compiled by George Draffan www.endgame.org
for the Greenpeace Forest Campaign

footnoted version available upon e-mail request

PO Box 49114, Four Bentall Centre

Suite 3500, Bentall Tower Four

1055 Dunsmuir St.

Vancouver BC V7X 1H3

604-683-2211

fax 604-688-0313

corporate communications 604-689-6874

www.interfor.com

Interfor is involved in logging, sawmilling, and manufacture of structural and specialty wood products. Interfor employs 3,800 people, including 700 contract workers, including 1,800 people in 54 logging operations in British Columbia coastal operations extending from Hope BC to Prince Rupert BC. There are 8 mills on the BC south coast, and a logging operation and mill in the central interior of BC. Chips and mill residuals are sold to BC pulp mills.

1930s began with a sawmill in Whonnock, BC.

1963 incorporated as Yorkston Lumber Co.

1963 name changed to Whonnock Lumber Co.

1967 converted to a public company.

1967 name changed to Whonnock Industries.

1977 Sauder Industries acquired a controlling interest in Interfor (since transferred to the Sauder family's Mountclair Investment Corporation holding company).

1988 name changed to International Forest Products Ltd.

Interfor's acquisitions since 1970 have increased its annual lumber capacity from 65 to 800 million board feet, and its annual cut from 300,000 cubic meters to 3.6 million cubic meters.

1968 acquired Katz Lumber.

1971 acquired Holding Lumber sawmill at Adams Lake near Kamloops. The Holding Lumber Co. subsidiary was restructured as a division in 1987.

1976 acquired Pacific Pine division of Triangle Pacific Forest Products in New Westminster BC.

1977 acquired McDonald Cedar Products.

1978 acquired Allison Logging.

1978 acquired Bay Forest Products; closed in 1983 to allow development of the Expo '86 site in Vancouver BC.

1980 organized and owned one-third interest in Western Forest Products (formerly ITT Rayoniel Canada).

1981 acquired Imp-Pac Lumber (renamed MacKenzie Mills).

1981 leased Silvertree Sawmill from Western Forest Products.

1984 acquired CIPA Industries' sawmill at Pitt Meadows, three coastal logging operations, and related timber holdings. Renamed Bay Lumber sawmill.

1989 disposed of its interests in Western Forest Products and Western Pulp Co.

1990 acquired logging assets of Jackson Brothers Logging Co.

1990 acquired all outstanding shares of Westminster Wood Products.

1990 acquired logging roads and forest license from Doman.

1991 acquired from Fletcher Challenge Canada and Crown Forest Industries timber tenures and cutting rights, a sawmill and planer at Coquitlam BC, and 20 logging operations and log and lumber inventories and a cedar sawmill and planer at Maple Ridge BC. Entered into a long-term fiber supply agreement with Fletcher Challenge and Crown Forest.

1995 acquired Weldwood of Canada's coastal tenures and cutting rights, a sawmill ad planer mill at Squamish BC, and a cedar sawmill and planer mill at Port Moody, BC.

1997 acquired timber licenses from TimberWest Forest Ltd. 

Helifor Industries Ltd. Helicopter logging increased 29% from 1996 to 1997 with the addition of a fourth aircraft; helicopter logging accounted for 25% of Interfor's total cut in 1997, up from 18% in 1996; Helifor work for other corporations increased by 250% from 1996 to 1997, and Interfor's goal is to secure 30% of its helicopter business from external sources.

Interfor Japan Ltd.

Westminster Wood Products Ltd.

Bay Lumber Partnership.

Bell, Lawrence I. West Vancouver BC. President and CEO of Shato Holdings Ltd (food processing and services; real estate management and development). Chancellor of University of British Columbia, 1997 - .

Harris, Iain J. Vancouver BC. Chairman CEO of Summit Holdings Ltd (investment and holdings); former president and CEO of Air BC Ltd (airline).

Henri, Herbert L. Retired former Interfor VP.

Kadlec, Robert E. West Vancouver BC. Chairman and CEO of Bentley Capital Corp. (venture capital); former president and CEO of BC Gas Inc. (energy holding company).

Kneteman, Helmuth. Retired former Interfor VP.

Laval, III, Claude C. Fresno CA. President of Claude Laval Corp. (manufacturer of filtration equipment).

McKerracher, Richard N. North Vancouver BC. VP finance for Sauder Industries.

Milroy, J.A. Vancouver BC. Business consultant.

O'Leary, George L. Former chairman of Scott Paper Ltd Canada.

Sauder, E. Lawrence. Vancouver BC. President of Sauder Industries.

Sauder, William L. Vancouver BC. Director of Toronto-Dominion Bank. Chancellor of University of British Columbia, 1981-1987.

Segal, Joseph. Vancouver BC. President of Kingswood Capital Corp. (venture capital).

Sitter, R.M. West Vancouver BC. Former Interfor COO.

Southcott, John C. West Vancouver BC. Former Interfor vice chairman and COO.

 Interfor's executive officers

Sauder, William L., Vancouver, BC. Chairman.

Sauder, E.Lawrence, Vancouver, BC. Vice chairman. (president of Sauder Industries).

Sitter, Robert M., West Vancouver, BC. President and CEO.

Shineton, J. Barrie, Coquitlam, BC. Senior VP for wood products

Freisen, Gerald J., Coquitlam, BC. Secretary.

Voight, Sr., K.W., Delta, BC. Senior VP for forest operations..

Lowenberger, Sr., F.J., Coquitlam, BC. Senior VP for forestry and land use.

Sello, A.R., West Vancouver, BC. VP, CFO.

Reddington, Kathleen C. North Vancouver, BC. VP for human resources.

Ex-CEO William Sauder began receiving retirement benefits of $200,000 annually in 1997.

President Robert Sitters' pension supplement (lump-sum payout on retirement) was worth $611,182 at year end 1997.

Interfor's securities filings can be found on SEDAR, the Canadian public securities database.

Interfor has been a publicly traded corporation (Toronto Stock Exchange symbol IFP.A) since 1967, but is controlled by William Sauder through the Mountclair Investment Corporation. In 1993, Mountclair bought out Sauder's former partners Murray and Claire MacKenzie. The result was that Mountclair, owned exclusively by the Sauder family, held 26.8 percent of Interfor's voting stock.

By 1996, Sauder directly and indirectly held 99.6 percent of Interfor's Class B shares (which elects 10 of 11 directors), and 3.16 percent of the Class A shares (which elects one director). I.G. Investment Ltd. held beneficial ownership of 12.9% of the Class A stock.

Mountclair Investment Corp. / William Sauder 1,124,271 Class A shares (3.29%)

Mountclair Investment Corp. / William Sauder 1,011,735 Class B shares (99.6%)

I.G. Investment Management 3,979,900 Class A shares (11.6%)

All shares of Mountclair are owned by a holding company, the voting shares of which are held indirectly by William Sauder.

I.G. Investment Management (IGIM) exercises investment control or direction over the shares for its managed accounts on behalf of the shares' owners. IGIM is a subsidiary of Investors Group, Inc. (IGI), a member of the Power Financial group, and Canada's largest mutual fund. The general counsel and secretary of IGI is W.T. Terry Wright, telephone 204-956-8470, fax 204-956-1446.

3,800 employees including 700 contract employees; 1,800 people are employed in BC logging operations.

Forty percent of the logs cut under Interfor's cutting rights are produced by Interfor-operated logging camps; the balance is produced by independent contractors under Interfor's direction.

Interfor is represented by Forest Industrial Relations; 2,800 Interfor employees are represented by IWA-Canada; the current agreement will expire June 14, 2000. Operations were briefly interrupted in 1997 due to labor disputes.

To cover inventory, Interfor draws on 80 to 100% of its C$150 million revolver between March and April every year. Interfor also has a C$250 million term loan for long-term financing. Royal Bank of Canada leads the credit facility; ABN-Amro Bank, Bank of Montreal, Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and Toronto-Dominion are also involved. William Sauder is a director of Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Interfor's acquisitions since 1970 have increased its annual lumber capacity from 65 to 800 million board feet, and its annual cut from 300,000 cubic meters to 3,600,000 cubic meters.

The U.S. decking and sidings market remains Interfor's primary focus for its cedar business, although demand for cedar decking is growing in Japan.

Interfor promotes the use of BC coastal species in the traditional Japanese construction market. The Japanese Ministry of Construction has accepted the superior strength characteristics of BC hemlock and fir grades, opening the market to extended span lengths. Interfor profits dropped in the first quarter of 1998, primarily due to a 25% drop in whitewood prices and a 36% drop in whitewood lumber volumes -- according to Interfor, a direct reflection of economic conditions in Japan; continuing demand for cedar products partially offset the drop in whitewood demand.

BC Chase, near Kamloops. Adams Lake Lumber. RR 2, Chase BC V0E 1M0, 250-679-3234. Green or dry lumber for U.S. and Canadian construction markets; 30% of 1997 production was for offshore markets. Main species used is Douglas fir, plus spruce-pine-fir, western red cedar, and hemlock. Employs 200.

BC Clayoqout. Maquina Tree Farm (License #54) on west coast of Vancouver Island. Operations directed from Interfor West Coast Operations, PO Box 479, Tofino BC V0R 2Z0, 604-725-4444, fax 604-725-4474. License was transferred from Fletcher Challenge Canada to Interfor in 1991. The tree farm is 61,000 hectares; 24,000 hectares are available for "sustainable forestry activities." Interfor cuts about 60,000 cubic meters from 75 hectares annually. Interfor's West Coast Operations employ 23 people plus 30 contract employees for logging and road building.

BC Coquitlam. Fraser Mills. 2 King Edward St., V3K 4S8, 604-520-8400. Large log sawmill, a planer mill, and dry kilns for a wide range of red cedar products.

BC Fort Langley. McDonald Cedar sawmill. 9269 Glover Rd, Fort Langley BC V0X 1J0, 604-888-1616. Bevel siding and trim/faschia for U.S. market. Sawmill permanently closed October 1997; to be replaced by mid-1998 by a $3 million value-added cedar plant to produce finger-jointed blanks for cedar siding trim and faschia products.

BC Maple Ridge. Hammond Cedar sawmill and Albion Division remanufacturing. 20580 Maple Crescent, Maple Ridge BC V2X 1B1, 604-465-5401.

Hammond Cedar sawmill, dry kilns, remanufacturing plant, planer mill. Converts large cedar logs into solid wood doors, molding components, and other high-value products; lumber, softwood (including exotic species) exports to U.S. and worldwide; sales $94 million (1994); employs 200 to 499.

Albion Division remanufacturing facility; cedar panels and decking products; exports to U.S. Employs 25 to 49 employees.

BC New Westminster. Western Whitewood. 501 Boyd St., New Westminster BC V3M 5H6, 604-525-9411. Repositioned to reduce exposure to green lumber products to Japan and to concentrate on kiln-dry lumber products for North America and Japan. Small log sawmill, dry kilns, and reprocessing facilities for high-grade hemlock and balsam.

BC Pitt Meadows. Bay Lumber Partnership. Large log sawmill closed in 1996.

BC Port Moody. Flavelle Cedar. 2400 Murray St., Port Moody BC V3H 4H6, 604-939-1141. Acquired in 1995; closed large cedar log mill in 1996; small log mill opened in 1997; now converts small cedar logs into decking and siding products. Sawmill, 2 planer mills, and a remanufacturing facility.

BC Richmond. Vinylcraft Division. Vinyl moldings and siding. Exports to U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand. Sold.

BC Richmond. Door Division, 2560 Shell Rd, Richmond BC. 604-278-6251. Sold to Premdor in 1995. But Sauder "Colonist" brand textured doors being built in January 1997.

BC Squamish. Squamish Lumber. PO Box 160, 1500 Hwy. 99, Squamish BC V0N 3G0, 604-892-2500. Sawmill acquired in 1995. Large log sawmill and planer, specializing in Douglas for specialty products for the Japanese market.

BC Surrey. Westminster Wood Products Ltd. 11675 130th St., Surrey BC V3R 2Y2, 604-580-4500. Remanufacturing. Dry kilns, resawing, sorting and planing to process 26 mmbf per year.

BC Surrey. MacKenzie Seizai. 11732 130th St., Surrey BC V3R 2Y3, 604-580-4500. Large cedar log sawmill was cut back to one shift in 1996-97, until it is replaced by a small clear log specialty grade mill for products such as Japanese temple components and for door and window components. Merchandises and processes large logs (primarily high-grade hemlock, balsam, spruce, and Douglas fir); more than half its production is exported to the Pacific Rim and to Japan as specialty products.

BC Vancouver. Helifor Industries. Bentall Tower Four, Suite 3500, 1055 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver BC V7X 11H7, 604-682-8591. Helicopter subsidiary.

France. Sales offices.

Japan. Interfor Japan, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Interfor. Sales offices.

United Kingdom. Sales offices.

Bella Coola, 205-982-3200.

Campbell River, 250-286-1881.

Hope, 604-869-7111.

Terrace, 250-635-0635.

Port Hardy, 250-949-2900.

Sechelt, 604-885-8500.

Squamish, 604-892-5244.

Tofino, 250-725-4444.

24 percent of Interfor's lumber is exported to the U.S.; 75 percent of Interfor's products are coastal, 25 percent from the BC Interior.

Chips. 520,000 units of chips per year; 85% sold at kraft pulp price.

Hem-fir windows, moldings, doors, lumber.

Logs. (cubic meters)

Pulp logs. 18% of log production in 1995; 14% in 1996.

Western red cedar decking. Demand for tight-knot cedar products, including decking, is rising in North America and Japan.

Western red cedar finger jointed products.

Western red cedar knotty sidings. Interfor redirected its production of cedar siding into high-value European markets in 1996.

Western red cedar manufactured lattice panels.

Whitewood structural lumber. Lumber; window and door components; temple components for Japan.

Bellingham Sash & Window. WA Bellingham.

Interfor has confirmed Bellingham Sash & Window as a customer.

Capitol Lumber. CA Chino and Healdsburg CA.

Wholesale lumber chain selling to retail lumber yards throughout California.

Do not confuse with the unrelated International Forest Products of Chino CA (see section on Companies not owned by Interfor or Sauder).

Coastal Forest Products, 451 South River Rd, Bedford NH 03110, 603-623-4100.

U.S. northeast's wholesale source for specialty forest products.

Costco. WA Seattle headquarters.

Interfor has confirmed Costco as a customer.

Furman Lumber. www.furmanlumber.com

Wholesale distributor of lumber products and selected building materials. Lumber yards in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Texas, Michigan, Missouri, and sales and buying department in Portland OR.

Goodfellow: the Wood Specialists.

HomeBase. CA Irvine headquarters.

Stores in AZ, CA, ID, NV, NM, OR, TX, UT, WA.

Interfor has confirmed HomeBase as a customer.

Home Depot. GA Atlanta headquarters.

Interfor has confirmed Home Depot as a customer.

More than half of the molding at several Seattle-area Home Depot outlets in Seattle was labeled Sauder.

International Timber. UK Manchester, England.

One of Interfor's UK customers.

Orepac Building Products. 30160 SW Orepac Ave, Wilsonville OR 97070. www.orepac.com.

Distribution centers in Boise ID, Sacramento, Fresno, and Santee CA, Chino CA, Tacoma WA, Spokane WA.

Wholesale lumber distributor supplying retail lumber yards throughout the Western U.S., including Copeland Lumber, Lumbermen's Building Materials (AZ, ID, OR, WA), and Par Lumber (OR).

Sells Interfor and Sauder products. Remanufactures Interfor wood for Premdor's prehung doors, and then sold to Home Depot.

See also:

Jim Ford, 7/8/98 synthesis of Doman and Interfor and West Fraser targets in U.S.

Interfor www.interfor.com/

Sauder www.moldingsinc.com

Bentall Centre, Vancouver BC.

President E. Lawrence Sauder.

Sauder Industries, a private company based in Vancouver BC, has been manufacturing doors and moldings and distributing building materials products since 1927.

In 1977, Sauder Industries acquired a controlling interest in Interfor (since transferred to the Sauder family's Mountclair Investment Corporation holding company).

??? Lumber Supply Inc., a Seattle-based specialty lumber wholesaler, is a Sauder subsidiary. In 1996, it relocated from a Port of Seattle location to lease 80,000 square feet of the Benaroya warehouse in Renton WA.

Some directories list Sauder as a subsidiary of Elswood Investment Corporation; there is an Elswood Distributors division listed at Sauder's Dartmouth Nova Scotia branch office.

BC Burnaby. Branch sales office.

BC Langley. Sauder Distribution, 19950 101st, Langley BC, 604-882-5500, fax 604-888-5242.

BC Langley. Sauder Industries. Wood products, doors, moldings. Employs 80. 250,000 sq. ft.

BC Richmond. Sauder Industries, Door Division. Wooden doors and molding; exported to U.S., Japan, Korea, Africa, Mideast. Sold to Premdor in 1995-1996: Premdor to acquire Sauder's door plants in Vancouver BC and Seattle WA; Sauder to focus on manufacture of moldings and millwork, and the Canadian distribution of Premdor doors. Sauder to acquire Premdor's door distribution facilities and molding business in Canada and Premdor's molding mill in Houston TX.

BC Vancouver. Head office, Bentall Centre.

BC Vancouver. J. Fyfe Smith Co. and Sauder Distributing.

OR Portland. Sauder Exterior Building Products, 1840 NE Argyle, Portland OR, 503-286-1166. Parent corporation is Sauder Exterior Building Products of Canada.

TX Houston. Molding mill. In 1995-1996 Premdor was to acquire Sauder's door plants in Vancouver BC and Seattle WA; Sauder to focus on manufacture of moldings and millwork, and the Canadian distribution of Premdor doors. Sauder to acquire Premdor's door distribution facilities and molding business in Canada, and Premdor's molding mill in Houston TX.

WA Ferndale. Sauder Wood Products, 5575 Nordic Way, Ferndale WA. (south of Main St., west of I-5), 360-384-4774, fax 360-384-4943, www.moldingsinc.com 80 employees; general manager Paul Douglas; 8 hour shift = 50,000 board feet capacity; cutstock, molding, finger joint stock. Other directories shows hem-fir moldings and door frames, 50 employees, and Evergreen Partnership membership. Chipping machine. Sauder personnel stated that they manufactured molding for wholesale only, no doors or windows. Site consists of 100' x 500' building, with unlabeled 2 x 2 stock and 1 x 3 x 4' (spacer?) stock, plus 2 x 6, 2 x 4, and other lumber labeled Macmillan Bloedel, Doman, and Fraser Mills (name of Interfor mill at Coquitlam BC ).

WA Kirkland. Sauder Door Division, 733 Sixth Ave., Kirkland WA. Sold to Premdor in 1995; Premdor converted from a residential interior door facility to a commercial door facility.

WA Renton. Sauder Moldings, Inc., Benaroya warehouse, 1101 SW 16th St. at Oakesdale Ave SW, Renton WA (east of Boeing Longacres campus). Manufacture of moldings (some prefinished white), and white-finished particleboard. Staff stated they had no windows, doors, or retail business, and stated that moldings were available through Dunn Lumber in Renton and other retail outlets. Some bundles were labeled "Bayor Built."

WA Renton. Lumber Supply Inc., Benaroya warehouse, Southwest 16th St., Renton WA (east of Boeing Longacres campus). Seattle-based specialty lumber wholesaler, is a Sauder subsidiary. In 1996, it relocated from a Port of Seattle location to lease 80,000 square feet of the Benaroya warehouse in Renton. Lumber Supply's red delivery trucks have been observed in Sauder Modling's parking lot.

AL Calgary. Division and branch sales office.

AL Edmonton. Division and branch sales office.

MN Winnipeg. Division and branch sales office.

NS Dartmouth. Branch sales office and Elswood Distributors division.

ON Brampton branch sales office.

ON Toronto branch sales office.

SK Regina. Branch sales office and distribution.

SK Saskatoon. Sauder Industries. Branch sales office. Building materials, supplies, doors, moldings, plywood. 4 employees. 14,000 sq. ft.

http://www.catreader.com

Home Depot. WA Seattle. Interfor has confirmed Home Depot as a customer. Summer 1998 site inspections at several Seattle-area Home Depot outlets confirmed that much of the wood molding being sold was labeled Sauder.

Orepac Building Products, 9213 51st Ave SW, Tacoma WA, 253-582-9500. Headquarters Wilsonville OR. Orepac is a wholesale lumber distributor supplying retail lumber yards throughout the Western U.S., including Copeland Lumber, Lumbermen's Building Materials (AZ, ID, OR, WA), Par Lumber (OR), and HomeBase. Interfor and Sauder are among its suppliers.

Interfor, New York NY. Security firm.

International Forest Products, Boston MA. Connected to Rand-Whitney, Montville CT.

International Forest Products, Chino CA. Wood importer, sawmill, planing mill. Owner Philip Butterfield.

Lloyd Sauder Wood Products, Carrot River SK.

Sauder Woodworking, Archibold OH. Home and office furniture under the brand names Design Care, Foremost, and Sauder. Sauder Woodworking, Salt Lake City UT, is a distribution center.