Welcome to Niehaus Lumber. We serve professional builders as well as do-it-yourself home owners. We are a full service home improvement business offering kitchen and bath cabinets, flooring*, paint*, windows, doors, lighting, a contractor sales team, delivery service, financing, installation services*, and much more.

Our company is a family owned business and was founded in 1933 by Benjamin Niehaus and his son, Francis Niehaus. Our company is comprised of ten separate businesses. They are: four Niehaus Lumber locations, four divisions of Wholesale Building Materials - Vincennes, Indiana, Nashville, Tennessee, St. Louis, Missouri, and Huntsville, Alabama, The Door Mill, The Top Shop, and Karran USA in Vincennes. We employ approximately 160 people most of which are full time.

Benjamin and Francis Niehaus started a planing mill in a building they purchased between Main and Vigo Streets in the spring of 1933. They primarily made roller binders and hot bed sashes for local farmers in the beginning. As time went on, they expanded their business to include more millwork. They made kitchen cabinets, door frames, all beginning with rough lumber. Much to Ben’s dislike, Francis would order truckloads of roofing, cement and other building materials for resale. This later proved to be the most successful part of the business, as the need for custom millwork began to fade.

In November of 1944, Francis died of tuberculosis. Naomi Niehaus, the young widow and mother of two small children, came into the business to carry on Francis’ position. She ran the business until her son, Bernie, graduated from Michigan State in 1959. Bernie joined the business and made many changes by expanding and updating the operation into the area’s first Cash & Carry lumber yards. The expansion in 1996 was probably the most dramatic. The warehouses were converted into showrooms and the whole structure updated to become what is now Niehaus Home Center.

The business is now being run by the 4th generation of the Niehaus family. In March of 2000, Bernie stepped down as President and named his oldest son, Bernard F. (Butch) as the new president, son David as Vice President of Sales, and son Eric, as Vice President of Sales. Bernie’s daughters, Anne Pratt and Catherine Lawless were appointed Directors of the corporation.

The fourth generation is dedicated to new growth and remaining strong in the retail and wholesale business for decades to come.

Thank you for visiting our web site.

Bernie Niehaus
Chairman - Niehaus Companies Inc.