WICHITA — Hayes Holdings has formed a new company, SourceWood Partners, a lumber brokerage that’s similar to what the company was when it started as Hayes Forest Products in 1979.
“When my dad first started off on his own, that’s what he and I started as,” Steve Hayes says. “So we’re kind of going back to our roots a little bit, which is really pretty cool.”
Hayes Forest Products, which eventually had two retail lumber sites and a manufacturing site, thrived for more than a decade. In 1988, Hayes says, “We decided that there was more opportunity in the manufacturing of products than there was just in the lumber business.”
It took a few years to phase out of the lumber business. Then, the company concentrated on making lawn and garden decor products.
The company sold that division in 2008.
The lumber business started looking attractive again.
“Now’s just an opportune time to come back in,” Hayes says.
“You have customers who are looking for raw material, and you have mills that are selling production.” His company will bring the two together.