Unalam knocks on wood

VOLNEY — Everyone knocks on wood. In old English folklore, the act of knocking on wood alerted the spirits to protect the requester. In Bulgaria, in response to bad news, the effort warded off evil. The Turks pulled on one earlobe and knocked on wood twice to invoke the almighty to save them.

The Van Cotts knock on wood every day, because business is improving, society is once again appreciating the beauty and strength of wood products, and their business has literally worked with lumber and wood products for 123 years. The family owns Unalam, a company that specializes in creating complex, custom wood arches and beams that are glue-laminated.

“We manufacture an impressive variety of shapes, curves, and angles,” says Craig Van Cott, president of Unalam and a fifth-generation employee of the business. “Our ‘glulam’ technology ensures that our products are as strong as steel and as versatile as any material available. We build bridges, gazebos, churches, art pavilions, indoor-riding arenas, and projects for schools and colleges. Unalam has worked with a number of Native American tribes, including the Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca Nations locally as well as across the Northeast. Our projects include indoor water parks and swimming pools, which tend to corrode metal, and even the U.S.S. Constitution, which needed replacement beams. Our creations can be found as far away as Georgia for the construction of a rail station for the Atlanta Transit Authority and even in Ireland, but most of our business is in the … [triangle geographic region] from Virginia to Ohio to Maine.”

The first generation of Van Cotts established a lumber and feed mill in Unadilla in 1892. In 1909, the family incorporated the business as the Unadilla Silo Company and turned to building wooden silos for area farmers. Experimenting with laminated wooden rafters began in 1928. In 1963, to accommodate its growth, Unadilla began some manufacturing operations in Sidney and completed its manufacturing transfer in the 1980s, when it discontinued making silos.

“We still maintain the business and engineering departments in our Unadilla location,” says Van Cott, “but all of our manufacturing is located in Sidney. While Unadilla Silo Co. is still the legal corporate entity, Unalam is the d/b/a we use for our branding and the name by which we are known in the industry. The company employs 30 at Sidney and 10 at Unadilla. The two locations … [comprise] 310,000 square feet … We source our lumber between the Carolinas and Texas, working mostly with Southern [yellow] pine and Douglas fir.” CNYBJ estimates Unalam’s annual sales at $7 million to $8 million.

Unalam’s people

Craig Van Cott is joined in the business by members of the sixth generation: his son Leif Van Cott, VP of operations; daughter Zoë O. van der Meulen, VP of communication; and son-in-law Rik van der Meulen, VP of engineering. Leif graduated from Boston University in 2001 with a degree in finance and moved to New Hampshire to work for Wheelabrator Technologies. He joined Unalam in 2004.

Zoë graduated from Notre Dame in 1998 with a degree in government and history. She worked for a year in Washington, D.C., doing historical research in support of litigation before moving to Boston to begin a marketing career. Zoë met her husband Rik while studying in Innsbruck, Austria, and the two married in 2000. After six years of living in Boston, the couple joined Unalam in 2005.

Rik grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Notre Dame in 2000 with a degree in civil engineering, concentrating on structural and environmental design. He maintains professional engineering licenses in 11 states.

Sue Van Cott rounds out the management team at Unalam. She serves as the corporate secretary. The team is supported by area professionals — NBT Bank provides financial services; Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LLP offers legal representation; and Dannible & McKee, LLP serves is the company’s accounting firm.

The competition

“This is a very competitive business,” notes Leif van Cott. “We have competitors in southern Pennsylvania, Alabama, Minnesota, and Canada, but none does everything that Unalam does. Still, our biggest competitor is concrete and steel. Even after decades of glulam fabrication, many architects and engineers are still unfamiliar with the product or reluctant to spec it. It’s a long educational process to change minds.”

“Fortunately, we are enjoying a trend toward the demand for more wood products,” chimes in Zoë van der Meulen. “People are more concerned about sustainability and [thus] more inclined to request wood construction. They also appreciate the natural beauty of wood and are delighted with our ability to create unique designs … My job is to promote the company both to industry professionals and to the end-user. Unalam started using the Internet back in the early 1990s and started to generate leads through online advertising. Today, in addition to the traditional avenues such as print and trade shows, we rely on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook, and Rik blogs weekly on what’s new in glulam manufacturing. We like to say that he will do this until he runs out of industry-specific terms.” Craig Van Cott adds, “And we still rely on ‘old-fashioned’ references for much of our business.”

While the Van Cotts bemoan the loss of some suppliers, especially machine shops, they are optimistic about the economy. “We were going strong in 2008 when the recession hit,” recalls the president, “and our backlog kept us busy until 2010. Then, the bottom fell out. We still see some caution among buyers, but now we are experiencing a resurgence in our business. I’m glad to say there is a healthy backlog [of orders] again.”

It’s too early to tell whether Unalam will continue into the seventh generation under Van Cott ownership. Lumber, silos, glulam — knock on wood that Unalam will continue to innovate and prosper well into the future.

VOLNEY — Everyone knocks on wood. In old English folklore, the act of knocking on wood alerted the spirits to protect the requester. In Bulgaria, in response to bad news, the effort warded off evil. The Turks pulled on one earlobe and knocked on wood twice to invoke the almighty to save them.

The Van Cotts knock on wood every day, because business is improving, society is once again appreciating the beauty and strength of wood products, and their business has literally worked with lumber and wood products for 123 years. The family owns Unalam, a company that specializes in creating complex, custom wood arches and beams that are glue-laminated.

“We manufacture an impressive variety of shapes, curves, and angles,” says Craig Van Cott, president of Unalam and a fifth-generation employee of the business. “Our ‘glulam’ technology ensures that our products are as strong as steel and as versatile as any material available. We build bridges, gazebos, churches, art pavilions, indoor-riding arenas, and projects for schools and colleges. Unalam has worked with a number of Native American tribes, including the Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca Nations locally as well as across the Northeast. Our projects include indoor water parks and swimming pools, which tend to corrode metal, and even the U.S.S. Constitution, which needed replacement beams. Our creations can be found as far away as Georgia for the construction of a rail station for the Atlanta Transit Authority and even in Ireland, but most of our business is in the … [triangle geographic region] from Virginia to Ohio to Maine.”

The first generation of Van Cotts established a lumber and feed mill in Unadilla in 1892. In 1909, the family incorporated the business as the Unadilla Silo Company and turned to building wooden silos for area farmers. Experimenting with laminated wooden rafters began in 1928. In 1963, to accommodate its growth, Unadilla began some manufacturing operations in Sidney and completed its manufacturing transfer in the 1980s, when it discontinued making silos.

“We still maintain the business and engineering departments in our Unadilla location,” says Van Cott, “but all of our manufacturing is located in Sidney. While Unadilla Silo Co. is still the legal corporate entity, Unalam is the d/b/a we use for our branding and the name by which we are known in the industry. The company employs 30 at Sidney and 10 at Unadilla. The two locations … [comprise] 310,000 square feet … We source our lumber between the Carolinas and Texas, working mostly with Southern [yellow] pine and Douglas fir.” CNYBJ estimates Unalam’s annual sales at $7 million to $8 million.

Unalam’s people

Craig Van Cott is joined in the business by members of the sixth generation: his son Leif Van Cott, VP of operations; daughter Zoë O. van der Meulen, VP of communication; and son-in-law Rik van der Meulen, VP of engineering. Leif graduated from Boston University in 2001 with a degree in finance and moved to New Hampshire to work for Wheelabrator Technologies. He joined Unalam in 2004.

Zoë graduated from Notre Dame in 1998 with a degree in government and history. She worked for a year in Washington, D.C., doing historical research in support of litigation before moving to Boston to begin a marketing career. Zoë met her husband Rik while studying in Innsbruck, Austria, and the two married in 2000. After six years of living in Boston, the couple joined Unalam in 2005.

Rik grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Notre Dame in 2000 with a degree in civil engineering, concentrating on structural and environmental design. He maintains professional engineering licenses in 11 states.

Sue Van Cott rounds out the management team at Unalam. She serves as the corporate secretary. The team is supported by area professionals — NBT Bank provides financial services; Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LLP offers legal representation; and Dannible & McKee, LLP serves is the company’s accounting firm.

The competition

“This is a very competitive business,” notes Leif van Cott. “We have competitors in southern Pennsylvania, Alabama, Minnesota, and Canada, but none does everything that Unalam does. Still, our biggest competitor is concrete and steel. Even after decades of glulam fabrication, many architects and engineers are still unfamiliar with the product or reluctant to spec it. It’s a long educational process to change minds.”

“Fortunately, we are enjoying a trend toward the demand for more wood products,” chimes in Zoë van der Meulen. “People are more concerned about sustainability and [thus] more inclined to request wood construction. They also appreciate the natural beauty of wood and are delighted with our ability to create unique designs … My job is to promote the company both to industry professionals and to the end-user. Unalam started using the Internet back in the early 1990s and started to generate leads through online advertising. Today, in addition to the traditional avenues such as print and trade shows, we rely on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook, and Rik blogs weekly on what’s new in glulam manufacturing. We like to say that he will do this until he runs out of industry-specific terms.” Craig Van Cott adds, “And we still rely on ‘old-fashioned’ references for much of our business.”

While the Van Cotts bemoan the loss of some suppliers, especially machine shops, they are optimistic about the economy. “We were going strong in 2008 when the recession hit,” recalls the president, “and our backlog kept us busy until 2010. Then, the bottom fell out. We still see some caution among buyers, but now we are experiencing a resurgence in our business. I’m glad to say there is a healthy backlog [of orders] again.”

It’s too early to tell whether Unalam will continue into the seventh generation under Van Cott ownership. Lumber, silos, glulam — knock on wood that Unalam will continue to innovate and prosper well into the future.