Washington Lumber, located at 620 Market Street, is hosting a Customer Appreciation Day on Saturday, June 4th, to celebrate 50 years in business.  The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., featuring door prizes & raffles.  BBQ with chips and soda will be served, and displays and special pricing on decking displays and Dewalt Tools will be available.


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Originally located Downtown at 3rd & Oak, Washington Lumber opened in 1966.  The business has been at its current location on Market street since August 1977.  ​The warehouse adjacent to the business was added in 1987.

Washington Lumber employs 23 people and offers everything you would expect from your local hardware store, plus 3-D deck designs and a full-time paint consultant.

More information on the Customer Appreciation Day event can be found at Washington Lumber's Facebook Event
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Most people think “401(k)” when they think about company retirement plans.  Those plans come with some fairly complex rules and require annual government reporting.  They have some flexibility when it comes to eligibility, matching, loans, retirement dates, etc. but they come with the added expense of more extensive administration rules.  While some small companies utilize this type of retirement plan for their employees, there are some less-complicated plans available that can be much easier for a small business to implement, maintain and afford.  Many small companies utilize SIMPLE IRAs and SEP IRAs for their employees.
The Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees Individual Retirement Account (or SIMPLE IRA), started in 1996, was devised as less complicated and yet effective option for a small business (under 100 employees) to put in place for their employees wishing to save money for retirement.  The accounts are IRAs so that means they are established for each individual.  The company is responsible for a small contribution of 2% or matching employee salary deferrals (up to 3% of salary for those eligible) and submitting the contributions to the custodian on a regular and timely basis.  That is pretty much it!  No annual reporting, the small business doesn’t have to keep track of beneficiaries or account statements and when someone leaves the company, there are no distribution forms to provide because the account is already an IRA.  This combines the feel of a 401k to the participant in that they defer some of their pay pre-tax, the company matches the contribution, and the participant gets to choose the investment options for their money.  The small business doesn’t have to maintain a big file of reports, statements, beneficiary or distribution forms.  Contribution limits are $12,500 for 2016 (plus an extra $3,000 for employees over 50) which does not include the company’s money.  Much of the administrative effort falls on the custodian and the investment representative associated with the plan if it utilizes an investment management company.