For Boise Cascade, a wholesale distributor of building materials for residential and commercial construction markets, Georgia’s film industry is a consistent and reliable channel for the company that fills gaps during downturns in the building industry.
Rusty Winter, Boise Cascade General Manager in Auburn depends on a vast array of Georgia-based vendors to deliver materials quickly to Reel Supplies, a building supply company dedicated to the episodic television and feature film industry.
Fast-growing Southern pine, grown and milled in Georgia, is cost-effective lumber for the film industry, particularly good for framing sets. Mills across Georgia like Georgia Pacific, Canfor, Interfor and West Fraser are putting more capital into the region’s lumber infrastructure, expanding their footprints and creating jobs for local citizens.
“The film industry’s demands are unique and it’s a profitable channel for us. The more we buy and distribute locally, the better the revenue stream for all parties involved,” says Rusty. “At Boise Cascade’s Auburn location, we’ve gone from 26 employees 11 years ago to 156 employees now, in part due to the film industry.”
Rusty points out that it’s not just demand for building sets. It’s also infrastructure for businesses supporting film and homes for the people working in Georgia’s film industry that keeps demand for lumber — and jobs across the state — thriving.
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