Jack Niemann knows. So do the owners of Orchard State Brewery and Cafe Toulouse. But the secret to their success in the kitchen is really no secret at all: Wood Stone Corp.

Located in Sumas, Wood Stone has been in the business of designing and manufacturing wood-fired ovens for nearly 10 years, and is recognized as an industry leader. It was recently ranked among the 400 fastest growing companies in Washington, and revenues are expected to exceed $4 million this year. With 30 percent annual growth, the hope is that Wood Stone will become a $10 million company in the next five years.

Humble Beginnings to Major Market Share

More than likely, Wood Stone's founders didn't set out to establish a multi-million dollar corporation when they put their heads together. Keith R. Carpenter, president of marketing and finance, had been selling food service equipment out of Seattle, while Harry E. Hegarty, president of manufacturing and engineering, had been producing incinerators for the forest products industry. Carpenter says he was asked by one of his customers, Restaurants Unlimited, if he knew anything about wood-fired ovens. He in fact did, having spent about 12 years as a fisherman, living out of a cabin in Everson, where he cooked and heated solely with wood. "I knew [Hegarty] had the technology and skill to cast refractory, and that's what these ovens are made out of." They talked, then constructed a prototype. "And that was 1,200 ovens ago," Carpenter says.

Today, every oven Wood Stone has ever manufactured is still in operation at facilities across North America, the Pacific Rim and beyond. Disney uses Wood Stone ovens, as well as its rotisseries. For Wolfgang Puck, only Wood Stone will do: the last 27 ovens he's had installed were made by the Sumas-based firm. California Pizza Kitchen is yet another client.

But for those who think Wood Stone's wood-fired ovens are just for pizza, think again. Although it's primary identity is as a pizza oven, the wood-fired oven does wonders for fish, steak and vegetables. Because the oven achieves such high temperatures, food is cooked quickly and its moisture is retained. "When chefs start using this oven, they quickly start using it for more than they planned on," Carpenter says. "Extremely hot, fast cooking is very, very indicative of a quality menu item."

The Competitive Edge

Of course, the concept behind the wood-fired oven is not new. Europeans, particularly Italian and French cooks, pioneered the technology. Currently, Wood Stone has only eight direct competitors making similar products, Carpenter says. All of the ovens are either imported or made from imported materials in one form or another; certain American manufacturers import materials then assemble and finish them. Wood Stone is the only one that is "wholly U.S.-engineered and manufactured," Carpenter says. Moreover, no one else utilizes cast stone materials for food applications.

Wood Stone's line of ovens range from $6,000 to $40,000, with an average sale price of about $13,000. Typically, the ovens are used as the focus for the restaurant. When all is said and done, restauranteurs often end up spending $15,000 to $20,000 with installation.

Diversifying Within the Food Service Niche

Admittedly, Wood Stone's ovens are not in everyone's price range. "Our smallest oven is still pretty expensive and we've never targeted the residential market. We are going to," Carpenter says. The company plans to develop a residential oven sometime next year and go after that market on a national basis. "If we can get a product priced low enough, under $3,000."

Wood Stone also has plans to expand its existing commercial market and is looking overseas. "We'd like to have a product that we can actually import back into Europe, which we don't now," Carpenter says. Wood Stone's product is "far more expensive than import models by about 40 percent," but Wood Stone still out-sells European models, which are designed for a different type of commercial kitchen. "Our restaurants here are much bigger, much higher volume. Restaurants in Europe are smaller," Carpenter explains.

Wood Stone has begun working with an international representative agency in Florida, and will schedule more trade shows abroad so it can make serious in-roads into the European market. Wood Stone's goal? To add another 30 percent in volume. But, for Carpenter, it's also about expanding Wood Stone's horizons. "We have a business here that supports us. Now we're able to venture out and try these other markets and see if we can be successful there."

Carpenter and his staff are working toward an oven priced under $5,000. It won't be as heavy duty as the more expensive models, but it will be well-suited to the smaller, perhaps family owned enterprise. "Not everybody needs a D-8 CAT. Some people just need a little tractor. And so we need to make a little tractor."

The Road Ahead

No matter what size the oven, Wood Stone counts on positive word-of-mouth among those in the restaurant industry. According to Carpenter, Wood Stone continues to build off its existing customer base. "The people who want to be successful see what these people are doing who are successful and it gives them confidence in the product. It must be a good product or they wouldn't use it and that's true."

The future for Wood Stone appears to be nothing less than red hot. One reason for that is the Port of Bellingham, which offered Wood Stone flexible and affordable lease terms so Carpenter and Hegarty didn't have to make a short-term transition. "They took a chance on us to a degree and allowed us to come in at a reduced rate." Wood Stone has come full circle from those days. An expansion is already underway; the additional 20,000 square feet will double the size of Wood Stone's facilities. Carpenter takes it all in stride, though. "We're happy that we've gotten this far and achieved this much success." And, rather than be complacent, Wood Stone remains dedicated to quality, durability and being a responsible manufacturer.