LP Building Solutions (LP) and Forex Inc. have entered into a definitive agreement for LP to acquire the assets owned by Wawa OSB Inc., a subsidiary of Forex Inc. The manufacturing facility in Wawa, Ontario will be converted into an LP SmartSide trim and siding mill. The transaction, which is subject to court approval and customary closing conditions, is expected to be completed in early May 2023.

“LP SmartSide Trim & Siding has experienced tremendous growth over the past few years, becoming one of the fastest-growing siding brands in the United States,” says Jason Ringblom, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Siding. “In response to customer demand, we continue to expand our capacity across North America to position SmartSide for long-term growth. Our acquisition of Forex Inc.’s Wawa facility is a great addition to our fleet of siding mills and perfect example of how we are investing in the future of SmartSide.”

Once converted, the mill will add approximately 400 million sq. ft. of capacity, making it LP’s largest single-line siding mill. This will bring LP’s total siding capacity to 2.7 billion sq. ft. annually.

Built in the mid-1990s as an OSB mill, the site is an ideal location for SmartSide production due to its access to an ample and sustainable aspen wood basket and efficient logistics options. The mill’s conversion will bring more than 150 sustainable jobs to the region.

LP is evaluating project schedules to determine when construction at the facility will begin. While a second SmartSide manufacturing line is still planned for LP’s Houlton, Me. facility, the project will now break ground after the conversion of the Wawa mill.

• Roseburg has named Lorraine Russ as Director of Structural and Specialty Panels, a newly created role in which she will lead the company’s commercial efforts for softwood and hardwood plywood.
  

Russ comes to Roseburg with a solid depth of leadership experience in strategic sales planning, product innovation and commercialization, and marketing after more than a decade in the building products industry.

“We are excited to add someone with Lorraine’s mix of sales, marketing, and product innovation acumen to our team,” Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Doug Asano says. “As Roseburg continues to expand and diversify both geographically and in our product offerings, building a robust and dynamic Commercial Leadership Team will allow us to continue to adapt, innovate and grow.”

Russ joins Roseburg from Carlisle Construction Materials, where she served as general manager of Diversified Products. She previously worked as director of sales for Versico Roofing Systems, and held a variety of positions at Louisiana-Pacific Corp. including director of sales and marketing.

Russ earned her MBA from Belmont University’s Jack C. Massey College of Business and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, where she led the Terps as Captain of the women’s tennis team.

• Rainer Zumholte is the new Managing Director for Sales and Marketing at Sonae Arauco Deutschland GmbH. He joins Rui Manuel Gonçalves Correia (CEO), Dr. Steffen Körner (General Manager and Industrial Operations Director for NEE), and António Fernando Marques dos Santos Gomes de Castro (CFO) in the company’s administration.

Zumholte is recognized for his expertise and extensive experience in the wood-based panels sector. He was responsible for sales in Western Europes core markets as managing director at Pfleiderer Deutschland GmbH, Neumarkt, where he has worked for 37 years. Most recently he was appointed to the Executive Board of Westag AG, Rheda-Wiedenbrück as Head of the Surfaces/Elements division and subsequently appointed CCO of Sales and Marketing.

At Sonae Arauco, Zumholte will be leading the sales area for North East Europe (NEE), with a special focus on the market’s strategy definition and implementation.