Hancock Lumber’s Matt Duprey Elected Chairman of NeLMA

Hancock Lumber recently announced Matt Duprey, the company’s sawmill chief of sales, has been elected as the newest chairman of the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA). 

The NeLMA is a rules-writing agency for Eastern White Pine lumber and the grading authority for the SPFs grouping of species that includes Eastern Spruce, Balsam Fir, Red Pine and other commercial softwood lumber species grown in the northeast and Great Lakes regions.

Duprey joined Hancock Lumber in 1994, starting in the yard at the Casco Mill after earning his forestry and wood science + technology degree. He worked his way through various positions into his current role as chief sales officer of Eastern White Pine, where he oversees the logistics and mill scheduling group, as well as all customer relations programs for Hancock Lumber’s eastern white pine business.

“I have been involved in NeLMA for over 25 years. I always liked the idea that NeLMA is ‘better together’ when it comes to working towards the good of the membership’s mills,” Duprey says. “I love the history and the fact that Hancock Lumber has had four different people in the role of chairman. The sheer fact that competitors in today’s environments can come together and work on the organization as a team with collective goals is impressive and needed. I am a proponent of, if you are going to be involved, then get after it. My time with NeLMA has been serving on the marketing committee, with roughly ten years as chair of the marketing committee, board of directors for six years, advisory board member and now, chairman. I feel quite proud of this appointment and will do my best to do a good job and pass this organization along in better shape to the next person.”

Duprey joins a lineup of past Hancock leaders who also served as chair of NeLMA. Fourth-generation owner Kenneth Hancock served two terms as chairman from 1940-1944, and his son, David Hancock, served in the position from 1977-1979.