Conifex Timber has announced that Blair Mayes will not take up his role as chief operating officer of the company as earlier reported.
Mayes, who had been scheduled to start his duties on Nov. 15, cited "unforeseen" personal circumstances as the reason for not taking up his new role. "With great regret, I have determined not to be the chief operating officer of Conifex because of unexpected personal circumstances," he said in a prepared statement. "I hold Conifex and its people in the highest regard and am sorry to miss the opportunity to be part of such an exciting opportunity but believe that my decision is best for me and my family," added Mayes.
Conifex chairman and CEO Ken Shields said that the company wishes Mayes and his family all the very best. "(We) will miss the opportunity to have him be part of our team," said Shields.
Mayes has been with Dunkley Lumber Ltd. for almost 30 years, most recently as general manager.
Conifex had said that Mayes' main responsibilities would involve the oversight and continued development of its forestry and manufacturing facilities at Fort St. James and Mackenzie.
He was also meant to play an important role in industry and community relations for the company.
Conifex expects to ramp up its production significantly in early 2011 to 420 million board feet from 150 million board feet in the third-quarter of this year.
The company is planning to start a second shift at its sawmill in Fort St. James in the new year following a $30-million upgrade.
Recently, Conifex also started operations at its recently-acquired sawmill in Mackenzie on a one-shift basis.
Conifex, a new entrant into the forest sector, purchased the Fort St. James sawmill in 2008 and the Mackenzie sawmill earlier this year. The company now has a production base of 745 million board feet.
The Mackenzie purchase included the former AbitibiBowater newsprint mill, where Conifex hopes to produce electricity from the 13.8-megawatt power plant.
