Greg Winakur

A second generation lumberman, Greg Winakur has literally been associated the lumber industry his entire life. His father Mick Winakur, would pick him up from school and take him to his “schlock” (Yiddish for discounted and discontinued items) Lumber Yard where Greg would take and receive inventory, stock the shelves with paneling nails and panel glue and another various items. This was circa 1970 where prefinished paneling was all the rage. 

 Through high school he worked in the lumber yard as a forklift driver, truck driver and warehouse manager. He officially started his wholesale career in 1985 right before his 21st birthday. His then new boss told him, “Look kid, I don’t know you from Adam, and I’m only doing this as a favor for your old man because he’s my customer and I like him. But that’ll only go so far. I can’t afford to have dead weight around here. So, here’s the deal: there is your desk, the Lumberman’s Redbook, a phone, a calculator and a notepad. Today is Monday. You have until Friday to sell something or you are fired.” Greg put his first truckload deal together the very next day. His boss then told him “What are you grinning about? Get back on that phone and sell something else.” 

 Now, 40 years later he is still buying, selling and making deals that add value to the company and its trading partners. Over that time he has experience in sawmill sales, trading, production, distribution, remanufacturing, market development, training sales people, and distribution branch management. Greg now offices out of San Antonio, Texas and Monterrey NL, Mexico for Utah Lumber. But his customer base stretches from the Northwest through the Southwest into Texas and is now beginning to work into the burgeoning Northeast Mexico market. He is pleased and honored to be part of Utah Lumber. He really appreciates the fun and positive culture of the company that welcomes new ideas, is fundamentally grounded in the win-win philosophy with customers and vendors and gives him the latitude to cultivate new products and  business relationships and be himself to do what he does best, trading and coming up new and more value added products. 

With no plans to ever retire, Greg and his lovely new bride, Sandra, enjoy traveling, exploring new places, and spending time with family and friends.