| West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd. | |
| Type: | Public |
| Traded As: | |
| Foundation: | in Quesnel, British Columbia |
| Location: | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
| Key People: | Ray Ferris, President & CEO Henry H. Ketcham, Chairman |
| Revenue: | $10.518 billion USD (2021)[1] |
| Industry: | Forestry |
| Num Employees: | 10,625 (2021) |
| Products: | Diversified wood-based building materials |
| Homepage: | www.westfraser.com |
West Fraser Timber Co. Ltd., commonly known as "West Fraser", is a Canadian forestry company that produces lumber, laminated veneer lumber (LVL), medium-density fibreboard (MDF), oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, pulp, newsprint, and wood chips.[2] Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the company is a member of the Forest Products Association of Canada.[3], West Fraser had been recognized eight times as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers.[4]
West Fraser Timber was founded in 1955 by three brothers from Seattle: Samuel Kendall Ketcham, Henry Holman ("Pete") Ketcham Jr., and William Peters Ketcham.[5] Their father was Hank Ketcham, who played college football for the Yale Bulldogs and was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame.[6]
The three brothers decided to do business together and purchased a small planing mill in Quesnel, British Columbia. Samual Ketcham served as president of the company until his death in November 1977 in a helicopter crash.[7] He was succeeded by Douglas Johnston,[8] and later by Chester Johnson. Henry H. Ketcham, son of "Pete" Ketcham, became president in 1985.[9] He led the company through an initial public offering in May 1986.[10] Later, Ketcham also became CEO and oversaw the company until 2012.[11] Ted Seraphim subsequently became president and then CEO,[12] until being succeeded by Raymond Ferris as president in April 2018 and CEO in June 2019.[13]
As of 2018, "West Fraser has become the largest lumber manufacturer in North America with 8,600 employees globally – about 5,000 in Western Canada – at about 50 locations."
In April 2020, it was revealed that Canadian business magnate Jim Pattison had upped his stake in West Fraser to 13.8% ownership, prompting speculation that the billionaire had plans to merge the company with Canfor, of which he owns 51%. In response, West Fraser adopted a shareholder rights plan or "poison pill" in order to defend against any attempts at a takeover.[14] [15]