USA - The Wood-Mizer Way 99 Spring/Summer 2017 | Page 15

interview
with
KATIE WILCOX
FOUNDER OF HART’S LAKE
PIONEER LUMBER CO.
WM: Describe your life
growing up on the farm as
a 5th generation Wilcox.
KW: Growing up, me, my
siblings and cousins, we
all worked on the farm.
The idea was to put us in
different positions so we
would know all the different
aspects of the farm and how
they were interrelated. One
of my first jobs when I was
little was working in the lab
where you have to see when
the milk goes bad - so you
have to taste the overdue
milk. My dad grew up on
the farm too, there’s a lot
you just learn about hard
work, giving things your all,
trying to get things done
right the first time. If you’re
going to do something, give
it your all – don’t put half
your heart into it.
just selling lumber for the
farm because they do a lot of
construction and so that was
a good way to learn how to
use the mill.
WM: What led to the
start of Hart’s Lake
Pioneer Lumber Co.?
KW: Hart’s Lake is just
me and my dad. We work
together on a lot of the
marketing, but I put together
our website and talk with
customers most of the time.
I operate the mill, we have to
use our tractor and sometimes
a forklift to move the logs
around – I really like working
the tractor. Definitely the
woodworking, my dad is the
brains of the operation. He
has read all the books and
knows the process and teaches
it to me so I do a lot of the
sanding and finishing.
WM: What’s the secret
to turning something you
enjoy into a business?
WM: How did you get
interested in woodworking
& sawmilling?
KW: I tend to pick up a lot
of my dad’s hobbies. At first it
was like, “come help me at the
sawmill,” and then I started
coming back on my own. I
work in the summer and that
was one way for me to earn
money was to work with him
at the sawmill. At first we were
KW: It’s all about having
people to support you and
being willing to learn from
them. Going into this,
me and my dad didn’t
really know much about
woodworking. He read a
few books and he has a few
friends that he’ll
call up and be
like “hey is this
possible, can
you explain
this to me?” So
I think having
people there to
support you and
who are excited for you and
want to be part of what
you’re doing has really been
a key to our success.
WM: As a current
student, how does
balancing school and
Hart’s Lake work?
KW: It can be really hard.
Me and my dad, we have an
understanding that school
comes first. I love my school
and I love to learn, so that
takes priority.
WM: What do you
enjoy the most about
Hart’s Lake?
KW: I love the farm, there’s
this feeling of belonging and
I also enjoy working with my
dad. As I’m getting older I’m
cherishing the amount of time
I get to spend with my dad
and we have really similar
interests so getting the share
that experience with him is
really special. I also really like
woodworking because it’s art
but I never really saw myself
as super creative. It’s fun to
be able to create something
or just showing people the
beauty of the wood.
WM: Can you talk about
your dog Lancelot and
his contribution
to Hart’s Lake?
KW: He’s our
spokesmodel, so he is
very popular. He has
his own Facebook and
is very outspoken about
it too. I think he has more
friends on Facebook than I
do! We take him when we
are at thesawmill and he likes
to carry things around – but
usually only after it has
already been stacked neatly.
WM: Why is Hart’s
Lake lumber significant
or special as compared
to lumber or wood
products someone may
find elsewhere?
KW: It all comes down to
who the farm is and who
our customers are. We all
value history. When you