The Louisiana Loggers Self-Insured Fund hosted an appreciation dinner Friday, May 6 with invited guests of the Logger of the Year and the Louisiana Loggers Association board. Guests shared a meal prepared by Jamey Maxwell, as well as a specialty cake by Sweets by Nonnie.
During the occasion, the 2022 Logger of the Year, Cathy and Wade Rivers of C & W Logging, Inc., was honored. Wade was born into a logging family. His father, Sam A. Rivers Sr., had his own logging job beginning in 1951. In 1974, he started Sam A. Rivers and Sons, Inc., where he employed five of his seven sons. Wade went to work for his dad in 1976. He later went to work for his brother, Vernon, and eventually started up a job with his brother, Lindsey, and was contracted to Walsh Timber.
In 1997, Wade formed his own company, C & W Logging, Inc. The company has been a member of the Louisiana Loggers Self-Insured Fund for almost 25 years.
Wade and wife Cathy have been married 37 years and have two sons. Both sons have worked for the family business. Their oldest, Jeremy, later entered college and now works for Kenworth in Bossier City. Their son Dustin worked with the family business for almost four years before doing a short stent in the oil field. He is now back with his dad in the logging woods.
Dustin owns one of the logging machines and has been a member of the Fund since January 2018, as Drag-N-Fly Logging, LLC.
Safety is the number one concern for Wade and C & W Logging. Wade keeps his eyes open to make sure the job runs as safely as possible.
From the major highway all the way to the loader, you will see C & W Logging signs at every turn. This makes it easy for anyone to find his job location. He also writes down the directions to the job site and puts it in the crew truck just in case it’s needed, so good directions can be given without panicking. Wade also came up with the idea to put a large step in the hitch on the back of the work truck years ago to keep someone from slipping and falling. He also does small things like telling the crew not to park equipment in tall grass during the summer months due to snakes being out.
Wade, 64, does all of the skidding. He said he’ll continue to skid, so he knows exactly what ground will work and what timber needs to be harvested and in what order. He speaks high-ly of his son Dustin, who besides being a great hand, is also a very good fisherman. Dustin won almost $180,000 and a new Dodge pickup over the past few years in bass fishing tournaments. Wade doesn’t mind if his son needs to be off a weekend to fish. He calls Dustin his, “ace in the hole.”
He talked with Walsh Timber about Dustin wanting to become a logger and that he is trying to talk him out of it. When asked why, Wade replied, “Well, if y’all want young men to be successful in this business, they have to make money and in order to do that, we need good timber and good tracts. There are not a lot of young people wanting to log, so the ones that are trying need to be taken care of.”
When asked how long he is going to continue to work, Wade replied, “As long as I am able. I really enjoy it”! C & W Logging also believes in having something to work for. They try to get their work done during the week so they can spend the weekends with family.