Sheraton Holdings Ltd. will resume saw milling operations at its facility East of Burns Lake next month, the company’s board of directors announced last week.
The sawmill, which produces a variety of specialty products for domestic and foreign markets, is slated to reopen in March after being closed for more than a year due to poor market conditions.
The resumption of milling operations will create between seven and nine full-time positions in a community hit hard by the recent explosion and fire at Hampton Affiliates’ Babine Forest Products sawmill.
Quinten Beach, president of Sheraton Holdings Ltd. and its shareholder, Comfor Management Services Ltd., said the decision to reopen the mothballed sawmill makes good business sense at this time.
“While we were cognizant of the community’s employment needs in wake of the Babine Forest Products explosion and fire, our decision to reopen Sheraton was based on sound business principles,” he explained.
“Improved demand for some of Sheraton’s traditional products, coupled with some other developments in the industry have made if feasible to reopen the company at this time.”
Beach noted, however, that two local organizations, Hampton Affiliates and Community Futures Nadina, will play a key role in reopening the mill.
“Community Futures Nadina has provided Sheraton with a low interest loan to cover anticipated cash flow shortages during the start up phase, and Hampton Affiliates has offered to sell Sheraton the profile of log required for its operations,” he explained.
“Without the assistance of these two organizations, re-starting the sawmill would have been a more difficult task.”
Sheraton Holdings Ltd. manager Henry Wiebe has operated Sheraton Holdings for 22 years and is confident the company can be profitable in the months ahead, particularly with motivated employees.
