A Note from the Shop Floor
In this business, we talk a lot about grain patterns, glue bonds, and the difference between white oak veneer and walnut veneer. But today, we’re taking a second to look at the "growth rings" of our own company.
Recently, the folks over at Woodworking Network sat down with our founder, Peter Rodgers, to talk about our 40th anniversary. It’s a story that starts with semi-trucks in a residential driveway and ends with us being your "off-site veneer department."
To celebrate this milestone, we wanted to share the full story as it appeared in the national news.
Oakwood Veneer Company celebrates 40 years
TROY, Mich. — Oakwood Veneer Company is celebrating its 40 year anniversary in 2026. Peter Rodgers, the CEO and president, was in the kitchen refacing business in 1986. He had been buying flexible wood veneer sheets in bulk for his refacing company use and selling the unused, extra sheets to his competitors.
It didn’t take long for Rodgers to realize that what he really knew and enjoyed was the woodworking industry, specifically wood veneer. That’s when he started purchasing wood veneer sheets in even larger quantities.
“We had semi-trucks pulling up to the side door of our house, the drivers absolutely put out that there was no loading dock,” says Denise Rodgers, Rodgers’ wife and currently the financial manager of the company. “We’d placed ads in woodworking trade magazines, and I would get calls while making dinner with two small boys and a cocker spaniel at my heels. It wasn’t easy.”
It’s forty years later and the older “boy,” Ted Rodgers, is now the general manager, overseeing more than thirty-five employees in the warehouse, production, and front office. Ted and Denise both came into the company in 2010 and never left.
Since Oakwood Veneer’s beginning, the company moved to a 3,000 square foot facility in Clawson, Michigan, then to a 14,000 square foot building in Berkley, and then to their current location in Troy, Michigan of 44,000 square feet in 2007. Always growing and improving, Oakwood Veneer is on contract to expand their current building another 10,000-plus square feet to accommodate the need for increased manufacturing and warehousing.
“From the beginning, my dad’s plan was to provide the best quality veneer in the quickest way possible, whether the customer wanted one sheet or 100,” says Ted Rodgers. "From 1986 till 2007, Oakwood kept increasing the wood species that were in stock and available for immediate shipping. Today, Oakwood Veneer offers over 400 types of flexible wood veneer, ten times more than nearly any competitor."
In 2007, Peter Rodgers bought machinery to start manufacturing veneer sheets in-house. “It was great to control the quality and improved timing we needed for our customers. In 2010, when I came into the business, we were transitioning to accommodating special orders, which is now an even greater part of the business,” says Ted. “We want our company to be the place where customers are treated the old-fashioned way. We like to think of ourselves as our customers’ off-site veneer department.”
What is the future of Oakwood Veneer? The past and current building plans would indicate that the company will continue to expand and grow, serving the woodworking industry and beyond. According to Peter Rodgers, “Forty years is just the beginning.”
Looking for a specific grain for your next project? Browse our selection of over 400 species of wood veneer or give us a call to talk shop with our expert team.