Dean and Rod Swanson grew up in the wood industry. Their father and uncle ran a sawmill in a small town west of Eugene, Oregon where they worked before heading off to serve in World War II. Upon returning, the two brothers decided to start their own mill in Glendale, Oregon.

The post war boom for housing created a strong demand for framing and lumber. Superior Lumber Company, in Southern Oregon, was ideally located near the flourishing California market.

Our Values

Accountability - Accountability must occur at both the personal level (i.e. behavior) and in how we manage our day-to-day operations (i.e. process).

Behavioral accountability is the responsibility we each have to show good judgement when making decisions and conducting our daily activities. It is the realization we will be held responsible for our actions so we must demonstrate integrity and always do the right thing.

We create process accountability through the development and utilization of management systems to measure, report and evaluate key performance indicators. Goals and expectations are clearly communicated to employees, and variances are continuously identified and resolved.

Commitment - The highest value is placed on our relationship with our employees, shareholders, communities and business partners.

• Employees - We are committed to the growth, development and long-term security of our employees. Employees are treated fairly, and with dignity and respect. Individual efforts are recognized and everybody has an equal opportunity to advance.


• Shareholders - We are committed to the growth, development and long-term security of our shareholders. Our shareholders are provided opportunities to be involved in the business, to learn and advance towards becoming the future leaders of the Company.


• Communities - We are committed to supporting the communities in which we operate. Our employees are encouraged to give something back to their respective communities through volunteering or other benevolent activities. We, fundamentally, believe strong communities produce excellent employees.


• Business Partners - We are committed to nurturing relationships with our customers, key suppliers, lenders and professional service providers whom we regard as strategic business partners. We recognize that the best partnerships must be mutually beneficial and focus on long-term results.

Excellence - We define excellence as doing your very best and being the very best. It represents the relentless pursuit of continuous improvement in everything we do.

Safety - There is no single action worth doing if done in an unsafe manner. Safety is the foundation from which to build productivity, quality, recovery and cost containment. Our employees are expected to "Always Be Careful."

They must understand the safety fundamentals of their jobs and their worksites, be on the look-out for those around them, and assume individual responsibility to communicate safety concerns and develop actions to make the workplace safer.