Built for Efficiency
The Titusville concentration yard is a 130,000 square-foot facility situated on 14 acres, designed with efficiency in mind. Lumber follows a circular production flow, moving seamlessly from the stacker to air-dry yards, kilns, planers, and ultimately shipping to the customer.
The facility operates 17 kilns with a total capacity of 950,000 board feet and has a production capacity of approximately 19 million board feet of kiln-dried lumber annually. The site processes six primary Appalachian species: Red Oak, White Oak, Poplar, Soft Maple, Hard Maple, and Cherry.
The region itself is one of Titusville’s greatest advantages. Pennsylvania is known for producing exceptional hardwoods, and the area surrounding Titusville is widely regarded as one of the best regions in the world for Black Cherry color. The combination of fertile soils, ideal growing conditions, and a cooler climate helps produce Cherry lumber with rich, consistent color and fewer variations between boards. That natural consistency is highly valued by manufacturers and designers alike, particularly for furniture, cabinetry, and other applications where appearance is just as important as performance.
The Team That Makes the Difference
The Titusville facility is home to 28 employees with an average tenure of 14 years, creating a strong foundation of experience and commitment to success. Employees work together to solve challenges, share expertise, and continuously improve operations while maintaining a strong focus on quality, customer satisfaction, and safety. In fact, the site recently celebrated an impressive milestone of 12 years without a lost-time incident—a reflection of the accountability, teamwork, and dedication that define the Titusville culture.
Leadership Focused on Continuous Improvement
Brian Popoleo, Regional Manufacturing Manager for Northern PA, brings more than three decades of experience to the operation. Beginning his career at NWH’s Marienville facility in 1990, Brian has worked in nearly every area of the business, including lumber stacking, equipment operation, Head Sawyer, kiln operation, sales, purchasing, and management.
His leadership philosophy centers around using continuous improvement to find opportunities in safety, quality, and productivity.
Brian says his favorite part about working at NWH is “the people and the opportunities for growth within the company.”
Finding a Home in the Kilns
Production Manager Troy Frazer has spent more than 25 years with the company, first with Weyerhaeuser and then Northwest Hardwoods with the acquisition.
What started as a temporary job quickly became a career.
“I came here looking for a job until my girlfriend graduated from college…and I’ve never left. (Yes, she graduated!).”
Troy began his career on second shift, stacking lumber in the dimension mill before moving into a line lead position and eventually transitioning to kiln operations, where he has spent the past 20 years as a kiln supervisor. In this role, he has dried over 300 million feet of lumber.
His favorite thing about working at NWH is the science behind drying lumber. “I told a previous manager who promoted me, ‘I found my home in the kilns.’”
Along the way, Troy has built many lifelong friendships that continue to make NWH feel like home.
What Makes Titusville Special?
With efficient operations, a deeply experienced workforce, and access to some of the finest hardwood resources in North America, the Titusville facility continues to play an important role in NWH’s Appalachian network.
From its unique circular production flow to its people-first culture, Titusville embodies what makes NWH successful: quality products, dedicated employees, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Fun Facts About Titusville
Titusville is known as the birthplace of the American oil industry. It was here that Colonel Edwin L. Drake successfully drilled the nation’s first commercial oil well in 1859, forever changing the energy landscape of the United States. Today, visitors can explore that history at the Drake Well Museum and Park.
Much like the hardwood industry itself, the Titusville region is deeply connected to a legacy of innovation and preservation. One notable local landmark is the historic Pine Creek Bridge, also known as the Messerall Road Bridge, which was originally built in 1876 to support the region’s booming oil and lumber industries. After serving the community for nearly 140 years and then sitting unused for decades, the bridge was carefully removed, restored, and relocated to the Pymatuning State Park Spillway Trail in 2022, where it now serves visitors in its next chapter. The preservation project not only saved a rare piece of engineering history but also preserved a tangible connection to the industries that helped shape the Titusville region.
NWH
10589 Campbell Rd
Titusville, PA 16354
- Concentration Yard
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Behind the Boards: Marienville, PA
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