OUR HISTORY

A FATHER TO SON
FAMILY TRADITION

As a division of W B Howland Co since 1926, Howland Truss is a family owned operation and has been in the truss business since 1994 starting with a dozen or so employees in Live Oak FL. Today we operate two truss plants and a full line building supply encompassing over 62 acres. Like many, we started in the residential market and grew into well a respected truss provider. Today Howland Truss can design, build and supply even the largest of multifamily jobs with roof and floor trusses. Howlands also owns and operates a full line fuel truckstop and retail store to keep our trucks rolling regardless of fuel supply issues.    

The story of Howland building materials supply of North America began a very very long time ago. For time sake we will start in 1620 with three Howland brothers, John, Henry and Arthur. They were in the materials supply business in London, England.  John Howland boarded the Mayflower in 1620 headed for the new land. During the voyage a massive storm arose that broke the main sail mast and all appeared lost. Everyone was below deck but John insisted he was not dying without trying to solve the problem above deck. When the storm subsided John was nowhere to be found and he was presumed lost at sea. Little did they know but John was actually dragging behind the Mayflower holding onto a rope. The plan was for John to trade with the Indians and the two brothers would send hardware and supplies as trading currency. In the first winter almost half of the pilgrims died so this left no way to repay the financiers of the voyage. John Howland and 7 others agreed to assume and repay the voyage debt in exchange for trading rights on the Kennebec River. This was huge because if the debt could not be repaid, it was into debtors prison. 

John and Elizabeth Tilley had ten children who all lived to reproduce. The business has passed from father to son up to present day. 

Skip a couple hundred years and several generations and in 1843 Edward Church Howland started his supply store in Madison County, FL where he also made bricks for construction. In 1890 is son John Phillip Howland started his store in Suwannee County FL where he had a sawmill, hardware, grits mill, made bricks and Post Office. In 1926 two of his sons John Philip and William Beverly (W. B.) started our current location in Live Oak FL.