John Christenson, Native Lumber

About this episode

John Christenson shares his journey of transforming a natural disaster into a successful sawmill business in Colorado.

A catastrophic event can either destroy a business or become the catalyst for creating something entirely new. For one Colorado family, a natural disaster became the unexpected beginning of a thriving sawmill operation. In this episode of the Woodpreneur Podcast, host Jennifer Alger sits down with John Christenson of Native Lumber to explore his remarkable journey from managing a family ranch to running a successful sawmill business. John shares how natural disasters shaped his business decisions, the challenges of logging in Colorado's diverse terrain, and why finding a niche specialization has been critical to Native Lumber's growth and sustainability. You'll hear about John's approach to fire mitigation and sustainable logging practices that benefit both the business and the environment, how he's built employment opportunities and community impact through his operation, and the diverse timber species they work with in their logging and milling practices. John discusses his effective use of social media and online marketing to reach customers, the importance of industry connections and networking for growth, and his strategies for selling slabs and specialty products in a…

People in this episode

Host: Jennifer Alger

Guest: John Christenson

Topics covered

• sawmill operation
• natural disaster
• sustainable logging
• community impact
• social media marketing

Keywords

• sawmill
• logging
• sustainable practices
• fire mitigation
• social media marketing
• community impact
• timber species

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Native Lumber

Places: Colorado

More episodes of The Woodpreneur Podcast

• Mike McGarry, Urban Lumber · June 11, 2026 · 39 min
• Ben Pierce, Holt & Bugbee Company · June 4, 2026 · 36 min
• Craig Hedges, Goliath Hardwoods · May 28, 2026 · 41 min
• Marty Parsons, Wood-Mizer Pennsylvania · May 21, 2026 · 47 min
• Bob Kloes & Matt Schmitz, Kloes Specialty Hardwoods · May 14, 2026 · 44 min
• Brian Presnell, Indy Urban Hardwood · May 7, 2026 · 35 min