March 10, 2018
Family Owned and Operated in Ontario: Our Story
Located East of Tillsonburg, Ontario in Norfolk County, Townsend Lumber Inc. has been a local, family run business since 1959. Started by current owner Laura Townsend’s grandfather Robert 59 years ago; the BreezeWood Floors division was started in 1999 and has grown to three locations with the other sawmills and showrooms in New Dundee (Kitchener) and Bass Lake (Orillia), Ontario.
Photo credit: https://online.flippingbook.com/view/458959/
Laura and Mike Penner took over the business in January 2017 and haven’t looked back! Laura started (officially) in 2010 overseeing staffing, finance, marketing and the tech needs of the Townsend companies, while Mike has been focusing on operations since 2013. With Mike’s background as a general contractor superintendent and Laura’s chartered accountant degree, our owners perfectly compliment each other as they run the business from our Tillsonburg location.
As one of the largest employers in the area we have over 150 employees and produce more than 24 million board feet of lumber per year. Our products have an extremely low carbon footprint because they are sourced, manufactured and finished locally. We work directly with local land and wood lot owners, sustainably sourcing our species, giving directly back to our community.
BreezeWood products are all sourced, manufactured and finished in-house giving us complete control over the quality of our products. In addition to delivering a superior product we are certified by the Forest Steward Council and the Rainforest Alliance. By-products from our mills are used for deck and stall materials, trim, mouldings, mulch, woodchips, wood shavings and sawdust, leaving no waste at the end of the production line.
Being part of the communities we operate in is important to us. We value family, small business, community and sustainable practices that directly benefit those living in our province.
If you have any questions about any of our solid wood or engineered hardwood flooring products, stop by one of our showrooms and say hello! We’d love to see you!
Tillsonburg – 1300 Jackson Side Road, Tillsonburg
Kitchener – 1580 Huron Road, New Dundee
Bass Lake – 4071 Digby Road/ Drive, Prices Corner, Orillia