Palettes by Winesburg rebrands as MAVIN

Rebranding places all segments of the business under one corporate name that conveys the company’s sense of skill and professionalism

MILLERSBURG, Ohio – Solid wood case goods manufacturer Palettes by Winesburg is rebranding as part of an effort to place all of its divisions under a single corporate name.

The new company, MAVIN, will encompass the company’s furniture division, its timber division, its pallet production division and its hardwood flooring division.

This change also occurs as the company continues an 80,000-square-foot expansion that will double its production capabilities at its Dundee, Ohio plant.

About half the expansion was completed about a month ago, company director of sales and marketing Kyle Schlabach told Home News Now. Referred to as the West Expansion, it includes a building for expanded production that includes space for lumber storage and wood processing, including CNC routers used in the production of finished furniture.

The East Expansion, which is now underway and expected to be completed by the fall, will include an expanded finishing area on the ground floor as well as offices and a lunch area on the second floor.

The company operates its other segments, including a sawmill, in different nearby buildings that encompass as much as 60,000 square feet. The company plans to expand these facilities sometime next year, although it is not expected to double in size like the furniture production side of the business.

“It’s very unusual to be this vertically integrated,” MAVIN President Bryan Coblentz said in a statement. “Where other timber companies are selling the lumber to be made into wood products, we take it all the way to that final product ourselves. We don’t have to source from others because we are the source.”

He added that the expansion of the furniture facilities in particular will help the company better manage its lead times particularly for custom product, although it was not immediately clear how much lead times will improve over time.

“Lead times on furniture products can get extensive on lines like ours where each piece is customized,” Coblentz said. “We wanted to make sure we have capabilities to manage those lead times effectively and exceed the expectations of every customer we have. The expansion helps give us the ability to do that.”

The new name describes someone who is extremely skilled or knowledgeable in a certain field.

“The family-owned business has deep roots in the Amish community and recognized the challenge the name extended to them — to lead with honor and integrity,” the company said of its history.

The company got started about 30 years ago as a sawmill operator called Winesburg Hardwood and then added other segments including a pallet division that changed the name to Winesburg Hardwood & Pallet.

It began producing chairs for hospitality projects such as casinos and hotels about 15 years ago and began making residential furniture about 12 years ago, Schlabach noted.

“At our core, we are a group of people that are passionate about what we do and the resources we feel blessed to steward,” Schlabach said. “After much deliberation, we chose the name MAVIN because it not only represents our past experience, but it also challenges us for the future — to lead by example, set a standard for performance and to positively impact our people and our community.”

Schlabach also told Home News Now that the new name also provides some clarity within the Millersburg and Dundee area communities, particularly in regards to things like corporate sponsorships and recruiting new team members to the fold.

For example, the term Palettes by Winesburg was a reference to the type of palette a painter uses. Meanwhile the actual pallet division went under that spelling to specifically refer to an actual shipping pallet produced by that segment.

“Essentially we were having an identity crisis,” he said of the different names being used to describe all the different divisions. “We determined if we are fighting about who we are, what do other people think?”