Why Specialty Wood Products Matter to Us

Notice I said specialty. If it were that easy, I’d change our name to Ghent Specialty Wood Products.

Because we’re not talking about 2×4 framing lumber and plywood here. We’re talking about the materials that make you stop and look twice — the cool stuff 😎

In 1946, my great-grandfather, Emil Meltz Sr., started sawing lumber with a sawmill powered by a car engine. It wasn’t fancy, but it worked — and more importantly, it set the tone for everything that followed.

**Emil Meltz SR 1971 in a magazine after purchasing a new Mor-Pac Sawmill**

From the beginning, the goal was simple: to create specialty lumber you couldn’t just find anywhere else.

The industry has changed. Tools have changed. Markets have changed. But that original goal never has. We’ve always been drawn to materials with character — wood that stands out on its own.

That’s why specialty products matter to us.

The best part of our day is when someone walks into the showroom, sees the range of what we carry, and simply says, “Wow.”

**Ghent wood products showroom, Completed in 2024**

That reaction tells us we’re doing what we set out to do. Not chasing trends. Not focusing on brand names. Just offering materials that feel different because they are different.

Big brand names don’t matter much to us. Long-standing, personal relationships do. That’s how this business started, and it’s how we prefer to keep it — working with people who appreciate the details and care about what they’re building.

To me, a specialty wood product comes down to two things. First and foremost is quality. Whether it’s a green piece of pine or a piece of prime black walnut, it must meet a standard we’re proud of.

Second, it’s not the kind of material you usually find sitting on the shelf at a local lumberyard, where you’re picking from whatever happens to be there.

If you’re working on something that matters to you, come see what we’ve got. You might find exactly what you’re looking for.