Andrew Pershin’s career at Canfor continues to offer development opportunities, including a project that took him to the east coast in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Canfor takes great pride in its commitment to developing its people and to see this in action, our blog below features Andrew Pershin, a Supply Chain Analyst who has continued to develop his career while at Canfor.
How many years have you been in the forest industry and with Canfor?
I’ve been working in the industry for 10 years and the last 5 with Canfor.
What made you choose the forest products industry for your career?
I grew up outdoors in Vernon, BC where I spent a lot of time camping, hiking, and working with wood. I think this background spurred a curiosity about our relationship with the forests surrounding us and the products they provide.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
It’s an exciting time of growth for the forest products industry. Technology has moved ahead in a major way and I’m surrounded by a great group of people with a passion to push boundaries of the status quo.
What do you think people would find most surprising about your job?
I know that analytics sounds boring and I can almost see eyes glaze over when I start telling people about it. The reality is, I’m lucky to work with such a good crew. We have a great time together every day between getting out for sports and pulling together on projects. We’re often make one-dollar bets on almost everything conceivable and that helps to keep our instincts finely tuned and encourages a healthy rivalry to help us hit our business targets.
Have you progressed on your career path with Canfor?
While I normally work at our corporate headquarters in Vancouver, Canada, I’ve just recently returned from a 6-month secondment in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina where I worked on a supply chain development project that involved some of Canfor’s recently acquired operations. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to work in a different location and it provided such valuable exposure to many other parts of the business.
How have you been offered challenges to further develop in your career?
There has always been opportunities for me to learn something new. I was hired on co-op at our sawmills while I was in University and for the last five years I have benefited from practical development courses offered by the company’s ‘Canfor College’ programs.
If you’re willing to look up and see all the talented people around you who are eager to share a fresh way to approach things, you’ll discover a lot and have a blast while doing it.
What would you say to the up and coming workforce to encourage them to seriously consider our industry?
When you’re building a place to live, it’s primarily going to be made of concrete, steel or wood - only one of those grows back. The forest industry isn’t fading away. At Canfor, we’re redefining old ideas and finding new ways to move forward with an energetic young workforce who are excited about things like new technology, sustainability, and having a great time at work. If you’re a hipster, yuppie, nerd, or other, come see what we are making of the world’s most renewable resource.
To learn more about what it’s like to work at Canfor, visit our Careers section of our website.