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Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 63F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Mainly clear skies after midnight. Low 63F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Tracy Barone of the Pennsylvania State Fairs Association, left, presented the owners of Rorabaugh Lumber Co., from left, Roger, Dan “Tucker” and Bob Rorabaugh, with the 2021 Friend of the Fair award this week at Harmony Grange Fair. The three men have decided to retire from owning a company and recently sold their Burnside sawmill and kiln to a New Castle company.
Tracy Barone of the Pennsylvania State Fairs Association, left, presented the owners of Rorabaugh Lumber Co., from left, Roger, Dan “Tucker” and Bob Rorabaugh, with the 2021 Friend of the Fair award this week at Harmony Grange Fair. The three men have decided to retire from owning a company and recently sold their Burnside sawmill and kiln to a New Castle company.
BURNSIDE — For more than 60 years, Rorabaugh Lumber Co. has been a fundamental part of the town of Burnside.
The family-owned sawmill operation and drying kiln offered various varieties of rough, sawn and planed lumber.
The company was founded in Deer Run near Mahaffey in 1951 by the owners’ father, Robert R. Rorabaugh. Shortly after that it relocated to Hillsdale, Indiana County, where it operated as a partnership for several years. After the partnership dissolved, Robert R. Rorabaugh moved the mill to Burnside in 1959.
The property where the mill is located was part of the Adam Clark estate. The land was nearby where the Rorabaugh family’s homestead was located in Burnside Township.
At that time, the mill’s primary customers were local companies involved in the coal extraction industry. The amount of those customers was greatly reduced in the 1980s when the coal business all but disappeared from the area.
Today the business has approximately 100 commercial accounts selling wood for various manufacturing products including flooring, furniture and pallets and other wood products including bark for landscaping.
“A lot of our product stays relatively local. We have many local customers,” Partner Bob Rorabaugh said.
The mill has changed from a manual one to one that operates using many types of electrical and computerized hydraulic equipment. Bob Rorabaugh, along with his brothers Daniel, “Tucker” Rorabaugh and Roger Rorabaugh, worked for their father and later took over ownership of the business.
The three have declared it is time for them to retire. The business has been sold to JB Mill and Fabricating, New Castle, who recently assumed ownership. The brothers said they plan to use the mill in a similar fashion by using it to turn out some of the same products.
“It’s been 49 years, it’s time to retire,” Bob Rorabaugh said.
Of Rorabaugh Lumber Co.’s 13 employees, most are retiring at the same time as the Rorabaugh brothers.
The three said they will all stay on with the new company in various capacities, but all said they are looking forward to releasing the responsibility that comes with owning their own business and having additional time for hunting, fishing, traveling and spending time with family.
Bob Rorabaugh said the family is grateful for the support it has received from the community.
“We are thankful for the people of the community who have supported us throughout the years. We appreciate them trusting us, purchasing from us and selling us timber.”
Roger Rorabaugh echoed his statement.
“We always had good relationships. There are a lot of good people who live here. It’s a great place to live and work,” he said.
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