Inspiring Conversations with Sims Acuff of Eutree Inc.

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sims Acuff.

Hi Sims, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Sims Acuff, Eutree founder, grew up working with wood. As an arborist in Atlanta, he often witnessed trees being sent to the landfills, or being grounded into mulch, and this never really sat well with him.”I got tired of throwing away logs” recalls Eutree’s founder, Sims Acuff, who for a decade ran Tree Tailors, an Atlanta tree service. Sims knew he wasn’t alone. Tree service workers tend to revere the trees they cut down, particularly the grand, healthy oaks, pecans and hardwoods that are removed because they’ve become nuisances or stand in the way of construction. So, he decided to create a better way of handling all of the wood that was being discarded. “It’s so important that we stop neglecting the treasure of old-growth trees around us and begin utilizing the timber that is being removed from people’s yard”, Sims explains.

In 2010, Sims, a skilled sawyer and craftsman founded a new kind of mill. Eutree is changing the supply chain for fine hardwood lumber by interrupting the journey of hardwood trunks from urban tree services to waste. Because so many hardwoods are felled in metro Atlanta each year, we can be very picky about the quality of timber that we ask our tree service partners to divert to our lumber mill just outside the city.

Eutree’s execution is as solid as our flooring. We work directly with local tree companies to source logs that we mill, kiln dry, plane, mold and sort. We then craft it into to a variety of standard and custom hardwood products, including flooring, paneling, beams, siding, decking, slabs lumber and other speciality architectural wood products.

At the same time, we’re fulfilling a market need for sustainably produced hardwood flooring and other products, at an affordable price. The local sourcing fulfills a common goal of green-building certification programs. And our Forest Free® supply method is a step beyond sustainable forestry practices – because we don’t even set foot in the forest to find our wood.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One of the biggest challenges in the early days of Eutree was that the supply chain we needed didn’t exist. We had to invent it. There was no existing infrastructure for salvaging urban trees and turning them into high-quality lumber. Tree companies were used to disposing of logs, not diverting them for milling. We had to educate partners, build trust, and create new systems for collection, transport, sorting, and processing all while maintaining high standards for sustainability and product quality. It took a lot of trial and error, but over time, we built a reliable network that’s become the backbone of Eutree. That challenge became one of our biggest strengths.

As Eutree began to grow, we quickly realized that scaling our operation would require significant investment in infrastructure. Processing urban logs into premium hardwood products isn’t just labor intensive. It demands specialized, often expensive, materials handling equipment. But as a small company committed to sustainability, we had to find smarter, more cost-effective solutions. We needed equipment that was both affordable and modular, and since it didn’t exist in the market, we decided to build it ourselves. Sims, who has an engineering background from Georgia Tech, invented and patented an automated board stacking machine called the Smart Stacker®. That innovation not only improved efficiency at Eutree, but also sparked the creation of our sister company, Woodflow Technologies. Today, Woodflow manufactures Smart Stackers®, transfer conveyors, and other materials handling equipment for the lumber industry – tools that are now helping other mills facing the same challenges we once did. That challenge, scaling responsibly while staying true to our values, ended up leading to one of our proudest innovations.

We’ve been impressed with Eutree Inc., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Eutree is a sustainable lumber company specializing in locally sourced, Forest Free® kiln-dried hardwoods. We provide high-quality hardwood materials for residential and commercial use, including flooring, paneling and cladding for feature walls, solid beams and box beams, decking, siding, slabs, lumber, and custom millwork. Our products are designed to deliver exceptional beauty, durability, and environmental responsibility.

At Eutree, we believe that being ecologically minded should not be complicated, difficult, or expensive for anyone. By embracing new ideas, systems and partnerships, true sustainability can become less of a fad and more of an inherent way of life. Along the way, we’re setting a new standard for sustainability in the lumber industry: our timber isn’t logged out of forests. Instead, we help urban tree services divert beautiful hardwood specimens from becoming waste. That’s why we call our products “Forest Free®”.

Our unique approach to sourcing fine wood products connects homeowners and commercial property owners to the installed material in a way that sets us apart from conventional mills. Whether it’s flooring, paneling, slabs or hardwood lumber, each product we create tells a story about the lifecycle of the material itself. You can see and feel what has become of a local tree – in many cases a tree that may have once grown in your own backyard.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Sims grew up in Atlanta and was always drawn to building things and figuring out how they worked. From a young age, he spent hours in the wood shop, often working on model airplanes, tinkering with tools, and building anything he could dream up. That hands-on curiosity eventually led him to study engineering and business management at Georgia Tech. He was also a competitive rower in high school and college, which helped instill the discipline and focus that would later shape his approach to business. Looking back, you can see how those early interests in craftsmanship, mechanics, and teamwork all played a role in what would become Eutree and Woodflow Technologies.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Eutree.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eutree
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eutree

Image Credits
Photos are by Eutree.