In 1843, Lewis Thompson founded a small business in Philadelphia to import mahogany because it was hard to obtain supplies for the burgeoning furniture-manufacturing business, which was centered in Philadelphia. Mr. Thompson began by importing mahogany logs from Mexico and Brazil. Later, to cut shipping costs, the company built a sawmill on the Amazon, manufactured the logs into lumber in Brazil, then imported the lumber into Philadelphia. Subsequentaly, Thompson Mahogany Company expanded into the veneer business, with a mill in North Carolina.
Always innovative, Thompson Mahogany Company has changed its business strategy so that it has endured wars, depressions, foreign political coups and the ups and downs of the lumber industry. For nearly 170 years, the company has responded to changing times, weathering all economic conditions, including the Great Depression. TMC's exceptional ability to innovate has contributed to the company's staying power. During the 1930s, for example, TMC supplied the wood for newly popular "cathedral" style radios. Today, the company has identified a number of similar opportunities for product innovation, especially for responsibly harvested hardwoods for outdoor decking and boardwalks.
Because it has long been a landmark of Philadelphia industry, Thompson Mahogany Company was featured in 2001 in the Philadelphia Inquirer as one of
Philadelphia's historical businesses.
(Philadelphia Inquirer March 5, 2001)
Thompson Mahogany Company was a privately held business owned by the original Thompson family from its founding until 1976, when it was acquired by a public company. TMC was taken private again in 1985 when it was acquired by another Thompson - Donald Thompson - but one who is no relation to the original Thompson family. In 2009, Thompson Mahogany merged with East Teak Fine Hardwoods, Inc. As a division of East Teak, Thompson Mahogany Company continues its time-honored legacy where Don Thompson remains as president today.
