Brad Thorlakson, President and CEO of Tolko Industries, has announced that Pino Pucci, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Logistics will assume a newly created interim role as Tolko’s Chief Operating Officer.

“This role has been created to support our succession planning process, as Pino will eventually succeed me as President & CEO,” Thorlakson says. “Pino’s proven leadership experience, significant focus on people and culture, and his alignment with our values make him the perfect candidate to lead us in the execution of our current strategy, and beyond.”

Effective October 2, Pucci will assume oversight of Tolko’s Solid Wood, Strand Based Business and U.S. Operations while retaining his current responsibility for the marketing, logistics and transportation portfolio. There has been no formal date set for the CEO transition to occur.

Brad Eckford, currently Manager, Logistics & Transportation, will succeed Pucci as Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Logistics. Rhys Thompson, currently Manager, OSB Sales and Marketing, will expand his role to include Manager, Logistics and Transportation. Kiley Sales, Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Logistics will support both Pucci as COO, and Brad Eckford, Vice President Sales, Marketing and Logistics.

Related Articles

TOLKO PLANS HIGH PRAIRIE REBUILD

The RoyOMartin University (ROM-U) program identifies emerging leaders and develops their potential to ensure that the company maintains a pipeline of leaders prepared to take the next step in their careers.

Recently, Louisana-based RoyOMartin recognized Luke Briley, dry end manager, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Brett Danzy, mechanical maintenance superintendent, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Jermaine Davis, corporate purchasing coordinator, corporate office);and Kelly Matthews, senior sales representative, corporate office, for completing RoyOMartin University-Management. This program is designed for leaders already in place with the company at a supervisor, team leader, superintendent, or manager level.

The program utilizes four key components to develop the participants: Experiential learning, formalized training, mentorship programs, and cross-departmental assignments.

“RoyOMartin is successful because of our people,” the company states. “We believe that growing people is essential to the future of the organization. Effective leadership is built on a solid foundation consisting of a clear mission, a vision for the future, strategy, and a learning culture.”

The company also recognized a group of team members, who since January 2020 have participated in the Corporate College program at Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC), and have recently completed their Associate of Applied Science degrees, with concentrations in general office and accounting.

They include John Budnik, Land and Timber; Jenna Foster, RoyOMartin-Plywood; Brandon Granger, Land and Timber; Crystal Hoover, corporate office; Cale Parker, Land and Timber; Raymond Rollins, Land and Timber; and Robyn Smith, corporate office.

Uniboard reports its $350 million particleboard plant modernization program is going as planned at Val-d’Or, Quebec; originally announced in June 2022, this is the third phase of its modernization for its particleboard and TFL mill. More than $100 million was invested in Phase 1 and Phase 2, which were completed in 2017 and 2020, respectively. Uniboard broke ground on Phase 3 in September of 2022.

The first part of Phase 3 is a new distribution complex, which will be operational late this summer. Installation of the new particleboard line will begin in early 2024 and is expected to come on stream in the first quarter of 2025.

The new line will expand Val-d’Or’s annual particleboard production capacity from 360,000 M3 (205MMSF) to 550,000 M3 (310MMSF). The line will offer a range of panel formats and thicknesses. Val-d’Or uses 100% post-industrial wood residuals primarily sourced from black spruce softwood, known for making a light colored panel with excellent machining and cutting properties. Val-d’Or is also an FSC chain-of-custody certified facility.

Rainier Veneer, Inc., Spanaway, Wash., announced that Plant Manager Jim Herold retired the first of June after 25 years as manager. Previously Herold worked at Roseburg Forest Products where he was plant manager of the Dillard plywood mill. He began his career at RFP after graduating from Oregon State University in 1974.

Rainier Veneer was plant built in 1992 on a 60 acre location 20 miles south of Tacoma. It became one of the largest softwood veneer manufacturing companies throughout the West Coast.

As good as he was a plant manager, Herold was an even better athlete. He was a champion wrestler at Astoria High School and Pacific University in the early 1970s. He transferred to Oregon State University to complete an impressive academic career, graduating in 1974.

Herold plans to travel and spend time with his family during retirement.