Family Trees

HOFFMAN MILLWORKS proprietors Rob and Mo Hoffman both grew up in family businesses. Although they didn’t go on to pursue their parents’ lines of work (Hoffman’s Ice Cream and McMahon Builders), they were heavily influenced by the culture and environment that their family businesses created. So, when they fell in love, got married, and started a family of their own, starting a business together was the natural next step.

FROM SEED TO FRUITION

In 2012, the Hoffmans had just purchased their first home and began renovations when Superstorm Sandy hit, devastating the area. “When we woke up, there were trees down everywhere, and Robert said, ‘There’s so much wood here to be used—lumber to be made,’” Mo says. “He always had [the idea of operating a mobile mill] in his mind.”

Mo had been interested in sourcing wood countertops, which were difficult to find, and the gears started turning.

In 2017, Hoffman Millworks was founded. At that point, Rob was a high school math teacher and Mo was home caring for their children. They felt it was time to pursue Rob’s idea and purchased the best portable sawmill they could get. Mo was a bit nervous to go all in on fancy equipment without experience, but she was compelled by Rob’s vision. “Mo is the supporter, the yes,” Rob says.

The couple made an agreement. Before they went public, they would spend one year learning everything they could about operating a mill. “We said we wouldn’t tell anyone we had it,” Mo says. “We rented land in Colts Neck. After school, Rob would teach himself how to operate the mill. After a year, we started to spread the word.”

Rob made many mistakes at the beginning. “When you pick up the mobile mill, they give you an hour demo, but after I drove home, I forgot everything,” he laughs.

Hoffman Millworks now offers on-site milling for customers. With nearly 2,000 trees milled over the past eight years, its growth has been extraordinary.

MILLING AROUND

Hoffman Millworks encompasses mobile sawmill services, as well as kiln services and lumber sales. A newly downed tree (usually old and beloved, either fallen or removed) can be milled into long, lumber-sized pieces.

When lumber is milled, it is wet and heavy and needs to be dried out first. The Hoffmans found themselves taking a “learn as you go” approach again. “A kiln and a process person backed out of letting us use their services at the last minute,” Mo says. “But in a way, we were so happy because we had to figure it all out ourselves. We built a kiln in our yard. We’d put the boys down to sleep, then lift the heavy lumber into the kiln. After the wood was dried, Rob readied it for use by processing, flattening, and surfacing it.”

According to tree experts, Monmouth County has some of the nicest trees in the country—a mix of hardwood and softwood. “Almost everything grows here except Western cedars and sequoia,” Rob says. The Hoffmans specialize in lumber made from walnut, white oak, Eastern red and Eastern white cedar, and locust (which is better for outdoor use).

Given the richness of tree varieties in Monmouth County, the Hoffmans’ mission to promote the use of local lumber makes a lot of sense. Most commercial lumber comes from logging forests. But when lumber milled from local residential areas is used, you are reusing high-quality wood that would often otherwise end up in a woodchipper.

The Hoffmans get a lot of satisfaction in the full-circle nature of their work. Trees can last a human lifetime or more and carry great sentimental meaning to families. Someone’s grandfather may plant a tree, but it eventually reaches the point in its lifespan when it needs to come down. It can be a tough call to make, but bringing in Hoffman Millworks to mill lumber out of that tree means the tree can live on as a shed, a bookcase, or a dining room table. Handcrafted furniture pieces become family heirlooms when they are connected to place and memory.

FAMILY MATTERS

Through their business, the Hoffmans are happy to be able to instill meaningful values in their children. “It’s important to us that our children learn process and where the lumber comes from,” Mo says. “Process is kind of gone these days. We have instant gratification.

But we are humans that produce things, and sometimes it takes longer than you like.”

As their boys, Bruce, 10, and Dean, 8, grow up, Rob and Mo hope Hoffman Millworks will provide them with a summer job. “One of the hardest parts is moving the wood around, so having the boys help as we get older is the dream,” Rob says.

When not hard at work with the mill, the Hoffmans can be found at Spring Lake’s South End beach, where Rob was a lifeguard growing up. The boys love the saltwater pool. They also love to camp. “We are hippies,” Mo jokes. “We do love trees.”

MANAGING GROWTH

In just eight years, Hoffman Millworks has made deep connections with networks of tree companies, other sawmills, and woodworkers in the area. The pandemic supercharged their business to the point where it was hard to keep up with demand. “It’s like running a well-oiled machine at this point,” Mo says.

The Hoffmans are happy with the growth of their business but wish to keep it the size it is now. “We are pretty content with where it’s at,” Mo says. “We just want to save these trees that are being taken down and reuse them and keep them in the community. We always want to be a family business.”

To learn more about Hoffman Millworks, find them on Instagram @hoffmanmillworks.

 BY DALLAS HLATKY