1933

The National Lumber Manufacturing Association, now the American Forest and Paper Association, determined that information on the strength and physical properties of wooden timbers was necessary to promote the use of structural timbers in the United States. To accomplish this goal, Timber Engineering Company, known as TECO, was formed to research and promote the proper use of structural wood products. More information on TECO’s beginning can be found on our TECO History page.

1934

TECO purchased the rights to the “split-ring connector” from a German manufacturer. These connectors allowed the expanded use of structural timbers and forever linked the TECO name with split-ring connectors. Since the late 1980s TECO no longer manufactures or sells wood-related fasteners or connectors.

1940s

TECO's Washington, D.C. laboratory was the largest private wood products laboratory in the United States. A popular internship program meant many United States wood manufacturers had someone from the TECO family within their staff.

1958

TECO provided a full-time technician to conduct quality control activities at the Willamette Industries Plywood plant in Lebanon, Oregon. Thus, TECO's Technician-in-the-Mill program was born.

1959

PFS was chartered as Plywood Fabricator Service, a nonprofit quality control agency affiliated with the American Plywood Association.

1964

TECO built a laboratory in Eugene, Oregon to support its west-coast customer base.

1968

TECO was sold to members of its management staff and its headquarters was moved to Chevy Chase, Maryland.

1970

A TECO field office was established in Shreveport, Louisiana to support the growing customer base in the southeast.

1972

The PFS name was changed to Product Fabrication Service to reflect its expanded scope of plan review and inspection services for the manufactured housing industry, and management established new headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

1978

The Internal Revenue Service determined that PFS was no longer a nonprofit, which resulted in the creation of PFS Corporation.

1988

TECO was purchased by DESCO, a financial holding company, and split into two divisions, the Fastener and Connector Division and the Certification Division.

1992

TECO's Fastener and Connector Division was sold to Cleveland Steel. The Certification Division was sold to Ed Starostovic, who at the time was the owner of PFS Corporation. Both PFS Corporation and TECO were run as separate companies yet shared some of their management and support staff.

2000

PFS Corporation became an employee-owned company. TECO was maintained as a separate entity by Ed Starostovic.

2007

PFS moved it headquarters to a custom-built office and 20,000 square foot testing facility in nearby Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.

2013

TECO is purchased from Starostovic by Steve Winistorfer, then TECO's President, who had been with TECO since 1998.

2015

PFS Corporation and Timberco Inc. dba TECO merged to form PFS Corporation dba PFS TECO.

2016

PFS TECO's Oregon laboratory moved from the location in South Eugene it had occupied since the mid-1960s to a newly-constructed facility in nearby Springfield.

2018

PFS TECO acquired Dirigo Laboratories of Portland, OR, which is now part of the PFS TECO Hearth Products group.
Press release

2019

PFS TECO becomes a 100% employee-owned company after purchasing the last remaining non-ESOP shares