Gates Milling was founded in 1978 by Brian H. Martin in Gatesville, NC. Martin purchased an existing operation to create a niche company focused on producing and remanufacturing Atlantic white cedar products, specializing in custom millwork that larger mills wouldn’t handle.
In 1981, burglars set the facility on fire, forcing the company to rebuild and begin expanding. Gates Milling later added Poplar products in 1997 and Cypress products in 1999.