Transforming the Utility Pole

GETTING OUT OF THE WOODS

One Forest Products Company’s Approach to Sustainability and Innovation



This book is about one company, Cox Industries, and their mission to establish an innovation program that powers the creation of a unique, industry-leading business model. Family owned and operated for over sixty-five years, Cox Industries—recently acquired by Koppers—is the largest American-owned provider of treated wood utility poles in the US. With the addition of Cox Industries, Koppers is poised to become one of the largest wood treatment, production, and supply companies in the world.


This book frames the challenges facing many small and mid-sized companies trapped in price-driven, commodity-like industries who remain hopeful of finding a more promising future. In Transforming the Utility Pole, author Barry Breede shows how one company and its strategic approach to innovations that are both profitable and progressive can serve as inspiration to business leaders across industries who want to make sustainability and corporate responsibility work together while running a successful business.