‘05 Tahoma Environmental Biz Award Goes to McFarland Cascade Pole and Lumber Company
(Tacoma, WA)—Many area businesses work on environmental protection projects and do a lot to improve the community’s quality of life. McFarland Cascade Pole and Lumber Company’s commitment to making Tacoma-Pierce County a better place to live, work, play and do business was recognized Tuesday, April 26, with the third annual presentation of the Tahoma Environmental Award during the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber’s quarterly general membership luncheon in honor of Earth Day.
McFarland Cascade operates a wood treatment facility in Tacoma since 1974. Over the years, the company has made significant investment in pollution control equipment. This includes equipment designed to control air pollution, water pollution, and contamination of groundwater and soil.
“There’s close to 100,000 square feet of dedicated buildings for environmental efforts. We’ve got two full-time street sweepers, hourly and full-time employees that run and maintain stormwater catch basins and we have two full-time environmental engineers on staff,” said Les Lonning McFarland Cascade’s director of technical and environmental affairs.
McFarland Cascade purchased air control equipment in the last two years and has two stormwater filtration facilities on site. Lonning also notes that over the past three years, the company has committed close to $4.5 million in human and financial resources to improve stormwater quality.
“I think the biggest accomplishment for us was coming into stormwater compliance two years in advance of the actual requirements,” adds Lonning.
McFarland Cascade, headquartered in the port-industrial area on a 43-acre site, was founded in 1916 in Sandpoint, Idaho. It began business as a producer of wood utility poles, and has since grown to include manufacturing and distribution activities in 18 states and Canada. McFarland Cascade serves customers throughout the U.S., Canada, the Far East, the Middle East and the Pacific Rim.
The privately held company employs 150 full-time and 50 seasonal workers. McFarland Cascade and all of its subsidiaries employ 350 people and generate $150 million in sales.
“The Chamber and Tom Taylor, Tom Taylor Insurance, are proud to congratulate and thank McFarland Cascade Pole and Lumber Company for being a leader in environmental protection efforts,” said Tom Taylor, award sponsor.
For more information about McFarland Cascade visit
About Tacoma-PierceCounty Chamber
Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber ( was founded in 1883. Its mission is to promote a strong business climate that creates economic opportunity and a more livable community through advocacy, networking, resources and services for business development.