The Story Behind Excelsior: Built by Family. Driven by Craftsmanship.

There was no business plan tucked inside a desk drawer. No group of investors waiting in the wings. No carefully rehearsed origin story. There was simply a man who needed a job. "Excelsior Wood Products started because I needed a job," Ron says.

It's not the kind of answer most companies put at the center of their story. It's practical, direct and unpolished. It's also exactly the kind of answer that explains Excelsior.

Ron grew up around a generational family farming business, but there wasn't much opportunity to move forward within it. A later position with a Canadian company didn't seem to offer much of a future either. So he did what people from farming families often do when the path ahead isn't clear.

He found another way.

Excelsior Wood Products began out of necessity, but it grew through persistence, skill and a willingness to keep learning. Over time, the company evolved from a wood machining operation into a trusted resource for architects, builders, contractors and designers looking for more than a standard product.

Today, the work is international. The knowledge has been built over decades. The company is still guided by many of the same instincts that shaped its earliest years: work hard, pay attention, treat people fairly and do the job right.

A Business Built Through the Work
 

Ron doesn't measure Excelsior's growth only in equipment, employees or square footage. He sees it in the role the company now plays for the people who rely on it.

"We have moved from being a simple wood machinist into a valuable resource and an internationally known brand," he says.

That distinction matters.

Customers may first contact Excelsior because they need siding, decking, flooring or a custom-milled wood product. What they often find is a team ready to talk through the entire project, from species selection and performance considerations to dimensions, applications and finishing details.

Excelsior doesn't expect every person who calls to speak the language of lumber.

"They don't need to know all things wood," Casey says. "They can use us as a resource to offer guidance and direction on their wood projects."

Behind that guidance is the kind of expertise that's hard to package into a brochure. It's been built through years spent handling materials, solving production challenges, learning how different species behave and understanding how the smallest details can affect the finished result.

That knowledge is part of what Excelsior sells, even when it doesn't show up as a line item on an invoice.

Family on the Shop Floor

The story of Excelsior is also a family story.

Several of Ron's children have grown up around the company and now work within it. They've learned technical skills, but they've also learned how to communicate with customers, solve problems and take responsibility for the quality of their work.

For Ron, that opportunity is one of the business's greatest accomplishments.

"I've been able to allow not only myself but some of our children who work here to gain valuable skills that will follow them throughout life and serve them well," he says.

The work gives the family more than an income. It gives them shared experiences, common goals and the chance to spend time together in a way many families don't.

"It keeps us all close," Ron says.

That closeness can be felt throughout the business.

Casey works alongside her bonus daughters, Hannah and Rachel, and her son-in-law, William. She talks about each of them with the pride of someone who sees not only what they accomplish, but how they show up each day.
 

"They each add so much value to Excelsior with their work ethic, positive attitude and huge hearts," she says.

There's warmth in the way the family talks about one another, but there's also respect. Everyone has a role. Everyone contributes. The company's family culture isn't based on sentiment alone. It's built through the daily work of keeping a business moving.

It Started With a Box

Casey's own path to Excelsior began through a custom packaging project.

At the time, she was working as a packaging specialist and had been assigned to create a box for the company. It was a professional introduction, but it became the start of a friendship that lasted for years.

"We became fast friends," Casey says, "and when life presented an opportunity to become more, we did."

The two have now been married for more than three years. They also work together, make decisions together and help guide Excelsior's future together.

To understand the company, Casey says, you first have to understand Ron.

"He is the heart, soul and backbone of the company," she says.

She describes a man whose personal character has shaped the culture of the business. His values show up in the people Excelsior hires, the standards applied to its work and the way customers are treated.

"He has a strong moral compass and work ethic in both his personal and professional life, and that filters down to Excelsior in every way," Casey says.

Her description is deeply personal, but it also reveals something important about a founder-led family business. The company's identity isn't separate from the person who built it. His decisions, habits and beliefs have become part of its foundation.

For Casey, working alongside him is both a professional role and a meaningful part of their life together.

"It's an honor and a privilege to be on his team, both at Excelsior Wood and as his wife," she says.

A Partnership Behind the Scenes

Working with a spouse can blur the line between the business day and everything that comes after it. Decisions made at the shop don't always stay at the shop. Unexpected problems don't wait for business hours.

Ron and Casey have learned to navigate those moments as a team.

For Ron, Casey brings a sense of calm.

"I enjoy the peace that Casey brings me," he says. "I enjoy the comfort of having Casey as a partner to work out solutions with."

Casey talks about their working relationship in similar terms. She treasures the time they spend together, even when the day's busy.

"He always makes me laugh," she says. "He always brings me peace just being close by."

Their partnership isn't limited to company strategy, customer needs or production challenges.

Sometimes teamwork means dealing with a very different kind of late-night emergency, like rounding up horses that have broken through a fence.

Whether the problem's happening at the shop or in a pasture at midnight, the approach is much the same.

"We work together," Casey says, "and very well, I might add."

It's an understated description of the partnership behind Excelsior. They bring different strengths, but share the same instinct to face the problem together and keep moving forward.

Sustainability Before It Became a Selling Point

Ron's understanding of sustainability didn't begin with an industry certification or a corporate initiative. It began on the farm.

"Everything I learned about sustainability, I learned as a farmer," he says.

Farming teaches people to think in cycles. It teaches them that resources aren't endless, that waste has consequences and that decisions made today can affect what's left tomorrow.

Those lessons followed Ron into the wood industry.

At Excelsior, sustainability is considered across sourcing, packaging, logistics, energy use and production. It's not treated as a single project with a beginning and an end. It's an ongoing effort to make better choices as better options become available.

For Ron and Casey, that responsibility is both practical and personal. It's tied to their respect for natural materials, their farming background and their belief that people should take care of what's been entrusted to them.

What Customers Feel

When Ron and Casey talk about the customer experience, they don't start with turnaround times, product specifications or sales language.

They start with how people should feel.

"Bloodlines don't always define family," Casey says. "We want all of our customers to feel like they are family: valued, appreciated, respected and that we have their best interest at heart."

That philosophy shapes the conversations that happen before a board is milled or an order is placed.
It means listening closely. It means being honest when a material isn't the right choice. It means helping someone understand the options instead of expecting them to arrive with every detail already decided.

The goal isn't simply to complete a transaction. It's to become a resource people trust enough to call again.

That kind of trust gets built slowly. It comes from knowledge, consistency and the feeling that the person on the other end of the conversation is paying attention.

The Next Chapter

Excelsior's next chapter is already taking shape, though Ron and Casey are still figuring out exactly what it'll become.

Casey sees opportunity in the combination of their experience, skills and perspectives.
"With our combined skill sets and talents, we are taking Excelsior Wood Products to a whole new level," she says.

Some of that future is visible in the company's expanding capabilities, growing industry recognition and deeper role as a technical resource. Some of it's still taking shape behind the scenes.

That uncertainty doesn't make the future feel unclear. It makes it feel open.

For a company that began because one person needed to create his own opportunity, that feels fitting.
Excelsior wasn't built from a perfect plan. It was built from work, resourcefulness and the belief that something meaningful could be created one project at a time.

Today, it's sustained by family, sharpened by craftsmanship and strengthened by a husband-and-wife team that genuinely enjoys building the next chapter together.

When Ron's asked what excites him about the future, he adds one detail that has little to do with growth plans or production goals.

"Holding Casey's hand every day at the shop also excites me."

That may be the clearest picture of Excelsior behind the scenes.

The equipment's running. The projects are moving. A family's working side by side. Somewhere in the middle of it all, Ron and Casey are still holding hands.