Northland Distributing & Manufacturing is marking its 12th year in International Falls with a $3,000,000 expansion proposal that would include a warehouse and wood boiler manufacturing facility.
Keith Horne, owner, said the expansion would create up to 26 additional jobs in skilled labor, engineering and sales staff. It would improve the businesses’ capacity from partial to full production and provide space for distribution of other wood and pellet burning stoves.
When the expansion met obstacles last year, Horne considered a move to Spooner, Wis. With only one employee willing to make the move, Horne said he solved some of the issues and is waiting approval on financing proposals this month.
“I just want to see the Falls grow,” said Horne. “The city, the county, and (Koochiching Economic Development Authority) have been pretty good in working with us.”
The family–owned company started in 1996 as a distributor for various wood furnaces. After suggesting improvements to manufacturers, the family developed its own Crown Royal Stoves, which burns several different types of fuel, ranging from coal to corncobs to wood and wood pellets.
Horne worked at the Boise papermill in the Falls and went on the road in his spare time setting up dealerships for his stoves until 1999. Then he and spouse, Brenda and their two grown children moved the business to the old Century Freight building at 2617 Crescent Drive.
Two Canadian companies handled the bulk of the manufacturing and they finished the product in the Falls. With the customer base building, especially on the East Coast, Horne wants to expand dealerships nationwide and manufacture the stoves locally.
He attributes the popularity of wood stoves to the rising cost of oil. He said Europe, with its higher fuel costs, embraced and improved the technology years ago, and the new generation of stoves are efficient, integrate well with existing heating systems and help homeowners reduce or eliminate the use of natural gas or electric for heating.
“Right now people cannot afford to pay their heating bills,” he said.
Work is already underway in building a bigger front showroom to showcase their new line of Ecoteck wood pellet burning stoves. Built in Italy, Horne said Ecoteck is selling well worldwide and the strong Euro is making U.S. markets attractive.
“We are the only distributors in the U.S. and Canada,” said Horne.
Horne also carries the American made Travis pellet stoves, which he said is comparable to Ecoteck. The major difference is a preference either for the traditional country stove versus sleek European styling.
“They are very neat looking pellet stoves,” he added.
Wood pellets are a biomass commodity with mills in the U.S. and Canada. The pellets are made of hard or soft wood that is compressed to less than an inch in size.
One load of pellets can burn for more than a day on a standard setting, depending on insulation and square footage factors, Horne said. The burning is controlled with manual and automatic feeding systems and works with thermostats.
“This is an alternative unit that saves a lot of money and hooks up to every heating system,” he added.
Horne said to consider the amount of space and utility in choosing an outdoor or indoor wood burner or pellet stove. A wood boiler is preferable when there is a lot of space to heat. It works better in a workshop or garage setting, or for heating a pool or hot tub. They offer better venting by bringing in outside air for combustion.
Other factors are the existing or proposed heating systems. Some wood and wood pellet units work with forced air, central heating and ductwork. Other models work well with radiant under floor or hydronic systems. Steam systems would need to covert to water, he said.
Horne recommends radiant system as the most effective and economical system for homeowners undergoing new construction or a floor renovation.
“Radiant is the best out there,” he said.
It is not complicated to install either, he said, and is less expensive than installing a new furnace. A special stovepipe should take about one to four hours to install. Secondary gases and ash are recycled and burned again to cut down on soot, smoke and debris.
“Clean up is much easier with ash pan removal,” he added.
With the expansion Horne wants more people to learn that his products work in city homes as well as in the country. He said the stoves would pay for themselves and eliminate the need to use other sources of heat in the home.