Setting the Gold Standard in American Black Walnut for Over 40 Years
With a long family history in the hardwood lumber business, MO PAC Lumber Company was formed over 40 years ago to concentrate on producing the gold standard in American black walnut lumber.
We are laser-focused to provide personalized service to our customers, consistently supplying the highest quality American black walnut lumber available.
Missouri Walnut Lumber For Export and Domestic Sale
We specialize in steamed, kiln-dried, furniture grade American Black Walnut lumber. Missouri is known for having more American black walnut timber than any other area in the world. Our timber is predominantly sourced in northern Missouri using responsible and sustainable harvesting practices.
These sustainability practices lead us to also provide other high-quality hardwood lumber as well, including Northern/Appalachian red oak, white oak, silver leaf soft maple, aromatic red cedar, and ash.
A Sawmill Designed to Produce High Quality American Black Walnut Timber
American Black Walnut accounts for approximately 85% of our production. Our high efficiency band mill provides high quality flat-sawn, rift-sawn, and quarter-sawn lumber. And to ensure responsive order fulfillment, we keep an inventory of over 1,000,000 feet of lumber ready for shipment at this 50-acre location. Our containers of walnut lumber for sale are ready for order.
Four Generations of Tradition
The Pescaglia family got their start in the lumber business by accident, quite literally.
During the early 1930’s, Louis J. Pescaglia delivered coal to homes in Central Illinois. While Louie was making deliveries, an oncoming truck hauling mining timbers crashed into his truck.
The uninsured driver offered to pay Louie for the damages in mining timbers. Louis took his offer, and soon realized he could make a better living selling lumber rather than delivering coal. Louie bought a small, old sawmill and started milling mining timbers himself.
In 1960 Louie’s eldest son, James L. “Jim” Pescaglia, joined with his father to start a new company called Pekin Hardwood Lumber Co located just across the Illinois River from Pekin, Illinois. The company specialized in sawing lumber and blocking used for packaging and crating for local industries such as Caterpillar Tractor and Keystone Steel and Wire.
Less than a decade later, Louie’s younger son, Gerald W. “Jerry” Pescaglia joined the family business. Pekin Hardwood Lumber Co. continued to expand.
In 1980, the company expanded to New Franklin, Missouri. The new mill specialized in American Black Walnut, and was named Missouri-Pacific Lumber Co.
After graduating from N.H.L.A. Lumber Inspection School in Memphis, Jim’s son, James L.”Bucky” Pescaglia, Jr., joined his father in Missouri and began managing lumber grading for the company.
During the 1980s the sawmill grew from 5 acres to 36 acres, including 400,000′ of dry kilns, a wood waste fired boiler, an automated lumber stacking system, and a specialized walnut steamer.
In 1993 the Midwest was subjected to unprecedented flooding and damage. As the Missouri river rose to record heights, hundreds of levies began to fail. With very little notice, 14′ of flood water consumed the New Franklin mill, located 2 miles from the Missouri River. After the flood and clean-up, the Pescaglias decided to relocate and consolidate the mills to Fayette, Missouri.
The Future of the Company Is In Great Hands
In 1996, the first boards came off the Fayette mill. The new 50-acre site included a new sawmill designed using the experience and craftsmanship built over the previous seventy years. Our facility was planned specifically to produce consistent high-quality black walnut lumber.
Jerry’s son, Jon R. (Ryan) Pescaglia, was hired as Operations Supervisor for the mill in 1998. The fourth generation is now also a part of the company. Bucky’s oldest son, Tony Pescaglia joined the business after obtaining a marketing degree in 2010 from the University of Missouri, with the youngest of Bucky’s three sons, Vince Pescaglia, joining in 2011 and graduating from the Inspection School at the N.H.L.A. in 2012
From our small town beginning to our present worldwide distribution, tradition provides the experience and assurance that our hardwoods will have a commitment to quality for generations to come.
Proudly Supplying the Most Consistent Wholesale Walnut Lumber Available
MO PAC’s commitment to consistent American black walnut lumber cannot be matched. We purchase black walnut logs from a targeted geographic area known for consistent color and quality. Our timber buyers ensure we have the highest quality timber for black walnut lumber.
We then manufacture these logs using the same mill specifications every time, steaming and drying the walnut lumber precisely the same way. Finally, our experienced lumber inspectors utilize the NHLA walnut grading rules.
This commitment to consistency means that the lumber shipped last year will be the same as that shipped next month.
This consistency means our customers can rest assured they will receive lumber that is virtually that same in color, texture, grade, and dryness across our product mix in each bundle, thickness, and grade from bundle to bundle and load to load.
MO PAC is the only major walnut manufacturer that is NHLA Grade Certified for accuracy in grade and measure.
Our commitment to you is consistent lumber every time.