CONSULT,
INFORM,
SUPPLY
American Pole and Timber (APT),
A Houston-based manufacturer
and supplier of treated poles, pilings,
timbers and industrial and commercial
structural wood products, is taking
structural possibilities one step further
with an exclusive product: Gun Barrel Pilings
™. These pilings are superior to other
wood piling options, in both strength and
aesthetics, while being the only pilings
that are uniform in diameter. Gun Barrel
Pilings™ are most notably featured in zoos
nationwide, but their use extends to a variety
of projects.
Dorian Been, president, and William
Plant, chairman, started their first company,
Building Products Plus (BPP), in 1993.
Both had worked for a treatment plant that
treated wood products. It didn’t take long for
Plant to realize the market opportunity for
specialty treated wood products in the area.
Living on the Gulf Coast, marine and shoreline
construction is a bustling industry. Plant
founded his business on the model “Consult,
Inform, Supply.”
“I was frustrated with the lack of
knowledge about treated wood and its specifications
by builders,” said Plant. “They
would come to the suppliers with questions
and if those suppliers didn’t ask the right
questions, they wouldn’t suggest the right
product and the projects weren’t completed
as they should be.”
He says that truly listening to the
builders to understand their needs ensures
that he can meet those needs, as necessary,
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to adhere to the superior standards he is
accustomed to supplying.
“When I’m done asking questions
about the project, I should know everything
except your wife’s shoe size,” said Plant, a
jovial yet knowledgeable leader in the timber
industry.
At a chance meeting lunch engagement
in 1993, shortly after Plant had started BPP,
he met a man who was building a house in
Piney Point, Texas. They exchanged cards
and Plant told him, “If you need treated
wood anytime, you need Building Products
Plus every time.” Upon speaking with his
architect, the man realized that his plans
included quite a bit of wood construction
and referred his contractors to Plant. That
job resulted in over $100,000 in materials
Photos courtesy of Eric Lincoln, Building Products Plus
Oklahoma City Zoo, elephant enclosure
American Pole and Timber is a
leader in the industry with an
exclusive product
By Fallon Laughlin
PILEDRIVER | 113