The results are in, and it’s clear that 1997 was a very good year for the members of the WOOD 100. The companies in this report racked up sales of more than $826 million and grew by an average of 31.9 percent – the highest average growth in five years and tied with 1991 for the second highest growth in the nine years of the WOOD 100. The early returns for 1998 also look good, as 78 percent are forecasting double-digit growth. One might think that things couldn’t possibly get better for these companies, but 40 percent of them are predicting their “best year ever” in 1999 with an additional 50 percent predicting a “good” 1999.

The WOOD 100 was established by Wood & Wood Products in 1990 to recognize the achievements of fast-growing wood products manufacturers. The WOOD 100 slogan, “Not the Biggest, the Best” was coined to encourage the participation of small custom woodworking shops as well as high-production woodworking companies.