The new state was, at this time, changing dramatically. In 1883 the Northern Pacific Railroad reached Tacoma, connecting Washington to the rest of the country, and in 1893, the Great Northern Railroad would reach Seattle just in time for the 1897-1899 Klondike Gold Rush, to which Seattle became known as the jumping-off point. The Pacific Northwest--Western Washington in particular--experienced monumental growth during this period.

O.B. Williams, the cigar-smoking "salesman's salesman" with an attitude, was working, in 1889, for a company in Everett, WA, who told him to change his style or ship out; he chose the latter, and for over forty years successfully managed his company until his death in the 1930's. Williams' final contribution to his company was to give it back to those who helped make it what it was. In his will, Williams left the company to his employees.

His wife, however, challenged the will, and a court found that "the employees" were insufficiently identified, and thus the company defaulted to Hannah Williams. She, having experience with neither the operation of the business itself, nor the knowledge of general business practices, saw a swift decline in profit, and, as a final desperate measure, offered in 1941 to sell the company to a supplier by the name of Joe Burke. Burke, thinking she wasn't serious, estimated the value of the company machinery on an old envelope, and offered that price, which she immediately accepted. She sold Burke all aspects of the business, including accounts receivable, wanting only to save O.B. William's old desk.

But Burke had his own business to run and wasn't actually interested in owning another, so he told a friend, Ray McCoy about it, who, by 1942, assumed the role of President of the company, and by 1946 had completed purchasing it.

The post-WWII era brought a decline in the demand for millwork, so in order to survive, McCoy moved the company in a more brokerage-oriented direction. Soon, however, the national supply chains secured this market, so the company once again moved back toward millwork. In 1959 ray McCoy was ready to retire, and handed the company over to his son, Leon.

Leon brought great talent to the company, both in his leadership and in his knowledge of the company itself. With an epigraph of "hire smart people, and let them do their job," he saw tremendous success. Leon remained president until 1992 when he turned control over to his daughter, Susan McCoy.

Susan, a 23-year employee, began her career at O.B. Williams as a part-time file clerk. She managed the company through significant growth and modernization, including the installation of the company's first computer-controlled machining equipment. Projects completed under Susan's tenure as President include the fabulous Benaroya Hall, the last great concert hall world-wide to be built in the twentieth century.

As the twenty-first century approached, Susan was ready to hand off the hectic life of managing Seattle's finest custom woodwork company, and looked forward to retirement. It was in this context that David Wick, an eighteen-year veteran and then-Vice-President of the company, approached Susan about purchasing the company. Susan agreed, and sold the majority interest of the 111-year-old company to David Wick in June of 2000.

Wick, who was originally hired to the company by Leon McCoy, adopted many of his practices, especially that of respect for the employees. However, Wick also aimed to push the company to operate at an even higher level of efficiency. He met his first significant challenge as new President in the first quarter of 2001.

On February 28, 2001, the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake caused wide-spread damage and destruction to the downtown Seattle neighborhood where O.B. Williams Company resides. Although many adjacent businesses were closed, some permanently, O.B. Williams Company remained open for business. By re-directing part of the crew to building repairs while others completed pending millwork orders, no jobs were lost and business continued virtually uninterrupted during the following eight months of repairs.

On September 11, 2001, the United States, already amid a growing recession, was attacked by terrorists at targets in New York and Washington D.C. The construction industry, in a reflection of peoples' reluctance to move forward with projects, was hit hard. Seattle-based firms, who were still recovering from the massive earthquake that hit the region earlier in the year, found the situation especially difficult to weather. Many companies laid off most of their employees, and some closed their doors forever. However, due to careful strategic planning by former and current leaders of O.B. Williams, the company was able to maintain its position as market leader and even begin to explore other market niches.

This persistent determination allowed the company to make a rapid recovery from the year of 2001, and the growth continues. Employees strive to work hard, and feel a personal responsibility for the company, which is evident in every product O.B. Williams Company delivers.