Jon Snyder Led Arkansas Face Veneer

Jonathan (Jon) Douglas Snyder, former president of Arkansas Face Veneer in Benton, Ark., died July 21, 2020. He was 65.

Snyder, who worked at Arkansas Face Veneer from 1989-2009, was a respected long-term member of Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Assn. (now Decorative Hardwoods Assn.), serving as board chairman in 2001 and on the board from 1993-2003, and in a number of other roles, including serving on the board of the group’s Hardwood Forestry Fund from 1996 to 2005. He was a founding member of the Arkansas Wood Manufacturer’s Assn. in 1993.

Snyder was a sticker for product quality, once commenting, “We are constantly looking for problems in our product and we try to force those out the back door.” He oversaw several mill technology upgrades through the years.

After leaving AFV, Snyder was a manager partner for Global Product Services, a trading company specializing in wood products, commodities and futures.

He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Benton for 35 years.

Snyder loved politics, the challenge of the stock market and canoeing on the Buffalo River. He especially loved his dog, Roman, and his cat, P.I.T.A. (Pain In The A–).

Born in Jackson, Mich., Snyder graduated from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Mich. with a bachelor of science in Forestry.

He leaves his wife of almost 44 years, Marcia, four daughters and their families and an extended family.