- Weyerhaeuser
The decision to build a Wizewood Products Ltd. Plant in Hudson Bay was made in 1959. The plant, a joint venture of private industry and the Saskatchewan government, began production of a waferboard in September 1961. The plant's first general manager was J. Korodi.
In the first year of Wizewood's operation a large number of local people were employed in cutting poplar bolts, with 75 more working in the plant. The aspenite paneling was well received for building purposes and the demand for the product grew. In March 1962 Gerry Neumann of Regina was employed as controller at Wizewood Ltd., and Gordon Lawley of Abbotsford, B.C. took the position of plant superintendent.
On January 2, 1963 the central portion of the Wizewood plant was damaged by fire of unknown origin. This section was rebuilt in three months and production of the waferboard proceeded.
In April, 1965 the Wizewood plant was sold to MacMillan Bloedel and Powell River Ltd., Vancouver. A change of government had taken place shortly before the sale.
The expansion of the plant in 1968-69 more than doubled the capacity in output of the particle board. About 170 persons were employed in 1966, the work force gradually increased to about 260 persons in 1981.
In April 1965, John St. Clair Ross was appointed
manager of the Aspenite Division in Hudson Bay, followed by John
K. Foster in January 1966. In December 1969 Don Leavitt was named
plant manager.
Bill Watkins worked on construction of the Wizewood plant as a journeyman electrician from 1959. He was promoted to electrical foreman, then plant production superintendent. In 1972 he was promoted to plant manager.
In 1976 Murray Atkinson, from Nipigon, Ont. succeeded Bill Watkins. He moved to Sioux Lookout, Ont., and was succeeded by R.G. "Roy" Bondue in Nov., 1997.
John Robillard was production manager before he and his family moved to Thunder Bay in 1980.
MacMillan Bloedel played a great part in the community
in areas of education, health care, recreation, etc. Reforestation
is an important part of the Company's program, in which it took
an active part. In 1999, MacMillan Bloedel sold to Weyerhaeuser
Ltd.
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