NewLife FP Renamed Restoration Forest Products

Arizona-based forest restoration company NewLife Forest Products has rebranded itself as Restoration Forest Products, LLC (RFOR). In addition to the name change, the company announced changes to its senior leadership team.

“The new name more accurately represents what we do,” comments Ted Dergousoff, CEO of Restoration Forest Products, LLC. “Our partners, customers and communities can still expect to see the same passion, diligence and commitment towards our mission of restoring the health of our forests, preventing wildfires and producing world-class lumber and building products. We are excited to lead the way in creating a sustainable model for forest restoration.”

With the rebranding, RFOR introduces additions to its senior leadership team, including:

• Neil Calhoun as Chief Financial Officer. Calhoun brings more than 40 years of experience in the manufacturing industries both domestically and internationally.
• George Stedeford as Senior Vice President, Forest Operations. He will focus on forest operations as the company builds out its harvesting and restoration efforts.
• Bob Banchero as Senior Vice President, Sawmill Operations. Banchero will oversee the sawmills and engineered wood products. Banchero has 40 years in the lumber industry, demonstrating on several occasions the ability to manage multi-sawmill divisions in the U.S. and Canada.

The company is implementing sawmill and engineered wood products manufacturing at its plant Bellemont, Ariz., while also increasing forest restoration work in service of its Forest Service stewardship contract to thin and treat more than 300,000 acres at risk of wildfire on the Kaibab, Coconino, Apache-Sitgreaves and Tonto national forests. The company reports it has tripled the size of its forest restoration operations.

Forest Service awarded the contract in 2013 to Good Earth Power, which became NewLife Forest Products. The company had initially planned a greenfield sawmill at a site in Williams, Ariz., but switched to Bellemont after a large former paper products finishing industrial building became available.