The board of directors of Deltic Timber Corp. announced Monday the retirement of Ray C. Dillon as president and CEO and elected a new director, D. Mark Leland, as interim president and CEO.
"The transition of roles and responsibilities will begin immediately as a national search for Mr. Dillon's permanent replacement gets underway," a press release announcing the change said.
Dillon, who was 60 when Deltic's annual proxy statement was issued in March, has been CEO of Deltic since 2003, when he was hired away from Gaylor Container Corp.
"I retire knowing Deltic is well positioned to deliver excellent future financial and operational results," he said in the announcement.
Chairman Robert C. Nolan praised Dillon's accomplishments at the head of the company. "Ray expanded our Southern Pine timberland base, and brought operational excellence to our manufacturing facilities that resulted in top quartile performance while maintaining discipline in capital allocation. We appreciate all that he accomplished on Deltic's behalf and wish him well."
Leland, 54, was elected to the Deltic board on June 16. He is the retired president of the Midstream Division of El Paso Corp., where he was previously an executive vice president, senior vice president and chief financial officer. He also has served as chief operating officer of GulfTerra Energy Partners.
"With his exceptional financial skills and his strong operational understanding and proven capabilities, Mark was the perfect choice to be a constructive bridge from the past to the future for Deltic," Nolan said in the release. "He is a strong strategist, and with his solid work ethic and high level of integrity, Deltic is well positioned for the future. I, and my fellow Board members, look forward to working closely with him."
Leland said in the release that no additional "leadership changes or changes to our business strategy" were anticipated during the transition to a new CEO.