COTTAGE GROVE – The timber industry in Cottage Grove has a deeply rooted history that dates back to the early days of settlement. The area was initially settled by farmers who practiced subsistence farming; they grew enough for their own use and had a bit left over to sell. Wood was essential for building houses, barns, and fences.
Starfire Lumber Co. is one of three lumber businesses in Cottage Grove and was founded in 1983 by Francis D. Engle, who purchased an old cedar mill on Mosby Creek Road.
“He took all of his life savings and revamped it and turned it into a saw mill. Originally, he had thought about, ‘I just want to get this timber sale cut, make what money I can, and get out,'” said Rob Thomas, Starfire chief financial officer. “And here we are, 42 years later.”
The company produces lumber and timber products from large orders to specialty items by the piece. Their work can be seen near and far, including custom-built garages, Jim Belushi’s cabin in Medford, Billy Joel’s boathouse, and the California Adventure Hotel.
“All the fences you saw on ‘Yellowstone,’ that’s our wood,” Thomas said, referring to Paramount Network’s hit television series starring Kevin Costner, which is also streamed on the Peacock app.
The name “Starfire” comes from a movie production company, Starfire Films Inc., where the Engles were producers. “Buffalo Rider,” a Starfire Film, is still available on YouTube, with filming locations in Oregon and Utah. The company’s registered agent is Craig D. Engle, a family member of Francis, and is no longer producing films.
Inside Starfire
A mural of Engle stands 10 feet tall on a wall in the front walkway of Starfire’s new building at 2795 Mosby Creek Road. Construction started in August 2020 and is just about complete.
Personalized office spaces, tall ceilings, timber frames, a lounge, a kitchen, reclaimed oak floors, and countless memorabilia from the original building were all incorporated into the new, hotel-like structure.
An upgrade has been in the talks for the last 10 years, according to Thomas. The aesthetic design was intended for various reasons: to incentivize high-quality recruits, honor the legendary man who started it all, and to showcase what Starfire Lumber is capable of producing.
“If you can get somebody interested in this industry, this can give you that little edge in hiring,” said Thomas. “And the fact that customers now know when you bring them in, they can actually see that this is what our timber’s built.”
A handful of employees in 1983 grew to roughly 80 today, and now they can see where their hard work goes.
The timber frame is entirely made of Starfire wood. There isn’t even metal holding the beams together; they used wooden dowels. Old-growth wood is distributed throughout the beams that support the ceiling.
“We didn’t buy one stick. We manufactured every piece put in,” Thomas said.
Engle has his own forever-office in a corner that holds his old desk, a classic Starfire jacket, and other family memorabilia. Thomas included soundproofing elements in his office.
Employee offices were customized down to the paint color on the walls. A large open area was included for future implementation of cubicle desks. Old photos from the original office space decorate the new walls.
But photos are not the only things the folks at Starfire integrated into the space. The main conference room is home to a massive table made out of the wood from the original Starfire sign that hung outside the old building.
“We try to save whatever we can save,” business administrator Teresa Boyce said.
Chairs, coat hangers, the flagpole, and even the trim were salvaged and repurposed.
Television screens around the building play slideshow montages of the old building, as a reminder of where the company started.
Outside, custom torched siding decorates the walls. Laser-engraved fencing from a local artist complements the railing that wraps around the building. The crew is still waiting for landscaping to garnish the flower beds and paving to complete the parking lot.
Starfire is a generous donor to community events like the Spirit of Bohemia Mining Days Festival during the summer, and Family Relief Nursery’s 2025 Spring Gala, contributing to the $35,000 raised for the nursery.
According to the SBMD website, Starfire Lumber has been a dedicated sponsor for years.
Without their usual contributions, Bohemia Mining Days may have had to call it quits.
