Birch Creek Millworks - Mud Lake
You wouldn't expect to find a successful, high quality hardwood and softwood flooring company out in the middle of the rural farmland of Eastern Idaho, but that's exactly where Birch Creek Millworks got its start. Today, it is a thriving manufacturingcompany with 18 employees in the remote town of Mud Lake, Idaho. Birch Creek ships many truck loads of finished flooring a month all over the United States. The company carved out its niche by specializing in textured and distressed flooring finishes.
David Simmons started Birch Creek Millworks six years ago. After starting in a garage, little did he realize he would be facing problems caused by explosive growth. Dave was not new to business, having operated an auto-parts store in Roberts, Idaho for many years. Some of the issues Dave faced after starting the milling company were very different from those he encountered at the auto-parts store, and they were on a larger scale. He faced issues concerning financial controls, management, process flows, and marketing. He was also running out of a valuable space.
Dave and his wife attended a NxLevel Business Plan Development Class offered by the Idaho Small Business Development Center in Idaho Falls. He learned how to write an effective business plan. He then successfully presented his business plan to the Regional Development Alliance and received a substantial amount of expansion and development capital.
Birch Creek Millworks' success continues through the collaborative efforts of a number of dedicated professional groups, including the Idaho SBDC, Idaho TechHelp, Idaho TechConnect, the Regional Development Alliance, and a Brigham Young University Idaho student business team that helped Birch Creek focus its marketing efforts.
A few years ago Gov. Dirk Kempthorne implemented his "Rural Economic Development Initiative." Birch Creek Millworks is a prime example of that initiative, how business development in rural areas can dramatically impact local economies. The business has also created many new full-time jobs.
Small Business Development Centers are a program supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration and extended to the public on a non-discriminatory basis. SBA cannot endorse any products, opinions or services of any external parties or activities.
