The flooring company Muscanell Millworks has been purchased by German manufacturer Lägler Holdings.
The company was founded by Doug Muscanell, who started making boxes from domestic wood after moving to Montezuma County in 1986. He and his wife, Karen Harbaugh, started manufacturing hardwood flooring in 1996. On Sept. 30, they closed on a sale of the business to Lägler.
“We want to see the business go on here,” Harbaugh said. “It’s successful. It’s established. We have found the labor pool that we need here. We needed a plan for how the business is going to go on after Doug and I are ready to retire.”
Harbaugh said Lägler is the “ideal candidate” to take over Muscanell. Founded in 1956, it is a family-owned manufacturer based in Frauenzimmern, Germany, that sells sanding machines in about 140 countries, North American vice president of sales Marc Schulz said. It already owns a few American companies, including Muscanell’s Denver distributor, Palo Duro Hardwoods. Schulz said Lägler’s leaders were excited to acquire the company because they already had a good working relationship with Muscanell.
“For us, it just makes sense – I mean, we produce the machines to sand the flooring, and they produce the best wood flooring,” he said. “For us it was a good fit.”
He said his company has no plans to change the staff or the way Muscanell is run, and all its operations will stay in the county. Harbaugh said she and Muscanell will work with the company for some time in order to make sure the transition goes smoothly.
“We couldn’t have done any better than this deal,” she said. “It’s going to be really good for our employees. Lots of opportunity for growth.”
She said she hoped being owned by a global company would open up a market for Millworks, and create opportunities for more employees. Muscanell said he has known owner Karl Lägler for several years, and trusts him to preserve his legacy.
“We are joining a company with strong manufacturing roots, and a similar focus on quality,” Muscanell wrote in the news release. “This is a great thing for our people and for Montezuma County.”
Source: The Durango Herald