Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-In-Chief, Panel World July 2021 – We are saddened by the demise of Katerra, the company that stormed in like gangbusters to put a totally new spin on how building construction is managed and completed. We’re very aware that many…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-In-Chief, Panel World May 2021 – RoyOMartin supplied a short article in this issue on its 25th anniversary celebration since the startup of its softwood plywood mill in Chopin, La. The mill produced its first press load in March 1996…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-In-Chief, Panel World March 2021 – Every now and then a wood product comes along that causes us editors to pause— not necessarily over its innovativeness, but rather over which magazine we should write about it in. It’s kind of a fun exercise…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-In-Chief, Panel World January 2021 – Take Coastal Plywood at Havana, Fla. for instance. Senior editor Jessica Johnson visited the plant in December to catch up on recent lathe and dryer projects. It prompted me to look back at the history of the plant and Panel World’s coverage of it…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World November 2020 – We know that people’s paths may cross; the same can be said of articles in Panel World. You’ve probably noticed that the cover article for this issue is on the Winston Plywood & Veneer operation in Louisville, Miss…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World September 2020 – Every now and then a situation surfaces that is troubling to us. Elsewhere in this magazine you’ll read a news item about the…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World July 2019 – The story in this issue on Georgia-Pacific’s OSB plant in Clarendon County, South Carolina brings back memories. Not memories of Georgia-Pacific, but rather of Grant Forest Products, the Ontario-based company that built an OSB plant…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World July 2020 – We’ve all been confined to our small corners of the world for the past three months, but my wife and I ventured forth and made the drive from Montgomery, Alabama to Denver Colorado at the…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World March 2020 – From the looks of it going in, the Panel & Engineered Lumber International Conference & Expo (PELICE), which is scheduled for March 12-13 at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center in Atlanta, Ga., is offering up its best…

Article by Rich Donnell, Editor-in-Chief, Panel World January 2020 – In baseball, 500 is a magical number, and if a player hits 500 home runs during his career he’s on track to make the Hall of Fame. This issue of Panel World is number 500 in its 60-year lifespan, having been founded in 1960; and while Panel World may not be…