A GOOD READ: Abe Friesen, retired president of Pope & Talbot shares his story of the lumber industry and own personal life experiences in In Over My Head.

ABE FRIESEN

Abe Friesen, retired president of Pope & Talbot Ltd., tells his story with an inside look at his life experiences, people he has met, changes in the forest industry and his take on softwood lumber. Living a life of adventure in his adulthood was contrary from growing up in rural Manitoba. Friesen’s diverse career has seen him in road construction, flying airplanes to moving his way up to senior management of Pope & Talbot Ltd. This success had exposed him to a number of changes in the forest industry, some positive and some negative. Friesen’s life, fuelled by his sense of humor, solid ethics and endless efforts are simply thrilling and well portrayed in his biography, In Over My Head.

When turning 65, the majority of people retire and change their focus and energy. Not Abe Friesen. After he retired, Friesen he sat down at a computer and began writing his biography, In Over My Head. Friesen started his project in August 1997 and completed it 15 months later.

"Initially starting the book was slow, but all of a sudden the words just began to flow," Friesen said. "It became an urge. My goal was to write about all of the people I have met through my career. As I began to think about memories, it brought back those important people in my life."

Friesen spent over three decades in the forest industry and eventually climbed the ladder to president of Pope and Talbot Ltd., based in Grand Forks. Prior to this move, he worked in a number of B.C. communities, including 100 Mile House and South Cariboo. Surprisingly, the knowledge and experience in the industry is not the focus of Friesen's book.

"I wanted readers to meet and get to know all the people I met, got to know and influenced me as a person," he said. "While I was writing, I thought of a man I met years ago. It was fun to write about this guy and the fact he had taught me the most influential management style. I visited him and gave him a copy of the book. It brought tears to his eyes."

Over the years, Friesen has gathered his own opinions and theories about the softwood lumber industry. He is very quick to criticize the provincial NDP government calling them anti-business and making the mistake of ignoring the industry. Friesen says this error could have changed today's troubled logging industry.

A number of obstacles have affected the forest industry in B.C, Friesen writes about these in his book, In Over My Head. He touches on the Canadian dollar, U.S. mortgages and the pine beetle epidemic. An interesting speculation of Friesen's is the projection that down the road forestry in the Kootenays may be ahead of Northern B.C. He believes a mix species of wood grows in the southeastern part of the province.

After the past few months of a book signing tour, including a stop in Grand Forks, Friesen is still shocked at the response to his biography.

"Initially, I thought I'd be lucky to sell ten," he said with a chuckle. "It has been humbling to see all the people that have come to the signings. I have already run out of the second print. We can't keep it on the shelf. I need to get an editor because this is more than I can handle."

Friesen hasn't completely abandoned the industry, which helped his success; he is the chair of the Board of a Company in Northern Manitoba. After Friesen's hectic promotion of his book, In Over My Head, Friesen and his wife are headed to California to golf.

For more information on In Over My Head or to order the book log onto www.bookstream.biz and click on Autobiography.