CEO, Tri-State Forest Products, Inc.
Tom Latham attended Northwood University, which is where he found that business fit him well. He graduated from Northwood in 1969 with a BBA in Management, and credits NU for teaching him how to manage people at a very young age.
After graduation, Latham moved back to his home state of Ohio and took a sales position with Georgia Pacific. He spent ten years with them, and became the Manager of their Grand Rapids distribution center before leaving to work with a privately-owned company. After raising his children in Grand Rapids, Latham once again moved back to Ohio, and while working for a distribution center, he was offered the chance to purchase ownership.
In 1999, Latham established Tri-State Forest Products, Inc. in Springfield, Ohio. Tri-State Forest Products, Inc. is a wholesale distributor of a wide variety of building materials, including commodity lumber, sheet goods, engineered wood products, and other specialty products. Tri-State Products, Inc. has since expanded and added facilities in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee, a second location in Ohio, three Michigan locations, and a sales agreement for a treating plant in Grand Rapids.
Tri-State Forest Products, Inc. is one of the few family-owned companies of its size in the industry. Latham’s son has taken on the role of President while his two daughters and son-in-law also work within the company. He is confident in their ability to move forward and grow the company.
The distribution business in building products has been a huge part of Latham’s life and he is proud of the 230 employees on his team and the growth that their company has achieved. He is a true believer in The Northwood Idea, and created the Thomas S. Latham Endowment Scholarship Fund to provide opportunities for students to attend Northwood. He is most grateful for his wife, Diana, whom he has been married to for 31 years, and for the seventeen grandchildren they share.
