Portland, OR – Today Hampton Lumber announced the completion of the acquisition of the sawmill and timber tenure from Conifex, Inc. in Fort St. James, British Columbia. Hampton plans to build a new sawmill on the site and expects the new operation, Fort St. James Forest Products, to be up and running sometime in 2022.
“We’re excited about the opportunity to expand our operations in British Columbia,” said Hampton CEO, Steve Zika. “While economic conditions in the British Columbia forest industry are currently challenging, we believe the future business climate is conducive to a long-term investment such as this. With the support of the First Nations, community and the provincial government, I believe we can create a successful business that will be sustainable for years to come.”
Hampton hopes to create an operating structure for Fort St. James Forest Products similar to our joint venture with the Burns Lake Native Development Corporation, which own the Babine and Decker Lake sawmills in the region. Members of the Hampton team will be in Fort St. James in the coming weeks to meet with First Nations, local government, community stakeholders and the United Steel Workers.
“For the next several months, will be focused on designing a new sawmill that is sized for the available local timber volume,” said Zika. Hampton plans to auction off most of the existing sawmill assets and begin preparing the site for construction next year.
“We want to thank the many people who have voiced their support for our plans,” said Zika. “We look forward to working with First Nations and other local partners to create a successful operation for the benefit of our many stakeholders and the community of Fort St. James.”