Roseburg President, CEO Allyn Ford named winner of APA's Bronson J. Lewis Award recognizing individuals for leadership and outstanding contribution to EWP industry

Audrey Dixon

TACOMA, Washington , October 15, 2012 (press release) – Allyn C. Ford, President and CEO of Roseburg Forest Products, has been named the 2012 winner of APA’s prestigious Bronson J. Lewis Award. The award was established by the trade association to recognize individuals for their leadership and outstanding contribution to the engineered wood products industry.

In announcing the winner, APA President Dennis Hardman noted Ford’s leadership in both the industry and Oregon communities.

“Allyn Ford is a true statesman of the wood products industry. His example of leadership through commitment to best practices and innovation sets a high standard for the industry and provides a model for others to follow,” Hardman said. “In addition to his industry leadership, he has made considerable philanthropic contributions to his community, his state, and to higher education,” he noted.

Ford has served as president and CEO of Roseburg Forest Products since 1997, assuming the role after the death of his father, founder Kenneth Ford. Before becoming president he served in various roles within the company, including forest resources, construction, manufacturing, and labor relations. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Yale and a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University.

Roseburg Forest Products is one of the largest producers of softwood and hardwood plywood in North America. Under Ford’s leadership, the company has constructed and maintained operation of a large LVL/I-joist plant; expanded the company’s presence in the Southeast with the acquisition of composite and flakeboard plants; added melamine lamination capabilities with the acquisition of a particleboard plant in Missoula, Montana; and grown the sawmill in Dillard, Oregon to one of the largest producers of lumber studs in the U.S., with an annual production of 450 million board feet.

Mr. Ford participates in a number of charitable and business organizations, including the APA Board of Trustees, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, The Ford Family Foundation, Umpqua Bank Board Chair (retired), Board of Higher Education for the State of Oregon, Oregon Board of Forestry (1975-1982), Advisory Board for Forestry Intensified Research, Douglas Timber Operators (Chairman of the Steering Committee), Public Timber Purchasers Group, and the National Forestry Association. He has also been awarded the History Maker Medal by the Oregon Historical Society.

His philanthropic activities and charitable work include leading contributions for the Cheryl Ramberg Ford and Allyn Ford Alumni Center at the University of Oregon and a $5 million commitment from Cheryl and Allyn Ford to create an endowment for the dean’s position at Oregon State University’s College of Forestry. In acknowledging the gift, OSU President Ed Ray said, “This visionary gift from Allyn and Cheryl Ford illustrates that in tough economic times smart people redouble efforts to preserve the path to excellence. Their investment assures that the college will have outstanding leadership for the next century and beyond.”

Ford also matches 75 percent of every dollar that Roseburg employees donate to local charities and organizations through the Annual Employee Giving Campaign.

Roseburg Forest Products owns and manages 625,000 acres in Oregon and Northern California. The company employs 2,500 people in 80 communities across the country.

APA is nonprofit trade association representing approximately 150 plywood, oriented strand board, glulam timber, wood I-joist, and structural composite lumber mills throughout the U.S. and Canada. The award is named for Bronson J. Lewis, whose 24 years of service as executive vice president of APA spanned both the introduction of southern pine plywood and the advent of oriented strand board. This year’s award will be presented to Mr. Ford on Nov. 12 in the general session at APA’s annual conference in Amelia Island, Florida.


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Founded in 1933 and based in Tacoma, Washington, APA represents approximately 150 plywood, oriented strand board, glulam timber, wood I-joist, Rim Board and laminated veneer lumber mills throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its primary functions are quality auditing and testing, applied research, and market support and development.

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