Kalesnikoff Announces Family Leadership Transition
November 26, 2025, Castlegar, BC — Kalesnikoff is pleased to announce that, effective January 1, 2026, Chris Kalesnikoff will become President and Chief Executive Officer and Krystle Seed Chief Financial and Strategic Services Officer of Kalesnikoff Lumber Company and Kalesnikoff Mass Timber Inc., formally evolving to the fourth generation of family leadership.
Ken Kalesnikoff, current President and C.E.O. will turn his full-time attention to industry advocacy and will remain a Principal and a Director of Kalesnikoff’s external Advisory Board.
“I am incredibly proud of Chris and Krystle’s accomplishments, as well as the entire Kalesnikoff team’s, in transitioning the company from a sawmill and lumber focus to one of North America’s leading mass timber companies and now North America’s first fully integrated mass timber modular offering,” said Ken Kalesnikoff. “Given global economic challenges impacting the forestry sector, and Kalesnikoff’s recent success, this felt like the right time to focus on supporting our industry and to make way for this next generation of leaders.”
Kalesnikoff has operated for over 85 years, and opened its first mass timber facility in 2020 in South Slocan, which has been expanded twice; and launched North American’s first modular mass timber facility in Castlegar in June. Both facilities use timber from the company’s legacy and foundational sawmill operation in Thrums making Kalesnikoff one of only a handful of fully integrated mass timber facilities in Canada and the U.S.
“Our growth in the last few years has been exponential and we’ve had an opportunity to work with exceptional partners and clients on many important and spectacular buildings including schools, community facilities, multi-story housing and commercial buildings across North America,” said Chris Kalesnikoff. “I’m grateful to previous generations for this opportunity and to our team as we move forward to expand the use of mass timber and modular prefabricated products and services.”
“Our father, Ken, is a visionary and generous leader, and we are incredibly grateful for his guidance and the opportunities he has created here at Kalesnikoff over the last fifty years,” said Krystle Seed. ““We’re excited to lead our exceptional team into the future and to continue his legacy as he shares his many skills with the broader sector.”
Kalesnikoff has 375 employees in the Castlegar region, Vancouver and throughout the province and has completed over 400 mass timber projects in Canada and the U.S. since 2020. Other success points are captured in the infographic attached.
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Karen Cook
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