Contractor Services, Inc

It all began with two brothers and a dream. In August of 1991, Ken and Paul Pike broke ground on two acres of ground in South Ottawa Twp. Two buildings went up, they had a combined size of 18, 000 square feet, with room for workspace, offices and storage. The business was to be called Contractor Services, Inc. The lumberyard opened for business on November 1, 1991 with one outside salesman, one inside salesman, two yard workers and one manager. In the beginning the business sold lumber, windows, doors, and a few building products, and it served primarily contractors. Business was good, creating the need to hire three additional employees and add new product lines. Over the next few years, as business continued to grow, they were able to widen their delivery area to serve more homebuilders, stock more products and equipment, and hire additional employees.



The year 1995 would see many new and exciting changes to the little lumberyard in the country. The brothers decided, to better serve the continuing growth of the business, a larger facility was needed. In June of 1995, they broke ground for a 24, 000 square foot building on an additional 3 acres of land. The building included a new showroom, offices, warehouse and loading dock. The biggest change came in the form of a new name for the lumberyard. Golden Rule Lumber Company, Inc. opened on October 1, 1995. Along with a new name came a commitment to providing new and improved services and products to an expanded customer base as well as to continue to provide the professional service that their existing customers were use to. The bigger showroom offered the opportunity for a wider selection of product, better displays as well as a kitchen and bath showroom. Golden Rule Lumber was now a lumberyard for everyone from professional builders to handymen to homeowners.



Golden Rule Lumber was annexed into the city of Ottawa in the summer of 1996. In December 1997 a landscaping department was added and in 1998 a new 12, 000 square foot storage building was added. Most Recently, in 2007, Golden Rule expanded its services to include a Rental Department, which includes a huge assortment of tools and large equipment.



Today GRL employs 23 people. Their slogan is "Home of the Professional" and with over 250 years of combined lumberyard experience, their employees are just that-professionals. They can help you through every step of your project no matter what size or scale. The lumberyard continues to be deeply committed to the community, locally owned and operated means that their success is tied to the success of the community.



Through the years Golden Rule Lumber has evolved and grown to meet and exceed the needs of the Illniois Valley. Our core belief has remained the same-Provide the best service to the customer, service and quality are the key-go above and beyond all expectations.