Today on the podcast we are so excited to welcome Daniel Levin from GL Veneer. At its core, GL Veneer is a plywood manufacturing company. They got their start in 1977 when Daniel’s grandpa started the company, originally he was making cut to size furniture components for the furniture markets that were big in LA at that time.
A short time later Daniel’s dad joined the family business and spent a few decades servicing the plywood markets. Fast forward another 10 years or so and Daniel’s dad fell in love with California walnut. Not too long after that he turned his eyes towards the live edge product line.
The Shift From Plywood to Live Edge
Steve notes that as the company that has existed since the 70’s they must have been exceptional with adapting. Steve wonders if the shift to live edge was a gut feeling or if they noticed the trend moving that way early on.
Daniel recalls that the market for slabs in the early 2000s was a lot smaller, more of a niche product line at that time. However it wasn’t fully instinct or trends that called for the move toward live-edge furniture for the company. At that time, Daniel wasn’t part of the company yet and his grandfather had recently passed away, so Daniel’s dad went back to his roots. He used to make live edge tables when he was younger back in the 60’s and 70’s and he loved celebrating the rustic and natural characteristics of trees as opposed to plywood and veneer which celebrates perfection.
It was a perfect marriage of ideas though. The live edge slabs are the complete opposite side of the spectrum in terms of grade to the veneer and plywood. It’s nice to be able to offer the full spectrum of products from rustic and full of character to polished perfection.
Three Generations of Excellence
It was about eight years ago that Daniel became the third generation to join the business. He was teaching in China with his now wife and had a calling to go home and work with his dad.
The original plan was to stay for a year or two, but now almost a decade later Daniel says he hasn’t looked back.
“[I] haven’t looked back, and I feel like I haven’t worked a day really since I’ve started. I just love it.”
Steve and Daniel talk about their processes and a bit about the relationships that keep GL Veneer competitive. Daniel says his strongest relationships are with millworkers and distributors.
Calling back to the nature of the multi-generational business, Daniel talks a bit about his dad traveling up and down the Central Valley of California, where the biggest and most beautiful walnut trees are. Daniel’s dad loved (and still does!) to hop in the car and visit the farms and the network of suppliers that live up there.
They are fortunate to have boots on the ground, and if those partners hear of an orchard coming out or a tree that is being taken down, GL Veneer is usually a first call.
Daniel describes it as always being ready for the call to action.
Social Media Strategy
Steve and Daniel talk about the power of social media, and what exposure can do. Besides the ability to build relationships with customers and collaborators and exposure to a whole new audience, the ability to brand and scale through those platforms is incredible.
GL Veneer see’s a lot of traffic through Instagram and YouTube as well as the website. Daniel and Steve also talk about the content marketing approach that the company takes.
After some discussion about industry relationships and equipment the two dive into an in depth conversation about marketing and the many different offerings that GL Veneer is capable of. As Daniel says, it’s a little overwhelming at times and there’s never a shortage of work to be done and things to worry about, but it’s rewarding seeing the business grow and move forward.
The Secret to Website Creation
For the Marketing Advice portion of the podcast, Daniel asks for Steve’s advice on SEO, Google Analytics and the website.
Steve tells Daniel about the wonders of the Facebook Pixel and the importance of social listening, understanding your audience and knowing how to communicate with them. He also suggests a monthly contact option or content creation strategy where Daniel tells a different story of the history of the family and business.
Steve also offers some advice on how to make the google algorithm more favorable to the website and how to generate more organic traffic.
To see more from GL Veneer check out their social media below!
Website: glveneer.com
Instagram: @gl_veneer
Thank you UNEEDA (https://www.sandpaper.com/) for sponsoring this episode of The Woodpreneur Podcast.