With more than 65 years under our belt, you’d think we’d be slowing down, but you’d be wrong.
With a focus on career development, youth, diversity and inclusion, innovation, geographic and product expansion, customer service, community investment, and indigenous partnerships, we’re just getting started. We’re looking forward, planning for our future, and we have the employees, the drive, and the determination to deliver excellence and innovation in everything we do.
We believe our mix of youthful enthusiasm combined with three generations of industry know-how is the perfect formula for success in the forest industry and we want you to join us on our journey to become the employer and producer of choice.
While our values guide our actions every day, our vision reflects who we want to be as a company. We want to be a company that has the right people to deliver quality products in a sustainable manner to customers the world over. To do this, we need our mills and our culture to support industry-leading performance on both the people and the operations side of the business.
Our Vision
To be a leading forest products and customer solutions company.
Our Values
Our values have guided us since the start, and they’re as alive today as they were when our founder, Harold Thorlakson, signed his name on the dotted line and became the sole proprietor of the Lavington Planer Mill. They are the bedrock on which the company is built. We know living our values every day is our guarantee of success.
SAFETY: Our employees are our most valuable resource, and nothing is more important than their personal safety.
Safety is a mindset, a community of people, who look out for each other and take safety into consideration in everything they do both at work and at home.
RESPECT: Respect for people is the foundation for all our business practices. We show respect for people through our commitment to safety, the environment, and internal and external business relationships.
We believe the only way to earn respect is to show respect. We strive to model respect in every way possible in order to create a culture of accountability and commitment to excellence.
PROGRESSIVENESS: Being progressive is essential for the health of the company. We believe that being progressive and constantly seeking ways to improve is essential for the company’s growth. Everyone is encouraged to propose new ideas and to take ownership of their work. Individual initiative and innovation are highly valued!
Being progressive reminds us to look at new ways of doing things. It’s a commitment to continuous improvement and constructive problem solving and to supporting growth and competitiveness to deliver on our strategic goals.
INTEGRITY: Integrity is essential in all business relationships. We believe that integrity in business is as important to the company as an individual’s personal reputation. The pride we all take in working for the company demands that we are honest, fair, and ethical.
For us, integrity is the quiet voice in your head that tells us, “This is the right thing to do” for the company, our people, and the communities where we operate. We sometimes describe this as “doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
OPEN COMMUNICATION: Open communication enhances employee engagement and performance. We believe that open, constructive communication develops a shared commitment by all employees to achieve our company’s goals.
When you operate a business with over 3,000 employees, keeping the lines of communication open is important. We believe that when everyone is heard, and their opinion is respected and acknowledged, it builds trust, strong relationships, and helps people feel valued.
PROFIT: Profits are essential to the success of the company, employees, and business partners. We believe that profits will support growth, employment stability, communities, and our ability to meet changing customer needs.
Being profitable is important. When Tolko does well, it’s good for everyone. Job security, growth, and investment back into the business all depend on achieving our financial targets. We do this in a way that respects our history, our values, our people, and sets us up for long-term success.
TOLKO VALUES AWARD
Tolko’s core values are a foundation for a strong and vibrant workforce that serves to improve the morale and productivity of the company as a whole. Employees who adopt these values as their own help create a healthy, productive, and profitable work environment. The Values Award was created to recognize employees who consistently demonstrate Tolko's values of Safety, Respect, Progressiveness, Integrity, Open Communication, and Profit.
The 12 winners of the 2022 award, given in 2023, are:
Excellence in Customer Service - High Level Division
Excellence in Forest Management - Cariboo Woodlands
Harvesting Excellence - Meadow Lake Woodlands
Performance Closest to Budget - Meadow Lake Division
Most Improved Financial Performance - Athabasca Division
Aon – Risk Management Award for Best Operation - Soda Creek Division
Aon – Risk Management Award for Most Improved - High Level Division
Aon – Risk Management Award for Innovation in Risk Management - High Prairie Division
Excellence in Service (Vernon Office) – Brandi Rusk
Excellence in Service (Divisional) - Lana Brander, Manufacturing Controller
People Award - High Prairie Division
Innovation Award - Allan Bell, Chief Forester, Prairies
Safety Performance Award of Distinction, Bronze Level (1&2 years zero RIR) - Armstrong Co-Gen
Safety Performance Award of Distinction, Silver Level (3 years zero RIR) - Eagle Rock Nursery
Safety Performance Award of Distinction, Platinum Level (5+ years zero RIR) - Cariboo Woodlands, Meadow Lake Woodlands, High Level Woodlands, and Vernon Office
Most Improved Safety Results, >100,000 exposure hours - Lakeview Division
Most Improved Safety Results, <100,000 exposure hours - Armstrong Co-Gen
President’s Safety Award - White Valley Division
