Meerdink Bruggen can no longer be ignored from Winterswijk. The foundation for the company was laid in 1919. Gerhard Meerdink started a trade in native wood at Parallelweg in Winterswijk. The location of the timber trade, right at the end of various railway lines to Winterswijk, turned out to be a hit.

Wood was transported effortlessly from far and wide by railway carriage. The timber trade was expanded around 1930 with a trade in building materials.

There was also a carpentry workshop. However, the strategic location on the railway also turned out to have a disadvantage during the war years. As early as 1940, a bomb fell on the carpentry factory, causing it to burn down completely. Already in 1943 a new one was introduced. After the war, the range of wood species was expanded to include 'exotics', foreign hardwoods.
In 1959 the 40th anniversary of the ever-expanding company was celebrated. Even when founder Gerhard Meerdink retired from the company in 1948, the business remained successful.