DAYTON–Columbia Pulp CEO John Begley will retire effective September 3. Begley has been CEO of Columbia Pulp since its inception and has led the Company through its development, financing, design, construction, and start-up phases including the time it was shuttered by the COVID 19 pandemic.

"It has been an honor to be associated with this company and the many people who were part of planning and building this enterprise," said Begley. "Columbia Pulp is a game-changing technology and is now positioned to move on to the next phase in its journey."

"John is a visionary who saw the potential in wheat straw as a sustainable fiber for paper products and doggedly pushed that vision in creating Columbia Pulp," said Jim Hensel, Chair of the Board. "John's long experience in the pulp and paper industry will be missed and we wish John a long and enjoyable retirement."

A search for Begley's successor will commence shortly. In the interim, Tyler Montague, the company's Chief Restructuring Officer, will assume Begley's duties.

Columbia Pulp's offices are in Dayton, Wash. The company operates a state-of-the-art industrial scale mill in Lyons Ferry Wash., converting wheat straw into pulp and biopolymers, used in the manufacture of sustainable, tree-free paper and packing products, as well as numerous specialty chemical applications.

To learn more about the company, please visit http://www.columbiapulp.com.