By 1999, Commercial Lumber and Pallet’s City of Industry location was working 3 shifts and carrying a lumber inventory that was well beyond what it was intended for. In addition to the increased sales demand, more and more of their volume customers were asking for just in time. Commercial Lumber & Pallet was at a point where it needed to expand its business.
In hopes of continuing their growth and accommodating the requests of their customers, Ray Gutierrez, President and CEO of Commercial Lumber and Pallet Company, found a 15 acre parcel in Beaumont, California. Ray’s plan was for this facility to be a perfect fit to address the growing demand and the projected needs of the Inland Empire, while controlling transportation costs.
The 15 acres of land was purchased and Priority Pallet in Beaumont California was established in December of 1999. Today, it employs over 100 people and most recently added a second shift of its own. Through the years, it has continually added equipment and technology, allowing this location to have complete versatility in the manufacturing of lumber, new wooden pallets, heat treating, recycled pallets as well as offering Total Pallet Management to include just in time deliveries for some of the volume accounts that are serviced by Commercial Lumber and Pallet.
In 2006, Priority Pallet received a grant of 1.3 million dollars from the Riverside County Economic Development Department, funded by the United States Forest Service. Being centrally located in the valley surrounded by the Riverside and San Bernardino County National Forests, these funds were utilized to purchase the equipment needed to create an entire logging sawmill operation to support Healthy Forest Management, be the infrastructure in the event of hazards such as bark beetle infestation and/or fires, and most importantly create jobs in the community. Priority Pallet is capable of processing from log to pallets and utilize fiber that would typically be ground and removed at an expense to the United States Forest Service.
Priority Pallet is dedicated to providing the utmost in quality products and service. Their attention to detail, commitment to the environment, and overall company values, mirror those of their sister and founding company, Commercial Lumber and Pallet Company, Inc.