About
Sinclar Group Forest Products Ltd. is committed to principles that foster and promote a healthy community and capacity for sustainable growth. We have created hundreds of long-term jobs in the forest industry, injected millions of dollars into the local and provincial economy and have enhanced the quality of life for the communities in which we live and work.
We operate five primary mills (sawmills and planer mills) and three secondary (value-added) mills in the Central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. Our operations in Prince George, Vanderhoof and Fort St. James are independently owned and managed by teams of dedicated professionals who strive to maintain the values of a small, family-run venture while consistently seeking opportunities for sustainable growth and innovation.
History
Founded in 1962 by Bob Stewart and Ivan Andersen, Sinclar Enterprises began as a lumber wholesaler for local mills in Prince George. At that time there were nearly 20 wholesale companies in the region and one-on-one relationships were vital to commercial success.
Through these personal relationships Bob and Ivan became aware of opportunities to acquire lumber mills. Their first purchase was Apollo Forest Products in Fort St. James. Apollo would later enter a joint venture with the Nak'azdli First Nation to open Tl'oh Forest Products (1995), now an industry leader in finger-joint stud lumber.
Sinclar Enterprises, renamed Sinclar Group Forest Products in 2009, has grown to include Nechako Lumber Co. (Vanderhoof, 1969), L&M Lumber Co. (Vanderhoof, 1972), Lakeland Mills Ltd. (Prince George, 1973), Winton Homes & Cottages (Winton Homes Ltd., 1996) and Premium Pellet (Vanderhoof, 2001).
As a vertically integrated, privately-owned and operated group of companies, Sinclar Group nurtures a culture of stability, mutual prosperity, and sustainable growth.
Values
The Sinclar Group has dedicated itself to the core values of Leadership, Family and Community.
Valuable ideas can emerge from day-to-day experiences in the field and on the shop floor. Therefore, we encourage a culture of creativity and innovation among our staff.
Never straying far from our roots as a family-run business, we respect Sinclar Group's history and will continually honour family values: honesty, integrity, respect, trust and flexibility.
As active members of the community, Sinclar promotes success, builds capacity and takes pride in our local, provincial and national community.
Environmental mission and strategy (ESG)
The Sinclar Group understands that careful management of natural resources promotes both a healthy environment and a vital and sustainable business.
We are pleased to be aligned with organizations that share our values and foster sound forest stewardship throughout the industry.
Sustainable Forestry Initiative
We're proud to be a part of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a voluntary third-party forest certification program that began in the 1990s in response to market concerns about forest management and illegal logging. While this program was prompted by alarming practices in developing countries, its value is widely recognized in North America and around the world as a measure of sound forest practices and we're dedicated to its principles.
The SFI 2015-2019 Standard is based on principles and measures that promote sustainable forest management and consider all forest values, including unique fibre sourcing requirements to promote responsible forest management on all forest lands in North America.
Northern Bioenergy Partnership
Greg Stewart, President, is proud to be a member of the Steering Committee for the Northern Bioenergy Partnership, a bioenergy "centre of excellence" for the Province of BC. Its mandate is to communicate, coordinate and catalyze the growth of the forest-based bioenergy sector. The organization measures its success in terms of job creation, investment and the region's contribution to climate change objectives through the sustainable use of forest biomass to drive the deliberate growth of the bioenergy industry in Northern BC.
BC Hydro - 2014 Power Smart Leader
The Sinclar Group entered into a partnership with the Power Smart team at BC Hydro knowing that energy consumption constituted a significant financial risk to the organization as a whole. Energy also presents strong business opportunities, given the growth of bioenergy and the chance to use some of the wood by-products from our mills while at the same time offsetting climate impacts.
Over a nine-month period, Sinclar developed a Strategic Energy Management Plan (SEMP), hired an energy manager, identified internal energy champions, and conducted a baseline Energy Management Assessment (EMA) using BC Hydro's One-2-Five Energy Diagnostic. The full process from developing the SEMP to conducting an EMA was facilitated and financially supported by BC Hydro's Industrial Power Smart Partner program and it has already reaped considerable rewards. Through various initiatives, including the identification and elimination of air leaks, mill heat systems and general employee awareness, the organization has been able to reduce its electricity consumption by over 15% in just over a year.