Softwood - A Natural Fit.

A beautiful valley surrounded by towering mountains and rushing rivers was what initially attracted the Kalesnikoff's to the Kootenay region of British Columbia in 1911. Moving from Russia with the anticipation of peace and prosperity, the family struggled through the Great Depression. The beauty and potential of their new homeland kept them motivated - and unknown to them at the time, would be what would ultimately become the key to their success.

In 1939, Koozma Kalesnikoff identified an opportunity in the healthy, green valley - softwood timber. He attained timber rights on an area known as China Creek, and with his two brothers began logging in the wilderness of BC, using nothing but axes, cross-cut saws and horses. By the summer of 1940 they had an established sawmill and the beginnings of what would eventually become the successful remanufacturing facility that exists today.

Maintaining the beauty of the valley was paramount to the Kalesnikoff's. From the beginning their guiding philosophy had been: "Take care of the land and the land will take care of you." Before reforestation policies existed in BC, the Kalesnikoff family was performing sound forest practices, ensuring they could pass on a successful business and healthy land to their family for generations to come.

At fourteen years of age Koozma's nephew, Peter, joined the mill and soon became a driving force in the expansion of the company. Under his tight financial management and vision, Peter saw the 3,000 FBM per day bush sawmill grow substantially. In 1977 Peter's son, Ken, became involved in the family business and has since carried forward the expansion of the mill.

In 2001 Elaine Kalesnikoff, saw another opportunity. With numerous requests for custom processing of lumber, she proposed the building of a remanufacturing facility to produce value added products for their customers. That was the beginning of Kootenay Innovative Wood Ltd. (KIW).

Kootenay Innovative Wood Ltd. is now a large, modern remanufacturing plant located in the Wet Belt of scenic South Eastern British Columbia. This area provides the optimum environment for natural growth of a variety of the softwood species utilized by KIW, including Douglas Fir, Western Larch, Pine and Engelman Spruce. This superior fiber quality and beautiful dense grain is perfectly suited for the value-added specialty wood products KIW produces.

KIW features 25,000 square feet of modern machinery including two Weinig Moulders to create multiple profiles and a custom OSI end-matcher allowing for impressive one foot to sixteen foot perfectly finished, end-matched lengths of paneling and flooring. Four-sided end matching, especially rare for paneling, and branded Quattrolock© by KIW, makes installation quick and easy with little or no waste for contractors and Do-It-Yourselfers alike.

In addition to paneling and flooring, KIW remanufactures siding, decking, and moulding. Quality product is of highest regard for the Kalesnikoff's, ensuring that the beauty of their valley is reflected in every piece of wood they manufacture. Starting with a premium raw material of local softwood timbers with naturally tight innergrown knots, KIW uses Steam Injection Kiln technology to achieve optimum moisture content. This creates stability and flawless finished interiors and exteriors.

KIW's 30 million FBM capacity plant works with distributors and wholesalers to promote and sell their premium line of softwood specialty products. The wild and rustic charm of this alternative finishing material has become increasingly popular among all markets of designers, architects, builders and homeowners.

Kootenay Innovative Wood's Wildhorse Creek collection features a complete line of knotty flooring, paneling, moulding and decking available in various species, grades and sizes. The flooring is also available with a unique Circle Sawn finish for the ultimate ski lodge environment. The Valhalla collection represents their clear grain line of products that creates an elegant look and feel more similar to hardwood. All paneling and flooring is also available prefinished for quicker and easier installs, especially attractive to the DIY customer.

Kootenay Innovative Wood's premium line-up of products is truly a natural fit for distributors looking to expand their offering and capitalize on the growing market of softwood buyers desiring the natural warmth and beauty it brings to their home.

To find out more about distribution of Wildhorse Creek and Valhalla flooring, paneling, siding, decking and moulding call 1-866-359-8050 or visit www.kiwood.com.