April 26, 1952 – August 2, 2024
It is with heavy hearts that PLIB announces the passing of Jonathan (Jon) Hartley, PLIB and WCLIB District Supervisor, Report and Compliance Auditor. Many of you had the opportunity to work with Jon and get to know him over the years as a District Supervisor in the Western U.S. and Europe.
Jon began his career with WCLIB as a District Supervisor in 2008, initially working with WCLIB members on the West Coast before becoming one of WCLIB’s inspectors covering Europe. During that time, he developed a reputation as a highly knowledgeable and helpful inspector, advising mills on all matters of quality control.
At the time of the PLIB/WCLIB merger, Jon developed some health conditions that prevented him from traveling and he became PLIB’s Report & Compliance Auditor, responsible for reviewing and auditing the survey reports for all PLIB’s District Supervisors and responding to non-conformances. Jon was instrumental in helping PLIB and WCLIB through the merger and played an important role when it came time to update our grade rule book and other standards due to his vast knowledge and experience. Prior to joining WCLIB, Jon directed quality control at Portac Industries sawmills in Washington.
Jon was a truly kind and warm person who was always willing to help in any way he could and always appreciative of his coworkers. He was extremely knowledgeable on all aspects of lumber manufacturing and virtually all lumber grades and species, including MSR and finger-jointed lumber, and an expert in his field. The PLIB staff often called on Jon when we needed an opinion on the most difficult grade and quality control questions.
Jon will be greatly missed by the PLIB staff and those that worked with him.
