Oakley Mullican started in the pallet and lumber business five years ago and had worked his way up from basic laborer to sales. He is sales director for Simcoe Wood Products in Cullman City, Alabama. In addition to producing pallets, Simcoe also sells cut stock, crossties, dunnage, mulch and more.
PALLET ENTERPRISE: You have worked with Simcoe WP for a while. Tell me your story of how you got into the forest products industry.
Oakley Mullican: I started at Simcoe Wood Products in 2020 as a laborer, initially planning to gain experience and save money for school. As I learned more about the pallet industry and its global impact, I became fascinated with the intricacies of our operations and realized that this is where I belong.
PALLET ENTERPRISE: It seems like you have had a bunch of mentors in the business. What are some of the best pieces of advice that you have received about the pallet and lumber industries? Who have been some of your mentors along the way?
Oakley Mullican: The best piece of advice I have received is to always stick to what you are good at. In the ever fluctuating lumber market, it is easy to fall into the trends of what is working for people right now, but if you stick to your strengths and ride out the lows it is much easier to enjoy the highs. The founder of Simcoe Wood Products, Bill Pruett, has always been a wealth of knowledge and given some great advice that he has picked up over his almost 40 years in the pallet business. Henry Bowman, Frank Janek, Tim Sibley, Craig Stanton, and Keith Reinstsitle have also all been a great help to me!
PALLET ENTERPRISE: Put your sales hat on. Simcoe WP produces pallets, lumber and crosstie material. Describe your operations, capabilities, any company expertise or why you tell potential customers that they should work with your company? What species and cuts of lumber do you offer in terms of cut stock?
Oakley Mullican: One thing that always stands out about SWP is that we are fully self-sufficient in our operations. We are equipped with logging crews, two sawmills, three main sawlines for cut stock lumber, kilns, panel saws, custom pallets built by hand or machine, and a fleet of trucks. We cut mixed hardwoods and Southern Yellow Pine, as well as particleboard, plywood, and OSB. We also recycle 100% of wood waste that we produce, as well as any wood waste that our customers accumulate.
PALLET ENTERPRISE: How have customer demands and expectations changed over the past five years?
Oakley Mullican: Demand for green pine and hardwoods has slowed tremendously.
PALLET ENTERPRISE: What are the biggest challenges in your business right now and what are you doing to meet those challenges?
Oakley Mullican: The largest challenge we are facing is the low cost of dimensional lumber. As a company that is set up to primarily process cants, the low cost of kiln dried SYP puts us at a bit of a disadvantage. To combat this, we are enhancing our production processes to become more efficient and drive our in house cost down. Also, we offer long-term pricing options that often appeal to customers who prefer stability and quality over costs.
PALLET ENTERPRISE: What question do you wish that I had asked you? So, what’s your answer?
Oakley Mullican: “What opportunities do you see that could take your operations to the next level?” – Our greatest strength lies in our expertise in cutting pallet lumber and dunnage. Many companies focus on building pallets, but our focus is on providing precisely cut stock efficiently and reliably. Over the next few years, my goal is to deepen relationships within the industry so that we become the go-to provider of cut lumber for pallet manufacturers—prioritizing partnerships over competition.
