Michigan Association of Timberman Supports Fuel Co-Op, On Site for Station Opening

Michigan Assn. of Timbermen (MAT) Executive Director Justin Knepper joined the leadership team at the ribbon cutting for the Great Northern Cooperative (GNC) in Breitung Township for the grand opening of GNC’s first diesel fueling station in June. Located directly across Highway 2 from Billerud’s Quinnesec mill, the station is an example of how the forest industry can help take ownership of its costs and future, supporters say.

GNC operates as a member-owned purchasing cooperative, leveraging the buying power of the forest products sector to benefit everyone in the supply chain—from individual operators to large businesses. The MAT is proud to be one of several minority investors in this innovative project. “Timber, especially pulpwood, is one of the lower-value raw materials out there, and with diesel prices the way they are, a lot of guys are barely breaking even just hauling it,” Knepper comments. “The Great Northern Co-op is about getting fuel back to a price that makes sense, so our people can keep working and consumers aren’t stuck paying more down the line. When we save at the pump, the savings flow through the whole supply chain.”

Co-op operators hope stations will continue to grow across Upper Michigan. The GNC will continue work to open stations, with Escanaba and the lower peninsula two potential target areas for new stations.