Chicago Lumber Company

What Chicago Lumber Company does

Chicago Lumber Company of Omaha is a privately held, independently owned distributor of lumber, plywood, doors, windows, and building materials, founded in 1876 by M.T. Green when he relocated his lumber business from Chicago to Omaha, Nebraska. The company serves three distinct customer segments through coordinated channels: (1) enterprise field sales to general contractors and commercial construction teams for non-residential projects, (2) wholesale distribution supplying regional building materials dealers with trusted national brands, and (3) retail storefront operations serving walk-in homeowners and individual contractors at its Omaha headquarters. Its product portfolio spans traditional lumber alongside engineered wood, fiber cement siding, structural hardware, weather barriers, doors, and windows sourced from partnerships with manufacturers including Marvin, Larson Doors, TruStile, Therma-Tru, Lynden Door, James Hardie, DuPont Tyvek, Simpson Strong-Tie, Huberwood ZIP System, LP Building Solutions, and Advantech.

The company operates a family of related brands—The Window & Door Store, Chilco Millwork, and Century Lumber Center—to extend its reach into specialty product categories. It is headquartered at 1324 Pierce Street in Omaha in a 1922-era brick landmark building, serving customers across Nebraska and neighboring Plains states. Chicago Lumber has approximately 51-100 employees and is not publicly listed; its corporate structure shows no parent company, institutional investors, or recent funding activity. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed, and the business model relies on transactional sales rather than subscription or recurring revenue, making the company sensitive to regional construction cycles and dealer demand patterns.

Name

Chicago Lumber Company

Legal name

Chicago Lumber Company of Omaha

Website

https://clc-omaha.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1876

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chicago Lumber Company is a privately held, 150-year-old regional distributor of lumber and building materials headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska. It serves commercial contractors, wholesale dealers, and retail homeowners across Nebraska and neighboring Plains states via three coordinated channels and a family of related brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Building Materials Distribution

NAICS

Lumber, Plywood, Millwork, and Wood Panel Merchant Wholesalers (42331), Roofing, Siding, and Insulation Material Merchant Wholesalers (42333), Wood Window and Door Manufacturing (321911)

SIC

Wholesale-Lumber, Plywood, Millwork & Wood Panels (5031), Wholesale-Lumber & Other Construction Materials (5030), Retail-Lumber & Other Building Materials Dealers (5211)

akta.pro primary industry

Building Materials & Lumber Distribution (CRAOAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lumber & Timber Retail (Dimensional Lumber, Plywood, OSB) (CRAIAEAA), Plywood & Panel Products Distribution (Plywood, OSB, MDF, Particleboard) (IMAMAIAC)

Keywords

• Lumber distribution
• Building materials supply
• Wholesale lumber
• Commercial construction materials
• Door and window supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Omaha

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Building Materials Sales: Sale of building materials and lumber to commercial contractors for non-residential construction projects. Provides dependable building materials, accurate quoting, and product support.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Supplying dealers with trusted building material products and brands, supporting dealer businesses with consistent product availability and reliable supply.
3. Retail Lumber and Building Materials: Walk-in retail sales to homeowners and individual contractors, providing personalized service and material selection assistance.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chicago Lumber Company distributes lumber, plywood, boards, doors, windows, and a broad range of building materials to three customer groups: commercial contractors (project-based supply with quoting and product support for non-residential construction), building materials dealers (wholesale supply of trusted brands), and retail/homeowner walk-in customers. The company operates a regional distribution network centered on Omaha, Nebraska, supplying partner-brand products including Marvin, Larson Doors, TruStile, Therma-Tru, James Hardie, DuPont Tyvek, Simpson Strong-Tie, Huberwood ZIP System, LP Building Solutions, and Advantech.

Product overview

Chicago Lumber Company is a building materials supplier operating since 1876, serving commercial builders, dealers, and contractors in the Omaha region. The company offers three core service lines: Commercial Services (supporting general contractors with building materials and quoting for non-residential projects), Wholesale Distribution (supplying dealers with trusted products and brands), and Retail (serving walk-in customers and homeowners). The company also operates a family of related brands including The Window & Door Store, Chilco Millwork, and Century Lumber Center. Products include lumber, doors, windows, and building materials from partner brands such as Marvin, Larson Doors, TruStile, Therma-Tru, James Hardie, and Simpson Strong-Tie.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Services Provides dependable building materials, accurate quoting, and product support for non-residential construction projects, serving general contractors and commercial construction teams across Nebraska and neighboring Plains states.
• Wholesale Distribution Supplies independent building materials dealers with trusted products and brands (including Marvin, James Hardie, Simpson Strong-Tie, TruStile, Therma-Tru, and others) so dealers can serve their own end customers with consistency and reliability.
• Retail Storefront Walk-in retail sales at the Omaha headquarters serving homeowners and individual contractors, providing personalized assistance to find the right materials and solutions for home improvement and small projects.
• The Window & Door Store Related family brand offering windows and doors, operated as part of the Chicago Lumber family of brands, focused on Marvin product lines.
• Chilco Millwork Related millwork brand within the Chicago Lumber family of brands, providing expanded millwork product offerings to customers.
• Century Lumber Center Related lumber brand within the Chicago Lumber family of brands, serving additional markets with specialized focus areas in lumber products.

Quantifiable outcome

• 150 years of continuous operation and service
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MarvincoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor door and window brand partnership. Chicago Lumber distributes Marvin products including windows and doors to commercial and residential customers.
• Larson DoorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStorm door and exterior door brand partnership. Chicago Lumber supplies Larson door products to contractors and dealers.
• TruStile DoorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInterior door brand partnership for distribution through Chicago Lumber's dealer and contractor network.
• Therma-TrucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEntry door and exterior door systems brand. Chicago Lumber distributes Therma-Tru products as part of their door and entry solutions.
• Lynden DoorcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommercial and architectural door products partnership serving commercial contractor projects.
• James HardiecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFiber cement siding and building materials. Chicago Lumber distributes James Hardie products for residential and commercial exterior applications.
• DuPont TyvekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBuilding wrap and weather barrier products. Chicago Lumber supplies Tyvek products for moisture management in construction.
• Simpson Strong-TiecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStructural hardware and connectors. Chicago Lumber distributes Simpson Strong-Tie products for structural reinforcement applications.
• Huberwood ZIP SystemcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIntegrated sheathing and tape weather barrier system. Chicago Lumber supplies Huberwood products for streamlined moisture solutions.
• LP Building SolutionscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEngineered wood products and siding. Chicago Lumber distributes LP products for residential and commercial construction.
• Advantech SubflooringcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEngineered subflooring products. Chicago Lumber supplies Advantech for commercial and residential floor systems.
• The Window & Door StorecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated family brand specializing in Marvin windows and doors. Part of the Chicago Lumber family of brands serving the Omaha market.
• Chilco MillworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated family brand focused on millwork products. Part of the Chicago Lumber family of brands for expanded product offerings.
• Century Lumber CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated family brand serving additional markets. Part of the Chicago Lumber family of brands with specialized focus areas.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lansing Building Products: Regional distributor of exterior building products including windows, doors, siding, and millwork across multiple U.S. regions. Closely comparable to Chicago Lumber's Chilco Millwork and Window & Door Store businesses in product mix and contractor/dealer customer model.
• Foundation Building Materials: Specialty distributor of building products including insulation, roofing, walls, and ceilings to contractors across multiple U.S. regions. Comparable in serving commercial contractors with technical/specification products through a regional branch model.
• Spahn & Rose Lumber: Family-owned lumber and building materials distributor serving contractors, builders, and retail customers across Iowa and the Midwest. Compares closely to Chicago Lumber as a long-tenured regional competitor with similar multi-channel go-to-market and geographic/weather profile.
• 84 Lumber: Privately held U.S. lumber and building materials retailer/distributor serving professional contractors and DIY customers. Closely aligned with Chicago Lumber's combined commercial + retail model, though operating as a national chain.
• McCoy's Building Supply: Family-owned regional building materials retailer/wholesaler operating across the South-Central U.S. with lumber, doors, windows, and contractor-focused services. Comparable to Chicago Lumber as a multi-generation, multi-channel regional building products distributor.

Broad incumbents

• ABC Supply Co. Largest U.S. wholesale distributor of roofing, siding, windows, and exterior building products. Comparable to Chicago Lumber as a multi-category building products distributor serving contractors and dealers, though vastly larger and national in scope.
• Builders FirstSource: National supplier of lumber, manufactured components, and building products to residential and commercial contractors. Comparable go-to-market through contract-driven volume and dealer/wholesale supply, but operating at enterprise scale.
• Stock Building Supply: National building products distributor (now part of SRS Distribution) supplying lumber, millwork, windows, and doors to professional builders. Comparable in product breadth and contractor/dealer focus, but operates at materially larger national scale.
• US LBM: Top U.S. lumber and building materials distributor with regional yards serving contractors, builders, and dealers. Direct comparator in the wholesale lumber/pro-building supply category, though at substantially greater scale and geographic breadth.

Regional players

• Lumbermen's: Midwest U.S. wholesale distributor of building products, millwork, and lumber serving dealers and contractors. Comparable in product mix and dealer-customer focus, though geographically adjacent rather than head-to-head in Nebraska.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Lumber Company