Bringing timeless craftsmanship into the 21st century, Timberlyne transforms contemporary construction one beam at a time  

Founded in 2003, Timberlyne brings traditional barn building to the modern world. The story begins with Len Dickinson and his wife, Jule Goeller, who built the business into one of America’s fastest growing construction partners. As their son Jack Dickinson, now Chief Executive Officer of Timberlyne, begins: “Our company has a unique origin story. It was founded by my father and stepmother. My dad had experience as a property manager and is an entrepreneur at heart. As he got into his 50’s, he was looking to retire and set himself up for the future. He decided to remodel a farmhouse, situated in North-Eastern Nebraska.  

“Despite the fact that it lacked indoor plumbing and some of the walls were falling down, it remained a beautiful piece of property. He spent two years remodeling it, driving hours each day to complete his work. On his drive, he’d see beautiful homes on acreages, built by people looking to live an authentic life in the country – each of them with an ugly metal storage building next to it. On my father’s property, he had a beautiful wood barn built over 100 years ago. He thought to himself, ‘why did we ever stop building beautiful wooden structures, just to replace them with these metal buildings?’  

“He decided to investigate it. There were challenges with building in rural areas, which made metal barns more practical to construct. The traditional style required a high level of craftsmanship, as well as issues procuring the timber and designing using the traditional construction methods. The entrepreneur within him wondered if there was an opportunity in the market for something like this – a revival of the wooden barn concept.  

“He placed an advert in a local magazine, it was simple, just some pictures of the kind of structure he was offering, the title ‘wood barns’, and his phone number. Lo and behold, it worked. People called, they talked with my stepmom and my father about their dream barn. He saw that there was a strong appetite in the market for these beautiful structures, and so he needed to figure out how to make them.  

“He built the first one on his driveway, using metal plates and logs that had been milled by his friend down the road. He soon delivered on his promise and completed a wonderful wooden barn. From there, the business was born. He eventually got a start-up loan and his own production facility, and it became one of the fastest growing businesses of its kind.  

“We’ve been able to speed up production by pre-fabricating timber structures on our plant floor. Everything is drilled ahead of time, so the pieces just come together on site. We also have a unique packaging system that allows us to move things easily and keep all the parts in order. That means any builder or contractor can put the buildings up quite easily.  

“My dad had been in business for about two years when he offered me a place beside him, helping to sell barns in the western part of the US. I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into, but it sounded exciting. I took him up on the offer and moved back to Colorado to begin selling.”  

Sustainable option 

Since being handed the company reins, Jack has helped grow Timberlyne into a national presence. As he details: “We expanded our reach gradually over time, picking up new clients in Montana, California, and Texas. In 2008, we acquired a smaller traditional timber frame company, Texas Timber Frames, which made similar timber structures, and that also boosted our growth. 

“Texas Timber Frames did very ornate timber frame joinery work used in high-end custom homes, churches, and commercial applications. In 2008, I moved to Texas and began running that business. Around 2020, my dad and stepmother stepped away from the day-to-day side of the business, and we bought the businesses together under the name Timberlyne. That’s where we are today. The Texas operation has adapted to the mass timber movement in commercial construction, using engineered wood components and large wood panels to replace steel and concrete.  

“We’re very proud to offer a more sustainable option. Our commercial buildings are carbon-neutral, with our timber scope being carbon-positive. That’s one of the qualities that has really made us a business fit for the future. Our values are aligned with those of the market, and it’s really driven our success over the past few years.”  

Remaining true to his father and stepmother’s vision, Jack considers what’s next for Timberlyne: “Our ambition has taken us this far, I have no doubt that it will continue to carry us forward into the future. I really believe that our structures have a positive impact on people’s lives. They create inspiring spaces where people can come together. Keeping that mission close to our hearts, I would like to see the business continuing to grow in the coming years, taking on new territories and potential markets. I’m excited for whatever the future holds,” he concludes.   

www.timberlyne.com