Message From The CEO Q4 2025

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

As we roll into December, we’re in that period between giving thanks and giving gifts…and a great time to take stock of the work we’ve done on behalf of the Customers of Columbia Forest Products and to solidify our plans for supporting their success in 2026.

It’s no small effort to bring a log into one of our facilities, work our magic on it and stack a ready-to-fabricate panel of hardwood plywood onto a unit.  And when I stop to think of the work we do every day in 14 facilities across US and Canada, I’m both thankful and amazed at our 2,100 employees and employee owners - who are making it happen for our Customers.

Gratitude, to say the least!

This has been a very good year for the Columbia team.  In addition to delivering the best material we can each week, we’ve been putting a LOT of effort into building a better, bigger future for our Customers and our employee-owners.

We’ve added and upgraded equipment and capacity across our seven hardwood plywood and four hardwood veneer mills, and are incorporating more and more AI and automation in the process.  We’re positioning ourselves for Growth, and making sure that Quality, Accuracy and Efficiency are improved at every step.

You probably know that we’ve created a new Director of Quality position, filled by Charlie Vaden, who you might be seeing in 2026… Charlie and the managers of our facilities will be conducting market visits to support in-person engagement. We believe this will drive better understanding of our Customers’ experience, expectations and needs, which can be put to work in our mills.

I can also tell you that we’ll be ringing in the New Year with an updated strategic plan for growth, which you’ll soon be hearing about and I’m confident you’ll appreciate where our focus is being placed.

CFP will celebrate it’s 70th birthday in 2027. In addition to a strategic plan for growth, we are also embarking on a companywide business transformation with Microsoft D365, which we call project Evergreen. This multiyear transformation will position CFP facilities and people for the NEXT 70 years, while allowing us to maintain and grow our market leading position for hardwood plywood and veneer. Our vision every day is to continue to build an engaged culture that drives sustainable growth, leaving our families, customers, and communities BETTER than we found them.

We are excited about the near-term future of the hardwood plywood market in North America and are investing heavily in our facilities and our systems to position CFP to grow. I am thankful that each of you has chosen to join us on this journey.

All of us at Columbia wish you a safe, rewarding and memorable holiday season, and are looking forward to serving your needs as never before. Thank you for your business and support. Merry Christmas.