Tindell's Building Materials, a locally-owned building materials supplier, started as a sawmill operation by Fate Tindell in 1892. He moved the sawmill to various timber sites around Knoxville until settling in the Halls area of Knox County in the 1920's. The sawmill was a major part of Tindell's business for the next 30 years.
In the 1950’s Tindell’s added building materials to its selection of services and a decade later the sawmill operation was phased out. For more than 125 years, the Tindell’s name has been associated with lumber and building materials in one form or another, so it’s no surprise that Knoxville's builders rely on Tindell’s when they showcase their best at the annual Parade of Homes.
Tindell’s customers rely heavily on the engineering expertise of the truss plant and on the installed services offered. In this day of ever increasing labor shortages, Tindell’s turnkey solutions provide both the material and the labor to get the job done. Currently Tindell’s installs insulation, garage doors, fireplaces, windows and exterior doors, countertops and cabinets. The punchout division installs shelving, mirrors, bath hardware, locksets and shower doors. Tindell’s own millwork shop pre-hangs both interior and exterior doors, has an oven to heat and bend trim to any radius, and builds pre-assembled box stairs – for either a carpet or oak finish. New this year is a Hundegger Saw at the truss plant which will allow for PET (precision end trimming) of I-joists to within 1/16 of an inch as well as the capability to route HVAC holes, saving both time and money on the jobsite.
The company is now in its fourth generation of family-ownership. Fate Tindell was followed in the business by one of his 16 children, Francis Tindell, who was then followed by his son, Carl Tindell. Tindell’s is now owned and operated by Johan van Tilburg, Carl's son-in-law. Today’s focus is on bringing new solutions to the builders to make the process of home building as fast, efficient and effective as possible. "Our ability to anticipate our customers’ needs is what sets us apart" says van Tilburg. "We try to offer the customer a one-stop shopping experience, we have our own truss plant, door shop and installed sales division. We are very excited to be able to offer our customers the option to route HVAC holes in I-joists. It allows us to engineer the solution rather than go back and repair the damage incurred during the HVAC installation."
The company, which employs 215 people in East Tennessee, has five stores and warehouses in Knoxville, Maryville, Sevierville, Morristown and Cleveland. The Truss Manufacturing Plant is located in Karns, the Commodity Distribution Center is located in the Forks of the River Industrial Park and the Installed Sales Division and Millwork Shop are co-located with the company’s headquarters in Halls.
Tindell’s is very active in the community and each year provides support to local schools and institutions of learning. They participate in the local high school "Ride and Decide" program and have employed interns from the University of Tennessee. Tindell’s is honored to sponsor ETTAC (East Tennessee Technology Access Center), St. Judes, March of Dimes, United Way, Second Harvest, and the HBAGK.