About

History of Cooperative Reserve Supply. Inc.

The gem of an idea for a cooperative was began on May 5, 1950 when 9 building material companies met at an initial meeting at the Parker House in Boston:

  • Wm. Proctor Co., – Chelmsford
  • Blacker & Shepard — Boston
  • Mass. Lumber Co. – Cambridge
  • Downes Lumber Co. — Boston
  • Diehl & Son — Wellesley
  • The Welch Co. — Scituate
  • Pratt & Forest Co. — Lowell
  • Lawrence Lumber Co. — Lawrence
  • Grossman & Sons – Quincy

These owners contributed an initial $45,000 to fund the Reserve, find a location and recruit other lumber companies. As word spread about the Cooperative, another 23 companies came on board:

  • Rhines Lumber Co. — Weymouth
  • W.E. Atkinson Co. — Newburyport
  • Quincy Lumber Co. — Quincy
  • Dix Lumber Co. — Cambridge
  • General Bldrs. Supply Co. — Boston
  • George McQuesten Co. — E. Boston
  • Samuel Knight & Sons — Beverly
  • Concord Lbr. Corp. — Concord, MA
  • Guthrie Lumber Co. — Waltham
  • Langmaid & Sons — Salem
  • Tolles-Bickford Lumber — Nashua
  • Russell Lumber Co. — Lowell
  • Pope Lumber Co. — W. Roxbury
  • Curtis Lumber Co. — Charlestown
  • Barney & Carey Co. — Milton
  • Chase Lumber Co. — Haverhill
  • Fuller & Sons — Brighton
  • Deering Lumber — Melrose
  • Lexington Lumber Co. — Lexington
  • Concord Lumber Co. — Concord, NH
  • Gove Lumber Co. — Beverly
  • Arlington Coal & Lbr. — Arlington
  • Liverpool Lumber — E. Boston

The Cambridge property remained in this basic configuration through the end of the 20th century with 2.3 acres of land supporting 45,000 square feet of warehouses with sales now in the $35-40 million range.

In 2002, then general manager, Dick Hosterman, realized that the Cooperative was bursting at the seams with more space needed to accommodate growing needs of the company. With no land available in Cambridge for expansion he started looking to the suburbs and found a suitable location in North Billerica, MA. With 13.3 acres of land, an office and two existing warehouses there was plenty of room to accommodate current and future needs of the Reserve. The property was purchased and construction of a new 81,964’ warehouse (with a roof area of 117,621’) commenced. With the addition of 800’ of railroad siding and paving of the entire property, Cooperative Reserve Supply, North Billerica, formally opened for business in the Summer of 2004.