Chris Latour, MBA.
Wood is quietly replacing steel and concrete on job sites across North America, and Element5 has built the factory making that swap possible at scale. Since opening Ontario’s first mass timber manufacturing facility in 2020, the company has delivered engineered wood products for hundreds of projects, from affordable housing and schools to healthcare and commercial buildings, each one storing carbon instead of emitting it. Since 2024 alone, the mass timber used in Element5’s products has stored approximately 43,000 tonnes of carbon.A major expansion completed in September 2025 more than doubled the St. Thomas facility’s manufacturing footprint and brought in-house AI-powered optimization, and advanced lumber-scanning systems that maximize the value of every piece of lumber while reducing waste. By combining advanced manufacturing with a renewable building material, Element5 is demonstrating how industrial growth, resource efficiency and lower-carbon construction can work together.
Chris led the development of Element5’s St. Thomas manufacturing facility from a greenfield site to a fully operational plant, delivering the project on schedule and under budget, in the middle of a pandemic. He later oversaw the expansion that more than doubled the facility’s footprint and production capacity. Beyond the factory floor, Chris has worked to advance mass timber and industrialized construction standards through industry organizations, technical committees and government engagement, contributing to discussions around building code modernization and modern methods of construction. Finally, he’s been a strong advocate for education and collaboration across the industry, helping designers, developers and builders understand how to successfully integrate mass timber into their projects and supporting its broader adoption.
