Plant Manager at Idaho Forest Group August 10, 2016

Plant Manager at Idaho Forest Group


Shadow: Shannon Fuchs
Job: Plant Manager at Idaho Forest Group

Shannon Fuchs started working for Idaho Forest Group (IFG) shortly after the Grangeville mill started up. Before joining them she grew her knowledge by taking every opportunity presented to her. Shannon received her BS in Chemical Engineering and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Idaho. She later earned an Executive MBA from the University of Utah. After school, Shannon continued to learn and grow her skill set for Chevron in Salt Lake City.

Shannon was extremely successful at Chevron. She learned to interact with people, and to strategically plan and solve problems. After working a wide range of jobs for Chevron in little under 15 years, Shannon and her husband began thinking of starting a family. When the opportunity arose to move home (a small town in Idaho) and work for Idaho Forest Group, Shannon accepted.

“I get much satisfaction from working with different people, building a team, and producing a product.” ~Shannon Fuchs

Idaho Forest group grows, harvests, manufactures, and distributes wood. They transform raw materials and renewable resources, logs, into valuable products. With the tree life cycle being around 40 to 50 years, they manage to harvest and replant in a way that gives back to the environment, while never having to worry about running out of trees. Currently for every tree harvested 7 are grown. Even the residuals produced are used for a variety of things such as making chips that go on to playgrounds, having raw material for wood pellets, and feeding it into pulp and paper mills. With their smart business principles, it’s no wonder IFG is one of America’s largest lumber producers.

Shannon was able to apply her skills and experience from working at Chevron to help build and develop the team at Idaho Forest Group, all while being a wife and mother. The technology today allows her to check in on the shifts on site while still being present in her children’s lives. This availability gave her the passion to work full time. She continues to use her technical skills, but not just for pure engineering. Shannon also holds a large role in teaching, influencing, and helping people learn and flourish. Shannon's dedication to IFG and her family are an achievement.

My time with Shannon taught me to let my passion, energy and love for life shine as a guiding light to teach and inspire people around you. It is important to turn your workplace into a “classroom” for developing yourself, and maximizing your contribution to your organization, your community, even the world. There is fulfillment in finding a company who holds the same values as you and takes pride in quality, treating people well, providing a safe work environment, and being a high quality producer that meets customers’ needs.

Learned Lessons:

  1. Dedicate yourself to continuous learning
  1. Be open to a variety of roles
  1. Be completely mindful and present when doing every task
  1. Bring your values to the tasks and make them more interesting and engaging
  1. Pursue passionate and interesting endeavors outside of work to fill your cup

Tips of the Trade:

“What really inspires me and keeps me excited is the people I get to work with.” ~ Shannon Fuchs

 “I’ll do almost anything because I think there’s an opportunity to learn and that’s exhilarating.” ~ Shannon Fuchs