Larry Hickman, President of Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring and Hickman Lumber Co., passed away July 17. He was 88 years old.
Hickman joined his father’s business, Hickman Lumber, after high school and was dedicated to growing the sawmill and expanding its land holdings.
“He didn’t just grow a business. He grew a philosophy: care for the forest, and it will take care of you. Cut only when it's ready. Leave it better than you found it. Think 100 years ahead. He never needed praise for it—he just did it right, day after day,” Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring said in a Facebook post.
Over the next decades, Hickman grew the family business into a well-respected staple of the lumber industry, eventually opening Allegheny Mountain Hardwood Flooring with his son, Denny.
Hickman maintained a commitment to sustainable forestry. In 1999, Hickman Lumber became the first mill in Pennsylvania to become FSC certified.
Hickman was also a founding member of the Hardwood Lumberman Manufacturing Association, now Pennsylvania Forest Products Association and an outspoken advocate for the lumber industry and responsible timber management.
“He was the quiet, steady heart of our family—and the brilliant, stubborn, deeply thoughtful mind behind Hickman Lumber,” Allegheny’s Facebook post says.
