Welcome Tony Meiwes

Tony Meiwes joins Armstrong as Product Development Manager. His responsibilities include identifying new techniques and opportunities. Then he will work with our engineering staff and Armstrong sales manager (also a head filer) Terry Blessing to develop, test, refine and promote new and existing products.

"I began my filing career in 1970 at Hines Lumber in Westfir, Oregon for head filer Boyd Bowles. A perfectionist, Boyd was always looking for ways to improve. He was also a great teacher who helped at least a dozen filers to become head filers themselves." Tony sums up his new job this way: "For nearly 30 years, I have tried to ‘find better ways’ and ‘help other filers’; now that’s officially my full-time job.

Product Development Manager, Tony Meiwes, with a 30 lb. Spring Chinook salmon caught from Oregon's Umpqua River, a few miles from Tony's home

"My first head filing job was in 1976 at Hines Lumber in John Day, Oregon. Since then, I have been head filer at International Paper, Bohemia Lumber and, most recently, at Georgia Pacific. I was the first filer at a couple of mills, so I learned what it takes to start a program from scratch. These jobs gave me the opportunity to work with filers in the mid-west and southeastern USA as well as my native west coast. I served as president of the Western Saw Filers Educational Association and want to continue to contribute to these valuable organizations."

"During my career there have been many changes in both the lumber industry and the filing profession. Increased log costs have made it necessary to squeeze every piece of useable fiber out of every log. Nowhere have there been more challenges than in the filing room. I am amazed at the improvements that have been made since I started filing. I am eager to ‘find better ways’ and ‘help other filers’ worldwide as part of the Armstrong team."