Harry Arthur Merickel, age 39, grew tired of the banking and insurance game in Wadena, so in 1928, with his wife and four children, he went West to California to seek his fortune. The family returned to Wadena in 1933. Harry had an old friend Rich Stuntebeck, then owner of the Ford garage, for financial backing. The two men formed a partnership and a new business, Merickel Lumber Mills.

Merickel Lumber Mills was established in 1935 to mill and sell lumber being logged in areas surrounding Wadena, Minnesota. Harry surveyed local plots of forest land, bought and logged them off. The plots were then sold back as pasture land to farmers.

By the 1940s and '50s, the company transitioned into a retail building center.  Harry’s sons—Jack, Jim and Tom—took over the operation in 1958. During that era, most people built their own houses, barns and cottages. Merickel Lumber specialized in selling home and agricultural building kits all over the upper Midwest.

This surge of building slowed with more people moving to urban areas during the '80s and '90s. Jim Merickel, son of Jack, became CEO of the company in 1992. The company continued to grow, adding a design department, a large fleet of delivery vehicles, and a 10,000 square foot ACE Hardware and Rental. In 2004, Jason, son of Jim Merickel, returned to Wadena to work full-time at the family business and became partners with Jim.

Even through a great depression and several recessions, Merickel Lumber has continued to grow. Merickel Lumber will continue to keep customer service its number one focus. We assist in project design, on-site support, estimating, contractor referrals, and on-time delivery to our customers. Through our professionalism and passion, we make the construction process an enjoyable one for our customers!

Community Commitment

Merickel Lumber is committed to the community. On top of donating thousands of dollars annually to local events, we take pride in supporting larger local efforts to better the community.  We were among the top donors during the construction of the Maslowski Wellness and Research Center after the tornado of 2010 destroyed Wadena’s Community Center.  We also have made a commitment to the city of Wadena to help grow the retail presence and help create more local jobs by supporting the Buxton Marketing campaign which started in 2017.  Our employees willfully volunteer their spare time to local fundraising efforts, school and church functions, and youth sports.

Hours:

Monday 7:30am - 5:00pm
Tuesday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Wednesday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Thursday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Friday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
Saturday: 7:30am - Noon
Sunday: Closed