Michigan’s oldest lumberyard has long been one of Dowagiac’s most stalwart institutions, literally helping to build other businesses and homes surrounding it.

After 157 years serving the people of the Grand Old City, Judd Lumber Company is starting to turn heads from people across the U.S., too.

National trade publication LBM Journal recently named the Dowagiac lumber company as a member of its Century Club, a listing of dealers that have been operating for 100 years or more. As part of its membership, the publication will feature Judd Lumber in a future edition of its journal, and will invite members of the company to a recognition ceremony in Charlotte, North Carolina, in September, according to a news release from LBM.

“For more than 100 years, these companies [in the Century Club] have been supplying builders, homeowners and remodelers with building materials — all while providing a livelihood for generations of workers,” said LBM Journal Publisher and Editor Rick Schumacher in the release. “That is no small thing. The LBM Century Club was created to recognize and celebrate these companies for all they have done, and for standing the test of time.”

“We are obviously pleased to be recognized,” said Judd Lumber owner Dick Judd. “While being open for a long time doesn’t guarantee future success, it does show you have been doing something right for a long time.”

This is the first time that Judd Lumber has been honored on a national level for its longevity, Judd said.

Founded by Mark Judd April 18, 1859, the lumber mill has remained in the Judd family for four generations, with Dick taking the reigns from his father, Richard Judd Sr., in 1976.

“We are the same business, owned by the same family, in the same location, with a community that has sustained us for more than a century,” Judd said.

On top of providing building supplies, the company also sells paints, hardware and equipment, and also maintains rental center for customers.

While his family has maintained the helm, Judd credits his employees with continuing to drive the business forward, he said.

“It has been instilled in me by my grandfather and father that we are here not only to provide quality building materials to customers but to also serve the community,” Judd said. “That is a quality I have tried to instill in my employees, and hopefully they will continue that tradition long after I am no longer around.”