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A Vital Expansion at Pompanoosuc Mills By Andi Diehn photos by steve usle

isitors entering the showroom at Pompanoosuc Mills in Thetford, Vermont, may first notice the furniture. Dining room chairs, end tables, rocking chairs, audio centers, and cabinets in a wide range of styles from classical to contemporary crowd the floor and walls. The second thing visitors might remark upon is the evident lack of space in which to move.

“Our current showroom is about 800 square feet,” says Dwight Sargent, owner and president of Pompanoosuc Mills. “The new showroom will be about 11,000 square feet. A huge difference.”

The people of Pompanoosuc Mills produce high-quality furniture for homes, offices, schools—and for anyone else who appreciates beautiful furniture that borders on art. For a business that started in a garage over 30 years ago, this next stage of growth is the mark of something more than success. It’s a sign of deep commitment, an eagerness to see the bigger picture, and a willingness to work extra hard.

A Homegrown Company

“I started making furniture in 1973,” says Sargent. “When I was, hmm, ten years old!” he laughs.

For about seven years, Sargent ran his company out of Norwich, Vermont. “We moved to Thetford in 1980 or 1981,” he explains. “We just built the new showroom over the sidewalk that had the exact date in it.”
Pompanoosuc Mills now employs over 160 employees in 11 different showrooms in the Northeast, including Philadelphia, New York City, and Hanover, New Hampshire.

In the Upper Valley, Pompanoosuc Mills is known for, in addition to high-quality furniture, being a steady source of employment. Of those 160 Pompanoosuc employees, 110 work at the Thetford location. “We have some people here who are hitting their 30-year anniversary, and they’re only 45 years old!” comments Showroom Manager Nick Porcello. “We have a couple of father-and-son pairs working together.” In addition to providing local jobs, Pompanoosuc Mills also offers a job-shadowing program for local high school students who are interested in learning a trade.

pompanoosuc furniture is sold exclusively through pompanoosuc mills showrooms

“Dwight establishes a real tone of team effort,” says Ron Bauer, Executive Vice President and part owner of Trumbull-Nelson. “He’s very loyal to his workers. Even the subcontractors working on the new addition are all local. I don’t think any of them are from more than 30 miles away.”

How does Pompanoosuc Mills stay competitive in the face of cheaper imports from countries such as India and China? “There’s more and more competition from overseas, and that’s certainly a challenge,” says Sargent. “People buy our furniture because of the quality and the selection. They can choose the wood, the finish, the edge treatment, the details. And if their pieces ever get a nick, they can sand it out without worrying about wearing through the particle board.”

Pompanoosuc furniture is sold exclusively through Pompanoosuc Mills showrooms; none of the furniture is sold through wholesale businesses. While the team at Pompanoosuc Mills welcomes specialized orders, the company also produces its own line of original designs. Sargent still does most of the designing, even while traveling the country to meet with prospective customers. People who are looking for furniture unique to their lifestyle and living space are sure to find something to match their palate.

The Plan to Expand

An elegant glass box now rises in front of the existing Pompanoosuc Mills building, reminiscent of a sophisticated, modern end table or a graceful curio cabinet. A large bank of windows along both entrance walls allows an abundance of natural light into the showroom.

the thetford showroom now has 11,000 square feet, up from 800

There was never a question of moving instead of building onto the existing structure. “We own quite a lot of the land out front,” says Sargent. “The Vermont planning board knows we’re here for the long haul.” While the company now competes on a national level, Pompanoosuc Mills is embedded in the Upper Valley community and remains an example of the Vermont traditions of hard work, creativity, and ingenuity.

The new addition will be two-thirds showroom and one-third warehouse space, adding up to about 15,000 square feet. “Right now we have finished furniture piled up everywhere,” Sargent explains, sweeping an arm to indicate a loading dock packed with furniture in various stages of completion. Workers dodge each other as they maneuver around awkward piles of wood. “Having another four loading bays will allow us to get the finished product out of the way so we have room to make more, and the furniture will stay safe.”

Green Building

“All the heat in the building is generated from our own building waste. That’s tremendous,” says Sargent. “I wanted to produce our own hot water as well, but it would have taken a pump running at two horsepower all the time, which would have been counterproductive. It just wouldn’t have worked, in spite of the fact I really wanted to do it. We also generate one-tenth of our electricity through a co-generator and turbine.”

As the use of oil becomes a sharpening global concern, the people at Pompanoosuc Mills are doing their part to promote energy independence. In addition to producing their own fuel, workers are conscious of the wood they use in the furniture and where it comes from.

“Ninety percent of the wood we use is harvested in Vermont off land in the Current Use Program,” Sargent explains. “Certified foresters regulate current use land for the state. Most of it consists of family lots, and they don’t want any pillaging.”

The Current Use Program was developed to enable landowners to pay taxes on the land’s usable value as opposed to its fair market value. In exchange for paying reduced taxes, the landowner manages the land according to a plan approved by the Vermont Division of Forestry, and undergoes on-site monitoring by county foresters. This program helps ensure that Vermont’s rural areas stay healthy and beautiful.

Builders at Pompanoosuc Mills pay close attention to where the wood goes in addition to where it comes from. “We do not want to waste wood,” says Sargent. “We have a wide range of furniture we’re working on, so we can be efficient. We use longer lengths of board on bigger pieces, and what’s cut can be used for smaller pieces, such as dining room chairs.”

With its combination of local wood, local sweat, and far-reaching vision, Pompanoosuc Mills is a true Upper Valley company. And now, with plenty of new space, they can reach even farther.