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Hammer And A Nail

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Parent Issue
Day
20
Month
March
Year
1991
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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HAMMER AND A NAIL

Lumber business a family tradition for 60-year-old Fingerle operation

By CHRIS RODE

NEWS SPECIAL WRITER

For the Fingerles, keeping business in the family is a tradition.

“That’s part of our philosophy,” says John Fingerle, the fifth family member to serve as president of Fingerle Lumber Co. “It feels wonderful to be in charge of a company when it’s well-staffed and heading in the right direction, not when it’s coming apart.”

John Fingerle was elected president this month, replacing his father, Brian, who had been president since 1980. Other Fingerles active in the business are John’s brother, Mark, one of three vice presidents, and their cousin, Larry, the company’s secretary-treasurer.

Started in 1931 by Earle Fingerle, the business has grown into one of the country’s largest retailers and distributors of building materials in a single location.

“We’re not going to be having some overnight change here just because the torch has been passed,” says John Fingerle. “We’re just looking for steady, even growth.”

Bordered by South Fifth Avenue, East Madison and Hill streets, Fingerle Lumber sits on about 10 acres of land where several warehouses, storage yards and three sales offices are located.

Contractors make up about 50 percent of business, 35 percent comes from do-it-yourself customers, and 15 percent is wholesale business, a good share of that being to other lumber dealers.

Fingerle Lumber is privately held and does not disclose annual sales. John Fingerle describes last year’s business as flat but sees indications that business will be picking up, given lower interest rates, an end to the Persian Gulf War and the arrival of warmer weather.

He says the company is seeing more construction blueprints so far this year from people planning to build a homes. The blueprints — submitted by individuals and contractors seeking prices on materials — don’t represent orders, but do offer an indication of future building activity.

“It seems when business is lousy nationally, it’s still pretty good in Ann Arbor,” Fingerle says. “The local universities provide stable employment for the area, which normally means a demand for housing. This community is a good place to be, because it’s economically very vibrant and doesn’t depend exclusively on the automobile industry.”

Doorknobs, windows and floors can be found at Fingerle, along with everything you need to build your own home. Offering an unusual variety of forest products and lumber items, Fingerle has a selection not normally found under one roof.

One of its best-kept secrets is the mill yard, where seven full-time mill men can duplicate intricate moldings and doors from Victorian houses to modern spiral staircases, church pews and railings.

Orders come from several hundred contractors all over the state, while wholesale accounts reach Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia and Canada.

NEWS PHOTO • |OHN HEIDER

Fingerle Lumber Co. President John Fingerle says the Ann Arbor lumber market stacks up with the best.