James established himself in the lumber business over 40 years ago. His lifelong passion for the industry started when he began logging with mules as a boy with his father. In 1965 he attended the National Hardwood Lumber school in Memphis, Tennessee, and shortly afterward he purchased his first sawmill in Brownsville, Kentucky. He went on to form James Ritter Lumber in 1975. Since then, he and his children and grandchildren have grown the company into a solid lumber business with multiple locations. And today, JRL is home to nearly 100 hard-working employees.
With three generations of our family now working in the business, we are committed to its success
To us, that means running the business with hard work and integrity, values passed down from our founder and father, James Ritter.