Father and son, John and Greg Besse, are well known in Midwestern business circles for their business acumen in growing and managing a diverse wood products enterprise over the last four decades, as well as their prowess in purchasing and restoring ailing enterprises to fiscally healthy operations.
From one splicing plant established in Gladstone, Mich. in 1966, Besse Forest Products Group (BFPG) has grown to 12 sister businesses under the BFPG umbrella in northern Wisconsin and Michigan’s UP. Operations encompass two veneer splicing plants, four rotary veneer mills, a specialty plywood operation and eight sawmills. (See list of operations on page 10.) Cumulative production capacity exceeds 500MMSF of face veneer, 125MMSF of spliced veneer, 2.5MMSF of specialty plywood and 49MMBF of hardwood lumber.