Freres honored for land stewardship, product innovation, and industry leadership.
From a family-owned sawmill in the Santiam Canyon to a manufacturer of patented Mass Ply products, Freres Engineered Wood has built its business on sustainable building materials and responsible forest practices. The company demonstrates how wood products strengthen the economy and environment alike by creating family-wage jobs in rural communities, reducing wildfire risk through active forest management, and lowering construction’s carbon footprint by building with wood instead of steel or concrete. The awards and acknowledgments that follow reflect this history, celebrating a legacy in wood products innovation.
Featured Awards
Sustainability & Land Stewardship
Green Good Design Award
Awarded to the Gates Residence project for its sustainable and fire-resilient design.
Innovation & Design
Innovation by Design Award
Mass Plywood Warehouse was named the winner of the Design/Make category and a finalist in Experimental and Conceptual Design.
Innovation & Design
Coolest Thing in Oregon
Mass Ply CLT panels were selected from more than 150 nominated products as the contest winner.
Innovation & Design
World’s Most Innovative Companies
Recognized for the innovation and application of the company’s original invention, Mass Ply panels (Mass Ply CLT).
Innovation & Design
Wood Innovations Grant Recipient
Freres Wood was awarded the maximum funding of $250,000 to support wood product innovation.
Sustainability & Land Stewardship
Milestone Sustainability Award
Recognized for converting the company’s energy use to biopower cogeneration.
All Awards
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Mined Land Reclamationist of the Year
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
Recognized for paving a log yard, preventing bark waste and keeping runoff from state waters.
Northwest Family Business Award, Large Business Category
Austin Family Business Program, Oregon State University
Recognized for community contributions and leadership in the wood products industry.
Business of the Year
North Santiam Chamber of Commerce
Recognized for the company’s contributions to the local business community.
Good Neighbor Award
Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries
Recognized for turning a former gravel pit into a public park for the City of Lyons.
Milestone Sustainability Award
State of Oregon
Recognized for converting the company’s energy use to biopower cogeneration.
Named to the Milton Harris Society
Oregon State University and OSU Foundation
Freres Wood joined OSU’s premier donor society, following a $1.5 million gift toward Peavy Hall and Emmerson Lab.
Wood Innovations Grant Recipient
USDA Forest Service
Freres Wood was awarded the maximum funding of $250,000 to support wood product innovation.
Large Business of the Year
Stayton Sublimity Chamber of Commerce
Freres Wood recognized for community impact throughout the Santiam Canyon.
Manufacturer of the Year
Strategic Economic Development Corp. (SEDCOR)
Recognized for the company’s long history in the Santiam Canyon and the development of its Mass Ply product line.
World’s Most Innovative Companies
Fast Company
Recognized for the innovation and application of the company’s original invention, Mass Ply panels (Mass Ply CLT).
Best of Products Award, Building Materials category (Mass Ply CLT panels)
The Architect's Newspaper
Freres Wood recognized for advancing innovative engineered wood construction with the Mass Ply CLT panel.
Maker & Manufacturing Awards, Family-Owned category
Portland Business Journal
Freres Wood honored among Oregon’s top family-owned manufacturing companies.
Award of Merit, ENR 2020 Projects of the Year
Engineering News-Record
Awarded to OSU/’s Advanced Wood Products Laboratory, featuring Mass Ply CLT shear walls.
Best of Products Award
The Architect's Newspaper
Recognized Mass Ply Lams, Freres’ beam and columns that replace glulam and heavy timber, in the Building Materials – Timber category.
Community Applause Award
Oregon Bankers Association
Nominated by a partner bank for significant service and contributions to the Santiam Canyon community.
Coolest Thing in Oregon
Oregon Business & Industry, The Oregonian, and HereisOregon
Mass Ply CLT panels were selected from more than 150 nominated products as the contest winner.
Excellence in Family Business Award
OSU College of Business Center for Family Enterprise, Dean's Award
Second time honored by the program, following the company/’s first Northwest Family Business Award in 1994.
Industrial Development of the Year, Mass Plywood Warehouse
Commercial Association of Brokers, Night of Excellence Award
Freres Wood/’s Mass Plywood Warehouse, built entirely with mass timber, recognized as an innovative industrial development.
Innovation by Design Award
Fast Company
Mass Plywood Warehouse was named the winner of the Design/Make category and a finalist in Experimental and Conceptual Design.
Environmental Corporate Impact Award
Portland Business Journal
Freres Wood recognized for its long-standing support of the World Forestry Center.
Green Good Design Award
The Chicago Athenaeum / European Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies
Awarded to the Gates Residence project for its sustainable and fire-resilient design.
Freres Wood operated as Freres Lumber Co., Inc. until its 2022 rebrand to Freres Engineered Wood. Awards are listed here under the current name for consistency.
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Read case studies covering real-world applications of Mass Ply.