The San Group will add a third shift to its operations at the Coulson Mill in the next two weeks, owner Suki Sanghera announced on Saturday.
“We committed to doing more,” he said.
RELATED: San Group wants to expand forest holdings in Alberni Valley
The new shift will mean 40 to 50 more jobs, Sanghera added, and they are in the process of hiring more people.
“We’re expanding, growing,” said another company representative.
The San Group, a family-owned company based in Surrey, purchased the mill from Wayne Coulson in May 2017 and have said their intent is to grow the business in Port Alberni.
At an event at the mill last December, Kamal Sanghera said the San Group ships 130,000 cubic metres of raw logs out of the Alberni Valley every month.
They announced then that they would approach Western Forest Products, which owns the Alberni Pacific Division (APD) Sawmill and the closed Somass Sawmill, as well as a tree farm licence around the Alberni Valley, about buying their holdings. Kamal Sanghera said at the time such a move would allow them to keep more raw logs in Port Alberni mills instead of shipping them out of town.
The news about the third shift was shared during the first intermission at the Alberni Valley Bulldogs’ hockey game, when a contingent from San Group helped draw for a $2,500 Expedia Travel gift card the San Group sponsored.
Diana Johnson won the gift card.