Eric Cremers on corporate strategy
From JAWA Lunch With Leaders -- Eric Cremers · · Junior Achievement of Washington
“The company had been a typical forest products conglomerate trying to do too many things and wasn't particularly good at any of them. We needed to focus, so my primary task as CFO was to figure out what to do with the pulp and paper business.”
On , Eric Cremers, President, Chief Executive Officer & Director at POTLATCHDELTIC CORP, spoke about corporate strategy during JAWA Lunch With Leaders -- Eric Cremers on Junior Achievement of Washington.
About Eric Cremers
In a September 2021 appearance with Junior Achievement of Washington, Eric Cremers discussed his career and the operations of PotlatchDeltic, where he had recently been promoted to CEO. Cremers described the company as a forest products firm with approximately 1.8 million acres of timberland and seven mills, harvesting about 6 million tons of logs per year and producing roughly 1 billion board feet of lumber. He noted that the company had a market capitalization of a little over three billion dollars and net debt of around 700 million dollars. Cremers stated that he joined Potlatch 14 years earlier as CFO, later became COO, and was promoted to CEO about a month before the talk. Cremers recounted that his primary task as CFO was to decide the fate of the pulp and paper business, which ultimately led to spinning it off into a new company called Clearwater. He advised that communication skills are important in large companies and encouraged setting high goals, stating, "Never underestimate yourself. Set high goals for yourself. You'd be amazed at what you can accomplish if you just put your mind to it." He also expressed pride in his work and a desire for his company to be the best in the industry.