For 15 years Porta Timber in Bridgewater has provided high quality timber for their down­stream processes in their factory in Victoria. 90% of employees at the Bridgewater plant reside in the Brighton municipality, and their new Operations Manager, James Calvert, is looking to grow the workforce by another 15-20%.

Describe your role at Porta Timber? I’m the new Tasmanian Operations Manager, managing the Bridgwater sawmill, industry and government relationships, and working with Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) to source certified sustainable timer.

What makes Porta unique? Porta is a vertical integrated com­pany which sources Tasmania’s highest quality timber, processing Tas Oak logs through to manu­facturing high-end moulding and decorative contours.

What are some Tassie busi­nesses Porta supplies timber to? You will find Porta prod­ucts through Bunnings national stores, along with other specialty wholesale merchants.

How many people does Porta in Tasmania employ? We em­ploy 25 people, all located at our Bridgewater plant.

Tell me about what Porta does for sustainability? Porta only sources accredited, sustain­able timber from government and private managed regrowth timber coups. Our Bridgewater operations have installed one of Tasmania’s largest private solar powered energy systems, with over 1,000 solar panels. All tim­ber waste products are converted to wood chips and sold for down­stream paper manufacturing

Where does Porta source its timber from in Tas? We source our timber through STT, which have multiple sites around the state. As Porta sources the high­est possible grade of timber, we try to source from the highest yielding coups, which are mostly in the Huon Valley.

Which community programs does Porta donate materials to? Throughout our journey, Por­ta has donated timber to many organisations including the Men’s Shed and veterans groups.