After more than a century in business, Prout's Building Centre has evolved from a local sawmill and custom door and window manufacturer into a leading building supply centre serving Lambton and Middlesex counties, including Sarnia and parts of London.
Founded in Forest in 1873 by R. Prout and Son Ltd., Prout's Building Centre has built its future on a foundation of quality and service.
The Grand Trunk Railway completed a line through Forest (an area with vast forests) in the late 1850s.The local stop was used to take on wood and water for locomotives. John Hamilton and Richard Prout established the Forest Planning Mills (Hamilton and Prout Lumber Company).
The new business operated a sawmill and custom manufactured windows and doors. As local demand grew, local lumber was used up and Hamilton and Prout were forced to import wood for milling.
Around the turn of the century, a steam generator was installed to power the sawmill. The pair found another use for the generator and quickly became Forest's first supplier of electricity. By day, the generator powered the sawmill and at night, it was used to power the street lights of the town.
This arrangement lasted almost five years, until Ontario Hydro took over the responsibility of providing electricity to Forest. In the late 1940s, following World War 11, the company started diversifying. They offered only 17 different items of lumber and plywood.Today, Prout's stocks over 9,000 items for sale.
Although many things have changed over the years, Prout's business philosophy has always been driven by four basic fundamentals:

Unrelenting reliability
Consistent quality in products and service
Total customer satisfaction
Keeping pace with progress

That philosophy continues today as Prout's strives to exceed customer expectations through personalized service with customized products, dedicated sales people and highly skilled trades personnel.
As a member of a large building supply buying group Prout's is able to consistently meet their customers' requirements, while remaining competitive in today's marketplace with the best possible prices on building supplies and hardware.In their 6,000 square foot showroom built in 1989, Prout's provides building materials and ideas.
Need help selecting windows or building a deck? Prout's can help.
Their staff of building professionals can provide their customers with the materials, information and assistance to get the job done right the first time