Our Team

Manfred Bohlke came to the United States as a timber buyer for a German veneer manufacturer in the early 1960s. His task was to buy the best quality veneer logs available. When he arrived for the first time in America, it wasn’t just fine walnut logs that he found – it was a new home. With very little money saved, he went out on his own. Mr. Bohlke’s passion for wood paid off and continues to pay off fifty years later. Since then, Mr. Bohlke grew from a logger to a veneer manufacturer, then ultimately to the CEO of the M. Bohlke group of companies that specialize in wood products including veneer, lumber, logs, spliced faces, and more.

Marc Bohlke grew up in the veneer business. Weekends in the fall, winter and spring were spent in the woods looking for the perfect walnut tree with his father. Summers were spent helping in the warehouse flipping veneer for customers. Marc chose to study architecture for his formal education and followed it closely. Marc became an integral part of the company when he joined in 1993. He designed M. Bohlke Veneer’s corporate office, built MB Face manufacturing facility and designed many of the current computer information systems. Marc passed away in January of 2009. He will be greatly missed by everyone, but his legacy lives on today with all of us.

Nick joined MBVC at the beginning of 2012 to follow in his families’ footsteps by entering the veneer business. Since then, Nick has worked to quickly learn the industry by working through many different aspects and departments of the company, while gaining the experience in the global timber market through travel and meeting with suppliers and customers. In January of 2014 Nick became the President of MB Manufacturing, overseeing all aspects of the veneer production facility. In 2024, Nick became President of MBVC.

Mike Gleason also grew up in the veneer business, coming to work with his father Tom Gleason, head log buyer with Manfred Bohlke from 1970 to 1991. Mike developed his career under the guiding hand of his father who was one of the founding employees of M. Bohlke Veneer Corp. Since his father’s retirement in 1991, Mike has been supervising the log department and log buyers. He is integrally involved in purchasing logs and standing timber and personally ensures that every log that enters production is destined for premium veneer.

Richard Kuck joined our team in 2000 to take over the responsibilities for accounting, employee benefits, legal and administration functions. Before joining our company, Dick worked for a large national accounting firm advising the company as an outside CPA. Dick graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and The Ohio State University.

Thomas joined MBVC in 2010. Having a strong family background in the veneer industry, he brings with him a true passion for our trade. At a very early age, Thomas began his hands-on training working for his father in a veneer mill learning every facet of the veneer process. Since then, Thomas has primarily focused on sales and production where he has gained experience dealing with customers from all over the world. Thomas lived in Canada and Germany, as he speaks fluent German. Nowadays, Thomas is responsible for all sales and customer preparations.

Chuck has been an essential part of M. Bohlke Veneer Corp. since 1973. He began his career in the production of veneer directly out of high school. Today, as Domestic Sales Manager, Chuck oversees all North American veneer and lumber sales. Chuck recently celebrated his 40th anniversary at M. Bohlke Veneer Corp. making him the longest tenured employee at the company.

Mike joined MBVC in 1991 and is originally from Detroit. Mike currently assists customers and clients in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, California, Oregon and Washington state. Mike graduated from Concord College with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in marketing and economics. Mike also has an extensive sales experience in the Far East, which also allows him to oversee our Engineered Veneer and Bamboo production.

Huina joined M. Bohlke Veneer in 2003. Originally from Beijing, China, she came to the United States and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Bowling Green State University and an MBA Degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Huina supports our customers in China and elsewhere in the Far East. Our Chinese speaking customers may contact her directly by phone at 001-513-325-6322.

Larry joined MBVC in 2008 to assist the Florida, Texas, Utah and Eastern Canadian markets. In addition, Larry oversees the architectural specification of veneers with the design community to ensure the right veneer and lumber are being chosen for every project. Larry is a graduate of the University of Florida, College of Architecture and has enjoyed a career generating results that not only benefit the companies he has worked for, but for his customers as well.

Nathan has been in the veneer industry since 1981 selling to the furniture, face veneer and architectural industries. He enjoys dealing with the different species and the rich look that they provide. Nathan covers customers and prospects in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC. Nathan is a graduate of North Carolina State University.

Mark Hill joined Bohlke Veneer in February of 2016. Mark brings over 35 years of experience in assisting the Architectural & Design community with selecting and specifying wood veneers. His project knowledge covers corporate, hospitality, healthcare, and institutional veneer applications. Mark assists the A&D community in Chicago and western United States, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver. Mark graduated from Southern Illinois University with a BA in Forestry/Land Management. His background and experience has combined to provide him with much success in architectural veneer sales.

Adam joined MBVC in 2021 and has a long history with wood and woodworking—over twenty years’ worth; he has worked as a custom builder, finishing color specialist, and selling woodworking equipment and supplies. He also owned and operated his own bespoke high-end furniture business out of Ohio from 2015-2021. Today, Adam is part of our architectural wood veneer and lumber sales team.

Dave Brown has been apart of our MB Manufacturing team since 1978. His first position with us was as a warehouse worker in the Export department. Now, Dave oversees all of the M. Bohlke Corp. veneer production in the mill, including the production schedule. Our facility manufactures over 1.2 million square feet of veneer of indigenous species each day. We also slice imported wood species from all over the world. Dave inspects logs in the log yard and supervises all of the cooking, slicing, drying and clipping processes. His extensive experience in the veneer industry gives him some of the best hands-on knowledge about wood manufacturing.

Bruce Brinker joined our team in 1983 and worked as an export veneer grader for 35 years. In this position, he graded sliced veneers and prepared them according to customer’s specifications. Since 2018, Bruce has transitioned into the Domestic department where he uses his expertise to assist our domestic customers. Today, he works closely with the M. Bohlke Corp. Domestic Sales team and plays a vital role as our Domestic Warehouse Manager. Bruce oversees veneer sampling for customers and our warehouse processes, as well as daily veneer shipments. Bruce also oversees our extensive burl and Vtec inventories.

Carl joined the MBVC team in 1986 and started working in our import veneer department. Now with over 20 years of experience, Carl is a key asset to our company, grading and promoting our large imported veneer inventory.

Kevin Brown began working at M. Bohlke Corp. over ten years ago. His main responsibilities include grading and pricing sliced wood veneers, which come directly to his department from our MB Manufacturing mill. He leads his team in categorizing veneer into product categories, such as furniture, door and panels. After inspecting all of the bundles through the flipping process, Kevin assigns pricing to each pallet. His knowledge of cuts, figure types and industry trends all influence the pricing of architectural wood veneer. In addition to these daily tasks, Kevin and his team also prepare veneer for customer showings.

Mark joined MB Manufacturing in 1992. Working extensively with Burl veneer, he has managed all aspects of the Burl Mill production since 2013. Mark is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University with a Bachelor of Science in Management.

Larry Hyrne joined MBVC in January of 1988 as Mill Maintenance Manager over the MB Manufacturing Mill Operation. Larry has worked with Power Generation and Public Utilities, Industrial Manufacturing Companies, Industrial Electrical Contracting and is a US Navy Vietnam Veteran. Larry is involved in maintaining the readiness and reliability of the production machines at MBVC. Electrical controls, mechanical repairs, panel building, PLC programming, and an assortment of machine system readiness fall into the brackets of the Mill Maintenance Team.

Mark Soupene joined our team in 2001 to take over the responsibilities for Information Technology functions. Since joining our company, Mark has implemented a custom SAP ERP system which has allowed us to streamline all of our business processes. Currently, Mark manages our servers and our many projects that keep our company ahead of the curve technologically. Mark graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Tina Lykins joined our team in 1999 in Accounts Payable. Tina is originally from Texas, where she worked at a wholesale flooring company in Accounts Payable. In 2000, she took over the responsibilities of human resources and payroll for the corporate office and warehouses. She is responsible for the new hire process, as well as benefits and payroll functions. She also helped to implement our SAP software. In addition to being one of the first smiling faces potential new hires see, Tina also plans and coordinates many of our corporate events, from our annual employee appreciation picnic to our festive end of the year celebration.

Debbie Petrak graduated from Miami University and has worked at M. Bohlke Corp. for more than 30 years. Her role involves hiring, human resources, benefits and payroll, while also working directly with plant managers. She enjoys the challenges that come with the hiring processes and retaining employees.

Alberto joined our Human Resources team in 2022. Alberto has extensive experience with Recruitment, Onboarding, HRIS/ATS, and Team Management. He enjoys assisting people with their careers and encouraging each individual to identify and pursue their goals. As Talent Manager, Alberto leads MBVC hiring and recruitment strategies and internal initiatives.