The 1950s and 1960s saw periods of substantial growth in home building, including the construction of a military housing community (now Hampton West Estates) opposite the US Air Force base (now Gabreski Airport) in Westhampton. Homes were again being built on Dune Road, which had been largely decimated by the great hurricane. Speonk Lumber grew and expanded their facility and inventories, including the manufacturing of wood windows in their own shop.
By the end of the 60s and into the 1970s, a combination of factors contributed to a decline in business. Construction activity, notoriously cyclical, entered a downturn. Ed suffered from ill health and passed away in 1972. Finally, in 1977 an arrangement was made to sell the company to Rush’s nephew, Dennis Smith, who had grown up in the old Wilczewski homestead. Dennis and his wife Christine set about rebuilding the once-proud company.
Beginning with just a small handful of employees, they shepherded the company through a 30-year period of unprecedented growth, as the construction market on eastern Long Island went through a boom phase. Main-line products sold by the company then (and to this day) included Andersen and Marvin Windows, Simpson and Masonite Doors, Georgia-Pacific products and many more.
In 1990, they purchased Norwich Lumber (also founded in 1946), bringing Dave Camasi from Long Island to be the general manager, a position he still holds.
In 2007, ownership of the company passed to Dennis and Christine’s son, Shane, who had essentially “grown up in the business”, starting at the bottom and working in every department. Our country was about to enter a great recession, but under Shane’s guidance the company was able to survive the downturn. A wide range of information technology advancements were instituted, essential to doing business in the computer age. Many much-needed improvements were made to our facility including showroom upgrades, new trucks and equipment, enhanced parking and a new sales center.
The Wilczewski brothers, Ed and Rush, would hardly recognize the place today. One thing they would recognize and remember quite well is the company’s commitment to customer service; that has never gone out of style.