Newood constructing new plant.

Byline: Randi Bjornstad The Register-Guard

A just-issued building permit for a 16,600-square-foot expansion at the Newood Display Fixture Mfg. Company in west Eugene will allow the 28-year-old firm to consolidate three operations in one location.

Site work already has begun on the $670,000 project at 10 Seneca Road, Newood operations Avis Dininio said.

"We've started clearing ground, and then we'll do the foundation, but the building won't be ready for pickup until December," she said. "Once it's brought to the site, we're looking at late January or early February to have everything done."

The company builds oak and maple retail store display fixtures - from wine cabinets for liquor and grocery stores to bookcases to shelving for clothing outlets - for markets throughout the United States and abroad.

"We're both local and international," Dininio said. "We've done fixtures for Market of Choice and Hartwick's (kitchen store) in the Fifth Street Public Market. We've done the University of Oregon Bookstore and the Duck Shop at Valley River Center. One of our international clients is the Japanese equivalent of REI."

The new addition will allow Newood to operate more efficiently, she said.

"We've been working out of three locations - one in Junction City, one on Cross Street (in Eugene) where our headquarters office is, and here," she said. "We've actually already merged in the Junction City people, so it's getting to be very tight here until the new building is done. But having everything in one location means we won't have to move materials back and forth any more. It will be wonderful."

Newood has 68 employees at the Seneca plant, now that the Junction City operation has been folded in, Dininio said. Another eight to 10 workers are co-located at 2125 Cross St., along with two other businesses - Architectural Millwork Mfg. Company and Moshofsky Truss Co. - also owned by Gerald "Gerry" Moshofsky.

One of Newood's secrets of success has been developing a product attractive to individually owned businesses and small chains, sales manager Mick Thaxton said. "We don't go after the really big chains - we let the big guys go after those and beat each other up," he said. "Our forte is doing our fixtures from wood and working with the independents."

Clients used to come primarily through catalog sales and contacts made at trade shows, but now many orders come via the Internet, he said.

"We used to do 12 trade shows a year, and now we do one," he said. "A lot of people find us online, but we still get at least 10 requests every day for the (traditional) catalog."

Newood didn't start out as a purveyor of fine retail fixtures, said Thaxton, a 20-year employee who started out "on the floor, doing labor," before working his way up to sales manager.

"When Gerry Moshofsky started the company in 1979, it was more home furniture - tables, desks, computer stations - and it was more butcher block," he said. "A few years later, Gerry heard about a store fixture trade show, and he decided to go. That's what gave him the idea of doing the wood store fixtures."

Newood sells about $6 million worth of retail fixtures annually, Thaxton said.

Moshofsky Truss fabricates wood trusses for residential construction. Architectural Millwork specializes in custom milling, such as reproducing unusual siding and creating wooden spiral staircases for hotels and residences.