Manufacturer to design largest commercial cedar building to date
OAKFIELD — Katahdin Cedar Log Homes has finalized an agreement to design and manufacture a 20,000-square-foot restaurant called Eddie Montgomery's Steakhouse near Harrodsburg, Ky. The building, which will contain a 265-seat restaurant and tour-quality concert stage, is part of a 38.5-acre development called Skylar's Landing which will include shops, recreational facilities and other amenities. Skylar's Landing is named for Montgomery's granddaughter.
"We are enthusiastic about the plans for Eddie Montgomery's Steakhouse and the surrounding retail community in Skylar's Landing," said David Gordon, president of Katahdin Cedar Log Homes. "We are impressed with the partnership's vision of creating a restaurant that could excite the imaginations of their customers. Our 'green' approach to manufacturing and sustainability was a good fit as well."
Eddie Montgomery, one-half of the gold and platinum album country singers known as Montgomery Gentry, has joined Tommy Mitchell, president of Rocky Top Furniture, to develop the family-oriented destination in central Kentucky. Mitchell had developed a strong relationship with Katahdin Cedar Log Homes' president David Gordon, when he joined the Katahdin team constructing the first cedar log home for ABC's Extreme Makeover-Home Edition in 2005. Mitchell has since provided furnishings for several other Extreme Makeover projects since that first project.
"When we first started talking about the steakhouse, Eddie and I wanted to build something to be proud of," Mitchell said. "Eddie gives back a lot to his community. We also wanted the steakhouse to be designed and manufactured by a company that shared our "green" approach. I knew that David Gordon had long been implementing 'green' practices, so Katahdin Cedar Log Homes was the obvious choice."
This project will be one of the largest commercial structures ever constructed of Northern White Cedar. Katahdin is finalizing a design that will feature 28-foot ceilings with dramatic exposed beams and purlin log trusses, as well as the rustic amenities that make log homes so appealing: cedar paneling, stone fireplaces and other unusual interior features throughout the building. Outdoor seating will be available at either end of the building. As part of the entertainment element, Montgomery has commissioned a tour-quality, professional concert sound and light system for the top name country performers he expects to book, as well as new and up-and-coming artists.
An estimated 15 tractor trailers containing the pre-cut and drilled logs for on-site assembly will be making their way from Katahdin's mill in Oakfield, Maine to the Harrodsburg construction site at the end of July. Another 15 semis will transport the remaining materials to the site.
What would normally be a complicated construction process for this large project is simplified with the bar coding used by Katahdin to match each log with its specific location on the plans. Their computerized house manufacturing line makes efficient use of each log. Waste sawdust produced in the milling is recycled through a 14-million BTU biomass boiler which has cut Katahdin's fuel oil consumption by 90 percent.
As part of its commitment to sustainability, Katahdin has earned Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Chain-of-Custody certification from the Rainforest Alliance's SmartWood program. This certification enables the log home manufacturer to offer Northern White Cedar used in constructing its log homes from responsibly managed forests. Presently, Katahdin is the only log home manufacturer in the United States to hold a SmartWood Certification.
Founded in 1973 by Foster Gordon and two associates, Katahdin Cedar Log Homes is one of the largest log home manufacturers in the U.S. and is the largest processor of Northern White Cedar in the world. David Gordon continues his father's legacy by providing high quality, cedar log homes at affordable prices. Based in Oakfield, Maine, Katahdin Cedar Log Homes has more than 80 employees.
For more information, visit their website: www.katahdincedarloghomes.com.
