[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 8 (Tuesday, February 1, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF UNIVERSAL FOREST PRODUCTS OF 
                            GRAND RAPIDS, MI

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. VERNON J. EHLERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 1, 2005

  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to give recognition to a 
company located in my district, Universal Forest Products Inc., which 
clearly deserves its place under the heading of ``American Success 
Stories.''
  Universal Forest Products, Inc. was incorporated on February 10, 
1955, as a lumber wholesale office specializing in sales to the 
manufactured housing industry. William F. Grant was the major 
stockholder and sole salesman. When Mr. Grant decided in 1962 to grow 
his business, he hired a graduate of Michigan State University, Peter 
F. Secchia. Nine years later, when the company had sales of $12 
million, Secchia, today's company chairman, purchased control of 
Universal. A year later, he hired William G. Currie, today's CEO and 
vice-chairman. Together, they have led Universal through three decades 
of strong, steady growth and great success.
  Today, Universal is a $2.5 billion, publicly traded company, trading 
on the NASDAQ index as UFPI. The company is the leading supplier to the 
four strong markets it serves--do-it-yourself retail, suit-built 
construction, industrial and other packaging and components, and 
manufactured housing. Universal is the largest producer of pressure-
treated lumber in the world, the largest producer of roof trusses for 
manufactured housing in North America, and the nation's largest 
residential truss manufacturer. Furthermore, it is a leading supplier 
of value-added products to the do-it-yourself market, maintaining this 
leadership role as a result of the company's commitment to manufacture, 
distribute, and market its own products.
  Universal is an employer of choice, where more than 9,000 people 
work. In fact, among the senior ranks, the turnover has been virtually 
zero; most officers have been with the company for decades. The same is 
holding true for the new generation of leadership: They're joining the 
company and staying.
  With 96 locations throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 
Universal produces finished goods within the markets it serves, 
offering unparalleled distribution and service to its customers.
  In 2004, Foress once again named Universal to its ``Platinum 400,'' 
an annual ranking of the 400 best performing companies in the U.S. with 
more than $1 billion in revenue, and continues its climb up the Fortune 
1000 list, up 35 places to No. 734 in the most-recent rankings. In 
addition, Industry Week magazine in August 2003 named Universal to its 
list of ``Top 50 U.S. Manufacturers'' and CNN's Money Gang show named 
Universal a ``Stock Pick of the Day'' in February 2004.
  Universal is a great American business success story and it is my 
privilege to honor the company, its chairman, Peter Secchia, and its 
thousands of employees today in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
Congratulations on the occasion of Universal's 50th anniversary.

                          ____________________