Omnia Wood Products in Crivitz manufactures fun, according to CEO Ed Kolasinski, who oversees a rapidly growing team making its mark in the world of barbecuing with Smokey Woods products.
“We’re not just selling wood,” Kolasinski says. “We’re selling what the wood brings. It’s the family backyard barbecue; it’s tailgating outside of Lambeau … it’s getting friends and family together.”
It’s also about investing in the community and people, according to owner Derek Taylor, who assembled the investment group that purchased the small family business in May 2022.
“We try to create stories beyond just a return in investment dollars,” Taylor says of his investment group. “This is more about a return to the community and to the community we serve.”
The company’s job creation and retention in Crivitz allowed Smokey Woods to seek and obtain New Market Tax Credit Financing as well as additional federal support for low-cost financing. That in turn has driven rapid growth. Smokey Woods grew from seven employees in 2022 to its current 24 and intends to grow to 38 employees by the end of the year.
Taylor and Kolasinski attribute growth to the market for barbecue fuels that took off after the COVID-19 pandemic spurred purchases of grills and smokers. Some of it is driven by Omnia’s investment in equipment and the Smokey Woods brand, which was created after the purchase of the company.
Smokey Woods is available as chips, pellets and sticks for various types of cooking apparatus. The company also has added charcoal. Distribution is online and through Ace Hardware as well as in smaller retail outlets.
Competitive grilling (which Taylor enjoys) has helped build a reputation for Smokey Woods that extends nationally and even internationally.
Using locally sourced oak, cherry, hickory and maple as well as apple, mesquite and pecan from out of state, the company carefully processes, sorts and dries its wood to produce a high-quality fuel that is shelf stable.
Continued investment and growth in Crivitz are anticipated, and Taylor says he thinks the company’s “secret sauce” will spur opportunities elsewhere as well.
