Our History
Schroth Industries Inc can trace its roots back to Walter A Schroth Sr., who started cutting mine props for the Rochester and Pittsburgh Coal Company in the late 1920’s. R & P Coal Company was the largest coal company in Indiana County throughout its history and a dominant economic engine for the community, until its demise in the late 1990's. By the start of WWII Walter A. Schroth Jr. had joined the company, which was now operating 3 small, woods operated sawmills, again supplying the timber needs of “The Coal Company”.
After the war Walter Jr. continued to operate the sawmills as well as opening a retail lumber yard. By 1969 the mills were gone and Schroth Industries had moved to its current location. In 1970 the treating plant was opened with a single 4’x 42’ cylinder. Although that cylinder is also long gone, several of the original tanks are still in use today. Throughout the late 1970s the basic configuration of the plant was established, operating the 2 -- 6’x 36’ cylinders. During the 1970s and early 1980’s two additional business were operated from this location: heavy, electrical cable splicing and the manufacturing of tamping plugs in support of the mining industry.
In 1988 100% of the production of the treating plant went to an R & P Coal Company mine, which had reached its pinnacle about that time, breaking into the Fortune 500 list of companies. By 1990 Schroth Industries had moved in to the retail lumber markets for treated native Red Pine and SPF landscape timbers. After installing a state of the art drip pad in early 1992, IAW the then new RCRA Subpart W regulations, the company added UltraWood treated Southern Yellow Pine to its product mix, marketing it direct to contractors, deck builders and small independent lumber yards in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Throughout the 1990’s as R & P began its decline and subsequent overtaking by Consol Energy, Schroth Industries sought to further diversify its customer base by servicing the small local coal mines. In 2001, we began a long term strategic partnership with Kencove Farm Fence entering into a TSO arrangement that continues today. As the treated lumber market began its phase out of CCA, Schroth Industries lost its competitive niche, as the market also moved away from the use of water repellants as a cost cutting effort. During this same time, Rosebud Mining Company began to emerge as the predominant coal producer in the local area having bought up the R & P coal rights as well as the purchase of many of the smaller coal mine operators. Unfortunately their relative rise was short lived. By 2015 Rosebud underwent a major retrenchment as both the new Clean Power Regulations and the competitive forces of the region's abundant natural gas supply began to impact the coal mining industry.
Currently, Schroth Industries is actively seeking state approvals to enter into the guard rail and sign most markets in the 4-5 states surrounding Pennsylvania. Schroth Industries has three operational treating cylinders, 2 – 6' x 36' and one 6' x 60', and uses two preservatives, CCA and NW-CA.