One of my favorite parts of working at Resolute Forest Products is that everybody I have run into so far has been friendly and happy to sit down to have a discussion about forestry, and John Lafave is no different. John is the Senior Vice President of Pulp and Paper Sales and Marketing, sitting right under our President and CEO, Remi G. Lalonde. If you climb my side of the corporate ladder, he is my great-grand boss!

John is not the first person in his family to be in the forestry industry: His father was a pulp salesperson. After John finished his Economics degree from McGill University, he went to Toronto for a couple of months and then got a call from his father’s former company recruiting him. Since that moment back in 1998, John has been working in the forestry industry, progressing his way through various companies and positions. He started with Repap Enterprises, who manufactured higher-end paper for magazines and catalogues. A Finnish company, UPM, bought Repap, moving him to Connecticut. After about three and a half years with UPM, John switched companies to Abitibi, which eventually became Resolute Forest Products. For the past 11 years, John has been working as the Senior VP of Pulp and Paper Sales with logistics responsibility.

Something I have noticed through my interview series with various people at Resolute is that the forestry industry provides a level of work-life comfort that keeps people in it. I think that various benefits and a strong culture allow Resolute to retain its employees. Additionally, because forestry is a niche industry, staying in it allows individuals to get a deeper insight into the products and grow their careers. This is something that has been critical to John’s success. It takes time to get to know and build credibility with the people you deal with internally and externally, especially in sales where customer relationships are key for business continuity.

Speaking of longevity in an industry, John has left a company only once over his career, which has spanned almost 35 years. The only reason he left a company was to work specifically for a Canadian company. Although John was offered to go into the railroad industry at various points in his career, he chose to stay with Resolute because of the internal and external connections he has made, while also maintaining commitments to his wife and children.

When John brought up his immediate family, I decided to ask him about the work-life balance Resolute offers. Nowadays, there is an emphasis on maintaining a good work-life balance. This varies from person to person, but John has found that even with a high position, he was able to spend time with his family. Resolute offered a work-life balance that was fitting for him, which is also part of the reason he is still with the company. In John’s current position as an SVP, he typically works about 50 hours a week, but the amount differs from week to week. Recently, there was an acquisition of Resolute announced in July. Because John serves an important role in the company, he ended up spending more time working for several of those weeks to ensure everything on his end was properly prepared.

The last thing I talked to John about was Resolute’s future and the company’s allure for new generations of workers. He was happy to talk about the sustainability and diversity aspects of forestry and Resolute.

John believes one of the biggest draws to the industry, and Resolute in particular, is our commitment to sustainable forestry. We harvest trees to produce lumber and then take the residuals of the tree bark as energy and chips to produce pulp and paper. Our process ensures there is negligible waste, and each tree we harvest is used purposefully. Additionally, John pointed out that Resolute’s lineage is traceable over 200 years. I observed that Resolute has adjusted to the eco-consciousness of the globe over time, and we plan to continue to succeed for years to come.

In terms of diversity at Resolute, John emphasized the importance of equal opportunity employment. More women are in senior and executive roles than ever before. Additionally, we are a company that hires globally, and our mills are filled with younger people eager to set foot into the industry. Not only has Resolute diversified in terms of employees, but our products are diversified as well. John explained that pulp will always be used in various hygienic and household products, lumber will continue to be needed for architecture, and even though paper usage may decline in the future, Resolute’s paper business is not going anywhere any time soon.

I would like to take this time to thank FPAC for presenting me with this opportunity to share my experience with you all. My largest takeaway from this experience of interviewing various people in the company has to do with the sheer size of the forestry industry. Because there are so many different components that go into the industry, anyone can find enjoyment in working in some part of forestry. Everyone who I have talked to is passionate about their part, whether it is in logistics, sustainability, or sales – and that was just from the people I interviewed! The sheer number of possibilities allow anyone to be able to find success in the industry.

In August, four of Resolute’s U.S. operations hosted visits from federal elected officials. Congressman Bruce Westerman toured the Glenwood (Arkansas) sawmill; Congressman Mike Rogers visited the Coosa Pines (Alabama) pulp mill; the Cross City (Florida) sawmill welcomed Congressman Neal Dunn; and the Grenada (Mississippi) newsprint mill hosted Senator Roger Wicker.

These visits provided opportunities for elected officials to meet with mill management and employees, understand the mill’s operations and products, and discuss public policy matters of importance.

With dozens of Resolute operations and thousands of employees located in Quebec and Ontario, raising funds to benefit local community organizations has long been a company tradition. In Quebec’s Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region, our regular annual fundraising efforts, which were paused in 2020 and modified in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed in full force this year.

On September 9, Resolute’s business partners and employees were invited to join President and Chief Executive Officer Remi Lalonde and other members of our executive team for a unique cycling event: la Grande virée à vélo du président. The event takes place on the Véloroute des bleuets, which loops around Lake Saint-Jean, running through 15 municipalities and the Mashteuiatsh First Nation community, allowing cyclists to view magnificent scenery and sample regional gastronomy along the way. Participants could choose between a 20-, 40- or 80-kilometer course, all in support of several charitable foundations we hold dear.

The following day, employees took part in the Défi Déméter, a 5-kilometer obstacle course for individuals or teams. Remi Lalonde served as honorary chair for this event benefitting the Fondation du Cégep de St-Félicien, a local educational institution.

Many thanks to all who helped us support our Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean community!

An important part of the forestry industry is logistics. Without the logistics department, mills would not be able to create new products, as the old ones would still be taking up space on the floor. Our job is to figure out the best way to transport products out of their respective mills and into the hands of customers. Unlike some other Green Dream interns, the office work I do provides a limited exposure to the raw materials that our products come from and the transformation of those materials into the forest products we sell to our customers. I mean… there are some trees in a park right outside the office that I get a view of every day, but of course, those trees are not the kind that we use to make our forest products. I have seen some of the paper rolls that Resolute manufactures, stored in a warehouse, but other than that, I actually have not worked closely with the trees.

So why am I telling you this? Not the best selling point, right? Well, although I do not have a connection directly to the trees and the manufacturing process, I have begun to grasp the complex idea of how to transport the product functionally and what that entails. The sheer size of the rolls presents how big of a scale the transportation system is to move them across the globe. Weighing tons and tons, rolls are loaded into railcars, trucks, and boats and are shipped all over the world. Although on paper, there is an ideal route that is used to get the product from point A to B, supply chain issues, customer requests, warehouse, and mill issues “derail” our plans. This complicates our process, as new constraints pile up on a daily basis, forcing us to rethink the optimal way to ship the products to customers.

Have you ever heard the phrase “We plan, God laughs?” If I were to pick one phrase that describes the world of logistics best, it would be this one. During one of my weeks working, we reevaluated one of our warehouses. Because the railroad that serves them can only service a few cars a day, customers do not receive our product on time. My colleagues and I began to brainstorm solutions to overcome the problems presented by the railroad’s monopoly and our warehouses’ unforeseen issues. Although I had limited experience, I asked questions to propel the discussion and absorbed the information thrown around in the meeting. Asking questions is essential for success; logistics is one big puzzle, and the more questions asked, the fuller the picture becomes.

The work I have been routinely doing has been examining each individual piece of that puzzle. On most days, I work on our target file, to reevaluate our target rates for each individual route based on historical cost and optimization. The targets are used to guide the transportation budget for the upcoming year, so it is important to be generous enough that we will not be extremely over budget, but not too generous, otherwise we will be way under budget. Neither of these options is a best practice, so it is imperative to examine the data carefully in order to create a valid target. This has given me further insight into the sea of details in the logistics department. Ultimately, there are a multitude of options that we have to ship our product to a customer, and part of what I have done is create consolidated routing data for analysts, managers, and directors, helping them determine where the best routes are to truck and where the best routes are to use railcars.

Another component of my work is analyzing our private railcar fleet belonging to our Coosa Pines (Alabama) pulp mill. I examine data to find which routes have problems that are necessary to address. By figuring out which routes are taking the longest due to dwelling railcars (railcars that are not moving), I am helping address the problems of a slower supply chain. My manager, Donald Walton, can then see where our biggest issues are, and divert our private fleet so we get the optimal usage out of each of our railcars.

What I have been doing so far in my internship consists almost exclusively of looking at individual routes. This is helping me build up an image of everything going on in the department, so that way, as I continue with Resolute, I can understand why certain methods of shipping work or not. Building a good foundation is extremely important for success, so these past couple of months have been a very important learning experience in developing my knowledge of our customers and the best ways to get our product to them!

Thank you for reading!

The Green Dream program has been very exciting to be a part of and there’s so much to say about what’s going on in the industry that I will have to use this final post to introduce myself, summarize my placement, and provide my final takeaways – all at once.

Some information about me:

I am going into my fourth and final year of Lakehead University’s Chemical Engineering program. Before I enrolled at Lakehead, a professor explained Chemical Engineering to me as all of the fun and interesting parts of chemistry, thermodynamics and physics made immediately applicable to real life phenomena. In short: science in real life, and science to help promote healthy industries, communities and economies. I am passionate about my program, excited for next year’s graduation and looking forward to a career filled with problem solving and applicable science.

My placement with Resolute:

I cannot overstate how impressed I have been with my experience at Resolute Forest Products in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I spent the first month of my placement in awe at the size of the equipment and the ease with which so many moving parts operate together. I remember being intimidated by the vastness of the mill and worried that I’d eventually be expected to know my way around. After the first month, I could confidently find my way through most parts of the kraft mill and had retained enough about the process chemistry I was able to give tours to visiting personnel. At the same time, I had also started working on improvement projects for many different team members – lots of which I was able to start from scratch and see to an end. I’ve learned to troubleshoot, analyze, adjust and innovate for a variety of different situations. In terms of work environment, the Utilities team members have been pivotal in making me feel able, intelligent and capable in all aspects of my responsibilities. I have learned as much from their life advice as I have from their technical experience. Throughout it all, I have been continually impressed by the commitment to safety and welcoming attitudes of all employees at the mill. Resolute: thank you so much for having me.

Some highlights:

The mill was actually connected to my neighborhood with enough separated bike lane that I sometimes opted to ride my bike to work. The whole route is about 12 km from the University and I would typically run into various wildlife along the way. (Note the deer saying Good Morning!)

This photo was taken on my first day! The mill is located beside the beautiful Kaministiquia River and Mount McKay. The views are particularly amazing in the morning or when it is raining.

Resolute also has its own Fitness Centre! Great for a lunchtime workout or a little midday yoga.

I definitely can’t emphasize this one enough but the biggest highlight was all of the equipment. These are the condensers – they are essentially a giant waterfall. They are absolutely my favourite piece of equipment! Take a look at my video on mill highlights to see some more really cool equipment and phenomena.

The Green Dream program:

The Green Dream program has turned out to be everything I could have hoped for and more. My passion for science revolves around applicability to real life (which is why I’ve taken such an interest to the kraft process chemistry), but also in making science accessible. My first piece of content for this program was a rough outline of the process chemistry involved with making pulp. Before I started working at Resolute I didn’t know anything about making pulp. The process is large and can seem intimidating at first, but (like anything) becomes much easier to understand when it is broken down into smaller pieces. Science and Industry as a whole can seem intimidating at first, but this program does a great job of showcasing the industry broken down into smaller pieces. Each of the Green Dream interns showcasing their unique experience gives the general public a vague idea of what the industry is actually like – making it seem more relatable and more easily accessible. Thank you to the FPAC for allowing me to share my perspective and showing that (even as a student at the bottom) the industry isn’t scary and intimidating… it’s a dream.

Resolute earned a Sustainability Leadership Award in the 2022 Business Intelligence Group (BIG) Awards. This is the second consecutive year we received this recognition, recognizing the bold action we are taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, prioritize health and safety, promote diversity and contribute to the well-being of our operating communities.

“We are proud to reward and recognize Resolute for their sustainability efforts,” said Maria Jimenez, Chief Nominations Officer, Business Intelligence Group. “It was clear to our judges that their vision and strategy will continue to deliver results toward a cleaner, more sustainable world. Congratulations!”

The annual awards program, launched in 2012, honors companies making sustainability an integral part of their business. BIG’s proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.
For more information about the awards, visit https://bit.ly/3cSGaX4.

A groundbreaking ceremony on August 26 marked the start of construction on a new planer mill adjacent to our Senneterre (Quebec) sawmill. The planer, expected to be functional by the end of this year, will optimize our fiber supply, enhance overall efficiency of the sawmill and reduce production costs for our Abitibi regional operations.

Plans to modernize operations at the Senneterre sawmill were initially announced in July 2021 and also include the installation of automated sorting bins.

The total investment of C$36 million in our Senneterre facility is aligned with our efforts to build a stronger company while driving economic activity in the communities where we operate.

From l. to r.: Pierre Dufour, Quebec’s minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks; Nathalie-Ann Pelchat, mayor of Senneterre; and Remi Lalonde, president and chief executive officer, Resolute Forest Products

On August 24, employees at our Thunder Bay/Fort William First Nation (Ontario) sawmill celebrated an important safety milestone: 500,000 consecutive work hours injury-free. Through Resolute’s Board of Directors Safety Award program, the employees earned $10,000 to donate to a local organization, and chose the Boys and Girls Club of Thunder Bay.

In this video clip on TBnewswatch.com, Alex Vaillant, the sawmill’s safety supervisor, expressed pride in his team. “We’re taking it one day at a time, one job at a time – making sure we’re looking out for each other on the floor, and everybody’s getting home safe,” he said.

Kudos to the Thunder Bay (Ontario) sawmill team! Keep up the good work!

Caption (from l. to r.): Sean Lauzon, mill manager, Thunder Bay sawmill; James Brown, millwright and UNIFOR representative; Pat Suddaby, past president, Boys and Girls Club of Thunder Bay; Albert Aiello, executive director, Boys and Girls Club of Thunder Bay; Spencer Vezina, relief shipping utility and joint health & safety member, Thunder Bay sawmill; James Pederson, planer mill operator and joint health & safety member, Thunder Bay sawmill