 cabinets, two miles of countertops and 95 nurse’s stations, in addition to the paneling.
No matter where one looks in Maine, the woodwork was probably milled here in Windham.
“No one is selling our woodwork,” said BJ. Everything done at their mill is custom work. Most of their business is in New England, but they have shipped to California, Florida, Ohio and Japan, where they sent church pews they built. Windham Millworks creates in all wood types. They’ve worked at DiMillo’s, Cole Farms and created a 140-foot bar for the Jay Peak Resort in Vermont.
The future at Windham Millworks is looking bright, said Chad. They are now distributors of an anti-microbial treatment that helps protect the customer from dangerous mold, microbes and other contagions. They put this substance on the wood work and it will last for the life of the wood. It has unlimited potential. The treatment kills on contact and actually attracts the germs.
“We got on board early and we’re just starting to roll it out now,” said Chad.
The product was invented by Dow-Corning for NASA. Nike uses it in its tennis shoes and Delta and Boeing planes are beginning to use it in their aircraft.
“It took me a while to believe it too,” said BJ. “We are the New England distributor for Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.” Businesses in this area are starting to see the benefits and are having the treatment put in their restaurants and fitness facilities.
“It’s definitely something we’re excited about,” said Chad.
The people at Windham Millworks care about their work and the Pulkkinen’s care about providing jobs for the area. “The people here are the best,” said Chad.
No comments:
Post a Comment