HANCOCK — Pleasant River Pine LLC is beginning to see the increased demand for spruce framing lumber trickling down to the interior pine produced in Hancock, according to Vice President Jason Brochu.

“Sales were below expectations, but now we’re catching up,” Brochu said of the Hancock operation.

The parent company, Pleasant River Lumber in Dover-Foxcroft, sells spruce that is used primarily as framing lumber for new houses.

The market for framing lumber is “really strong,” Brochu said. “There is more demand from house builders up and down the East Coast. We’re hoping that increase in the framing market is going to pop up in this market.”

Pleasant River purchased the former Crobb Box Co. at auction in 2011 and a year ago began manufacturing Eastern white pine for use in interior finishes.

The new company in Hancock is known as Pleasant River Pine and has 37 employees, most from the area.

“We have a very good work force,” Brochu said. “It’s a good mixture of experience and no experience.”

Pleasant River Pine sells Maine grown Eastern white pine to wholesalers, distributors and companies.

Go behind the scenes at Pleasant River's Hancock facility in this 2012 video:

For more business news, pick up a copy of The Ellsworth American.