Building supply firm has new store in Freeland

Published 7:00 pm Monday, April 30, 2001

“Chuck Posey, operations manager for Frontier Industries, and Denise Madsen, cabinet sales person, pause while looking over blueprints of the new store. The Freeland location is 2,000 square feet larger than the company’s Oak Harbor store.Gayle Saran/staff photoA project a year in the making, Frontier Industries is ready to open a new store in Freeland on Monday, April 30.Shelves are stacked with the latest power and hand tools, cans of paint are ready for mixing, a model kitchen is in place, freshly milled lumber is stacked in the yard, and 11 employees are eager to report to work at the newly completed lumberyard.Frontier Industries, which has been operating out of the old Copeland Lumber building for the past year, will open brand new doors for business at 7 a.m. Monday.This store will be great asset to the community with our product lines and ability to provide service and knowledgeable assistance said Dion McCauley, Frontier’s Freeland store manager. McCauley added that all the store’s employees are excited about the move. Frontier’s 4-acre site on Scott Road includes a 12,000-square-foot building of which 6,000 square feet is devoted to retail space; 6,000 square feet of warehouse; and, according to the company, the largest outdoor lumber yard on South Whidbey.The Freeland store is the fourth store opened by the Anacortes-based Frontier. Other store locations are in Anacortes (headquarters), Sedro-Woolley and Oak Harbor. Frontier moved to Freeland last year when it purchased Copeland Lumber’s inventory and moved into the business’ former location off Harbor Ave. Construction of the new store just south of Teddy’s on Whidbey began last September.Chuck Posey, operations manager for the company, explained that Frontier’s roots are in the construction trade.We have been very successful serving building contractors. It was only natural for us to expand our service to include the do-it-yourself handyman and remodeler, he said.Posey said that Frontier acts as the material-supply arm of a contractor’s business.The contractor can drop off blueprints in the morning and we will prepare a building supply list of quality materials with competitive pricing, and provide the contractor with on-time delivery to the site, Posey said. Posey added that service translates to the retail customer as well. All products are cross over lines, which can be used both by the contractor or the weekend handyman.Frontier’s staff receives training from the different product manufacturers to further assist customers. Frontier will offer everything someone needs to build a house, Posey said. Beginning with foundation concrete and rebar, roof trusses, plumbing and electrical to the finish interior millwork and cabinetry. We have stayed away from housewares, but will sell garden tools.Construction of Frontier’s new facility was done by local contractors. We believe in using businesses wherever we can. We only used two off-island companies on the entire project, Posey said.Customers to Frontier’s new location will find well-planned access and egress to and from the building and lumber yard.We planned it so that we can steer the retail customers away from commercial truck traffic, Posey said. Trucks drive in on the access road by the substation and enter the yard at the back through a gate, then exit around the building onto Scott Road, which becomes Main Street. Retail traffic will park in front. Of course, people can drive into the back lumber yard if they need to.We’ve found if you make it easy for customers they will choose the preferred route, Posey said.Frontier Industries employs 72 people companywide and is owned by brothers Michael and Terry Johnson of Anacortes. Freeland’s Frontier Industries store is located at 1800 Main Street. Store hours are Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The telephone number is 331-1719. A grand opening celebration is planned for July. “