Mellott Wood Preserving

What Mellott Wood Preserving does

Mellott Wood Preserving Co., Inc. is a small, family-owned wood preservation manufacturer founded in 1977 by Cecil Mellott and his son Doug, operating a single production facility in Needmore, Pennsylvania, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The company produces treated railroad crossties, switch timbers, and bridge timbers, applying chemical preservation treatments — most notably a proprietary dual-treatment process combining borate pretreatment with Copper Naphthenate (QNAP 8) developed in collaboration with Nisus Corporation as an alternative to traditional creosote. All products are pre-treated with borate and air-seasoned before final treatment to prevent decay and extend service life.

The business serves Class I railroad operators and railroad infrastructure buyers, with named customers including Norfolk Southern and Conrail (the latter a historical anchor customer and Conrail Certified Quality Supplier). The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: product price quotes are handled directly by VP of Sales Howard Tomlinson via email, and the company leverages 47+ years of industry presence and trade-publication visibility (Crossties Magazine features in 2012 and 2014) rather than paid marketing or digital channels. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and revenue is generated through direct product sales of treated timber, likely on a per-unit or contract basis.

The company has remained under family ownership and has not raised outside capital, expanded beyond its single facility, or pursued public-market activity. Its competitive positioning rests on proprietary treatment chemistry co-developed with Nisus, multi-generational industry relationships, and Conrail Certified Quality Supplier status, with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, software platform, or digital product surface.

Name

Mellott Wood Preserving

Legal name

Mellott Wood Preserving Co., Inc.

Website

https://mellottwood.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mellott Wood Preserving is a small, family-owned wood preservation manufacturer in Needmore, Pennsylvania, producing treated railroad crossties, switch timbers, and bridge timbers — including a proprietary borate-plus-QNAP dual treatment developed with Nisus Corporation — primarily for Class I railroad operators such as Norfolk Southern and Conrail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Railroad Infrastructure / Treated Wood Products

NAICS

Wood Preservation (321114), Sawmills and Wood Preservation (3211)

SIC

Lumber & Wood Products (No Furniture) (2400), Millwood, Veneer, Plywood, & Structural Wood Members (2430)

akta.pro primary industry

Railroad Ties, Poles & Timber Products (IMAMABAJ)

Keywords

• Treated railroad ties
• Wood preservation
• Crosstie manufacturing
• Bridge timbers
• Switch timbers

Headquarters

HQ city

Needmore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Treated Railroad Ties and Timbers Sales: Manufacture and sale of treated railroad crossties, switch timbers, and bridge timbers to railroad operators and infrastructure companies. Revenue is generated through direct product sales, likely on a per-unit or contract basis.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Mellott Wood Preserving manufactures and sells treated railroad crossties, switch timbers, and bridge timbers from its facility in Needmore, Pennsylvania. Products are preserved using chemical treatments including borate pre-treatment combined with either Copper Naphthenate (QNAP 8) or creosote, with bridge timbers treated via an innovative process co-developed with Nisus Corporation. The company primarily serves Class I railroad operators and infrastructure buyers with domestic U.S. rail industry customers.

Product overview

Mellott Wood Preserving is a wood preservation company offering a portfolio of railroad infrastructure products including crossties, switch timbers, and bridge timbers. The company provides multiple treatment options: a dual-treatment process combining borate with Copper Naphthenate (QNAP), and traditional borate with creosote treatment. Their crossties and switch timbers are pre-treated with borate and air-seasoned before final treatment, while bridge timbers use an innovative Nisus Corporation-developed process. All products are manufactured at their state-of-the-art facility in Needmore, PA, established in 1977.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crossties (Railroad Ties) Pre-treated railroad crossties that are borate-treated and air-seasoned to prevent decay and extend product life, available with either dual treatment of borate and QNAP (Copper Naphthenate) or borate and creosote. Sold to railroad operators for track construction and maintenance.
• Switch Timbers Pre-treated switch timbers for railroad track switches, borate-treated and air-seasoned to prevent decay, then treated using either dual treatment (borate and QNAP) or traditional borate and creosote. Sold to railroad operators for track switch construction.
• Bridge Timbers Treated bridge timbers for railroad bridge construction and maintenance, produced using an innovative treatment process developed in collaboration with Nisus Corporation, designed to extend the life of wood transportation structures. Sold to railroad infrastructure operators.
• Borate and QNAP Dual Treatment Service Treatment service applying borate pre-treatment combined with Copper Naphthenate (QNAP 8) to railroad crossties and switch timbers as an alternative to traditional creosote treatment. Developed in collaboration with Nisus Corporation.
• Borate and Creosote Treatment Service Traditional wood preservation service applying borate pre-treatment followed by creosote treatment to railroad crossties and switch timbers for customers requiring standard preservation methods.

Quantifiable outcome

• Extended product life through dual treatment and air seasoning process

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Nisus CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMellott Wood collaborated closely with Nisus Corporation to develop an innovative bridge timber treatment process using Nisus's proprietary formulations. Most significantly, Mellott Wood assisted Nisus in researching the use of Copper Naphthenate (QNAP 8) in conjunction with borate pre-treatment as a viable alternative to traditional creosote treatment for railroad ties. This collaboration has resulted in a differentiated dual-treatment product offering.
• ConrailcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConrail approached founder Cecil Mellott to establish a creosote treatment facility and became Mellott Wood's primary customer. Mellott Wood became a Conrail Certified Quality Supplier, a status it has maintained. This relationship was foundational to the company's establishment in 1977.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Stella-Jones: Stella-Jones is North America's largest producer of pressure-treated wood railroad ties and utility poles, operating an extensive network of wood preserving plants. It directly competes with Mellott Wood in supplying treated crossties to Class I railroads and short-line operators.
• Koppers: Koppers Holdings is a leading global producer of treated wood products, particularly railroad crossties and utility poles, with multiple treatment facilities across North America. It is the most directly comparable competitor to Mellott Wood in the railroad tie treatment market and serves many of the same Class I railroad customers.
• Burke-Parsons-Bowlby Corporation: BPB is a manufacturer of treated wooden utility poles, posts, and crossties, with operations serving the eastern U.S. railroad and utility markets. It is a direct competitor in treated crossties and is comparable in scale and product mix to Mellott Wood.
• Gross & Janes Company: Gross & Janes is a regional treated wood producer specializing in crossties, switch ties, and bridge timbers for Class I railroads. Its product mix and customer base closely overlap with Mellott Wood's, making it a comparable direct peer.

Regional players

• Pacific Wood Preserving: Pacific Wood Preserving operates treated wood facilities serving the western U.S. railroad and utility markets. While geographically separated from Mellott Wood's Northeast focus, it is comparable in offering treated crossties, bridge timbers, and utility poles to Class I and short-line railroads.

Broad incumbents

• Viance: Viance is a leading supplier of wood preservative chemicals and treatment technologies serving both industrial and residential lumber markets. It is a broad incumbent providing preservative chemistries that compete with the Nisus QNAP formulations Mellott Wood uses.
• Lonza Wood Protection: Lonza (formerly Arch Wood Protection) is a major global supplier of wood preservative chemicals including ACQ and copper azole formulations. While not a direct crosstie producer, it is a broad incumbent in the wood preservation chemistry ecosystem in which Mellott Wood operates.

Others

• Nisus Corporation: Nisus Corporation is a wood preservation chemical manufacturer that supplies borate and QNAP (Copper Naphthenate) formulations to the industry. It is Mellott Wood's R&D co-development partner for the dual-treatment process and represents a critical supplier/enabler rather than a competing treater.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Mellott Wood Preserving