Our History
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The Friend family has been involved in the timber/lumber industry since the 1930's. John Friend began his career cutting and hauling timber to local saw mills. He and his wife Zelma ("Candy") eventually started their own sawmill, which they soon expanded with a planer and began building windows. They increased their product lines as needed for local builders.
First Generation
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John and Candy's sons, James and David, helped out during their school years. James stayed in the business, and he and his wife Audrey purchased it in 1963, changing the name from J.D. Friend Lumber Company to J.L. Friend Lumber Company. James and Audrey continued expanding the business throughout the years and relocated it to its present location at the junction of Highways 63 and 32 in Licking.
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James and Audrey's son Brian and his wife Linda purchased the company in 1994. James and Audrey's daughter Beth and her husband Bill also work at Friend Lumber Company, as the business has come to be known. The fourth generation of the Friend family is coming into the business as well.
Second Generation
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Third Generation
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