Today’s guest is Larry Smith from L&K Hardwoods! Larry is part of our iDRY Conversations series where we interview iDRY customers and talk with them about their stories and business.
Larry has spent the last few years building what he intends to be a woodworkers mecca on the property he has purchased for his business, complete with a showroom for local woodworkers and artisans.
A Love of the Lumber Industry and History
When Larry got out of the military he took a year reacclimating to civilian life before working in the car business for about 13 years. He then took an interest in the pallet industry after a suggestion from a friend.
While selling pallets he was driving all over his state and forging a lot of relationships with sawmills and woodworkers from who he sourced materials. It didn’t take long for him to fall in love with the milling business as a whole and sure enough, he decided the lumber industry was the right one for him too.
He forged a partnership and they started out using a handmade kiln, but because of power limitations, it was taking six to eight months to dry wood. Larry recalls that once the wood was dry it would only take about a month for it to all be sold out so the slow drying process was certainly causing a bottleneck.
Investing in the Dream
Larry bought a Timber King 6000, the biggest machine that the company makes. The sawmill company is based in Kansas City and with Larry’s strong commitment to supporting local business, he couldn’t think of anyone else he would want to buy his first mill from.
In terms of his biggest successes, Larry says his overall biggest success is his family, but for business, it was getting his dream piece of land to open his shop and build his investments on.
L&K Hardwoods is on the national historic registry, the very first sawmill in Jackson Country Missouri was built in 1834 on the land. People would come from as far as New Orleans to buy flour and grain and supplies. The mill was 60 feet high and all built out of locally sourced black walnut gathered from the wooded area around where it would eventually stand.
The mill itself operated until the civil war. It was then used as a battlefield hospital. After the civil war, the mill reopened but then closed its doors permanently in 1878. The mill then sat in ruins until 1923 when it was finally torn down.
Larry says that he feels very blessed to have the land and to have been able to put a sawmill back on it.
“It’s great to be able to do what you love and love what you do.”
Promoting Community and Supporting Local Business
Larry strongly believes in supporting the local woodworking community. When he was constructing the building his iDRY is stored in, he even built a whole upstairs area that will eventually act as a showroom for all of his customers and other local woodworkers.
Larry has a lot of incredible role models like his grandfather, his father, and his father in law. He says hard work and the drive to keep innovating is in his DNA. Listening to Larry talk about his land and his passion for this industry, it’s easy to see how true that is. His work is an extension of him and who he is, and that’s why he puts his heart into it.
L&K Hardwoods truly does have a focus on the local economy as well. The business offers a wide variety of locally sourced hardwoods, everything from ash to walnut, sugar maple, and even green leaf maple. Larry is also proud to offer sawmill services, custom milling services, tree to table programs, and vacuum kiln drying. Due to his great relationships with other wood entrepreneurs, Larry also has a connection to get sustainable exotic wood species as well.
Time For a Kiln Upgrade: iDRY
Larry knew that he needed the kiln when his partnership with the gentleman he shared the handmade kiln with dissolved. Larry notes that when he was using the handmade kiln there was always a lot of waste product, sometimes as much as 20-25% which was something he hoped to avoid in addition to faster drying times.
It took a lot of research but ultimately L&K decided that the iDRY was the only way to go. Staying true to his convictions Larry wanted to purchase a kiln that was American-made, efficient, and had a good team behind it. iDRY was a clear winner as every piece of the kiln is made in the united states with local products whenever possible.
Another big point for Larry was the exceptional customer service. From Larry’s interactions with iDRY, he knew three crucial things – the product looked good, they stood behind the product and if they didn’t have an answer for him immediately, they went to the person who had the answer.
As L&K hardwoods is also a very customer service focused company, having that from iDRY was immediately a good sign. 
Kiln Impacts So Far
Larry has already seen an impact since having the kiln even though they have only done three loads of drying. Through word of mouth alone L&K has been able to start drying wood for others. With the kiln on board, the sky is the limit.
Every penny L&K Hardwoods has made is reinvested back into the company and Larry has a formidable drive for constantly innovating, building a growing his business. He plans on adding more equipment as time and money allow and he expects that the iDRY will not only help generate revenue but also improve the credibility of his business.
Larry notes that people can tell he is serious and invested in his business because of the quality of the kiln and the equipment cost. L&K’s kiln cost more than Larry’s first house, so the kiln really shows that L&K is competing at a high level. Larry says it’s already given him an advantage when bidding for bigger jobs because the customer knows on-site that the quality will be to the level expected.
For more from L&K Hardwoods check them out here:
L&K Hardwoods
@L&KHardwoods