In 1974, AFA Forest Products Inc. was founded by four colleagues and friends – Al Jack, Frank Ingoldsby, Al Young and Gord Pace. In its inception, with only one branch in Bolton, Ontario, the focus was on specializing in the distribution of construction plywood and lumber to the Ontario commodity market. Under the leadership of Grant Yegavian, Murray Finkbiner and the rest of the ownership and management group, AFA’s team built solid customer and supplier partnerships to grow into a premier Canadian Commodity and Specialty Distributor with 13 branches stretching from Vancouver to Newfoundland. With its outstanding service AFA has maintained its position as one of the leaders in the distribution industry. In 2022, AFA was acquired by GILLFOR Distribution, an acquisition which resulted in one of the largest and most dynamic distribution companies in Canada.

Ontario Wholesale Lumber (OWL) Distribution was established in 1973 by Harvey Hunt and Al Praught in Woodstock, Ontario, and grew to become a leader in building products distribution throughout Ontario and Quebec. OWL prided itself on its “value-added” approach to distribution which views the retailer as a partner rather than a customer. In 2017, OWL Distribution was acquired by GILLFOR Distribution and this “value added” approach is practiced nationally.

Acquired from Mike Jennings, Mike Youssef and Peter MacWilliam, Brunswick Valley Distribution was a premier distributor of siding, decking and dimensional lumber throughout Atlantic Canada and Eastern Quebec. In 2019, Brunswick Valley Distribution was acquired by GILLFOR Distribution, providing GILLFOR Distribution an established presence in Atlantic Canada.

B&R was established in 1872 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by Alexander Brown and Thomas Rutherford as the first planing mill in Western Canada. In the years since, it had undergone many changes, but always stayed true to its roots in the building materials industry. In 2017, Brown & Rutherford was acquired by GILLFOR Distribution, at which time the direction of the company was geared away from manufacturing and toward distribution, but still serving the building materials industry.

Established in 1994, in Surrey, British Columbia, Fraserview Cedar Products is a premier independent manufacturer of naturally beautiful Western Red Cedar. Currently situated on 15 acres, Fraserview has an annual output capacity of 80+ Million FBM. Controlling the manufacturing process from logs to finished product provides the flexibility to produce a wide range of products in Fencing, Decking, Fascia, Siding, Pattern Stock, Boards and Timbers ranging from 1×2 through 12×12. Fraserview prides itself on its exceptional product quality, superior employee satisfaction and impeccable customer relations.

Gillwood Remanufacting is the workhorse of our business. We process millions of board feet annually while upholding our strong commitment to quality control and customer relationships. We have two planer lines, two resaws, two moulders, twelve dry kilns and a precision end trim line that enable us provide value added products to a variety of customers. We boast 33 acres of land and 160,000 sq ft of covered storage to ensure product is on hand and ready to go when needed. The site is fully rail-served and has close proximity to major highways and world class ports for easy truck and container shipments.