McMellon Woodcraft sold

Home building firm expands woodworking business with acquisition

CHESHIRE — Business partners Paul Smedberg and Gary Neff have been making custom cabinets and other fine woodworking products for a decade and-a-half as a side business to their home building company, Lighthouse Construction.

Smedberg and Neff expect their woodworking business to grow exponentially now that they have acquired another woodworking company, McMellon Woodcraft. The partners bought McMellon Woodcraft from the estate of Arthur McMellon, who died in February after operating the business since 1971.

“The (McMellon) employees were keeping the business moving since then,” Neff said. “They had three employees and we expect to double that going forward.”

The combined woodworking operations of the two companies will now be known as Cheshire Woodcraft, he said. Terms of the deal, in which McMellon Woodcraft was acquired, were not released.

Cheshire Woodcraft will operate in the space that McMellon Woodcraft already has at 510 Cornwall Ave.

“We are excited to take

over a company known for excellent workmanship with a highly skilled and devoted staff including Master Craftsman John Wolfe, who has created thousands of unique products over the past 27 years

with McMellon,” Smedberg said in a statement.

Cheshire Woodcraft will honor all warranty obligations and work in progress of McMellon, Neff said. The combined companies have clients from all over New Haven County, he said.