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Valley
Planing Mill is a manufacturer and retailer of quality wood moudlings. We carry a wide selection of stair parts, tongue and
groove paneling, fireplace mantels, dimensional boards, pre-hung doors, locksets and door hardware.
Our
Mission:
The
mission of Valley Planing Mill is to produce and sell superior quality wood mouldings & millwork in our chosen markets,
at an affordable price to our customers. Valley Planing Mill will employ a talented staff in a close “family”
environment with a culture dedicated to serving our customers with the best product and service available.
Our History:
Valley Planing Mill began business in 1963
when Edward Schroeder’s (current President of Valley Planing) father, Edwin C. Schroeder, purchased a building at auction
in the Appleton area. The elder Schroeder was a general contractor and purchased the building to store his equipment. A planer
that didn’t sell at the auction was left behind. Shortly thereafter, Edwin was contacted by a local lumberyard that
needed some lumber planed.
“It
was all Greek to me then” says Ed (Edward), who recalls going to work on Saturday with his father. His job: planing
lumber. Since the senior Schroeder was a contractor, he knew many people in the Fox Valley area who were in the business.
As time went on, more and more people came to him for planing services. So the business grew. “My dad knew enough about
business to determine his customers’ needs,” says Ed. “He purchased equipment for producing profile mouldings,
and we were in business as a millwork and door supplier. At the time, we sold primarily to residential and commercial builders,
with a small percentage sold direct at the retail level.” Upon his father’s retirement in 1978, Ed Schroeder took
over as president of Valley Planing Mill. Expanding the business:
Valley Planing stocks over 70 different profiles
of moudlings in Birch, Cherry, Pine, Poplar, Maple and Oak. We have a wide in-stock selection of interior doors in Birch,
Oak and Pine and an exceptional selection of dimensional boards in Birch, Cherry, Clear (and Knotty) Pine, Poplar, Maple and
Oak. In addition, over 175 special profiles of mouldings can also be produced on demand. Hundreds of styles of doors, stair
parts and door hardware are also available and style choices are easily achieved through dozens of suppliers.
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| Our Lumber is Moulder Run - jointed edges, planed & sanded surfaces (100 grit). |
Valley
Planing has grown steadily over the past 40 years. Four buildings (over 40,000 total sq. feet) at the corner of Hickory Farm
Lane and W. Wisconsin Avenue. Modernization and continual improvement have been a hallmark of the growth of Valley Planing.
An expanded and dedicated warehouse and spacious showroom and business offices were relocated to a new building on-site in
1995.
The showroom is set up to serve both
walk-in retail customers as well as contractors who sometimes accompany their customers to choose individual items or packages
for the entire home. The showroom is more like a builders showcase than a facility packed with shelves of products.
“We have displays, complete with accessories, that feature different moulding treatments,”
says Schroeder. “Contractors can send their customers to the showroom so they can actually see what the moulding will
look like in their homes. Do-It-Yourself displays are also featured including door hardware, interior doors, stair parts,
and architectural elements such as columns.
Also growing
or changing is the level of expertise of the staff. Many customers rely on our input and design assistance in making their
selections.
We produce over 75% of the products we sell. Customers are
often amazed when they walk into our warehouse and see the miles and miles of mouldings and dimensional boards.
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| With "miles of mouldings" our selection is outstanding. |
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