When the company carries the family name, everything matters

Our sawmilling operations were established in the Land of the Northern Lights by Swedish sawyers in the village of Tervola in the beginning of the twentieth century. My grandfather purchased the circular saw metal components from the Swedes and built the wooden parts himself. My father inherited an uncompromising work ethic from my grandfather that he passed on to us, his sons: “Keep the saw blade in good shape and saw the people’s wood well and with great care – that’s how we retain our good reputation”. Our father felt we had achieved a good reputation, and this reputation was something that had to be preserved. In 1978 our father purchased a planing machine and at the age of 19 years I started our wood planning business. It was only one year later, following the early demise of our father, that we established the company we run today. We three sons, me Jussi at 20 years old, Pentti at 18 years old, and 16-year old Jorma became entrepreneurs, always holding dear our father’s teachings: “Work hard and be honest, this way we will retain our good reputation”. Nowadays the company is a significant employer in Finnish Lapland and we are processing more timber than ever before. Despite huge leaps with modern technologies, we still cherish and will always cherish the backbone for all our operations – the work ethic of our grandfather. An ethic that guarantees quality.

Jussi Vaara, Managing Director