Photo: Members of the West Fraser team from left are Josh French, Caylan Bailey, Joe Stone, Jeremy Rodriguez, Guy Mayfield, Morgan Wallace, Mark Davis, Rick Land, Amy Nichols, Jared Bass, Heath McCarty, Bo McBride, Justin Juelson, Al Godwin, Michelle Driscoll, Darrell Bruton, Jessica Clyburn, Tony Garcia, Hannah Pierce, Juan Morales, Matt Tykol, and Billy Cooper.
West Fraser Named Large Business of the Year
By Kelly Augustine, Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce
With millions of East Texas acres dedicated to growing timber, Nacogdoches is a natural fit and a long-standing home for West Fraser. Since the 1980s, the facility on S. Stallings Dr. has produced a variety of thicknesses of oriented strand board, a versatile, structural wood panel, used in home construction for roof, wall, and floor applications.
“Nacogdoches is a very welcoming hometown community and a great place for a wood manufacturing business due to a strong industrial network, a thriving business climate, a skilled labor force, and access to major markets like Houston and Dallas,” said General Manager Bo McBride. “As a historic forestry community with excellent access to an abundance of local southern yellow pine and a leading forestry college at Stephen F Austin State University, we are well situated to access a reliable source of raw material and many well-qualified, local candidates for our business.”
McBride added that “the vast array of community amenities also enables us to easily attract and retain employees to our operation.” Approximately 120 employees work at the Nacogdoches facility.
West Fraser is one of the world’s largest producers of renewable wood products. The business began in 1955 with three brothers, Sam, Bill and Pete Ketcham pooling their resources to buy a small 12-employee mill in British Columbia, Canada. Now, the local facility is one of more than 60 locations in North America, Scotland and Belgium that together, produce sales in the range of $6.5 billion.
“What sets our company apart from our competitors is the commitment, skill and performance of our people. Safety is a core value, and our culture of belonging is interwoven in our belief that every person is important and can grow and achieve their potential. West Fraser believes diverse, inclusive teams build vibrant workforces, safer operations and a stronger more competitive company overall,” McBride said. “We successfully compete with other businesses not because of our equipment but because of our people and our interdependent safety culture.”
West Fraser is also dedicated to supporting the programs of the chamber of commerce, especially those involving partnering with local institutions to develop specialized training tailored to manufacturing needs and assisting business in enhancing their visibility in the community.
“At West Fraser Nacogdoches, we believe we share a responsibility for the communities where we operate that goes beyond providing safe, sustainable careers for our employees,” McBride said. “Being a good neighbor and building connections is the key to a thriving community. This is why West Fraser Nacogdoches uses the services and support of local contractors, machine shops, and vendors as well as supporting local organizations, events, programs, and initiatives that enrich the lives of the people who live and work there.”
As a recognized employer of choice and a leader in the wood products industry, the Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce is proud to name West Fraser as the Large Business of the Year - a Gary Justice Business Excellence Award sponsored by R & K Distributors, Inc. The business will be honored at the Nacogdoches County Chamber’s 102nd Annual Meeting & Membership Banquet on Sept. 24 at The Fredonia Hotel & Convention Center. Tickets and sponsorships are available. Call 936-560-5533 for more information.
