June 2025 Message From Our CEO

It’s hard to believe, but here we are in the Summer of ’25!  We hope you, your family and your teams are doing well and looking forward to whatever vacation plans you may have.

While the world is taking to the beach, mountains or canyons, the crew at Columbia Forest Products is staying busy. We have a range of projects and initiatives that will position us to serve you in more ways — and better ways — in the years to come:

• Throughout our mill network, several capital investments are being put in place, from new saws to lathes and presses.
• Our digital transformation process continues to take hold, from our back-end systems to a brand-new website that you’ll be seeing soon.
• We’re finalizing a new three-year Strategic Plan, which channels the direction we’ve been receiving from our customers — like more dynamic product innovation, meaningful customer engagement and delivered, consistent quality.
• We’re refreshing and strengthening our leadership and bench strength.  In the last few months, we’ve inserted a new Chief Information Officer and HR Vice President, with Jeff Wakefield now having responsibility for US Plywood Operations.
• In the marketplace, our Field Sales Representatives are emphasizing product and industry education. We want to ensure our distributor teams and customers are being trained in the essentials and details of hardwood plywood. Plus, we’re working on an update to the popular Columbia Forest Products University Online self-education course.
• We’re also welcoming folks to visit us and bring their customers to our mills.  We just hosted a large group at Old Fort, and it reminded us how essential it is to be face-to-face with the people in the market who make it happen for all of us.  We’re very eager to see more of you at our facilities.

In short, we’re looking at the next few years as a time of opportunity and prosperity for our industry. We’re wasting no time in securing a better position for both our customers and ourselves to take advantage of this.

I almost said, “I need a vacation after all of this,” but the energy we’re putting into these initiatives and the positive momentum they’re creating is truly putting wind in our sails.  It’s extremely invigorating to see the picture come together at the pace it’s happening.

So, please enjoy what this Summer has in store for you. We look forward to serving your needs and helping to make you successful in multiple more ways.

Greg Pray

President and CEO

Columbia Forest Products

Our Core Values

Customer Service

Absolute Integrity

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