HISTORY HomeAbout UsHistory OUR DEEP ROOTS 1948 CAPITAL LUMBER COMPANY IS FOUNDED ON FEBRUARY 3RD. George Gaskin unknowingly began to pave the way for what was to become Capital Lumber Company. 1949 CAPITAL LUMBER & SUPPLY COMPANY. Surrounded by cotton fields on the corner of 35th Avenue and Buckeye, the first location carried lumber and all types of hardware. 1959 CAPITAL CONSISTED OF 6 EMPLOYEES AND A SINGLE MAN ON THE SAWS. During this time, all job descriptions were the same: “Do what needs to be done.” To this day, Capital employees share a similar mindset. 1967 SECOND GENERATION. George Gaskin extends an offer to 26-year-old John Gaskin to come work for Capital Lumber. John accepted on one condition: that Capital Lumber convert the store from part retail and part wholesale to 100% wholesale. 1969 A FIRE WREAKS HAVOC ON CAPITAL LUMBER COMPANY. The most serious hazard to Capital Lumber came from weeds. The innumerable dry weeds in the rail easement near the lumber yard posed a critical fire hazard to Capital Lumber. On a hot, windy day in June of 1969, those weeds made good on their threat. Ignited by a spark from a passing train, they fueled a fire that destroyed all of Capital Lumber Company in a matter of minutes. The very next day, a trailer was moved onto the site, new phones were installed, and Capital Lumber Company was open for business. 1970 JOHN GASKIN BECOMES PRESIDENT OF CAPITAL LUMBER. Due to his failing health, George makes his son John the President of Capital Lumber. 1973 NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTER BUILT. Expanding Capital Lumber Company had always been a part of John’s plan and the first phase was directed at the Phoenix yard. 1976 CAPITAL LUMBER EXPANDS. Capital Lumber continues to expand into other states with new locations in Albuquerque, NM and Orange, CA. 1980 ANOTHER DISTRIBUTION CENTER IS BUILT. A new distribution center built as Capital Lumber moves from Orange to Chino, CA. 1987 CAPITAL LUMBER HAS A PRESENCE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. Capital Lumber opens a new planing mill and distribution plant in Healdsburg, CA. 1989 GROWTH MODE CONTINUES. Capital Lumber opens a distribution center in Denver, CO. 1994 CAPITAL OPENS ANOTHER LOCATION IN THE WESTERN U.S. A distribution center opens in Salt Lake City, UT. 1999 CAPITAL LUMBER IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. Cascade Capital distribution center in Tacoma, WA opens to service the state of Washington. 2000 CAPITAL BUILDING MATERIALS. Phoenix, AZ starts what is known as Capital Building Materials. 2001 CAPITAL IN MOTION. Operations in Texas expand to include a reload facility in Waco to improve customer service in central Texas. 2002 A LARGER PRESENCE IN WASHINGTON. Humphrey Lumber is acquired in Tacoma, WA and merged into the existing site. 2003 CAPITAL EXPANDING ITS FOOTPRINT. A sales office opens in Dallas, TX. Salt Lake City operations move to a new five-acre site. The Tacoma facility expands its footprint by three acres. 2004 SAM SANREGRET STEPS INTO THE ROLE OF PRESIDENT WHILE JOHN GASKIN RETAINS ROLE AS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD. Denver facility adds two acres. A new distribution center opens in Dallas, TX and Waco merges with Dallas. A distribution center opens in Spokane, WA. Capital Building Materials consolidates activities with Capital Lumber in Phoenix, AZ. 2006 CAPITAL ON THE MOVE. A distribution center opens in Tangent, OR. Denver expands its facility by 10 acres and adds on to their office. A distribution center in Stockton, CA opens. 2007 BUSINESS STILL BOOMING. Phoenix Operations moves to a larger office next door and tears down the building built in 1975. The Chino facility expands their yard by two acres. 2008 MORE PLANS FOR EXPANSION. The Salt Lake City, UT location moves to a newly built site on 17 acres. Capital gains a larger presence in Texas by opening a distribution center in Houston, TX. The Stockton, CA location merges with the Healdsburg, CA distribution center. 2011 GAINING MORE MARKET SHARE. The distribution center in Tangent, OR relocates to Portland, OR. Capital acquires Snavely Forest Products in Phoenix, AZ and JM Thomas Forest Products in Albuquerque, NM. 2013 CAPITAL CELEBRATES 65 YEARS OF SERVICE. Capital purchases the assets of All-Coast Forest Products’ distribution facility in Chino, CA. The Spokane, WA distribution center is consolidated into the Tacoma, WA and Portland, OR locations. 2015 A BIG YEAR FOR GROWTH AND EXPANSION AT CAPITAL. Capital purchases James Plywood in Salt Lake City, UT and expands their product offerings. Healdsburg purchases 11 acres adjacent to the existing site. The Denver branch expands its footprint by purchasing 9 acres contiguous to the existing site. The Phoenix branch acquires the 14,000 square foot building adjacent to the 18 acre site that was already functioning as its sales office. 2016 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CONTINUES TO EXPAND. Capital purchases Capitol Plywood in Sacramento, CA. 2018 CAPITAL CELEBRATES 70 YEARS OF SERVICE. Capital expands its footprint at its Chino, CA distribution location. The expanded property includes a 50,000 square foot warehouse adding to the existing 40,000 square foot covered storage and 2,600 square feet of office space. The additional property will allow Capital to expand its services with products that serve the retail segment with the level and customization and responsiveness that they have been accustomed to receiving from Capital. 2019 CAPITAL LUMBER COMPANY NAMES NEW PRESIDENT Scott Gaskin promoted to President succeeding Sam Sanregret. Capital Lumber Company is dedicated to being recognized as the leading distributor of specialty building materials in the Western United States by providing unequaled service to customers, unequaled fairness with suppliers, the unequaled opportunity for a fulfilling career for each employee and a reasonable rate of return for its owners. QUICK LINKS Home Locations About Careers Products Contact Us © CAPITAL. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. READ OUR PRIVACY POLICY. WEBSITE DESIGN & DIGITAL MARKETING BY FALLING UP MEDIA. glassdoor