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Rich Christianson
President/Owner/C-Level

Rich Christianson is the owner of Richson Media LLC, a Chicago-based communications firm focused on the industrial woodworking sector. Rich is the former long-time editorial director and associate publisher of Woodworking Network. During his nearly 35-year career, Rich has toured more than 250 woodworking operations throughout North America, Europe and Asia and has written extensively on woodworking technology, design and supply trends. He has also directed and promoted dozens of woodworking trade shows, conferences and seminars including the Cabinets & Closets Conference & Expo and the Woodworking Machinery & Supply Conference & Expo, Canada’s largest woodworking show.

Canadian News

Akhurst Machinery named B.C. Family Enterprise of the Year

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – The fourth-generation owners of Akhurst Machinery Ltd. will receive the Family Enterprise of the Year Award (FEYA) for British Columbia at an online ceremony set for Sept. 24. The award was established by the Family Enterprise Xchange in 1986 to “recognize, celebrate and promote the achievements of Canadian family businesses and the considerable contribution they make to both their local communities and our national economy.”

Woodworking Industry News

$90M sawmill project would create 95 jobs in St. Helena, La.

ST. HELENA, La. – Florida Parishes Forest Products LLC is looking to construct a sawmill that could employ 95 people by 2022. According to the Advocate, the company is seeking an economic incentive agreement with the state that would include exempting the mill from property taxes for up to its first 10 years. The exemption is reportedly contingent on approval of the local school board, sheriff's office and police jury. The sawmill would source logs from the more than 200,000 acres of forest located in the parish.

Canadian News

Video: Canadian wood producer stocks soar on record lumber prices

TORONTO, Ontario -- Spurred by historically high lumber and wood panels product prices, Canfor, CanWel, Interfor, Norbord and West Fraser each achieved record-high 52-week average stock prices Wednesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The surge in enhanced stock performance follows moves taken by each of the publicly-traded wood product companies to increase production following weeks of varying degrees of curtailment due to the COVID-19 pandemic.