Wood Mode LLC celebrates three year anniversary with look to future

Marcia Moore, The Daily Item, Sunbury, Pa.
·2 min read

Sep. 2—KREAMER — Wood-Mode LLC owner Bill French continues to invest in the three-year-old company with the addition of solar power, building and factory improvements, new cabinet styles and equipment.

On Thursday, a catered lunch was held for the 550 employees at Kreamer Recreational Field behind the plant to celebrate the company's third anniversary.

"The people do a great job and this is an opportunity for them to get together," said French who chatted with state Rep. David Rowe at the event.

French "is investing in the employees like he is in the community," Rowe said.

It's paying off, said Gary Courtright, a Wood-Mode LLC representative from California who joined the 11 other national representatives at the celebratory luncheon.

"It's a very strong company," said Courtright who was a dealer for the prior company, Wood-Mode Inc., until it abruptly closed in May 2009 while under different ownership after seven decades.

He credits French, who purchased the assets of the failed company in August 2019, as well as his management team and employees, with the rapid success of Wood-Mode LLC and embarking "on a lot of innovative things."

Among them is a 2.5 megawatt solar field that will be installed this year on 16 acres off Route 522 near the plant and a proposal for a 3 megawatt rooftop solar system.

"We'll be breaking ground in November and it should be in use by April," said general manager Rod Hunter.

The energy produced will provide enough electricity to serve one of the company's buildings, he said.

If the rooftop solar array is approved by PPL Corp., Hunter said, the two systems combined would serve about 75 percent of the company's electricity needs.

Manufacturing manager Robert Gessner said "significant investment" has been put into the improvements, which include the addition of about a dozen new machines, an updated website and ordering systems and plans for a new entranceway and new building roofs.

The company is also rolling out new products, including three new cabinet door styles and finishes.

"We are building for the future," said Gessner.

"We're done looking back," added Hunter.