37 minute read
Executive Director’s Report
From the Executive Director
What do you need?
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By Dana Doran
I hope everyone in the membership is enjoying the glorious weather we are having in the last several weeks. This reminds me of summer in Maine when I was a kid. Warm days, cool nights and low humidity. How I long for those extended stretches of Maine summer weather and the idyllic days of summers past. Well, while it would be great to talk about the utopia I evidently lived in as a child and the weather, none of that matters in the current world we are living in. Back to the harsh reality, as the title of this article states, there are a lot of procurement officials contacting logging contractors over the last eight to ten months asking one question, “What do you need?” From what I’ve heard, folks are tired of being asked this question. If they really wanted to hear the answer, then maybe, just maybe, log yards in most of the state, might not be empty right now. Before heading down this path with straight answers regarding what loggers really need right now, I want to give credit to those who have asked the same question, but have actually answered the call; doing it with sincerity, grace and generosity, Perhaps those who continue to ask the same old question, expecting the same old response, could
TNT Road,Company, PLC 2022 Logging Contractor of the Year, logging in Northern Maine.
learn a valuable lesson from Maine’s logging industry. On May 13, 2022, the PLC held its 27th Annual Meeting at the Harborside Hotel in Bar Harbor, raising a record $144,399 in the annual Log A Load For Maine Kids auction. This meeting and all the good that was celebrated that night is a great example of how loggers come together and ask kids and families in need, “What do you need?”, and they answer the call with swift and immediate action. This event shattered records for funds raised for our Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in Bangor and Portland despite the fact that the logging industry gets tougher every day as a result of double-digit inflation and price stagflation from certain markets. Our group exceeds expectations in every way, standing strong for the industry and the Maine children and families who benefit from Log A Load for Maine Kids. I couldn’t be prouder of the unselfishness of our members at a time when most have little in the bank and are questioning their future. This year’s auction exceeded 2021’s total by more than $56,000. That’s right, $56,000 more than in October of 2021, just 8 months before. The result and the willingness of contractors to step up in support of the Log A Load cause is remarkable
Doran Continued from Page 96 when you consider their circumstances. The latest auction pushes the total raised by the PLC’s Log A Load effort to $1.85 million since 1995. Who would have thought that in 1993, when the Hanington Family brought Log A Load to Maine and donated the value of a load of logs worth $700, that we would now be nearing almost $2 million raised for kids? This generosity is beyond words and perhaps the greatest example I have ever seen of a group that would give the shirt off their back for a child in need because they decided to ask what someone needed and put their money where their mouth is rather than just for show.
Which brings me back to where I started, if loggers can ask what others need and make sure it happens, why can’t others follow? As many of you know, a large number of contractors in our membership are selling out, shutting down or downsizing because of financial consequences that they have no control over. It is clear that many have had enough and the proverbial race to the bottom has bottomed out. This dilemma is not just specific to Maine and it is happening all across the country. Bobby Goodson from the Discovery TV show, “Swamp Loggers,” has announced that after 40 years in business in North Carolina, his family is shutting their company down due to the fact that it is no longer profitable. And in Flagstaff, AZ, Ken Ribelin, owner of Ribelin Logging Company and a former president of the American Loggers Council, is also throwing the towel after more than 64 years in business. This is not a coincidence, and more will follow soon. So what do folks really need? It’s simple, they need action and not talk, major rate increase and not just fuel adjustments, recognition that loggers are leaving or substantially reducing the sizes of their operation and they will not come back. Mills and most land management companies that contractors work for need to increase rates and stop micromanaging contractors to the point that rate increases are swallowed up by more mandates. Rate increase must not only be sustainable, but must lead back to profitability. Without a broad action, contractors will continue to leave the industry and head for greener pastures because they have no other choice. This is not just banter and what is happening out there is as real as it’s ever been. After the last two and a half years of companies here in Maine, across the country and across the globe posting record profits, it is an insult to every logger and trucker in the state who supply these mills and harvest wood for major landowners who do not take concerted action to pass their profits along to those who do the work. Loggers and truckers are not servants, and they no longer need to be treated like them. What is truly ironic about what is happening right now is the constant rhetoric and propaganda about sustainability. For almost thirty years, the forest industry has latched on and promoted the fact that it is sustainable and operates that way every day. Well, I ask one question, is underpaying contractors and treating them like they are servants because there’s, “another logger out there to replace you,” truly sustainable? Let’s for a minute discuss the sustainability practices of those you work for, the ones that you are forced to follow, and the ones that you don’t benefit from. I think it would be eye opening for many of you to see what you are supposed to benefit from but rarely see any benefit from at all. The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which a majority of mills and large landowners in Maine participate in, references responsible fiber sourcing, to include economically responsible use and an emphasis on sustainable supply chains. Objective 4 in SFI’s Fiber Sourcing Standard, Performance Measure 4.2, calls for Certified Organizations to take appropriate steps to comply with all
applicable social laws at the federal, provincial, state, and local levels in the country where the Certified Organization operates. Indicator: 1. Written policy demonstrating commitment to comply with social laws, such as those covering civil rights, equal employment opportunities, gender equality, diversity inclusion, antidiscrimination and antiharassment measures, workers’ compensation, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, workers’ and communities’ right to know, prevailing wages, workers’ right to organize, and occupational health and safety which meet the spirit and intent of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Declaration on the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1998). And Principle 13 from SFI’s Forest Management Standard states: Responsible fiber sourcing to use and promote sustainable forestry across a diversity of ownership and management types in the United States and Canada that is both scientifically credible and socially, environmentally, and economically responsible and to avoid sourcing from controversial sources both domestically and internationally. Does it feel like contractors are being paid prevailing wages and are treated with economic responsibility? But guess what, those companies that follow these requirements still get to charge more for the product they sell and put that SFI stamp on products. Wouldn’t it be great if you could pass your costs along to them? But let’s not stop there because it’s not just SFI that should be included in this discussion. Let’s also spread the wealth and look at the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). There are 4.5 million acres of land in Maine certified to FSC and 12 mills that hold FSC Chain of Custody certificates. Principle 4 of the FSC
So what do folks really Standard states, “Community Relations and Workers’ Rights need? – Forest Management
It’s simple, they need operations shall maintain OR ENHANCE the long term action and not talk, major social AND ECONOMIC WELL BEING of forest rate increases and not fuel adjustments, recognition workers and communities”. Indicator 4.1.b states, “Forest work is offered in ways that that loggers are leaving or create high quality job opportunities for employees”. substantially reducing the Indicator 4.1.c states, “Forest workers are provided with sizes of their operations and they will not come fair wages”. Indicator 4.5.c states, “Fair compensation or reasonable mitigation is back. provided to local people communities or adjacent , landowners for substantiated damage or loss of income caused by the landowner or manager.” Does it feel like your long-term economic wellbeing is being enhanced or your compensation is reasonable to avoid damage or loss of income? I don’t think it’s too hard to see that those who utilize your services to harvest and truck their wood, which is inevitably stamped as sustainable (SFI or FSC) are not really invested in your bottom line to ensure that you are sustainable in the long run. It’s also hard to believe that they are really being held accountable by their certification, but they certainly want to hold you accountable, don’t they?
Doran Continued on Page 126
Doran Continued from Page 11 16
What Don’t You Need?
I would like to provide some advice to help your business withstand the onslaught of top-down control that continues to erode your bottom line so you can weather the storm you are sailing in right now. If you are going to withstand the financial pressure of 2022 and remain in business, you must do so at your own discretion and not put yourself in a position that could further jeopardize your future and the integrity of your business. We have received numerous questions over the last few months from the membership regarding continued requirements from SFI/FSC certificate holders (mills, landowners, and land management companies) as a condition of work or wood sales. It’s ironic that we are receiving these questions as they relate to this entire discussion of sustainability. These requirements of certificate holders are a result of standards in national/international forest certification systems that they must follow. These requirements, if followed by your company, could have serious potential negative consequences to your company and I thought it was important to provide context and some simple talking points to help guide you in discussions with forest certificate holders at such an important time. The last thing you need is to put your business at risk or add cost to an already thin bottom line.
Independent Contractor or Employee:
As I’ve stated in previous articles, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) considers many factors when deciding whether a “worker” is an independent contractor or an employee. The factors which make this determination fall into three main categories: Behavioral Control, Financial Control, and Relationship of the Parties.
Behavioral Control examines how much control the employer has over the worker’s behavior and work results. This is determined by reviewing the extent of instruction and training provided by and/or required by the employer. In the case of logging contractors, Behavioral Control, and more specifically requiring training, is one of the biggest determiners of whether loggers are truly independent. The following is an excerpt from Social Security Administration Handbook, Chapter 805, “Training is a factor of control because it is an indication that the employer wants the services performed in a particular method or manner. This is especially true if the training is given periodically or at frequent intervals. The training may be by an experienced employee, by correspondence, by required attendance at meetings, or by other methods. An independent contractor uses his own methods and receives no training from the purchaser of the services. In fact, it is usually the methods of the independent contractor which bring the contractor to the attention of the purchaser.” According to IRS documents, if an employer provides the worker with training or requires the worker to attend training as a stipulation in the contract, this indicates that the employer wants the work to be done a certain way, and therefore suggests they are an employee of the employer and not an independent contractor. An independent contractor on the other hand uses his or her own methods and thus does not need to receive training from the employer to perform the services, forcing them to attend additional training strengthens the case that the worker is an employee and effectively endangers the independent contractor classification. One example of how independent contractor status could be questioned would be if a landowner, land management company or a consuming mill tells a logging contractor that it must attend an SFI-approved logger training each year as a requirement of being a contract holder. Effectively, it is telling the contractor how to do their job and then holding them accountable for it after the fact.
Why is this important?
As a company owner, your goal is to avoid obvious misclassifications and narrow the area of uncertainty that may provide justification that you are an employee. You need to be aware of these factors because if you were audited by the IRS, the independent status of your company could be put at risk and so could that of the forest certification participant (mill, landowner, land management company) that requires you to comply. This could lead to possible fines, back payments, and other hardship for your company and/or you could be put out of business. If you are required by a forest certificate holder to comply with their training requirements as a condition of a contract or wood sales, my suggestion is for you to use the following in response: 1. Any/all contracts generally require independent contractors to follow all state and federal laws. As a result, let the certificate holder know you are uncomfortable signing a contract that requires you to violate federal law by complying with contractual training requirements because it could call into question the independent nature of your business. You cannot put your business at risk and be the subject of an IRS audit as a result of a training requirement. 2. Let them know that as an independent contractor you bring your own methods and training to the job, and you’d like to provide your own as an independent contractor to stay away from a potential employee-employer violation. 3. Let them know that a forest certification standard is their standard and it cannot dictate what training you or your employees receive. In closing, when asked, “What do you need,” by who you work for, you might want to respond in one of three ways: 1) If contractors can give to those in need, why can’t you? 2) If you are supposed to be following sustainable practices and your company is benefiting as a result, shouldn’t I benefit as well? 3) As an independent contractor, I can’t put my business at risk with compliance with requirements which could be questioned by the federal government. Could you please respect and recognize the work that our company does and reward us in the end? I think it’s time to stop asking contractors what they need, telling them what they need and start respecting them and rewarding them before it’s too late. Please stay safe, be well and I look forward to seeing all of you this summer.
BAR HARBOR – The Professional Logging Contractors (PLC) of Maine held its 27th Annual Meeting Friday, May 13, raising a record $144,399 in the annual Log A Load For Maine Kids auction and presenting awards to businesses, individuals, and legislators from across Maine for their contributions to the logging industry. The meeting was held at a new location this year, the Bar Harbor Club in Bar Harbor, ME., with more than 200 attending. Honored guests at the event included Maine Governor Janet Mills and retired New England Patriot Rob Ninkovich.
“This event has shattered records both for funds raised for our Children’s Miracle Network hospitals in Bangor and Portland, and for attendance,” Dana Doran, Executive Director of the PLC, said. “It seems the logging industry gets tougher every year, yet this group continues to exceed expectations in every way, standing strong for the industry and the Maine children and families who benefit from Log A Load for Maine Kids.” The day included a business meeting for PLC Member contractors in the morning, with board and officer elections, and a panel discussion on wood supply and
Log A Load for Maine Kids Auction Underway in Bar Harbor, May 13.
logger financial health with representatives from three wood consuming mills. A noon luncheon open to PLC Members, Supporting Members, and guests was held with Governor Mills. The evening events included the Log A Load for Maine Kids Auction, dinner, and PLC awards ceremony. PLC Board Member Will Cole officially began his two-year term as PLC President, accepting the gavel from outgoing President Tony Madden. The Log A Load for Maine Kids Auction shattered the previous auction record of $95,000 for funds raised that
was set in 2021, Rob Ninkovich joined Auctioneer Scott Hanington for an event that none will soon forget. The auction is one of the PLC’s major fund-raisers to benefit Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) Hospitals in Maine. The PLC raised more than $205,000 in 2021 for the cause in 2021, which was also a new record. This year’s auction total and the willingness of contractors to step up in support of the Log A Load cause is remarkable when you consider they are facing record diesel fuel prices and inflation on parts and equipment as well as challenging wood markets. The latest auction pushes the
Meeting Continued from Page 15 total raised by the PLC’s Log A Load efforts to $1.85 million since 1995. The PLC partners with the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (BBCH) and Northern Light Health Foundation for its annual Log A Load fund drive. BBCH in Portland and Northern Light in Bangor are Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The PLC and the Northern Light Health Foundation (formerly Eastern Maine Health Systems Foundation) have partnered in the Log A Load fundraising effort since 1996. BBCH joined the Log A Load effort in 2019 and all donations have gone to support research and training, purchase equipment, and pay for uncompensated care, all in support of the mission to save and improve the lives of as many children in Maine as possible. BBCH and Northern Light in Bangor both have Neonatal Intensive Care Units that have received support for years from the PLC’s Log A Load efforts. The evening concluded with dinner and the PLC Awards ceremony. Awards were presented to the following individuals and organizations during the evening portion of the event: PLC Logger of the Year Award: This award recognizes a PLC Logging Contractor for their commitment to the sustainability of the industry and logging as a profession. The winner this year is: TNT Road Company of Fort Kent. PLC Impact Awards: Each year, the PLC recognizes someone from the public sector who has demonstrated a commitment to the industry and has made a significant impact for its improvement. This year the award goes to two individuals, Heather Johnson, Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development, and Maine State Senator Trey Stewart of Presque Isle. PLC Community Service Award: This award is given annually to a PLC Member, Supporting Member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to their community. The winner this year is: Maine Trailer of Hampden. PLC Supporting Member Award: The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member that has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to logging contractors in Maine. The winner this year is: Davco of Farmington. PLC President’s Award: The President’s Award is presented to individuals or organizations within the PLC which have a significant and positive impact on the PLC and the logging industry in Maine. The winner this year is: PLC Past President Tony Madden of A.W. Madden Inc. of Milford.
For more on the award winners, turn to page 18.
Retired New England Patriot Rob Ninkovich, center, at the event. Thank you Rob for assisting at the auction!
Maine Governor Janet Mills speaking at lunch.
Auctioneer Scott Hanington taking a Zoom call from PLC Past President Scott Madden, who was unable to attend the event in person, during the auction.
Thank you to our Children’s Miracle Network guests at the Annual Meeting; Emily, at left, and Lyla, at right. Read more about both on pages 24-26 and how you can support our Log A Load for Kids efforts at the upcoming PLC Log A Load Golf Tournaments in August and September!
TNT Road Company started in 1987 in an old barn on Charette Hill Road where horses had once been stabled. At first the small trucking business was only father and son Richard and Steve Theriault, but those years are far behind it now. Today, TNT is a diversified trucking, road construction, logging, chipping, and grinding company with extensive timberland holdings and
Terry and Steve Theriault, center and right, accept the 2022 Logging Contractor of the Year Award from PLC Executive Director Dana Doran.
dozens of employees. It is still at the same location, but now there is a 15,000 square-foot garage, a modern separate office building, large parking lots, and other facilities on the site. There are still “stables,” behind the garage, but they are filled with tractor trailers. Steve Theriault has run TNT with his wife, Terry, since his father’s retirement more than a decade ago, and the couple have taken the company from its roots in woods trucking to its status today as a Master Logger certified logging company offering an example of professionalism that is a credit to our industry. TNT has a strong safety record and in 2021 was one of the recipients of The MEMIC Award for Excellence in Safety for making workforce safety a vital part of their culture and demonstrating ongoing education and employee involvement to prevent onthe-job injuries and increase labor productivity. The company is recognized as a quality employer in northern Maine, and a strong and valued community member. TNT exemplifies what it takes to succeed in the very tough logging industry we face today. Over the years TNT grew and adapted to changing times, branching first into hauling biomass and then to producing it when that market was strong. They have added woodlands over time and expanded into timber harvesting on their own lands and private lots. They constantly adapt to the changing markets, build a strong and loyal workforce as the foundation of their success, and always find ways to continue improving and growing their business. TNT joined the Professional Logging Contractors of Maine to support the organization’s work on behalf of the logging and trucking industry, and they have been a great asset for the organization ever since, stepping up when we need help with PLC events, legislative efforts, and initiatives, and hosting Safety and Fleet trainings whenever we ask. TNT is deserving of this award because of their extraordinary, “commitment to the logging, trucking, and chipping industry, and their community service.” The Theriault’s attribute the success of TNT primarily to their employees, to the good companies they work with that have persevered alongside TNT through tough economic times, and to Steve’s father, who built the company’s strong foundation with Steve and remained involved in the company long after his retirement. We are lucky to count TNT Road Company among our members, and it is with great pleasure that PLC presents the 2022 Logging Contractor of the Year Award to Steve and Terry Theriault and the entire crew at TNT Road Company.
Celebrating the best of 2022
PLC Impact Awards: Each year, the PLC recognizes individuals from the public sector who have demonstrated a commitment to the industry and made a significant impact for its improvement. In 2022, the award goes to two individuals: Heather Johnson, Commissioner
of Maine’s Department of Economic and Community Development, and Maine State Senator Trey Stewart of Presque Isle.
Heather Johnson grew up in Skowhegan and graduated from the University of Maine in 1992. She began her career by building a diverse background in the private technology sector in locations across the United States at Nokia, Gateway and Toshiba. With continually expanding responsibilities she created startup operations inside large companies, developed new products for new markets, and ran a $1.2 billion retail business. After leaving the private sector and returning to Maine in 2010, Heather had the opportunity to concentrate on rural economic development at Somerset Economic Development Corporation. In 2016, she was selected to lead the ConnectME office for the state which focused on working with communities and businesses to help them identify needs and opportunities to utilize connectivity to enable their goals. Heather was able to able to make changes that positioned ConnectME to move forward into the connectivity space. In early 2019, Heather was confirmed as the Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development for Governor Janet Mills. In this role, Heather continues to dedicate her career to fostering economic development, both in private companies and in rural communities across Maine. Commissioner Johnson has proven to be a strong supporter of Maine’s logging industry. She has worked closely with the PLC over the last three and a half years doing all she can to help wherever possible. In the spring of 2020, when the Pixelle mill exploded and the COVID-19 pandemic was compounding problems for the logging industry, Heather stepped up by coordinating efforts of the administration to ensure that any aid packages that the state had would positively impact loggers and truckers. Since that time, she has worked on four grant packages to ensure that loggers and truckers could qualify. She also made sure that applications took into consideration dates and other operating conditions that impacted contractors in an effort to help in any way possible. She even took time on several evenings to hold special webinars for PLC members to answer questions and ensure success. This kind of entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen has been critical to contractors weathering the storm that doesn’t seem to end. Additionally, Heather has taken particular interest in the success of the Mechanized Logging Operations Program, which she visited this past summer to ensure she knows as much as possible about workforce development, equipment and other areas of the industry that she and her staff can help contractors with. As a result of her commitment and perseverance to the continuance and profitability of this industry, the PLC is proud to convey the 2022 PLC Impact Award to Commissioner Heather Johnson. State Senator Harold “Trey” Stewart III is serving
his first term in the Maine Senate representing Senate District 2 after representing the people of House District 147 for two terms in the House of Representatives. He previously served as the Assistant House Republican Leader for the 129th Legislature. Senator Stewart serves on the Energy, Utilities, and Technology Committee and the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee. Currently, Sen. Stewart is the youngest member of the Maine Senate. He graduated from Presque Isle High School in 2012, earned his undergraduate degree from the
Heather Johnson accepting PLC Impact Award.
Awards Continued from Page 19 University of Maine in 2016 in political science and sociology and that same year at the age of 22, he was first elected to the Maine House of Representatives. Since then,
he has completed an MBA while serving his first term in the Legislature, graduating in May of 2018. He also graduated from the University of Maine School of Law in early May. During his two terms in the Maine House, Sen. Stewart was the youngest member of the Maine Legislature and served on the Education and Cultural Affairs Committee, the Taxation Committee, and the statewide Opioid Task Force. In December of 2017, Senator Stewart first established a close relationship with the PLC. Even though he represents a predominately semi-urban area in Presque Isle, Senator Stewart understood early in his first term how important logging was to his region and went out of his way on a cold December day to go out on the job with PLC Executive Director Dana Doran to visit PLC member Carl Morneau’s logging job in Chapman. Senator Stewart quickly got an education on the trials and tribulations of Maine’s logging industry and vowed from that moment forward to help anywhere he could. In 2017 and 2018, then Representative Stewart fought hard for biomass energy in the Aroostook County and across the state of Maine. His work on the PLC’s wood energy policy efforts were key to their passage. In 2019, Representative Stewart came to the PLC and asked what he could do to help. First, Rep. Stewart moved forward with LD 375 – An Act to Promote the Forest Products Industry in School Construction and Renovation Involving Heating Systems. He was successful in getting this bill passed and signed into law by Governor Mills. The bill requires schools to consider wood heating systems during renovation and construction projects. Also in 2019 and again in 2021 when he was elected to the Senate, he sponsored the Small Business Capital Investment Program bill, an idea that he worked on with the PLC over the course of three legislative sessions to refine and rework. This bill intended to create a pilot program for loggers, farmers and fisherman to set aside profits from one year tax exempt and use them in the future for business needs. Never one to give in easily, Senator Stewart almost got it across the finish line in 2021. Lastly, every time the PLC asks for his help to support or oppose legislation that will impact loggers and truckers, Senator Stewart is always there to help. The PLC is pleased to present the 2022 PLC Impact Award to Senator Stewart in 2022.
State Senator Harold “Trey” Stewart, at right, accepting the PLC Impact Award from PLC Executive Director Dana Doran.
PLC Community Service Award: This award is given annually to a PLC member, Supporting Member or affiliated organization that has demonstrated a significant commitment to giving back to their community. The recipient this year is: Maine Trailer of Hampden, Maine.
Maine Trailer was nominated for the PLC’s Community Service Award by Kelly Pearson, Director of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Children's Miracle Network Hospitals’ program and our longtime valued partner in the Log A Load for Kids annual fund raisers. Kelly told us about Rick and Deana Hathaway of Maine Trailer, and why they and the company deserve this recognition. This is what she said: “Like so many families, the team at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit met Rick and Deana Hathaway and their twin sons, Warren and Alexander, on what can arguably be said was one of the toughest days of their lives. Warren and Alexander were born on June 6, 2011 – eleven weeks early. The babies were delivered early because of Acute Twin to Twin Transfusion Syndrome, a condition that causes blood flow to stop or nearly stop to one of the twins. Sadly, Alexander Leroy Hathaway, passed away from complications. Warren Alexander Glenn Hathaway spent 51 days in Eastern Maine Medical Center’s NICU and today, he is doing well. The Hathaway family credits the team of doctors
Celebrating the best of 2022
and nurses at Eastern Maine Medical Center for being able to bring Warren home. Nearly eleven years later, the Hathaway family remains grateful, and to honor Alexander, to say thank you to the staff at the Medical Center, and to help pay it forward for other families who are walking in similar footprints, each year the Hathaway
family hosts The Hathaway Holiday Lights. The 2021 display - the eleventh annual, was hosted at Veazie Community School. The display featured more than 70,000 lights, more than one mile of extension cords, a 25-foot spiraling Christmas tree, an interactive walk-thru display, and leaping arches, brightened smiles and holiday spirits. Hathaway Holiday Lights is a labor of love. Rick plans the display months in advance, and he starts hanging lights weeks ahead of the opening night in early December. To date, the Hathaway family – through this display and donations from some very generous people who come from all over the state and beyond - has donated more than $33,000 to Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center’s neonatal intensive care unit. Some of the money helped to fund the new neonatal intensive care unit that opened in 2016. Other funds support the department’s greatest needs – equipment, therapies, and assistance for families who are currently spending time in the NICU. Additionally, Carolyn is an active member on EMMC’s patient experience committee. She and Rod volunteered at the COVID vaccine clinics.
The Hathaways are always there when we need them. When we were setting up the vaccine clinics we needed a transmitter so that we could update people who were waiting in their cars. Rick was kind enough to lend us his. It was an immediate yes when we asked. The family is incredibly supportive of Eastern Maine Medical Center, and in turn, we are extremely grateful for their kindness and generosity.” Thank you, Kelly, for sharing this with us, and thank you to the Hathaways for all you do in support of your community and the NICU unit which the PLC has also supported for so many years. The PLC is proud to have Maine Trailer as a Preferred Supporting Member, and it is with great pleasure that the PLC presents the 2022 Community Service Award to Maine Trailer.
Rod Hathaway of Maine Trailer, at right, receives the PLC Community Service Award from PLC Executive Director Dana Doran. Rod is Rick Hathaway’s father. The PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award is presented annually to a PLC Supporting Member who has demonstrated an unprecedented commitment to the organization as well as PLC contractors here in Maine. The 2022 winner is: Davco of Farmington, Maine.
Mario Carrier, owner of Davco, likes to say that even though he never cut wood for a living, his whole working life has been built around the woods business. In the four decades since he began hauling logs in the Maine woods in 1971 as a teenager, that experience has served him well as he - like others in his family - has built successful businesses in the forest products industry in Maine and Canada. Mario grew up on the family farm with his siblings in Saint Honore’ Quebec and recalls his father farming in the warmer months and traveling into Maine in the winters to work in the woods like many others in the region. As a boy, Mario remembers always being interested in equipment and fixing things. He was mechanically inclined, and this would eventually lead him into the businesses he has built over the years, but before that, in the fall of 1971, he got his visa and joined his father and older brothers for the first time at a job in Maine, in West Middlesex Canal Grant Township, northwest of Moosehead Lake. Members of the Carrier family will tell you learning on the job through experience was the family way. Though Mario had never driven one before, he was put to work hauling wood with a Chevrolet C60 single axle with pony wheel truck. For his first run he followed his father with half a load of 4’ pulp logs, hauling from West Middlesex to dump the load into the Kennebec River. After that first run, he was on his own.
Awards Continued from Page 216
Mario Carrier, at right, receives the 2022 PLC Supporting Member of the Year Award from PLC Executive Director Dana Doran.
In 1973 Mario moved up to driving a tractor trailer and for the next few years he hauled wood throughout the region, but in late 1977 at the age of 22 the family asked him to take over running the gas station in Jackman purchased by his brother, EJ. That gas station and garage, which he would eventually buy, was the start of Jackman Equipment, the parent company to Davco, Canadian Chains, and Pro-Pac. Every logger in the PLC knows how important those companies have become to the region’s woods business over the last four decades. Mario and two of his older brothers established Pro Pac in Quebec in 1985 and the equipment brand would become a mainstay of the region’s logging industry. In 1989, Jackman Equipment, which Mario owns, purchased Davco in Farmington, building it into a successful annex for Jackman Equipment. 1985 was also the year Mario became a U.S. citizen, and the U.S. is certainly lucky to have him. Today, Davco is the go-to dealer for Hood and Pro Pac equipment in Maine and far beyond, carrying a wide range of parts and products including loaders, attachments, and implements; with trusted brands including Hood, Timberjack, Tree Farmer, Pro Pac, and Rotobec. Its service department is always busy with maintenance and repair work. Mario still has his Commercial Driver ’s License (CDL) and he never misses a chance to jump in a truck and use it, but today he is found most often at the Davco shop in Farmington, fielding questions on parts and equipment on the phone and in person, keeping the busy operation rolling. Jackman Equipment remains his original business and today is located in a larger building across the street from the original gas station and garage, and along with Davco; Pro Pac, managed by his son Dave; and Canadian Chains, managed by his son Jason, continues to be an important piece of the region ’s forest products industry. Mario gives much for the credit for the success of the businesses over the years to the workers he has been fortunate enough to have. He also gives credit to his sons Jason and Dave and his daughter Audrey. Davco has been a major supporter of PLC and the Mechanized Logging Operations Program (MLOP) which was started by the PLC - since 2019, donating the use of Hood cranes, Pro Pac slashers, and equipment training. Davco has also provided great service for the program.
Celebrating the best of 2022
Davco has also become a major supporter of our Log A Load efforts each year and the auction annually features many an item donated by one of Mario’s companies. Davco is an Enhanced Supporting Member of the PLC, as are Jackman Equipment, Pro Pac, and Canadian Chains. Mario has been and remains very supportive of loggers and the work of the PLC. The PLC is pleased to present this year’s Supporting Member of the Year Award to Davco, Mario and the Carrier family.
PLC President’s Award: The President’s Award is presented to individuals or organizations within the PLC which have had a significant and positive impact on the PLC and the logging industry in Maine. The recipient this year is: PLC Past President Tony Madden.
Tony Madden is well known to most PLC Members. He is a third-generation professional logger and owner of AW Madden in Milford. He is the son of a logger, the grandson of a logger, the father of a logger, and member of an extended logging family that has been an anchor of the logging industry in Maine for decades. His father, Fernald Madden, is 88 and still working and his son Derek, 40, is the next generation. Tony started logging in the early 80’s. In the past, AW Madden has had up to 20 employees handling cut to length, tree length, excavation and chipping operations. Today Tony has a workforce of 12 people and only does tree length and excavation. Tony is part of the generation of Maine loggers who grew up in traditional logging but saw the future and led the transition to mechanized logging in the 1980s and early nineties. He has always been quick to embrace new technology to improve his business whether it is drones, a better harvester head, or the latest forest mapping software. He knows a lot about this industry and though he’s generally a man of few words, when he does speak it is worth your time to listen. Tony started with PLC with the original team in 1995, joining the board and dedicating the last 27 years to the betterment of the industry. He began his first term as PLC President two years ago, at a difficult time as the effects of the Jay mill and the pandemic hit our industry and organization hard. Tony’s steady hand was absolutely needed at that point in time for the organization. While the rest of us were struggling just to figure out how to log into a Zoom meeting, Tony found himself running them. While we were trying to work out how to deal with collapsing pulp markets he was explaining to reporters what that meant to our industry. He is not someone who looks for or enjoys the spotlight, but he stepped up time and time again to speak at events, to testify on behalf of the PLC at the Legislature and to carry out all the other duties that make being President a job few look forward to. He’s led us well for the past two years at a time when we needed it, and so the PLC is pleased to say thank you and present the 2022 PLC President’s Award to Tony Madden.
PLC Past President Tony Madden, at right, receives the 2022 President’s Award from PLC President Will Cole.
