In Tangent, Oregon, the difference isn’t dramatic at first glance. But inside the remanufacturing plant owned by Eagle Forest Products, output has quietly doubled in two years. The change didn’t come from chasing volume for volume’s sake. It came from tightening flow, upgrading key machinery, installing the right leadership—and refusing to compete with the very pallet companies the firm supplies.
This disciplined approach defines Eagle Forest Products today.
From its headquarters in Eagle, Idaho, the company operates a national network that blends manufacturing, trading, distribution and import programs. Eagle manufactures in Tangent and Roseburg, Oregon; Osceola, Iowa; and Piedmont, Alabama. It operates a distribution and trading yard in Montgomery, Texas, along with a small East Coast trading office.
Eagle’s model is diversified by design. Roughly 40–45% of total sales are Southern Pine. The balance is primarily Western species—Hem-Fir and Douglas Fir—either manufactured internally or distributed through trading relationships. About half of Eagle’s volume moves through wholesale or direct-ship channels. The remainder comes from its own remanufacturing facilities. Altogether, Eagle moves close to 10 million board feet per month.
“We do what we say we’re going to do,” CEO Brad Bower said. “Simple as that.”
Tangent: Doubling Output Without Doubling Headcount
Eagle closed on the Tangent facility in January 2023. At the time, the plant was producing approximately 35,000 to 40,000 board feet per day of finished product. Today, it regularly runs between 80,000 and 85,000 board feet per day—with essentially the same number of employees.
The first move wasn’t adding machines. “The very first thing we did when we bought that plant was we put new leadership in it,” Bower explained. “That was the most important thing.”
The plant manager installed by Eagle had previously built and run a remanufacturing operation in Cordele, Georgia, capable of producing half a million board feet per day of dimension and studs. Just as important, Brad describes him as “a super good people guy.”
That emphasis shows up in turnover numbers. Attendance stabilized. Retention improved. Production consistency followed.
Cary Holaday, who has worked alongside Brad Bower for decades, described the early strategy succinctly: “We went in, cleaned it up really well, and improved the flow.”
This approach meant rebuilding the yard layout, extending infeed capacity ahead of the resaw to increase staging, upgrading rolling stock, tuning existing machinery and reworking the waste system.
In Western Oregon, residual markets have been tight since the closure of a major particleboard facility. Tangent now generates roughly a load to a load and a half of sawdust and hog fuel per day – and must pay to have it hauled away. To prevent waste handling from becoming a bottleneck, Eagle modified the system and added a high-pressure blower.
None of these moves were headline-grabbing. But together they unlocked capacity that was already sitting on the floor.
compared to a traditional single-arbor resaw.
AIT Machinery Adds Throughput and Stability
Targeted equipment upgrades played a key role in the Tangent transformation. Eagle installed an HY400 double arbor resaw and a TS300 automatic stacker from Automated Industrial Technologies (AIT).
Brad first saw the equipment operating at another pallet facility and was impressed by the performance. “AIT’s double arbor resaw is a significantly better machine,” Brad said. “Less downtime. Very consistent.”
Previously, Eagle had run traditional single-arbor resaws. The HY400’s twin-arbor configuration delivers smoother cuts and improved durability. Positioned ahead of the TS300 stacker, the line now runs with greater efficiency and reduced handling friction.
Tangent’s board line starts with lumber feeding through an unscrambler to a precision trim saw that cuts boards to 40 inches. Then material moves through the HY400 resaw. A grader and puller remove off-grade pieces. Then utility and better boards flow directly into the TS300 stacker, and low-grade boards are pulled aside for alternative markets.
The plant also operates a stringer line feeding a notcher for 48-inch components, along with a Stetson-Ross planer that converts wider material into 2×4 and 2×6 products.
Eagle buys kiln-dried low-grade lumber from western mills and remanufactures it. The company does not operate head rigs and does not heat treat. It remains strictly a remanufacturer.
The AIT equipment was installed with guidance from the manufacturer, and according to Brad, support has been responsive when needed. “They’ve been great,” he said.
Expanding Beyond Basic Cut Stock
Tangent once focused almost entirely on cut stock. That is no longer the case. Eagle now pulls studs for the truss industry, including short studs in three-, four- and five-foot lengths. The plant added certified graders to support that program—requiring additional training and oversight.
The company also installed a custom-built rip-and-chop line for grooved 2×3 and 2×4 material used in the sawmill and plastic pipe sectors. That line incorporates a Dale rip saw along with Go Fast and Oliver chop saws.
The strategy is to capture more value from incoming lumber rather than simply push everything through the same pallet-grade channel. “We’re pulling more products there than we used to,” Brad noted.
Cut Stock: Volume with Consistency
For pallet manufacturers, Eagle’s primary offering remains cut stock. At Tangent alone, the plant can produce up to five truckloads per day of GMA-size cut stock. The company’s sweet spot is the 2x4x48 notched stringer.
Roseburg complements that production with custom sizing capability.
John Carlson, who has been with Eagle for 15 years, described the company’s Western presence this way: “Our footprint in the West for pallet cut stock is solid. We’ve had it for 15 years. We’ve got some great relationships.”
Consistency is a major selling point. “The product that we come up with is the same every time,” said Scott Bower, who is in sales and purchasing for the company. “If you don’t like our first load, you’re not going to like the rest because they’re going to be the same.”
In a market where variability causes downtime at pallet plants, predictability carries weight. Eagle also makes a point of not competing with its customers. The company does not manufacture pallets. “You do not want to be a competitor with our customers,” Scott stated.
People Drive the Model
Throughout discussions about machinery and markets, Eagle’s leadership kept returning to one major theme: people.
“This whole business is all about people,” Holaday said. That includes traders, plant managers, graders and floor employees. Tangent implemented small but meaningful attendance bonuses tied to consistent show-up performance. According to management, those incentives have reduced absenteeism and improved daily staffing reliability.
From a sales standpoint, stable production makes a difference. “It’s very reassuring,” Scott explained. “You can count on the facility you’re selling wood from.”
Eagle also maintains a flexible culture, particularly on the trading side. There is no rigid corporate playbook governing every detail. Traders are expected to know their customers and manage commitments responsibly.
“We like lumber traders better than machines,” Brad joked. Behind the humor is a clear belief: relationships and accountability create staying power.
Reinvention After 2008
Eagle’s current model grew out of necessity. Before launching Eagle Forest Products, Bower and his partners operated U.S. Timber, a multi-mill dimension lumber company producing 12 to 15 railcars per day. When the 2008 housing collapse dismantled that business model, they liquidated assets and reassessed.
“We changed the model to industrial lumber,” Brad commented. “And we have flourished.”
That pivot away from heavy exposure to housing starts positioned Eagle to serve industrial and pallet markets with greater resilience. Still, Brad sees headwinds ahead. With housing starts sluggish and Canadian production sharply reduced over the past several years, low-grade lumber supply is tightening. Duties on Canadian softwood further complicate availability.
“We’re seeing pressure already this year on low-grade lumber,” Brad noted. “It’s going to drive up cut stock prices.” For pallet manufacturers dependent on consistent softwood supply, that pressure bears watching.
Looking Ahead
Eagle is exploring expansion into the South Atlantic region with a model similar to its Texas operation – combining distribution, sales and some manufacturing.
The search begins with finding the right personnel. Brad admitted, “We’re looking for the right people first; everything we will do will spring from that.”
At Tangent, the blueprint is clear: improve flow, invest selectively in proven equipment, expand product mix and stabilize the workforce. The result has been nearly doubling daily output while improving consistency and broadening capability.
