It’s remarkable for any company in the lumber industry to have run a profitable business for over 90 years, but Matheus Lumber has and we’ve continued to expand by upholding the basics of providing great customer service and competitive pricing.
Our history and consistent dedication to providing the right materials at the right time, has made us Washington's number one supplier of forest products and allowed us to expand to supplying quality products nationwide and throughout the world. Our experienced team has earned the trust of our customers through hundreds of different projects including residential homes, roads, bridges, commercial buildings, multifamily buildings, schools, marinas, and more.
Early Years
In 1932, William (Bill) Matheus founded the company in Seattle, WA. A decade later, Matheus Lumber furnished the bulk of the lumber for the Bailey Bridge Program, an important component in WWII.
In the early 1960s, Matheus Lumber supplied materials to seven of the main structures at the Seattle World’s Fair, and the second generation of the Matheus family took the reins and incorporated Matheus Lumber Company. By the end of the decade, Matheus Lumber was a key participant in the construction of the Alaska Pipeline project, including providing materials for the toll road to Prudhoe Bay in 1970.
In addition, during the 1970s we supplied materials for the Kingdome, which included all the form board, timbers, lagging, and lumber.
The Powell family became the third generation of owners in 1985, after Gary Powell and some fellow employees acquired the company.
In 1986 the company established its first large distribution yard in Tacoma, and then consolidated, moving all its operations to Woodinville in 1993.
By the end of the 1990s, Matheus Lumber would also supply materials for Safeco Field (recently renamed T-Mobile Park), which would replace the Kingdome as Washington State’s MLB park.
National Expansion
The 2000s began with the construction of the Seahawks Stadium (renamed multiple times and also known as Qwest Field, CenturyLink Field, and most recently Lumen field), which was built on the site previously occupied by the Kingdome.
In 2002 Matheus Lumber opened an Ellensburg, WA branch and distribution facility which expanded the company’s presence in central and eastern Washington. Among its many clients were builders constructing custom homes for the Suncadia project in Cle Elum, WA. In the same year the Vancouver branch office was opened and supported multiple markets, including clients in the Portland, Oregon and Northern California.
Another office was established in Post Falls, Idaho, and later in 2008 the San Marcos Texas branch was opened. Expansion continued through the end of the 2000s and into the last decade with new offices in Phoenix, Arizona and Mobile, Alabama.
More Recent Events
While we expanded regionally, the 2010s started off with many projects including some unique ones that were designed with environmentally sustainable challenges in mind, such as the Bertschi School’s Living Science Wing and the Bullitt Center, both of which we supplied with the required FSC certified regionally sourced wood.
Additionally, we supplied infrastructure projects including Seattle Tunnel Partners with products needed in the construction of the State Route 99 Tunnel (the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel), and the 520-highway bridge expansion project which replaced the original Evergreen Point Floating Bridge.
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