Tri-Mentoring

Ayla is a wildlife biologist who has spent the past several years working in diverse ecosystems across North America, from kayaking to puffin colonies in coastal Alaska to surveying tortoises, owls, and lizards in U.S. desert ecosystems. They graduated from UBC Forestry in 2021 with a degree in Natural Resource Conservation, specializing in Global Perspectives. Ayla is currently completing a Master's degree at Cal Poly Humboldt, studying how Swainson's Hawks respond to disturbance in California's Central Valley. In the new year, they will begin a PhD in Wildlife at Sul Ross State University in collaboration with Texas A&M University–Kingsville, researching the movement and breeding ecology of female Northern Pintails in the Prairie Pothole Region. As an undergraduate mentor for UBC Forestry, Ayla enjoys helping students navigate fieldwork, graduate school, and careers in wildlife conservation.

Ben Romanchych is the Business Development Manager at SmartLam North America, seconded from the Brian Fehr Group. He focuses on national accounts, specialty programs, and developing innovative partnerships to expand SmartLam’s CLT product lines through distribution. Earlier in his career, Ben was part of the Idaho Forest Group team that built and started up a greenfield sawmill in Lumberton, Mississippi, gaining firsthand experience in modern sawmill operations. Since joining the Brian Fehr Group, he has led strategic projects across the forest products, real estate, and construction sectors. At SmartLam, he worked across operations to rebuild enterprise systems, streamline processes from design through to shipment, and helped start up a new automated glulam plant in Alabama. Ben is a proud UBC graduate, holding both a BSc in Wood Products Processing and an MBA in Finance. He is passionate about mentorship, leadership, and advancing sustainable growth in the sawmill and mass timber industries..