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Strong Local Roots

Alberta’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Oneil Carlier and CEO Don Kayne mark the renewal of Canfor’s tenure agreement in Alberta.

We celebrated our deep community roots with a number of anniversaries in 2015 – just two years after Canfor held events across our operations to recognize our 75th anniversary.

Prince George Pulp and Paper marked 50 years of operation. It began as a joint venture with Reed Paper Group, and Canfor took on total ownership in 1968. In Alberta, the tenure agreement that supports our sawmill and green energy plant in Grande Prairie was renewed in 2014, marking 50 years of operations in the province.

In April, Canfor and Canfor Pulp held their annual general meeting in Fort St. John in northeastern British Columbia to acknowledge the importance of local communities to our company.

Throughout our long history, we have looked for local talent to lead our companies, manage our forest operations and operate our mills. Currently, all of our company officers are long-term residents of our operating regions – the majority were born and educated in British Columbia, while the president of Canfor Southern Pine is from Alabama. Canfor Corp. and Canfor Pulp CEO Don Kayne is a 38-year veteran of the company, and Canfor Pulp President Brett Robinson has worked in Canfor’s pulp operations for the last 27 years.

There are 11 individuals on the Canfor and Canfor Pulp boards of directors; 10 are located in British Columbia and one in South Carolina.

As we continue our expansion into the southern United States, we welcome the opportunity to work with companies that, like Canfor, have strong family roots. In 2015, we acquired Anthony Forest Products, which was started by five brothers in 1916 in Arkansas. The fourth generation of the Anthony family is still involved. Earlier acquisitions such as Scotch Gulf and Beadles and Balfour Lumber Companies are also well-established family businesses.

We are proud of the history, traditions and connections of all the companies that make up Canfor – most going back generations. While we continue to reinforce and develop our One Canfor vision with one common brand and identity, we respect local expertise and traditions. In-house teams are working hard to develop an operating model that is fully aligned and integrated right through the supply chain. 

Canfor Leaders Recognized

Our Chairman Emeritus Peter Bentley was inducted into the Business Laureates of BC Business Laureates of British Columbia Hall of Fame in May, acknowledging his outstanding contributions to the province. At the same ceremony, one of Canfor’s co‑founders, the late John Prentice, was inducted as a pioneer laureate for his vision and leadership.

John Prentice and his brother-in-law L.L.G. (Poldi) Bentley started a small furniture and paneling company near Vancouver in 1938 employing 28 people. Within a year the company had 1,000 workers and was supplying plywood for aviation and marine applications. Peter Bentley, Poldi Bentley’s son, was CEO of Canfor from 1975 to 1995. Poldi Bentley was named to the Hall of Fame in 2006.

The Hall of Fame is sponsored by Junior Achievement of British Columbia. In honouring Peter Bentley, it noted his personal commitment to building a better society. “He always understood the importance of community in the forest industry. The safety of his employees was always his number one priority."  

 
Peter Bentley (centre) was inducted into the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame to acknowledge his outstanding contributions to the province.