The Kadletz Lumber Company

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Kadletz Lumber Company
Shawano, Wisconsin

KADLETZ LUMBER COMPANY WAS FOUNDED HERE IN 1883
Shawano Evening Leader (Centennial issue)

The John Kadletz Lumber Company is located at 820 E, Maurer Street, Shawano. The company consists of wholesale sawing of logs and retail lumber building service yard.

The founder of the Kadletz Lumber Company was John Kadletz, father of the present owner. In 1883 it was started as a custom saw mill, planing mill and feed grinding mill located in the town of Waukechon, near Porter school. This was a prosperous farming community and each farmer had ample wood lot from which was cut the necessary logs to build home, barn or other sheds, The lumber was processed at the Kadletz mill and the good hardwood lumber was kiln dried and milled to flooring and finish for interior trim.

In 1915 the plant was sold and the late John Kadletz, Sr. retired and traveled south. In 1917 the new plant was built in Shawano. It was operated as a custom mill for five years, cutting out war contracts. In 1923 the company was expanded to care of retail lumber trade by annexing the different building materials. At this time John Kadletz, the present owner, joined the business and steadily created a complete lumber and building material service. After the retirement of John Kadletz, Sr. from the business, Alfred Kadletz. sold out to John R. Kadletz in 1945.

The present owner is general manager of the plant and retail yards. Several assistants have been employed in personnel and managerial capacities. The include Lyle Charles, who was with the company for 12 years; Francis J. Mulligan, the retail estimator and salesman, who is a graduate of Marquette University and who is active in local civic groups; Arthur J. Schmidt, bookkeeper and general office manager who has 25 years experience who specializes in handling and selling of the Kadletz paint supplies.

Harry Malley is the Kadletz yard man and has been with the company for 25 years and knows the business from every angle. The carpenter for the company is Walter Rosin, who builds excellent cabinets and takes care of other important jobs involving carpentry.

In order to give the finest of servicé and to have stock available for large or small jobs, the company maintains a large staff of mill workers and have adequate supplies of lumber at all times. Supplies are carried in great quantities even through this means paying heavier taxes, to the tune of $7,000 per annum to the city of Shawano. Some companies wait to but material after tax time.

The community benefits from the large annual payroll and the extensive log purchases in this area.

Many of the present employees have been with the company since it began operation on a larger scale in 1935. The grader, Roy Rades, has at his command all of the different wholesale distribution of orders. Each job receives special attention. Besides the different species of lumber, it must be graded to order, and above this inspection there are special grades, like Vehicle grade lumber for the truck body trade, Core lumber made u for the veneer plants, Trim lumber, and various grades down to bed slats. Many times the grader has a sheet showing three or for jobs sorted from a variety of lumber. Roy is very conscientious in his duty and takes much interest in his work. His hobby and recreation are building boats for the trade and fishing. Ed Sickinger is in charge of scaling logs, bought out in the farm territory or scaled at the mill. He manages the mill crew. His duty of superintending the mill operation takes him to many jobs in the mill and many times he is short of a mand and has to do that job as well as his own. He has a long record with the company in the buying of logs as well as production work in the mill.

Vilas Rades is in charge of the planing mill and part time filer. Many other workers are employed and each has an important duty to perform. Ernest Kadlets, uncle of the owner, is general superintendent of the millwright operation by the Kadletz Lumber Company.

Recently purchased was a new set of moulding knives (milled to patter) to make the new teardrop pattern moulding trim used in modern homes. This set of knives is new in that the pattern will never change from grinding the knives.

The Kadletz Lumber Company of Shawano is one of the leading business of its kind in northeastern Wisconsin. Throughout its long history it has been a credit to the community.

PIONEER LUMBERMAN
JOHN KADLETZ, SR. DIES AT OCONTO ON SUNDAY January 29, 1950

John Kadletz, Sr., founder of the Kadletz Lumber Company here, passed away at the home of his sister, Mrs. Joe Sedmerasky, in Oconto where he had been visiting. He had made preparations to return to Shawano when he was stricken with a heart attack.

Death came to him Sunday evening at nine-thirty o’clock.

Funeral services were conducted this morning at ten o’clock in the Sacred Heart Catholic Church and burial was in the Sacred Heart Cemetery. The Rev. Father Van Dyke officiated and the Schweers Funeral Home was in charge. Serving as pallbearers were Joe Quillian, Dr. Robert Gehr, Dr. B. Scanlon, L. N. Olson, H. J. Rose and Roland Frappy.

Mr. Kadlez was born December 13, 1870 when his parents were enroute from Manitowoc County to Shawano County. He always claimed Mill Center as the place of his birth. He was married to Emma Semad at Cooperstown in 1890 and they immediately came to the town of Waukechon where Mr. Kadletz had built a small sawmill. For many years he did custom sawing and other millwork, and besides did feed grinding for the farmers.

Mr. Kadletz had the first lumber drying kiln in this community. Heat was provided by an old wood stove. He liked to recall that it was assumed on the part of the farmers in that neighborhood that they would be called to put out the fire for invariably the stove would become overheated and a fire start. The farmers were always prepared to help out.

In 1916 Mr. Kadletz came to Shawano and organized the Kadletz Lumber and Fuel Company. A son, John is now general manager and owner of the firm which as become one of the leading industries in this area.
Mr. Kadletz had been retired since 1942. However, he never lost interest in the business and liked to around the plant. Just about every day he would be down to the mill.

He was a very kindly and friendly person and always happy to do what he could to help others. He enjoyed his grandchildren and spent much of his time visiting with them His wife passed away in December 1946, and since that he had made his home with his son, Alfred. Mr. Kadletz was a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.

Survivors are two sons, Alfred and John, Jr., and Mary, John, and Alice, children of Alfred. Two sisters, Mrs. Joe Sedmerasky of Oconto and Mrs. Mary Ford, Belle Plaine, and three brothers, Ernest of Shawano, Adolph of Saxon, and Frank of Iron Mountain, Michigan also survive.