Steve Swanson Is Timber Processing’s 2026 Person of the Year
Longtime Northwest forest products executive Steve Swanson, CEO of Swanson Group based in Roseburg, Ore., was named Timber Processing magazine’s 2026 Person of the Year in its February 2026 issue. Swanson is the 38th winner of the prestigious national award, which debuted in 1989 to honor innovation and success in the North American lumber industry and also involvement outside the mill in support of the industry and state and local communities.
Swanson’s commitment to Oregon’s rural economy and his involvement with the lumber industry’s fair trade efforts are big reasons why he was chosen for the honor: Swanson Group operates a sawmill at Roseburg, plywood plants at Glendale and Springfield and a pellet mill in Oakland, Ore. that employ more than 1,200. Swanson has also served as Chairman of the U.S. Lumber Coalition from 2000-2012 and just started another term this year. He has led his family-owned company since 2001 before naming son Chris Swanson as President in 2025, and remains CEO.
Swanson will accept the Timber Processing 2026 Person of the Year award during a ceremony at 3 p.m. on September 23 during the Timber Processing & Energy Expo held September 23-25 at the Portland Expo Center, Portland, Ore.
Latest News
Northwest Hardwoods Plans Move Of Head Office To Texas
Major hardwood lumber producer Northwest Hardwoods is relocating its head office from Tacoma, Wash. to Frisco, Tex. CEO Nathan Jeppson states, “This is an important move for our company as we position for long-term growth, and…
Chemicals Business Rebrands As Arxada
LSI, a global specialty chemicals business with leading positions in Microbial Control Solutions (MCS) and Specialty Products Solutions (SPS) has rebranded as Arxada. The new name follows the company’s launch as an independent business in July after the completion of the sale of Lonza Specialty Ingredients from…
Housing Starts Show Modest Decline In September
U.S. housing starts dipped slightly in September to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.555 million, down 1.6% from August, but 7.4% above September 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development monthly…
Mellott Manufacturing Log Flare Butt Reducer
By customer request Mellott Manufacturing Co., Inc. is now offering the model 70E log flare butt reducer—designed and built with the same rugged quality as the LMR debarkers and all the Mellott product lines. Adding a log flare butt reducer to a mill infeed system will vastly reduce log handling problems…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.