A main player in Golden

Golden Engineered Wood Products has a enjoyed a longstanding presence in the town of Golden

Golden Engineered Wood Products has enjoyed a longstanding presence in the town of Golden.

Bryce Piggot is the plant manager and has been with Louisiana-Pacific (LP) since 1988. He worked in two of the Evans Forest Products sawmills before joining the Golden Engineered Wood Products plant in 2002. Piggot is more than impressed with the town he calls home, and said no one should ever be bored living in Golden.

Golden is a wonderful place to live, said Piggot, especially if you are an outdoor enthusiast.

“We have beautiful mountains, streams and wilderness areas that provide fantastic hiking, sledding, backcountry and cross-country skiing, whitewater rafting, fishing and camping,” he said.

Piggot appreciates the town itself and all that it offers.

“It is a small community with many long-term residents,” said Piggot. "The Town is doing a very good job implementing their vision of a sustainable community—and with the offered sports and cultural amenities, we are well served.”

LP's history in Golden

“Prior to initiating veneer peeling capabilities, the Golden site was a sawmill,” said Piggot. “In 1964, a veneer peeling line was added along with a powerhouse and electrical-generating capability.”

In the early '70s, Piggot said, the division expanded to include plywood production and the sawmill ceased operation. The plywood operation produced both commodity and speciality panels through to 1997, when the first of two laminated veneer lumber (LVL) lines—primarily utilizing Douglas fir—was added. Piggot said the LVL makes beams and headers with very predictable strength characteristics.

“A second LVL line was added in 1999, the same year that Louisiana-Pacific purchased Evans Forest Products,” said Piggot. “The addition of the LVL capacity added further value to the veneer and shifted more production away from commodity plywood panels.”

Piggot said the plant can produce approximately five million cubic feet of LVL.

The current and previous mills have been part of Golden's employment base for over 60 years, Piggot said. The company has not only provided employment in the town of Golden but has also supported community projects, provided access to forest recreational areas and has even supplied power for both the Whitetooth ski area and the golf course. In addition, LP has a community relief fund that has been available to the people of Golden at times.

A focus on sustainability

The company's commitment to sustainability is an important part of its community focus.

“The company is committed to harvesting in a sustainable manner and respecting the environment and the pursuits of other users of the forests,” said Piggot. “We are serious about our silviculture obligations and replant areas equal to what we harvest annually.”

Piggot said the plant employs approximately 425 hourly and management employees at full production. There is also a contractor workforce.

“We are very proud of our facility, and upon request we do entertain tours of the public on an organized basis,” said Piggot. “We like to share not only what we do but how our processes work. It is important that members of this community know how the extracted resources from the timber-supply area are utilized.”

LP's future in Golden

Golden Engineered Wood Products has a good home in Golden. According to Piggot, the world-class ski resort (Kicking Horse Mountain Resort) has really put Golden on the map, and he said add that to the fantastic golf course and Golden is truly a four-season playground.

The company’s goal is to provide employment stability to its experienced workforce, and Piggot said that Golden Engineered Wood Products wants to reduce its reliance on the North American housing market.

“The products manufactured here are used primarily for new home construction versus remodelling or renovations,” said Piggot.

He said that work to expand its markets and product lines began in earnest a few years ago and this is starting to bear fruit today.

Piggot truly believes that the employees are the plant's strength.

“They have endured very volatile markets and subsequent periods of lay-off since 2006,” he said, `”but their pride comes through in the quality products that leave this plant and the continued contribution to making us a low-cost producer in engineered wood.”