The company was founded by Doug Muscanell, who started making boxes from domestic wood after moving to Montezuma County in 1986. He and his wife, Karen Harbaugh, started manufacturing hardwood flooring in 1996. On Sept. 30, they closed on a sale of the business to Lagler, which produces floor sanding machines for a worldwide market.
“We want to see the business go on here,” Harbaugh said. “It’s successful. It’s established. We have found the labor pool that we need here. ... We needed a plan for how the business is going to go on after Doug and I are ready to retire.”
Right now, about 25 employees work at Millworks, which sells about 95 percent of its products outside Montezuma County, according to a news release from Harbaugh. In addition to wood floors, the company also makes custom stair parts and fuel for wood stoves.
Harbaugh said Lagler is the “ideal candidate” to take over Millworks. Founded in 1956, it is a family-owned manufacturer based in Frauenzimmern, Germany, and it sells sanding machines in about 140 different countries, North American vice president of sales Marc Schulz said. It already owns a few American companies, including Millworks’ Denver distributor, Palo Duro Hardwoods. Schulz said Lagler’s leaders were excited to acquire the company because they already had a good working relationship with Millworks.
“For us, it just makes sense – I mean, we produce the machines to sand the flooring, and they produce the best wood flooring,” he said. “For us it was a good fit.”
He said his company has no plans to change the staff or the way Millworks is run, and all its operations will stay in Montezuma County. Harbaugh said she and Muscanell will continue to work with the company for some time in order to make sure the transition goes smoothly.
“We couldn’t have done any better than this deal,” she said. “It’s going to be really good for our employees. Lots of opportunity for growth.”
She said she hoped being owned by a global company would open up a bigger market for Millworks, and eventually create opportunities to hire more employees. Muscanell said he has known Lagler’s owner, Karl Lagler, for several years, and trusts him to keep the company’s legacy going.
“We are joining a company with strong manufacturing roots, and a similar focus on quality,” Muscanell wrote in the news release. “This is a great thing for our people and for Montezuma County.”