Machinery Row

Top Employer 
O'Neill Pine Employer Group, a Salem, Ore. timber firm, was voted one of the two best places to work in Oregon. According to a survey sponsored by Oregon Business magazine and Watson Wyatt Worldwide, O'Neill Pine was selected as the best of 50 Oregon small companies included in the survey. The survey, which looked at nine categories, shows that "successful companies value their employees," says Al Lopus, Watson Wyatt's regional managing consultant. "They establish mutual respect, communication and trust. Their employees respond by staying with the company and delivering great work outcomes."

Wood-Mizer Appoints New COO 
Wood-Mizer has named as its new chief operating officer Daniel Laskowski, formerly manager of the company's sales and manufacturing facility in Kolo, Poland. Laskowski says the company has been developing new sawmill technology, and has renewed its commitment to maintaining technology leadership as well as product innovations. Wood-Mizer has over 100 locations worldwide and sells to over 90 countries.

Golden Anniversary 
The Pilchuck Tree Farm is celebrating its 50th anniversary. After WWII John Hauberg came back with a "burning desire to plant Douglas firs." That desire became the Pilchuck Tree Farm, which was the 102nd certified national tree farm in 1950. After 50 years of hard work, and a lot of trial, error and education, Hauberg not only has thousands of acres of Doug firs, hemlocks and western red cedars, he also has a legacy of research and is a model for other smaller tree farmers.

Tree Farmers of the Year 
The Steenkolks were recently named Tree Farmers of the Year 2000 by the Small Woodlands Association. They were honored for their work on their 204-acre piece in Lincoln County, Ore. "We bought the property in 1987 and had the alder and maples on the hillsides logged," explain Joe Steenkolk. "The land was under-productive. So we planted Douglas fir. And we ordered 1,000 red cedars." The Steenkolks are no newcomers to forest management. They won the same award 20 years ago for their management of 180 acres in Hidden Valley.

New Western Sales Manager For Precision Husky 
Precision Husky Corporation has appointed Virgil Fullbright as new regional sales manager for the Western U.S. He will handle Precision's in-woods chipping systems, ProGrind™ Tub and Horizontal Grinders and Husky Knuckleboom Loaders. Fullbright's Western region includes California, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

New Marketing Director For Campbell Group 
The Campbell Group, a timber investment management firm based in Portland, Ore., has hired Angela M. Davis as marketing director. Davis will be responsible for raising capital and increasing the company's client base. She was previously vice president/consultant with State Street Analytics, where she provided analytic and analysis service to institutional investors.

Logger of the Year 
Mike Reynolds of Priest River, Idaho received the award as Logger of the Year for 2001 from the Idaho Tree Farm Committee. The Idaho Tree Farm Committee is part of a national organization celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The tree farm program, active in 48 or the 50 states, promotes sound forest management on private, non-industrial lands According to Stimson Lumber Co. forester, Kurt Lyon, who nominated Reynolds for the honor, "Mike is truly deserving of this recognition. His company has pioneered the cut-to-length (CTL) logging system in Idaho and has been a steady producer of high quality sawlogs and fiberwood many years." Kurt goes on to say, "Mike purchased his first Valmet cut-to-length equipment from Totem Equipment in 1994, and by 1996 he had switched entirely to CTL systems. 

Today Mike operates two Valmet CTL sides consisting of four harvesters and two forwarders, along with a compliment of a dozer, excavator, grader and two service trucks." With 10 employees, in a typical year Mike Reynolds Logging will log and deliver 50,000 tons or about 8 million bdf. Of that, 65 percent is sawlogs and 35 percent roundwood. Mike will be sending one of his operators to Sweden this summer to represent the U.S. in an international competition.Weza Promoted David Weza was promoted to chief executive officer at Rosboro Lumber. He previously held the position of executive vice president before stepping up. As CEO Weza will be responsible for the general management of all company activities and employees.