Beyond Trees and Boards, Growing Talent on #TeamEACOM: Sylvain Messier
At EACOM, we are investing just as much in technologies as we are in our people. We are happy to share Sylvain Messier’s story who has been named amongst Top 10 under 40 by Canadian Forest Industries.
Sylvain has been passionate about forestry products since he got his first job at a hardwood mill in Drummondville, Quebec at the age of 16. After obtaining his Wood Processing degree at the CEGEP de Sainte-Foy, he got a job with Comact optimizing start-ups worldwide. In 2010, he was introduced to Domtar Forest Products Division as he facilitated its transition to EACOM Timber Corporation. Then, Sylvain went on to start his own consulting business, thereby gaining a broad experience in many aspects of the business.
“Sylvain’s energy, knowledge, management style, and expertise resulted in strong demand and respect for his consulting services throughout the industry. These accomplishments at such a young age made him an attractive prospect for EACOM, and we started a dialogue to get him back on board as a permanent employee in early 2015”, explains Wade Zammit, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for EACOM.
Sylvain rejoined EACOM’s Project and Optimization team in November 2015 as a Process and Optimization specialist. Within this role, he delivered operational improvements at the Ear Falls sawmill and carried out numerous projects that contributed to increase EACOM’s total production. A work environment centred on collaboration, integrity and opportunities to learn and innovate fueled his success.
“I accepted to come back to EACOM full time because I saw tremendous potential within the company both in terms of its physical assets and its people. There is a genuine commitment to accomplish something new and different in the industry and the support is there from management to push it forward.” – Sylvain Messier
In 2016, his scope of work expanded into managing capital projects and was promoted to Wood Transformation Expert Advisor for all EACOM sawmills. He became involved in multi-year capital project planning and began managing some individual projects; most notably, the first continuous dry kiln (CDK) in Eastern Canada at the Timmins facility.
Building on his success, Sylvain was promoted to Corporate Project and Controls Manager in November 2017, and in the spring of 2018, he took on the responsibility for all Capital and Improvement Projects for the company. Sylvain now manages a team of 12 while pursuing a Business management degree at Montreal’s HEC School of Business: wow!
His focus and dedication to excellence have earned him a spot amongst the Canadian Forest Industries 2018 Top 10 under 40 list. Congrats Sylvain, we are proud to have you on #teamEACOM!