About Heppner Hardwoods - continued

Then in June of 1991, a fatal blow was leveled that could have easily shattered the company. At that time, Barry was diagnosed with a brain tumor and told he had a short time to live. Just two months later, this otherwise healthy 47 year-old former marathon runner, died leaving behind his wife, Lorraine and three sons.

In spite of losing her husband and becoming a single mother virtually overnight, Lorraine Heppner chose to keep Barry’s vision for Heppner Hardwoods alive. The learning curve was steep for Lorraine, a fashion designer by training, but through her tenacious determination and with the support of Heppner staff, she gained the knowledge needed to manage and direct company operations.

The slowing economy of the 90’s brought new and more difficult challenges. Lorraine took incisive steps and pared the company down to a dedicated crew of 20 employees. Heppner clients continued to be very well served throughout this time and those loyal customers became bedrock for the future. During the next few years, Lorraine began to infuse the company with renewed pride to grow the company through hiring additional staff.

Heppner Hardwoods weathered the rough times of the 1990’s and gained a lot of momentum. It was in 1999 that Brent Heppner, then age 26, joined the company management team and the second generation of Heppner Hardwoods began to be realized. Brent quickly became a driving force at the company, known for fostering relationships with suppliers and sourcing even the hardest to find lumber species.

Today, with nearly 60 employees on site, the company enjoys a solid reputation and is known for its integrity, impeccable follow through and attention to detail. Lorraine and her energetic core team remain committed to providing the best possible design solutions and supplying the highest quality lumber products. As a company, Heppner Hardwoods remains passionate about the original vision of meeting customer's needs through quality products and responsive service.