Vol. 24 No. 1 The Softwood Industry’s only newspaper.....now reaching 43,462 firms (20,000 per issue) January/February 2009

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The Softwood BuyerP.O. Box 34908Memphis, TN 38184-0908

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This year’s NAWLA Traders Market® hosted 289 exhibiting companies in thelumber, millwork, building products, wood products and service provider indus-tries. The Traders Market also welcomed more than 1,500 attendees whoreceived valuable tips during various presentations about how to rise above chal-

Chicago, Ill.–The Hyatt Regency Chicago was the site recently for a well-attended annual Traders Market, presented by the North American WholesaleLumbemen’s Association (NAWLA), where attendees gather annually to net-work, see new products and learn new ways to thrive in business.

Additional photos on pages 12, 14, 16, 18 & 20

Continued on page 29

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John Edwards and Scott Becker, Nordic Engineered Wood, Bloomfield, Conn.; and AndrewDingman, Nordic Engineered Wood, Peachtree City, Ga.

Speed Hull, TradeTec Computer Systems Ltd., Parksville, B.C.; Erol Deren, Idaho Forest Group, Coeurd’Alene, Idaho; Scott Lawyer, Sprenger Midwest Inc., Sioux Falls, S.D.; Andy Dunham and JimScharnhorst, Idaho Forest Group; and Tom Krejchi, Building Products Inc., Watertown, S.D.

Pete Lauridsen, All-Coast Forest Products Inc., Englewood, Colo.; Rod Kautz, All-Coast ForestProducts Inc., Chino, Calif.; Karl Hallstrom and Mark Grube, Zip-O-Log Mills Inc., Eugene, Ore.;Thom Wright, All-Coast Forest Products Inc., Cloverdale, Calif.; and Joe Honochick, Zip-O-LogMills Inc.

Jim Dunse, Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; James O’Grady, Goodfellow Inc., Delson,Que.; and Berny Power, Mill & Timber Products Ltd.

Bob LattanziHood DistributionManchester, Conn.

We are forecasting a slightdecline over 2008. We feel weare just about bouncing on thebottom and don’t see any realhope for improvement until late2009/early 2010.Our customer’s report outlooks

that range from weak to bleak.The major difference is whether

their business is remodel or new home constructionbased. Customers that have traditionally focused onnew home construction are pretty bleak.What are the major problems we foresee for 2009,

and how do we plan to deal with them? Inventorylevels. Customers have aggressively worked theirlevels down and hope we have what they need to

FORECASTS FOR 2009!

Continued on page 29

Todd Fox Lazy S Lumber

Beavercreek, Ore.

2009, we feel, will be similar tothe back half of 2008. We feelthis for several reasons.Nobody knows how long thefederal stimulus package willtake to free up credit marketsand consumer lending and if itwill actually slow foreclosurerates. With sub-recessionary,there will be less discretionary income, less remod-el and construction demand. Nationally, unsoldhome inventories stand 10.5 months. This is doublewhat is considered healthy in a normal housing mar-ket. The new single-family construction statisticsreleased by the Commerce Department shows anadjusted annual rate of 791,000 units built in 2008.

Continued on page 29

Kenneth BernsteinMid-State Lumber

CorporationBranchburg, N.J.

Frankly, I am sick of the nega-tive, depressing, hopelessnessand finger-pointing news wehave all heard for the last 11months. Bail this out; bail thatout, can you imagine if thesepeople were in the “LumberBusiness?” Regardless of whatpoint of the channel you are in, compared to whatwe are watching, we are an industry of geniuses.We are projecting an awesome year in 2009… just

kidding. Obviously, we are forecasting greater con-traction across the industry channels. Our forecastis based on current credit restraints, the lack of con-sumer confidence, rising unemployment, the current

Certification And Surviving In Tough Times Among NAWLA TopicsBy Terry and Wayne Miller

Who’s Who In Softwoods

Boyd E. Anderson isthe president ofAnderson Truss Co. inPittsburg, Ill.Anderson Truss Co.

manufactures trusses inSouthern Yellow Pine No.2 8-feet through 20-feet,SYP 2400 MSR 2x6 10-feet through 18-feet, SYP2400 MSR 2x8 8-feetthrough 18-feet, SYP2400 MSR 2x10 10-feetthrough 18-feet.Anderson Truss Co. is a

member of the WoodTruss Council of America

Garry Drawbaugh han-dles purchasing andsales of truckload quanti-ties of lumber for O’SheaLumber Co. in GlenRock, Pa.O’Shea Lumber Co.handles Eastern WhitePine, African mahogany,sapele, Spanish Cedarand most domestic hard-woods (No. 2 Commonand Better, KD, rough,S2S). The company pur-chases 12 million boardfeet of lumber annually.O’Shea Lumber Co. also

William Herman is thevice president of sales forClifton Moulding Corp.in Clifton, Texas.Clifton Moulding Corp.

manufactures custom fin-ger joint and solid Pinemillwork, made from 5/4and 6/4 lumber, as wellas from imported blocksand blanks. The compa-ny purchases approxi-mately 11.5 million boardfeet of lumber annually.Clifton Moulding Corp. is

a member of theAssociation of Millwork

Conservation and Energy Act of 2008,also known as the Farm Bill, includes anumber of new programs promotingwoody biomass use as well as somethat expand forestland eligibility.A new program, the Community WoodEnergy Program, authorizes $5 million ayear in appropriated funds to encouragethe use of woody biomass as the pri-mary fuel for heat or energy at publiclyowned or operated facilities. TheBiomass Crop Assistance Program wasalso added to encourage the establish-ment and production of new crops,including woody biomass, for conver-sion to bioenergy, and to assist with thecollection, harvest, storage and trans-portation of these crops.The bill includes an additional $4 billionin funding for the Conservation Title, aswell as an expanded purpose for theEnvironmental Quality IncentivesProgram (EQIP) to include forest man-agement. The ConservationStewardship Program has also beenoverhauled to be more user-friendly andoffer new conservation benefits.Forestland can now be enrolled in theFarmland Protection Program if it isimportant to the economic health of theagricultural operation or if it serves as abuffer between the farm and develop-ment. The Healthy Forest ReserveProgram (HFRP) now has a new perma-nent conservation easement option inaddition to the traditional programoptions of 10-year, 30-year or 99-yeareasements.

Obama Expected To Focus OnAffordable Housing

Industry analysts expect President-elect Barack Obama to focus on afford-able housing issues once in office.While he has been relatively quiet onmultifamily housing issues, Obamadoes support a handful of affordablehousing initiatives including theAffordable Housing Trust Fund, whichPresident Bush enacted last year tohelp provide housing to extremely low-income households.Obama plans to establish an office ofmetropolitan and urban policy, which willlikely lead to the development of afford-able housing, transit-oriented neighbor-hoods, and greener communities.“The expansion and implementation ofthe new national housing trust fundshould be the No. 1 priority for the newadministration,” said Linda Couch,deputy director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Low-Income HousingCoalition. “The resources serve the low-est income households and those arethe households most in need of afford-able housing.”

Farm Bill Boasts Opportunities For Forest Landowners

The recently passed Food,

BC’s Evolving State of the Value-Added Wood Products

Industry in BCIn June 2007, we reported to the

Softwood Buyer that BC Wood hadcommissioned a study on the value-added industry to determine thestate of the industry includingnumber of producers in theprovince, number of peopleemployed in the industry, pre-dominate species utilized, pri-mary markets and major con-cerns to business growth. Thefinal report gave us a high leveloverview of the industry, which includedcabinets and furniture, engineeredwood products, log home and timberframe structures, millwork, pallets andcontainers, remanufactured productsand other wood products. At the time, we were very interested to

see that of the highest rated concernsfor companies, fibre supply and laborwere at the top of the list. The last timea similar survey was conducted in 1999,these two items were near the bottom ofthe list and finding new markets wasindicated as the greatest need.In the past six months we have seen

huge shifts and changes in two majorfactors affecting the wood productsindustry in BC – the value of theCanadian dollar and the U.S. lumbercommodity market.Certainly the value-added industry is

suffering, both from the major downturnin housing starts and sales in the U.S.(given that over 40 percent of ourexports are to the U.S.), but becausemany of our value-added manufactur-ers produce products of higher-value forniche projects, they have not been asseverely affected as our primary/com-modity suppliers.

In fact, BC manufacturers and suppliershave not given up on the American buy-ers at all and are using this time to intro-

duce new product lines and establishnew potential business. BC had 45 com-panies represented at this year’sNAWLA Traders Market® and early indi-cations suggest the show was aresounding success. Participants citednew contacts and sales as key out-comes from their attendance as well asa chance to network with existing cus-tomers. Dennis Wight from PacificWestern Wood Works said, “the showwas great – I didn’t go with high expec-tations, but felt it would be a good timeto get creative and find some newopportunities. It was the perfect time toshow off our new product, since the U.S.buyers are looking for new higher value-added lines to add to their programs.”Don Slack from Fraserview Industries

said, “We made contact with new buyersof specialty products that have a highermargin return. These are times youneed to adjust your thinking and growyour product lines to produce newopportunities.” “When business is good, no one has

time to talk to you or even look at newsuppliers. This was a great opportunityChris Retherford is the

sales manager forColumbia Cedar inKettle Falls, Wash. Inaddition, he is responsi-ble for sales at Lazy SLumber, also in KettleFalls, Wash., and han-dles Western Red Cedarplywood sales for PanelCrafters in White City,Ore.Columbia Cedar/Lazy SLumber manufacturesgreen and kiln-driedWestern Red Cedarbevel siding, tongue and

David L. Jeffers is thenational sales managerfor PPG MachineApplied Coatings inRaleigh, N.C.PPG Machine Applied

Coatings manufacturesprimers and finish paintsand stains for all speciesof wood and engineeredwood products. The com-pany specializes in paintproducts for machinecoat application and alsocarries the Olympic Stainbrand as well.PPG Machine Applied

Marc Ross is the seniorpurchasing agent forPulte Building SystemsInc. in Tolleson, Ariz. Inhis position, Ross han-dles lumber and buildingmaterials acquisitions forthe Arizona and Nevadaoperations.Pulte Building Systems

Inc. is a wholly-ownedsubsidiary of PulteHomes, and a verticallyintegrated supplier ofconcrete, plumbing,frame, insulation and trimincluding wall panel and

Boyd E. Anderson

David L. Jeffers Chris Retherford Marc Ross

Garry Drawbaugh William Herman

Continued on page 32Continued on page 32 Continued on page 32

Continued on page 32 Continued on page 32 Continued on page 32

Continued on page 33

Continued on page 33

British Columbia Business Trends

For more Information regarding BC Wood Specialities Group, visitwww.bcwood.com

By Randi Walker, DirectorMarketing and CommunicationsBC Wood Specialties Group

WASHINGTONSCENE

THE

High School Chooses Wood Over Steel

By Janice McIntyre/El Dorado News Times

Continued on page 26

El Dorado, Ark.–Without compromis-ing safety or space, changes to plans forthe new El Dorado High School wereapproved by the El Dorado SchoolBoard recently, reducing the estimatedcost from $64 million to $45.5 million.That $45.5 million is still several million

dollars over what was originally budget-ed for the new high school in September2007 when El Dorado School Districtvoters approved a 4.6 millage propertytax increase to fund the new school. Atthat time, it was estimated the newschool would cost around $32 million.Now, costs to construct the school have

dramatically increased to at least $160per square foot, but the state will not paymore of the cost, according to BobWatson, superintendent. However, dueto escalating construction costs includ-ing materials and gasoline and increas-ing estimates from CenterPoint Energyto have a gas pipeline rerouted on theproperty, Blake Dunn, with CADMArchitecture, Inc. in El Dorado, said con-struction could possibly begin inNovember.Baldwin & Shell Construction Co. of

Little Rock, the construction manage-ment firm hired by the district for thehigh school project, had previously listedcosts to construct the building at $200per square foot, but revisions approvedrecently by the board have decreasedthat amount to about $160 per squarefoot.Dunn listed several areas where money

could be saved at the new high schoolduring the regular monthly meeting ofthe board — the largest which wouldinclude changing the building construc-tion type from structural steel/brickveneer to wood frame/brick veneer —and would save approximately $2.7 mil-lion.“People want the best facility for the

money. The last two years materials andfuel costs have increased and every-thing had to be adjusted. We are talkingabout two and a half years to build thisschool and in two years, we may see a30 percent increase (in building materi-als, fuel costs and labor),” Watson said.Contingency costs added into estimatescould be as high as a 35 percent

Page 2 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

FEATURES:

Certification, etc. Among NAWLA Topics . . . .1

Forecasts 2009! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Robert’s Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Gulf Coast Shelter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

PWLA Names Lumberman Of Year . . . .10

Nordic Engineered Wood . . . . . . . . . . .21

Global Sustainability Topic Of Expo . . . . . .23

At NAWLA, Mission Of SEC Discussed . .25

High-Brow To WhirlyBall, NAWLAEntertains . .26

DEPARTMENTS:Who’s Who in Softwoods. . . . . . . . . . . 2

High School Chooses Wood Over Steel. . 2

British Columbia Business Trends. . . . 2

Washington Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Retail Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 & 6

West Coast Business Trends. . . . . . . 24

Midwest Business Trends . . . . . . . . . 24

Ontario/Quebec Business Trends . . . . . 27

South/Southeast Business Trends . . . . . 27

Western Business Trends . . . . . . . . . . 28

Northeast Business Trends. . . . . . . . . 28

Stock Exchange . . . . . . . . . . 37, 38 & 39

Trade Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Obituary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Softwood Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Classified Opportunities . . . . . . . 49 & 50

Index of Advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

A Bi-Monthly newspaper servingNorth America’s Softwood Forest Products Buyers

Published bySoftwood Trade Publications, Inc.

1235 Sycamore View P. O. Box 34908Memphis, Tenn. 38134

Tel. (901) 372-8280 FAX (901) 373-6180Web Site: http://www.softwoodbuyer.com

E-Mail Addresses:Advertising: stokes@millerpublishing.com

Editorial: editor@millerpublishing.comSubscriptions: circ@millerpublishing.com

Wayne Miller - President/Executive EditorGary Miller - Vice President/Managing EditorPaul Miller Jr. - Vice President/Assistant Managing EditorTerry Miller - Vice President/Associate EditorPaul Miller Sr. - Secretary/TreasurerRachael Stokes - Advertising ManagerSue Putnam - Editorial DirectorDavid Owens - Associate EditorJohn M. Gray Jr. - Production/Art DirectorWalter Lee - Production/Asst. Art DirectorLisa Carpenter - Circulation Manager

Canadian Correspondents: Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, B.C.

The Softwood Forest Products Buyer is the product of a

company and its affiliates that have been in the publishing business

for over 83 years.

Other publications edited for specialized markets and distributed

worldwide include:

National Hardwood Magazine • Hardwood Purchasing Handbook •

Import/Export Wood Purchasing News • North American Forest

Products Export Directory • Imported Wood Purchasing Guide •

Green Book’s Hardwood Marketing Directory • Green Book’s

Softwood Marketing Directory • The Classified Exchange •

Dimension & Wood Components Buyer’s Guide

January/February 2009 Page 3

Subscriptions: U.S. and Canada: $65 (U.S. dollars) - 1 year; $75 -2 years; $90 - 3 years; Foreign (airmail) $140 - 1 year; $235 - 2years. Canadian and foreign orders must be paid by check drawnon U.S. bank or by wire transfer. Fax for more information.

Table of Contents

The publisher reserves the right to accept orreject editorial content and Advertisements atthe staff’s discretion.

For more information about painting green with PPG Machine Applied Coatings, contact us at 1-877-622-4277.

Sustainability: “Humanity has the ability to make development sustainable – to ensure that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of

future generations to meet their own needs.”H. Brundtland (Chair)

Our CommonFutureWorld Commission on Environment and DevelopmentOxford University Press, New York, 1987

If your goal is to build green, be it through meeting local or national VOC regulations, qualifying for LEED® points, or consciously attempting to minimize the overall environmental footprint of your

product line, PPG can help. For years, lumber yards and distributors have been able to provide factory-finished wood, fiber cement, composite siding, trim and moldings coated with PPG Machine

Applied Coatings such as; Machinecoat®, Machinepro® and Duracolor FC®, which are low VOC (<100), silica free, and HAPS (Hazardous Air Pollutants) free. PPG offers products that meet the most stringent environmental standards while delivering the performance you’ve come to expect.

Painting Green with PPG

Page 4 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

ROBERT’S COMPONENTS Applies Creative Flair To Floor, Roof Trusses

Key personnel at Robert’s Components, located in LaGrange, Ga.,include Ted Volkman, Dan Acosta, Brenda Vines, Angel Scott, RobertParker, president/owner and Bob Parker, vice president.

With end-destinations in the floors and roofs of residences and commer-cial buildings, Robert’s Components manufactures roof trusses to 85-foot clearspan, including hips, scissors, vaults and attic trusses.

Robert’s Components also manufactures floor trusses to 40-footclearspan.

The company requires straight lumber with no wane and SouthernYellow Pine is the predominant species used by the firm.

Twenty-eight employees comprise the staff at Robert’s Components,which derives most of its sales from repeat business and referrals, andoffers packages of total floor and roof designs, including beams.

By M.A. Wallace

Continued on page 33

LaGrange, Ga.–In the 1970s, Robert Parker Jr. was asuccessful custom homebuilder here in his hometown. Itwas a career he had pursued since 1967 after graduatingfrom Southern Polytechnic with a degree in building con-struction.“I was born and raised here, in LaGrange. My father was alocal superintendent and carpenter who built houses andchurches in the area. I’ve been building since I was 25years old,” said Parker. “But after 14 years of 14-hour daysof building custom homes and small commercial buildings,I had simply dealt with too many subcontractors anddetails. I just got burned out on homebuilding. I had lookedaround at other lumber- related businesses and figured thatthe guy who was making the trusses we used was making

pretty good money, so I decided to getinto that. I’ve been doing this since 1981and I love it. Sometimes I’m not surewhether or not it’s less stressful, but I doenjoy it a lot.”With end-destinations in the floors androofs of residences and commercialbuildings, Robert’s Components manu-factures roof trusses to 85-footclearspan, including hips, scissors,vaults and attic trusses. They also man-ufacture floor trusses to 40-footclearspan, wood and steel beams andsome heavy timber trusses manufac-tured from large timbers. “One unusualproduct we designed and manufacturedwas a vault truss for a house on the lakewith double-radius S-curve. It was like ascissor truss with opposing doublecurved bottom chords,” said Parker.In order to produce its products,Robert’s Components requires straightlumber with no wane, with most productsmanufactured from Southern YellowPine. “We use No. 3 grade for webs, No.2 and MSR for chord materials,” saidParker. “Most of our products are madefrom 2x4s and 2x6s, but I have had to goas far as Arkansas to get high grade2x12s for a large attic truss.” Parker noted that it is rare for his com-pany to encounter problems with lumber,but occasionally he encounters under-sized 2x4s or other problems “that justwon’t work for trusses.”Parker concedes that going into thecomponents business did require a sig-nificant amount of overhead in terms ofmachinery and people. “That was a lotdifferent from the custom building busi-ness and I had to learn as I went along.In the beginning, I hardly knew what agear motor was, but I learned by experi-ence.”“To get up and running at first, webought used equipment,” said Parker,noting that he experienced a steep learn-ing curve when he first entered the busi-ness. “Now, we have several saws,including a fully computerized Omni sawand three truss presses. One of thosepresses we made ourselves,” he said. “Iwas naïve about the equipment, just asgreen as I could be, but I enjoyed learn-ing and I think it has resulted in a better,sounder understanding of the businessto learn by doing. And I truly enjoy thedrawing and design of the products.”Robert’s Components derives most ofits sales from repeat business and refer-rals, the company relies on phone bookads in surrounding cities to generateinquiries. In order to maximize productuse, the company also offers packagesof total floor and roof designs, includingbeams. “We are always looking for thebest solutions for a structurally soundbuilding from solid engineering princi-ples,” said Parker. “We try to do anexceptional job for our customers so asto get repeat business and referrals.”Robert’s Components is ideally locatedto supply products to clients as far away

We know quality matters to you and the customers you serve.

To us, quality means delivering the best Eastern White Pine in the industry.

of advanced drying technology available.

The result?

Our wood is absolutely dry and consistently graded. Guaranteed!

Bold statement?

Yup.

But then again, we’ve got the wood to back it up.

Eastern White Pine4/4 & 5/4

It s why we’ve invested in the highest level

Robbins Lumber Searsmont, Maine www.rlco.com Ph: 207-342-5221 Fx: 207-342-5201

‘

more locations.The new branch, which is Grainger’s13th store in the area, boasts a 2,500-square-foot showroom and more than21,000 facilities maintenance products.“Grainger’s local expansion was indirect response to customer requests formore facilities maintenance productscloser to them,” said Rick Haley, districtbranch services manager.W.W. Grainger Inc., with 2007 sales of$6.4 billion, is a leading broad line sup-plier of facilities maintenance productsserving businesses and institutions inthe United States, Canada, Mexico,China and Panama. Through a highlyintegrated network including more than600 branches, 18 distribution centersand multiple Web sites, Grainger’semployees help customers get the jobdone.

•Parker Lumber Launches

New Website

Bremerton, Wash.—Parker Lumber,located here, recently redesigned itsWeb site at www.parkerlumber.com. TheWeb site includes individual links to all ofthe departments served by ParkerLumber including building materials,doors and windows, kitchen and bath,recreation and storage. Commercialcustomers and contractors can also fillout an online credit application.Parker Lumber traces its roots to morethan 70 years ago in Port Arthur, Texas.

Jerry’s Home Improvement Center Plans Expansion

Springfield, Ore.—Jerry’s HomeImprovement Center, located here,recently announced plans to add morethan 70,000 square feet of sales andwarehouse space.The city has already approved plans tobuild a 42,000-square-foot covered,drive-through warehouse and salesbuilding, and remodel 29,000 squarefeet of a former Kmart store for a receiv-ing and warehousing facility. The remod-eling was set to be completed by presstime, with the new building operationalby this spring.Jerry’s Home Improvement CenterPresident Dennis Orem said the expan-sion would ease congestion for cus-tomers and improve storage and prod-uct selection.

•Wolf Agrees To Sell

Lumberyard Locations

York, Pa.—The Wolf Organization,headquartered here, recently enterednegotiations to sell the last of its 18 lum-beryards to focus on its Wolf DistributingCo. wholesale operations. The companyhad previously made a corporate deci-sion to consolidate those locations intonine regional supercenters.Wolf will sell its flagship York andHagerstown, Md., yards to John H.Myers & Son, which will combine themwith existing operations in the area. Anundisclosed buyer is expected to buyyards in Downington and Whitehall, Pa.The Wolf Organization, which wasfounded in 1843, is the parent companyof three distinct business entities, eachof which focuses on the constructionand building materials industry.

•Employees Save Fingerle Lumber

Ann Arbor, Mich.—Fingerle LumberCo., a 78-year-old building materialsretailer based here, recently announcedplans to remain in business afteremployees agreed to drop union repre-sentation and end a company-paid pen-sion plan.Per federal law, the company will haveto pay a withdrawal liability fee to exitthe pension plan, which had been underfunded for years because the amount ofmoney needed to pay out the benefitsas promised grew faster than the actualamount of money in the fund. Recentvolatility in the financial markets wors-ened the problem when the value of thefund’s investments fell and made theunder funded deficit even larger.Co-owner John Fingerle said workers’future retirement contributions would bemoved into a company- and employee-funded 401(k) plan. Workers will retainany accrued benefits under the old pen-sion plan, but the firm will no longerhave to pay into it.

•Alamo Sees Remoteness

As Advantage

San Antonio, Texas—Alamo LumberCo., headquartered here, recently notedremoteness as a primary advantage ofits 14th and latest South Texas lumber-yard in Nixon, Texas. Store managerJerry Strainer said the yard is 30 milesaway from its nearest competitor, allow-ing it to attract customers from withinfive surrounding towns.Established in 1893, Alamo Lumber Co.offers 72,000 items, and has 13 conven-tion locations in South Texas.

•Patterson Elected Lumber

Assoc. President

Sacramento, Calif.—Steve Pattersonof Central ValleyBuilders Supply,W o o d l a n d ,Calif., wasrecently electedpresident of theL u m b e rAssociation of California and Nevada(LACN), based here.The Lumber Association of California

Continued on page 6

and Nevada and its preceding organiza-tions have served the independent lum-ber and building materials industry for90 years with a wide range of memberservices.

•Mid-City Lumber To Buy

FAB Building Center

Columbia, Mo.—Mid-City LumberCo., located here, recently announcedplans to purchase the Jefferson City,Mo.-based FAB Building Center. Ifapproved, the sale could save at leasttwo-dozen jobs.FAB Building Center offers a wide arrayof services including residential lumber,windows, doors, cabinets, carpet, tile,lighting and more. The company’s mis-sion is to build a strong community inJefferson City and provide all serviceneeds at a reasonable price.Mid-City Lumber Co. is a full-servicelumber and construction services com-pany with a strong commitment to deliv-ering the best customer service in everyproject. The firm uses a hands-onapproach to efficiently serve its commer-cial, production home, custom homeand remodeling clients.

•

RETAIL REVIEWStar Lumber Moves To

New Wichita Facility

Wichita, Kan.—Star Lumber & SupplyCo. recently relocated its yard here to anew 18,000-square-foot store in EastWichita. Company president ChrisGoebel said, “The old location is a hard-ware store with a little bit of lumber. Thiswill be a lumber store with a little bit ofhardware.”Since Earl Goebel founded Star Lumber& Supply Co. in 1939, the firm hasgrown into a major Kansas corporationwith over 450 employees and four com-pany divisions — Star Lumber & Supply,Star Flooring & Decorating, PerfectionStructural Components and Star HomeConcepts. The Goebel family andemployees are committed to the highestquality products and service to cus-tomers.

•Grainger Opens Fremont Location

Fremont, Calif.—W.W. Grainger Inc.,based in Lake Forest, Ill., recently

opened a newbranch here aspart of thec o m p a n y ’ se x p a n s i o n

plans into the San Francisco area. Theexpansion included staff and inventoryincreases and the addition of the newbranch, the relocation of six others andthe expansion or modernization of six

January/February 2009 Page 5

sures will leave Stock with approximate-ly 8,700 employees at 209 locations in27 states.

Stock’s board of directors had consid-ered selling the company, finding a jointventure partner, shuttering the entirebusiness or reorganizing. The latter wasultimately chosen because, “thereremains significant potential to createlong-term value in the business.”Stock Building Supply is a leading sup-plier of building materials and construc-tion services to professional home-builders and contractors in the UnitedStates.

•ProBuild Holdings Acquires CTX

Denver, Colo.—ProBuild Holdings,based here, recently purchased theassets of CTX Builders Supply, a divi-sion of Centex Homes that distributesbuilding materials and manufacturestrusses and wall panels.The deal will include ProBuild’s firstventure into the Phoenix, Ariz., market,as well as locations in Albemarle, N.C.;Plant City, Fla.; Buda and Carrollton,Texas; and Visalia, Calif. ProBuild willclose its manufacturing plant in Jarrell,Texas, and consolidate operations inBuda.“This purchase deepens a long and val-ued relationship between ProBuild andCentex Homes,” said Paul W. Hylert,ProBuild’s chief executive officer. BillMyrick, ProBuild chief operating officer,added, “The CTX facilities are well-run,well-managed operations. We welcomethe experienced, high quality employeesthat we feel will be a strong cultural fitwith our existing operations.”ProBuild Holdings is one of the nation’slargest suppliers of building materials toprofessional contractors. ProBuild cur-rently operates more than 550 lumberand building product distribution, manu-facturing and assembly centers serving42 U.S. states.

•Ace Hardware Opens Three

Michigan Locations

Oak Brook, Ill.—Ace Hardware,headquartered here, recently openedthree new stores in Oakland County,Mich., offer-ing a com-b i n e d4 0 , 0 0 0square feetof retail sell-ing space.The newl o c a t i o n sinclude Tri-City Ace Hardware inClawson and Beverly Hills AceHardware in Beverly Hills, as well asCommerce Ace Hardware inCommerce, which will hold a grandopening in April.In related news, Orland Ace Hardwarein Orland, Calif., recently opened a tem-porary store after the 100-year-old busi-ness suffered more than $1.5 million infire damage. Owner Ben Pforsick plansto rebuild in the same location. Otheropenings include a new store inPuyallup, Wash.Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the industry and aleader in the convenience segment ofthe home improvement industry. Ace’s4,600 stores in all 50 states and 60countries generate annual retail sales ofmore than $13 billion.

•Menards Enters Wyoming Market

Eau Claire, Wis.—Menards, head-quartered here, recently opened itswesternmost location with a 204,000-square-foot superstore in Casper, Wyo.Matt Toulouse is store manager.Company officials are eyeing Montanafor future expansion.In related news, Menards could open astore in Salina, Kan., as soon as late2009. The town’s planning commissionrecently approved a preliminary sitedevelopment plan for a store, and

Page 6 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Kuiken Brothers Builds Drive-Through Lumberyard

Succasunna, N.J.—Kuiken BrothersCo., headquartered in Fair Lawn, N.J.,recently opened a 12-acre, drive-through lumber and building materialsfacility here that will serve builders,remodelers and homeowners whilehelping to create local jobs in the com-munity and bolster business for sur-rounding merchants.The drive-through lumberyard is con-venient for builders in Morris, Essex,Sussex, Warren and Union counties asa one-stop location to pick up materialsand meet with customers to make prod-uct selections. Featured inventoryincludes a vast array of lumber andbuilding materials from engineered lum-ber, windows and doors to drywall,mouldings, decking/railing, and handand power tools.Established in 1912, Kuiken BrothersCo. has grown to become a leading sup-plier of quality building materials andrelated services, with a focus on servingthe needs of professional contractors inthe region. With a staff of 276 employ-ees, the company now has a total ofnine locations, eight in New Jersey andone in Warwick, N.Y.

•

Initially, the company salvaged woodfrom the dismantling of old wooden oilderricks. Today, Parker Lumber,acquired by Lanoga in 2005, specializesin low, competitive prices and superiorcustomer service.

•Lumber Yard Supply Adds

Spokane Branch

Great Falls, Mont.—Lumber YardSupply Co. (LYS), based here, recentlyopened a new branch in SpokaneValley, Wash. The 11-plus acre siteincludes a 102,000-square-foot ware-house for inventory a full-line door shop.Jason Bake, a nine-year employee ofLumber Yard Supply, is branch managerof the Spokane branch, which will initial-ly employ 15 to 20 people.Lumber Yard Supply Co. was foundedin the early 1940s as a wholesale arm ofa chain of retail lumberyards. TheRobinson family started the lumberyardchain over 100 years ago. Today, LYS isa progressive, growth-oriented company“providing products with quality; andservice you can depend on.”

•

RETAIL REVIEWContinued from page 5

Rona To Sell Only Certified Wood

Montreal, Que.—Rona Inc., locatedhere, recently announced plans to onlysell plywood panels that come from cer-tified forests by the end of 2009.Commodity Spruce, Pine and Fir lumberwill be 100 percent sustainable by 2010.Approximately 90 percent of the compa-ny’s products currently come from certi-fied lands.By 2011, all suppliers will be required toprove where they get their wood. Ronawants 25 percent of its wood sales to becertified by the Forest StewardshipCouncil (FSC) by 2012. Currently, onlytwo percent of wood sales are FSC cer-tified.The Canadian home improvementretailer has made similar steps withother products. The company previouslyannounced it would stop selling approx-imately $20 million of pesticides for cos-metic purposes by July, and also recy-cles paint. Rona also boasts 11.1 millionhectares of FSC certified lumber, and anadditional 2 million more hectaresshared with other companies.

•Stock Building BeginsReorganization Efforts

Raleigh, N.C.—Stock Building Supply,headquartered here, recentlyannounced plans to close 86 branchesas part of reorganization efforts. The clo-

Continued on page 34

January/February 2009 Page 7

www.realcedar.org1.866.778.9096

Quality this good only comes from

mother nature.Now meet some of her associates:

WRCLA MEMBERS

Downie Timber/Selkirk Specialty

Enyeart Cedar Products

Gilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd.

Haida Forest Products Ltd.

Interfor

Northwest Forest Products

North Enderby Timber Ltd.

OrePac Building Products

Premier Forest Products, Inc.

Power Wood Corp.

Quadra Wood Products

Sawarne Lumber Company Ltd.

Shakertown

Skana Forest Products Ltd.

Twin Rivers Cedar

Tyee Timber Products Ltd.

Western Forest Products, Inc.

AFFILIATE MANUFACTURERS

BW Creative Wood Industries

Cedarshed Industries

D & L Wood Products

Outdoor Living Today

Rainbow Play Systems

Page 8 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Zip-O-Log’s KD, Solid-sawn Timbersbring dramatic style to lodges, resorts, churches, and homes.

Eugene, OregonSales 541-343-5854 • Fax 541-683-4241

www.zipolog.com

For premium quality kiln-dried timbers and

unmatched service, call the Sales Team at

Zip-O-Log Mills:

541-343-5854

Zip-O-Log, see the difference.

Maximize stability and natural beauty in

exposed timbers with superior Zip-O-Log

Kiln-Dried Timbers:

� Kiln-dried to reduce twisting, cupping, checking,

and distracting pitch leaks.

� Easier handling and workability.

� Kiln-dried timbers available in sizes up to 12” x 12”.

� Timbers are shipped paper-wrapped to protect

from marring and UV degradation.

GULF COAST SHELTER Sees Growth Despite Market Changes

Clarence Brewer is a forklift operator at the Daphne, Ala., ware-house and storage facility.

This is a picture of Gulf Coast Shelter’s Daphne sales office. Pictured are the traders and sales support staff at the Daphne office.

Continued on page 34

Daphne, Ala.—For the past four years,Gulf Coast Shelter Inc., with sales officeshere and in Laurel, Miss., has succeededby helping its customers get the most out oftheir money through purchasing surplusinventory or providing value added servicesto maximize their bottom line.Gulf Coast Shelter, a wholly-owned sub-

sidiary of the Portland, Ore.-based ShelterProducts Inc., sells a wide variety of build-ing materials including OSB, plywood, pan-eling, roofing, flooring, doors, windows,moulding and plumbing. The firm also mar-kets studs and lumber in such species asSouthern Yellow Pine, Spruce and Spruce-Pine-Fir (treated 5/4, DE, LST, 4x4 and2x4).The company purchases most of its

domestic lumber from sawmills acrossNorth America, but also buys from SouthAmerica and also imports some productssuch as laminate flooring, ceramic tile andplywood from China and Mexico. GulfCoast Shelter ships its orders via truck orrail throughout North America, and offersexport capabilities for customers in Mexico,South America, the Caribbean, Turkey,Russia, China and Japan.John Austin, president of Gulf Coast

Shelter, said his company has stayed prof-itable during these tough economic timesby finding niche markets for its productsthat meet customers’ various needs.“Sometimes, we have to completely

change the model of what we’re selling,and go with a different product or differentgrade of that product,” he said. “But, in thismarket, you have to be willing to changeand adapt to the products that customersare willing to buy. You can’t try to force feeda particular product to your customer base.”In 2005, the Daphne location’s first full

year, sales were $15.2 million. Sales havecontinued to almost double in 2006 ($23.6million) and 2007 ($40.4 million). In 2008,which includes figures from the Laurel loca-tion, sales finished the year over $70 mil-lion. Projections in 2009 are in excess of$100 million for the Daphne and Laurellocations.Gulf Coast Shelter is also unique in that

the firm often purchases an entire invento-ry from manufacturers facing or goingthrough bankruptcy. Austin said it’s hisintention to help a negative situation into apositive for both those manufacturers andcustomers who receive the benefit of thosereduced products.“Sometimes, a company comes to us with

a surplus of products needing some cashflow to help stay solvent,” Austin said.“Fortunately, we’re in a position wherewe’re able to buy that surplus and sell it toan independent lumberyard, which in turnhelps them compete against the big boxstores. It not only takes hard work, but awillingness to be diversified and focus onthe needs of those mills and our cus-tomers.”Austin said that purchasing that surplus

has helped his company establish relation-ships that it might not otherwise have. “If wecan buy $3 million worth of excess invento-

The newly acquired Laurel location will have a 6,000 to 8,000-square-foot trading floor once expansion is complete.

John Austin, president of Gulf Coast Shelter Inc., is standing in front ofsome laminate flooring his company sells.

By Wayne Miller

Traders and sales support at the Laurel, Miss., crane mat facility includeLarry Busby, Todd Rowell, Beth Taylor, Wayne Stevens, Jimmy Davis andChad Savage. Not pictured is Jeff Jarman.

January/February 2009 Page 9

Page 10 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

PWLA Names Lumberman Of Year

J.V. Torgerson, Torgerson Forest Products, Beaverton, Ore., presents2008 Lumberman of the Year Award to Floyd Billings, Elk Creek LumberCo., Jasper, Ore.

Chris Chase and Mike Foster, Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.; andGordon King, Hampton Lumber Sales, Portland, Ore.

Alice Briggs, DR Johnson Lumber Co., Riddle, Ore.; Chris Lecce,Montana Lumber Co., Darby, Mont.; and Brenda Lovell, Prairie WoodProducts/DR Johnson Lumber Co., Prairie City, Ore.

David Cochenour, Vanport International, Boring, Ore.; Pete Henningfeld,Stimson Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.; and David Stallcop, VanportInternational, Boring, Ore.

Karl Hallstrom, Zip-O-Log Mills Inc., Eugene, Ore.; Jerry Westberg,Northwest Timber Products, Oregon City, Ore.; and Curt Bodenstab,Starfire Lumber Co. Inc., Cottage Grove, Ore.

Mark Swinth, Forest Grove Lumber Inc., ForestGrove, Ore.; Greg Pittman and John Redfield, DRJohnson Lumber Co., Riddle, Ore.

Tim Hunt and Alice Briggs, DR Johnson LumberCo., Riddle, Ore.; Brian Jones, Zip-O-Log Mills Inc.,Eugene, Ore.; and Brenda Lovell, Prairie WoodProducts/DR Johnson Lumber Co., Prairie City,Ore.

Marty Richmond, Sause Bros., Portland, Ore.; LelandCurtiss, Billboard Lumber Products Ltd., Riddle, Ore.;Gary Knight, R.B. Lumber Co., Oregon City, Ore.; andJerry Gustafson, Tumac Lumber Co. Inc., Portland, Ore.

Mark Palmer, North American Wholesale Lumber Assoc.(NAWLA), Chicago, Ill.; Terry Brown, Lumber QualityInstitute, Corvallis, Ore.; Perry Schlitt and Ryan Kline,Disdero Lumber Co., Clackamas, Ore.

Photos By Kathy Brock

Portland, Ore.–The Embassy Suites atthe Portland Airport hosted the annualChristmas luncheon traditionally spon-sored by the Portland Wholesale LumberAssociation (PWLA). Floyd Billing, of ElkCreek Lumber, Jasper, Ore. location, was

Continued on page 35

Additional photos on pages 20 & 22

Gunnar Brinck, Disdero Lumber Co., Portland, Ore., outgoing 2008 PWLApresident; Mike Foster, Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Ore., 2008 PWLA VicePresident and incoming 2009 PWLA president; Mike Burnard, Forest GroveLumber Co. Inc., McMinnville, Ore., incoming 2009 PWLA vice president; andChris Chase, Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Ore., incoming 2009 PWLA secre-tary/treasurer

January/February 2009 Page 11

A member of the Swanson Group, Inc.

PLYWOOD

OVERLAYS SANDED

SIDING SHEATHING

STURD-I-Floor CC PTS

BBOES 9' and 10' panels

DIMENSION

2x4 Grn Doug Fir 2x6 Grn Doug Fir

2x8 Grn Doug Fir 2x10 Grn Doug Fir

STUDS

2x4 Grn Doug Fir 2x6 Grn Doug Fir

2x4 KD D.Fir, Hem Fir, Wh. Fir Cedar 2x6 KD D.Fir,Hem Fir, Wh Fir

4x4 Grn D Fir, Hem Fir, Wh Fir 3 5/8 x 3 5/8 KD Cedar

Call Swanson Group Sales at1-541-956-4300; 1-800-331-0831; Fax 1-541-956-4301

www.swansongroupinc.com

Right grade. Right service. Right here.

Page 12 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Ron Gorman, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., Westbank, B.C.; Ted Roberts,Roberts & Dybdahl Inc., Des Moines, Iowa; and Dirk Kunze, WynndelLumber Sales Ltd., Wynndel, B.C.

Larry Petree, Lazy S Lumber Inc., Beavercreek, Ore.; Randy Dover, OldDeschutes Lumber Inc., Bend, Ore.; Chris Retherford, Columbia CedarInc., Kettle Falls, Wash.; Larry Schmedding, Empire Lumber Co. Inc.;Spokane, Wash.; Todd Fox, Lazy S Lumber Inc.; and Greg Gilbert,Independent Dispatch Inc., Portland, Ore.

Chris Beveridge, Skana Forest Products Ltd., Richmond, B.C.; PaulClasby, Reilly Industrial Lumber, West Vancouver, B.C.; and ReedBrunson, Weyerhaeuser Hardwoods & Industrial Products, Federal Way,Wash.

Curtis Walker, The Waldun Group, Maple Ridge, B.C.; Tom Merkert,Capital Forest Products, Inc., Annapolis, Md.; John VavRosky, PotlatchCorp., Lewiston, Idaho; Terry Miller, The Softwood Forest ProductsBuyer, Memphis, Tenn.; and Curt McLeod, Capital Forest Products Inc.

Rick Yonke, Fritch Mill Inc., Snohomish, Wash.; and Mike Phillips,Hampton Lumber Sales Co., Portland, Ore.

Edwin Medero, John Austin and Kris Johnson, Gulf Coast Shelter Inc.,Daphne, Ala.

Mike Holm, Oregon-Canadian Forest Products, North Plains, Ore.; andRichard Paci, American Lumber Co. Inc., Walden, N.Y.

Brian Smith, Gregg Wilkinson, North Pacific, Portland, Ore.; and CleveClark, North Pacific, Waynesboro, Miss.

Michael Corsello, Nash Lumber Merchandising Corp., Bay Shore, N.Y.;and Rick Ekstein and Stephen Braybrook, Weston Forest Group,Mississauga, Ont.

Ted Lander, Dennis Wilcott, and Matt Yest, Wolf River Lumber Inc., NewLondon, Wis.

Brad Taylor, Chris Sainas, and Rob Chimko, Dakyeryn Industries Ltd.,North Vancouver, B.C.

Andy Carr and Ron Gorman, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., Westbank,B.C.; Les Timar, Woodtone, Chilliwack, B.C.; Mark Koehler, BlochLumber Co., Chicago, Ill.; and Cameron Cook, Gorman Bros. LumberLtd.

Ron LeMaitre and Gary Arthur, Haida Forest Products Ltd., Burnaby,B.C.; and Bob Dewald, Reid & Wright Lumber Inc., Broomfield, Colo.

Bryan Lundstrom, Fraserview Cedar Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; JerryShort, Probyn Group, Centralia, Wash.; and Don Slack and Gary Gill,Fraserview Cedar Products Ltd.

Larry Landis, Norman Lumber Co., St. Louis, Mo.; Pete Lauridsen, All-Coast Forest Products, Englewood, Colo.; and Ben Meachen, StewartClark, and Curtis Walker, The Waldun Group, Maple Ridge, B.C.

Tim Folster, Woodtone, Chilliwack, B.C.; Rachel Lindeen and Sue Kyle,Roberts & Dybdahl Inc., Milan, Iowa; and Mike Pidlisecky, Woodtone

Scott Brown, DiPrizio Pine Sales, Middleton, N.H.; Dick Buck, GeneseeReserve Supply Inc., Rochester, N.Y.; and Larry Huot, DiPrizio PineSales, West Lebanon, N.H.

Brian Helem and Rob Cook, Power Wood Corp., Surrey, B.C.

Additional photos on page 14

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET® PHOTOS - Continued from page 1

January/February 2009 Page 13

TRI-PROTM CEDAR PRODUCTS INC.

1122 HIGHWAY 2 • OLDTOWN, IDAHO 83822

TOLL FREE (800) 488-2726

E-MAIL: terryb@triprocedar.com

TRI-PROTM FOREST PRODUCTS

E-MAIL: lanceh@triprocedar.com

WEB: www.triprocedar.com

No Order is Too Tall

or Too Small

Our Specialty Is The SpecialtiesOur Specialty Is The Specialties

Species: White Fir (Grand Fir)Doug FirSpruce and Cedar

We manufacture everything from 1” x 2” x 6’ up to 24” x 24” x 32’

in either unseasoned or kiln-dried, rough, surfaced, or about any

pattern imaginable

Species: White Fir (Grand Fir)Doug FirSpruce and Cedar

We manufacture everything from 1” x 2” x 6’ up to 24” x 24” x 32’

in either unseasoned or kiln-dried, rough, surfaced, or about any

pattern imaginable

TOLL FREE (800) 488-2726

TEL: (208) 437-0653 • FAX: (208) 437-0579

TEL: (208) 437-0653 • FAX: (208) 437-0579

2007 KONKOVILLE RD. • OROFINO, IDAHO 83544

Page 14 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET® PHOTOS - Continued from page 12

Gary and Betsy Knight, and Randy Brown, R.B. Lumber Co., OregonCity, Ore.; and Berny Power, Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.

Dirk Kunze, Wynndel Lumber Sales Ltd., Wynndel, B.C.; Keith Laugen, LakeStates Lumber Inc., Sparta, Wis.; Chris Schofer, Wynndel Lumber Sales Ltd.;Bob Keener, Russin Lumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.; and Travis Johnson andMike Van Beek, Midwest Lumber Minnesota Inc., Stillwater, Minn.

Don Armstrong, American Wholesale Corp., Holton, Kan.; Chris Catlin,Bakerview/Pat Power Forest Products, Maple Ridge, B.C.; Mark Luby, MidwestLumber Minnesota Inc., Stillwater, Minn.; Dave Pollock and David McCloskey,Bakerview/Pat Power Forest Products; and Gary Heideman, AmericanWholesale Corp.

Steve Blackadder, Falcon Lumber Ltd., Toronto, Ont.; Rose Ann Loranger,Goodfellow Inc., Delson, Que.; Alden Robbins and John Benjamin, RobbinsLumber Inc., Searsmont, Maine; and Jed Dawson, L. R. McCoy & Co. Inc.,Worcester, Mass.

Rick Fischer, Mid-America Cedar, Osseo, Minn.; Carl Widder, Timber HoldingsInternational, Milwaukee, Wis.; Sue Zick, Mid-America Cedar; Brian Lotz andJens Skarring, Timber Holdings International; and Bill Hurst, Mid-AmericaCedar, Matthews, N.C.

Chris Clay, BNSF Railway, Fort Worth, Texas; Rick Palmiter, Idaho Veneer Co.,Post Falls, Idaho; Leah Cassidy, BNSF Railway; Bob Lackey, Idaho Veneer Co.;Larry Landis, Norman Lumber Co., St. Louis, Mo.; and Justin Wilson,Bakerview/Pat Power Forest Products, Maple Ridge, B.C.

Sam Sanregret, Capital Lumber Co., Phoenix, Ariz.; Ken Caylor and RodNichols, South Coast Lumber Co., Brookings, Ore.; and Brad Mehl,Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.

Dave Bolgren, Weekes Forest Products, St. Paul, Minn.; Leslie Boles,Brad Hatley and Kris Lewis, C & D Lumber Co., Riddle, Ore.; and KenBoehmer and Paul Boehmer, Weekes Forest Products

Raymond Luther and Don Dye, Mary’s River Lumber Co., Corvallis, Ore.;Dale Mantay, Detroit Forest Products Inc., Westland, Mich.; and RickIngram, Mary’s River Lumber

Carlos Furtado, Sawarne Lumber Co. Ltd., Richmond, B.C.; Phillip Duke,Lumberman’s Wholesale Dist., Nashville, Tenn.; Pete Lauridsen, All-CoastForest Products, Englewood, Colo.; and Ryan Furtado, Sawarne Lumber Co.Ltd.

Ben Tripp, Tripp Lumber Co., Missoula, Mont.; and Kevin Grindy, RondaMcDonald, Michael Boone, Jack Burnard, and Gene Secco, Forest GroveLumber Co., Inc., McMinnville, Ore.

Doug Tracey, Mark Pickering and Scott Stockton, Selkirk Specialty WoodLtd., Revelstoke, B.C.

Dennis Wilcott, Kari Ort-Bunting, Ted Lander and Matt Yest, Wolf RiverLumber, New London, Wis.

Rick Stout, Sunbelt, Alpharetta, Ga.; Rob Doerfler, Lumbermen’s UnderwritingAlliance, Portland, Ore.; Ian Wight, Pacific Western Wood Works Ltd., Delta,B.C.; and Mark Chouinard, Lumbermen’s Underwriting Alliance, North York,Ont.

Additional photos on page 16

Jim Simmons and Christian Owens, Skana Forest Products Ltd., Richmond,B.C.; John Lindsey, Skana Forest Products Ltd., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; andScott Lindsay, Chris Beveridge, Glenn McPherson, Alan Lazauskas and KentBeveridge, Skana Forest Products Ltd., Richmond, B.C.

Todd Liebman, Ze-VO Technologies, Framingham, Mass.; Eric Churchill, Ze-VOTechnologies, Wellesly, Mass.; Amy McCabe, Filler King Co., Homedale, Idaho;Steve Boyd, Manufacturers Reserve Supply Inc., Irvington, N.J.; DennisConnelly, Ze-VO Technologies, Grafton, Mass.; and Nicholas Drouin and Jean-Francois Drouin, Produits Matra Inc., St. Martin, Que.

Gary Pittman, Roseburg Forest Products Co., Roseburg, Ore.; Joe Nealon,Pacific Western Lumber Inc., Lakewood, Wash.; Rick Palmiter and Bob Lackey,Idaho Veneer Co., Post Falls, Idaho; and Bill Artigliere and Bob O’Brien, Mid-State Lumber Corp., Branchburg, N.J.

Bill McGrath, Wayne Jordan and Mike Stevens, Neiman Enterprises Inc.,Hulett, Wyo.; Mike Davis and Chris Brennan, Mid-States Wholesale LumberInc., Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Dennis Badesheim, Idaho Timber, Boise,Idaho

January/February 2009 Page 15

Page 16 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Additional photos on page 18

Peter Krakowski, Arrow Reload Systems Inc., Kamloops, B.C.; and TerryNeal and Jackie Cass, ISIS Wood Product Solutions Inc., Langley, B.C.

Jeff Williams, North Pacific, Williamsburg, Mich.; Jim Vandegrift, BennettLumber Products, Princeton, Idaho; Bill McGovern, Pacific WesternLumber, Lakewood, Wash.; and Ron Liebelt, Exterior Wood Inc.,Washougal, Wash.

Dave Ludington and Gary Pittman, Roseburg Forest Products Co.,Roseburg, Ore.; Ken Tennefoss and Gary Zauner, RISI, Hillsborogh,Ore.; and Bob Berch, Roseburg Forest Products Co.

Brian Wofford and Ray Luke, Gilman Building Products LLC, Yulee, Fla. Jason Adams, PPG Machine Applied Coatings, Pittsburgh, Pa.; Matt McCoun,Steve Fetrow and Peter McCracken, Deschutes Pine Sales, Bend, Ore.; DaveSiteman, PPG Machine Applied Coatings, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; andGeorge Doctsch, Deschutes Pine Sales, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Nathan Tellis and Robb Hansen, MacKenzie Sawmill Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; PeteLauridsen, All-Coast Forest Products, Englewood, Colo.; Peter Giroday andRanj Saran, MacKenzie Sawmill Ltd.; Clark Wiens, Cedar Creek Wholesale, Inc.,Broken Arrow, Okla.; and Rob Sohi, MacKenzie Sawmill Ltd.

Speed Hull, TradeTec Computer Systems Ltd., Parksville, B.C.; BobElkington, Cowichan Lumber Ltd., North Vancouver, B.C.; and ScottCramb, TradeTec Computer Systems Ltd.

Randy Dover, Old Deschutes Lumber, Inc., Bend, Ore.; Todd Fox, Lazy SLumber Inc., Beavercreek, Ore.; Jerry Bolt, Parksite, Inc., Baltimore, Md.;Keven Crotty, Parksite, Inc.; and Wayne Miller, The Softwood ForestProducts Buyer, Memphis, Tenn.

Jon Taylor, Darren Baker, Brad Flitton and Lorena Christensen, WesternForest Products Inc., Vancouver, B.C.; and Ray Pauwels, Skana ForestProducts Ltd., Richmond, B.C.

Jack Dalton, Mid-State Lumber Corp., Branchburg, N.J.; Carl McKenzie,U.S. Lumber Group, Duluth, Ga.; Matt Duprey, Hancock Lumber, Casco,Maine; and Bill Artigliere, Mid-State Lumber Corp.

Dan Paige and Anthony Baroni, Sandy Neck Traders, South Dennis,Mass.; and Merry and Ralph Schmidt, Columbia Cedar, Inc., Kettle Falls,Wash.

Greg Ryback, Trinity Forest Industries Inc., Hurst, Texas; Tom Lister,Lister Dist. Inc., Knoxville, Tenn.; and B Manning, Durgin & CrowellLumber Co., New London, N.H.

Gary Weinstein, Cambia by Greenleaf, Kingston, N.H.; Todd Fox, Lazy SLumber, Inc., Beavercreek, Ore.; Dennis Fahey, Weekes Forest Products, St.Paul, Minn.; Annette Ferri, International Wood Products Assoc., Alexandria,Va.; and Matt Pedrone, Cabot, Newburyport, Mass.

Mike Theberge, Phoenix Forest Products, Richmond Hill, Ont.; Matt Kelly,Potlatch Corp., Spokane, Wash.; Ron McAllister, Phoenix Forest Products; andJohn VavRosky, Potlatch Corp.

Lance Hubener, Tri-ProTM Cedar Products, Oldtown, Idaho; Neil Elshire,Shamrock Building Materials, Bend, Ore.; Terry Baker, Tri-ProTM CedarProducts; Pat Miller, Cedar Creek Wholesale Inc., Carrollton, Texas; and MarkPorter, Cedar Creek Wholesale Inc., Kansas City, Mo.

Jeff Kocken, Amerhart Limited, Green Bay, Wis.; Ken Kalesnikoff, GriffinAugustin, Corey Scott and Tim Knoop, Kalesnikoff Lumber, Castlegar, B.C.;Leonard Maurice, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, Que.; and Chris Kalesnikoff,Kalesnikoff Lumber

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET® PHOTOS - Continued from page 14

Ken Ford, Edmund A. Allen Lumber Inc., Momence, Ill.; Darrell Ekelund, CentralCedar Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; Dave Pollock, Bakerview/Pat Power Forest Products,Maple Ridge, B.C.; Surinder Ghog, Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.;and Gary Gill, Fraserview Cedar Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.

Berny Power, Surinder Ghog and Jim Dunse, Mill & Timber Products Ltd.,Surrey, B.C.

January/February 2009 Page 17

Page 18 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

Additional photos on page 20

NNAAWWLLAA TTRRAADDEERRSS MMAARRKKET® PHOTOS - Continued from page 16

Shawn Enoch, Cedar Siding & Lumber Inc., Rochelle,Ill.; Jim Tittle and Matt Pedrone, Cabot, Newburyport,Mass.; and Jeb Harper, Cedar Siding & Lumber Inc.

Greg Haupt, Weaber Inc., Lebanon, Pa.; TomSangiacomo, Genesee Reserve Supply, Inc.,Rochester, N.Y.; and John Georgelis, Weaber, Inc.

Barry Hodgkin and Kim Haven, Simply ComputingInternational Inc., Scarborough, Maine; and Justin Wilson,Camco, Shelton, Wash.

Bob Pippen Jr. and Sidney Walker, J.W. JonesLumber, Elizabeth City, N.C.; and Dave Jones, HoweSound Forest Products Ltd., Campbell River, B.C.

Donald Bond, Brown & Rutherford Co. Ltd., Winnipeg,Man.; Bob Edwards, Epperson Lumber Sales,Statesville, N.C.; and Howard Ashdown, Brown &Rutherford Co. Ltd.

Paul Erickson, Gary Pittman and Tim Lewis,Roseburg Forest Products Co., Roseburg, Ore.; andMiles Tompkins, Snavely Forest Products, Houston,Texas

Lowell Crossley, J.M. Thomas Forest Products,Ogden, Utah; Jack Henderson, North Pacific,Portland, Ore.; and Pete Henningfeld and MarkMitchell, Stimson Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.

Patrick Hanulak, PPG Machine Applied Coatings,Pittsburgh, Pa.; Jason Adams, PPG Machine AppliedCoatings, Westfield, Mass.; Craig Combs, PPG MachineApplied Coatings, Medford, Ore.; and Dave Siteman, PPGMachine Applied Coatings, Dartmouth, N.S.

Tim Elbers, Progressive Solutions Inc., Reese, Mich.;Phil Hawkins, Trio Forest Products Inc., Mesa, Ariz.;Nancy Bloch, Progressive Solutions Inc., Glencoe, Ill.;and Tony Palomarez, Trio Forest Products Inc.

Brian Dickie, Vandermeer Forest Products LLC,Linwood, Wash.; Bob Bretz, Colville Indian PrecisionPine, Omak, Wash.; and Dave Staudacher,Vandermeer Forest Products LLC

Chris Lewis and Nate Deringer, Viking Forest Products,Minneapolis, Minn.; Terry Johnson, Colville IndianPlywood & Veneer, Omak, Wash.; and Mark Luby, MidwestLumber Minnesota, Inc., Stillwater, Minn.

Keith Laugen, Lake States Lumber Inc., Sparta, Wis.; Stewart Sexton, DLHNordisk Inc., Greensboro, N.C.; Annette Ferri, International Wood ProductsAssoc., Alexandria, Va.; Tim McGill and Tommy Stepp, DLH Nordisk Inc.; andBruce Cole, Lake States Lumber Inc., Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Michael Kirkelie and Jim Walsh, Rosboro, Springfield,Ore.; Charles Whitaker, North Pacific, Lansing, Mich.;Tom Levere, North Pacific, Portland, Ore.; and DavidSmith and Jim Blair, Rosboro

Wynn Vu and Steve Cole, Hampton Lumber Sales,Portland, Ore.; Ed Langley, Neiman Reed Lumber Co.,Panorama City, Calif.; Chuck Lamping, HamptonLumber Sales; and Tony Palomarez and Phil Hawkins,Trio Forest Products Inc., Mesa, Ariz.

Jody Sims, Paul Gosnell and Bill Haskin, PatriotTimber Products International Inc., Greensboro, N.C.;and Brett Ellis, Sabra International, Miami Beach, Fla.

Jim St. John, Wiener, Crowley & St. John Inc., Leonia,N.J.; Matt Duprey, Kevin Hynes and Jack Bowen,Hancock Lumber, Casco, Maine; and Keith Smith,Conner Industries Inc., Fort Worth, Texas

Mike Luza, Collins Companies, Portland, Ore.; RyanMorrison and Dusty Hammack, Arrowhead Lumber Sales,Oklahoma City, Okla.; Cameron Waner, CollinsCompanies; and Jim McGinnis, The McGinnis Lumber Co.Inc., Meridian, Miss.

Bobby Crowley, Richardson Timbers, Dallas, Texas;Megan McMurray and Tom Vogel, Seattle SnohomishMill Co. Inc., Snohomish, Wash.; and Bill McGovern,Pacific Western Lumber Inc., Lakewood, Wash.

Kristie McCrudy, Boise Cascade LLC, Boise, Idaho;Mike Graume, Amerhart Ltd., Green Bay, Wash.; andMary Jo Nyblad, Denny Huston and Craig Crafton,Boise Cascade LLC

Dennis Wachs, Neiman Reed Lumber Co., Panorama City, Calif.; Bob Dewald,Reid & Wright Lumber Inc., Broomfield, Colo.; Allen Gaylord, Potlatch ForestProducts Corp., Lewiston, Idaho; Matt Kelly and John VavRosky, PotlatchForest Products Corp., Spokane, Wash.; and Peter Howe, Tristar Companies,Vancouver, Wash.

Wayne Burt, Alpha Forest Products Inc., Mississauga,Ont.; Gregg Riley, Bloch Lumber Co., Chicago, Ill.; andReginald Howatson, Scoopsoft, Montreal, Que.

Larry Birmingham, North Pacific, Portland, Ore.; Cleve Clark, North Pacifc,Waynesboro, Miss.; Monique Bauer, North Pacific, Portland, Ore.; AndrewHess, North Pacific, Okemos, Mich.; Charles Whitaker, North Pacific, Lansing,Mich.; and Shannon Sullivan, North Pacific, Columbus, Ohio

Steve Lindauer, Lake States Lumber Inc., Sparta,Wis.; and John Branstetter and Russ Vaagen, VaagenBros. Lumber Inc., Colville, Wash.

January/February 2009 Page 19

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Page 20 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

NNAAWWLLAA TTRRAADDEERRSS MMAARRKKET® PHOTOS - Continued from page 18

Ian Wight, Pacific Western Wood Works Ltd., Delta,B.C.; Jack Dalton, Mid-State Lumber Corp.,Branchburg, N.J.; and Dennis Wight, Pacific WesternWood Works, Ltd.

Omar Derkach, Mid Valley Lumber Specialties Ltd.,Aldergrove, B.C.; Martin Wiegand III, Martin WiegandInc., Washington, D.C.; and Al Fortune, Mid ValleyLumber Specialties Ltd.

Joseph Haggerty IV, Williams Lumber Co. of N.C. Inc.,Rocky Mount, N.C.; Pete Pereda, Weekes Forest ProductsInc., St. Paul, Minn.; and Sheppard Haggerty, WilliamsLumber Co. of N.C. Inc.

Mike Davis and Chris Brennan, Mid-States WholesaleLumber Co., Oklahoma City, Okla.; Bob Lackey, IdahoVeneer Co., Post Falls, Idaho; and Jay Neadle and JackDalton, Mid-State Lumber Corp., Branchburg, N.J.

Jeff Hardy, Cersosimo Lumber Co. Inc., Brattleboro,Vt.; and Tom Lister, Lister Distribution Inc., Knoxville,Tenn.

Mark Luby, Midwest Lumber Minnesota Inc., Stillwater,Minn.; Doug Chiasson, Irving Forest Products, Saint John,N.B.; Russ Hobbs, Plum Creek, Columbia Falls, Mont.; andDarren Zwicker, Irving Forest Products, Dickes, Maine

Frank Pearson, Contact Industries, Clackamas, Ore.;and Bruce Daucsavage, Deschutes Pine Sales, Bend,Ore.

Jason Bolstad, DMSi, Omaha, Neb.; Ryan Smith, UnityForest Products, Yuba City, Calif.; and Monte Jensen,DMSi

John Barber, Trout River Lumber LLC, Crewe, Va.; NickKent, North American Wholesale Lumber Assoc., RollingMeadows, Ill.; and Wayne Miller, The Softwood ForestProducts Buyer, Memphis, Tenn.

Jim Stuckey, Wholesale Wood Products, Dothan, Ala.;and Donna Allen, E.J. Langley and Chris Webb,Anthony Forest Products Co., El Dorado, Ark.

Rick Blomquist, Tripp Lumber Co., Missoula, Mont.; AmyWhiting, BNSF, Bellingham, Wash.; and Dave Tripp andBen Tripp, Tripp Lumber Co.

Michael Tichenor, Capital Forest Products Inc.,Annapolis, Md.; and Jill Snider-Parr and DavidHanson, Snider Industries LLP, Marshall, Texas

Ron Dunham, Matrix Forest Products Inc., Scottsdale,Ariz.; Chris McSwain, Idaho Timber, Lake City, Fla.; BrockLenon and Dennis Badesheim, Idaho Timber, Boise,Idaho; and Jim Vandegrift, Bennett Lumber Products Inc.,Princeton, Idaho

Mike Pidlisecky, Woodtone, Chilliwack, B.C.; SusanFitzsimmons, Snavely Forest Products Inc., Pittsburgh,Pa.; Les Timar, Woodtone; Monique Bauer, North Pacific,Portland, Ore.; and Tim Folster, Woodtone

Doug Chiasson, Irving Forest Products, Saint John, N.B.;Jeff Easterling, Northeastern Lumber ManufacturersAssoc., Cumberland Centre, Maine; and ReginaldHowatson, Scoopsoft, Montreal, Que.

Frank Johnson, Cleve Clark and Monique Bauer, North Pacific, Portland, Ore.;Susan Fitzsimmons, Snavely Forest Products, Pittsburgh, Pa.; and ChuckWhitaker and Andrew Hess, North Pacific

PWLA PHOTOS - Continued from page 10

Raymond Luther, Mary’s River Lumber Co., Corvallis, Ore.; Denny O’Sullivan,Cedarsource Manufacturing Inc., Portland, Ore.; and Greg Patterson, NorthPacific, Portland, Ore.

Dan Hoagland and Betty Jo Carpenter, Stimson Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.;and Don Dye, Mary’s River Lumber Co., Corvallis, Ore.

Ed Vila, Universal Building Specialties, Lakeland, Fla.;Chuck Gaede and B Manning, Durgin & Crowell LumberCo., New London, N.H.; Gordon Wiseman, UniversalBuilding Specialties; and Chris MacFarlane, HoodDistribution/McQueston Group, Milton, Vt.

Additional photos on page 22

Bob Larsen, Members Services Group Inc., HotSprings Village, Ark.; and Steve Firko, PennsylvaniaLumbermens Mutual Insurance, Philadelphia, Pa.

John Cooper and Jason Friend, Duckback Products,Chico, Calif.

Mark Hildebrand, Nova USA Wood Products LLC.,Portland, Ore.; and Jonathan French, Old TownLumber Co., Kenduskeag, Maine

Win Smith, Limington Lumber, East Baldwin, Maine;and Mike Case, Falcon Lumber Ltd., Toronto, Ont.

January/February 2009 Page 21

NORDIC ENGINEERED WOOD Specializes In Black Spruce

CCL began optimizing production with finger joint (SPS-3) technology in 1994.

(Right) Theaddition of aflange produc-tion line andtension testingheralded theadvent of joistproduction andthe creation ofN o r d i cE n g i n e e r e dWood.

Pictured are I-joists, beams and headers (with rim-board samples). This view of a sports complex shows an application of Nordic Lambeams.

(Left) The NI-90x I-joist series is thelatest innovationfrom Nordic.

Pictured is an application of Nordic Joist and Lam beams at the PeelYouth Village in Mississauga, Ont.

Fielding Estate Winery in Beamsville, Ont., also uses Nordic Lam beams.

By Terry Miller

Montreal, Que.—For nearly 50 years,Nordic Engineered Wood, headquarteredhere, has specialized in manufacturingBlack Spruce I-joists and other products forthe residential and commercial buildingmarkets. Throughout its existence, thefamily-owned company has been knownfor its competitive prices and high level ofcustomer service.Nordic’s heritage can be traced back to

1961, when Lucien Filion and five part-timeemployees began sawing timbers for thelocal mining industry, thus creatingNordic’s parent company, ChantiersChibougamau Ltd. (CCL). From the outset,the company focused on providing qualitywood products for the ever-changing mar-ket, which meant staying at the forefront ofinnovation and customer service.During the ‘70s and ‘80s, Chantiers

Chibougamau shifted production fromsawing mining timbers to random lengthdimension lumber. CCL also expanded itssales into the United States, invested indry kilns and began optimizing productionwith finger joint (SPS-3) technology in1994.CCL invested in emerging curve saw tech-

nology in 1998. This expanded productioncapacity and helped optimize fiber produc-tion by utilizing small cross-sections ofwood that would otherwise be unusable.The addition of a flange production lineand tension testing in the late 1990s her-alded the advent of joist production and thecreation of Nordic Engineered Wood, awholly-owned subsidiary of CCL.Today, Nordic is known as a premiere

solid-sawn I-joist producer, with proprietary

This is an aerial view of Chantiers Chibougamau Ltd. (CCL), Nordic EngineeredWood’s parent company.

Continued on page 35

Page 22 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

PWLA PHOTOS - Continued from page 20

Dan Ettelstein and Gunnar Brinck, Disdero LumberCo., Portland, Ore.; and Erin Noble, West Wind ForestProducts Inc., Eugene, Ore.

Joe Raulerson, Cedarsource Manufacturing Inc.,Portland, Ore.; Sean Coughlin, Pacific Wood Preserving,Portland, Ore.; Mike Maehara, CedarsourceManufacturing Inc.; and Gary Newman, Pacific WesternLumber Inc., Lakewood, Wash.

Mark Nizic, Oregon-Canadian Forest Products, NorthPlains, Ore.; Chuck Thompson and Tim Bull, PacificLumber Resources Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore.

Chris Chase, Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.; and ScottLeavengood, Eric Hansen and Chris Knowles, OregonWood Innovation Center, Oregon State University,Corvallis, Ore.

Denny O’Sullivan, Cedarsource Manufacturing Inc.,Portland, Ore.; Carol Gibbins and Tim Gilstrap, BMCWest, Sherwood, Ore.

Lisa Hughes, Hillsboro Forest Products, Springfield,Ore.; and Tim Johnson and Bryce Jonas, SundanceLumber Co. Inc., Springfield, Ore.

John Evans, HPC/Silvermere Forest Products,Vancouver, B.C.; Gordon Wiseman, UBS,Auburndale, Fla.; and Humphry Wildeboer,HPC/Silvermere Forest Products, North Plains, Ore.

Greg Chase, Herbert Lumber Co., Riddle, Ore.; TomVogel, Seattle-Snohomish Mill Co., Snohomish,Wash.; and Rocky Mullen, Mullen Lumber Inc.,Molalla, Ore.

Steve Snyder and Nate Zerkel, Action Wood ForestProducts, Brooks, Ore.; and Ron Liebelt, ExteriorWood Inc., Washougal, Wash.

Loren Krebs, Disdero Lumber Co., Clackamas, Ore.;John Newell, Oregon Industrial Lumber, Springfield,Ore.; and Dave Freeman, Tumac Lumber Co. Inc.,Portland, Ore.

Gordon and Scott Bevans, Manke Lumber Co. Inc.,Tacoma, Wash.; and Tim Larson, Hillsboro ForestProducts, Springfield, Ore.

Paul Donahue, Davy Logue and Troy Mackenzie, RLDCo. Inc., Vancouver, Wash.

Marty Richmond, Sause Bros., Portland, Ore.; Jerry Gustafson, TumacLumber Co. Inc., Portland, Ore.; and Roger Seid, J.V. and Jay Torgerson,Torgerson Forest Products, Beaverton, Ore.

Mike Holm, Oregon-Canadian Forest Products, NorthPlains, Ore.; Dennis McWirter, Exterior Wood Inc.,Washougal, Wash.; and Chris Pelser, Oregon-Canadian Forest Products

Hector Perez and Steve Snyder, Action WoodProducts LLC, Brooks, Ore.; and Bill Groth, PacificLumber Resources Inc., Lake Oswego, Ore.

Roger Seid, Torgerson Forest Products, Beaverton,Ore.; Greg Raffety, Oregon-Canadian ForestProducts, North Plains, Ore.; and Dave Rainey, Hull-Oakes Lumber Co., Monroe, Ore.

Al Kirnak, Chainsaw Headquarters, Portland, Ore.; and Bill Hagensteinand Wayne Giesy, Hull-Oakes Lumber Co., Philomath, Ore.

Jack Burnard, Forest Grove Lumber Co. Inc., McMinnville, Ore.; KarenSlaughter, Elk Creek Forest Products, McMinnville, Ore.; and MikeBurnard, Forest Grove Lumber Co. Inc.

Larry Tommerup, Matheus Lumber Co., Vancouver, Wash.; Dennis McWirter,Exterior Wood Inc., Washougal, Wash.; Korey Kier, Matheus Lumber Co.,Vancouver, Wash.; and Dave McNabb, Kuzman Forest Products, Hillsboro,Ore.

Chris Pelser and Terry Haddix, Oregon-Canadian Forest Products, NorthPlains, Ore.; and Don Hudock, Twin Modal Inc., Hillsboro, Ore.

Mark Grube, Zip-O-Log Mills Inc., Eugene, Ore.; andDave Menkens, Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Ore.

Brad Myers, Myers Woodline Inc., Sheridan, Ore.; Glenn Lowe, Blasen &Blasen Lumber Corp., Portland, Ore.; Brett Slaughter, Elk Creek ForestProducts, McMinnville, Ore.; and Greg Chase, Herbert Lumber Co., Riddle, Ore.

January/February 2009 Page 23

Western Red Cedar’s warm tone, natural

grain, and rich texture make it the product

of choice for siding, decking, railing, and

fascia, and, no one does Western Red

Cedar like Mary’s River. Give us a call

at 1-800-523-2052

Mary’s River Lumber Co.4515 NE Elliott CircleCorvallis, OR 97330

Toll Free 800-523-2052Fax 541-752-5143

www.marysriverlumber.com

Mary’s River Western Red Cedar, that is.

It doesn’t get Greener than Red.

Mary’s River Lumber Company has been committedto environmental stewardship since its inceptionover 35 years ago. From our energy efficient, state-of-the-art plants, to our proficient use of timberresources, Mary’s River is a leader in Red Cedar“green” production.

Western Red Cedar is by nature “green.” Mary’sRiver Red Cedar is manufactured from abundant,fast growing, second-growth resources. It is durable,decay and insect resistant, has no chemical preser-vatives, is clean and safe to handle, and is 100%renewable, unlike cement and plastic composites.

Mary’s River’s manufacturing requires less energythan steel, cement-based wood substitutes, andplastic-based composites. Our plants are closelyregulated for environmental compliance.

Global Sustainability Topic Of Boston Expo

John Boecker offers insight into managing LEED documentation, a sem-inar held at Greenbuild 2008 in Boston.

Mark Mondor was among the more than 100 educational speakers whoprovided tips about LEED certification.

Among the many seminars featured during Greenbuild was “The GreenEngineer,” which was an USGBC presentation by Christopher Schaffnerwho addressed using energy modeling on LEED projects.

Joe Higgins, of Fidelity Investments in Boston, spoke on the topic of“Commissioning for LEED Projects.” This presentation was offered byBuilding Commissioning Association and was one of several seminarsheld on the final day of Greenbuild 2008.

Greenbuild attendees also heard tips on how to incorporate LEED intoproject specifications, a presentation offered by thr Metropolitan NewYork Chapter of Construction Specifications Institute.

Photos By Glenn Kulbako

Boston, Mass.–Approximately 25,000construction professionals convened hererecently at Greenbuild 2008, an interna-tional conference and expo. The eventwas held at the Boston Convention &Exhibition Center. The theme for thisyear’s expo was “Revolutionary Green:Innovations for Global Sustainability.”More than 100 educational sessions fea-

turing world-renowned speakers, LEED

workshops off-site educational sessionsand Green Building tours of local Bostonsites were hosted at the event.Additionally, the latest Green productswere displayed at various exhibit booths,which totaled 850.This year’s U.S. Green Building

Council’s (USBG) annual GreenbuildInternational Conference and Expo con-nected attendees with green buildingpeers, industry experts, and experts inthe green movement who shared theirinsight.The opening keynote speaker for

Greenbuild 2008 was ArchbishopDesmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Laureate,and the closing keynote address wasdelivered by E.O. Wilson, universityresearch professor emeritus and hon-orary curator of entomology at theMuseum of Comparative Zoology atHarvard University. He is also a renownednaturalist.Sessions were also held in relation to

USGBC to help attendees understandthat program.Master speakers for the educational

series of programs include: Van Jones,president and founder of Green For All;Stefan Behnisch, principal, BehnischArchitects Inc.; Richard Moe, president,National Trust for Historic Preservation;and Carol Browner, principal, The AlbrightGroup LLC, among many others.Greenbuild 2009 is slated for Nov. 11-13

in Phoenix, Ariz. Visit theevent’s website for more information:www.greenbuildexpo.org.

•

Ralph Dinola, of Green Building Services,addressed how to use LEED on historic projectsduring the recent Greenbuild 2008 InternationalConference and Expo.

The 2008 U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) annual GreenbuildInternational Conference and Expo connected attendees with greenbuilding peers and experts in the green movement.

Page 24 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

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According tosources in theMidwest, economicwoes have wors-ened businessorders that are usu-ally slow during thewinter months.However, there is

some hope that President Obama will bringforward some programs to help the forestproducts industry.A Kansas dimension manufacturer said

his company is reporting a sizeabledecrease in revenue for 2008 as the hous-ing industry continues to decline in theMidwest.“Sales are probably down about 30 per-

cent year-to-date from South Dakotathrough the Oklahoma corridor,” he said.“That’s probably how business will contin-ue to be until there’s a bump in the nation’sconsumer confidence.”The source, who markets Radiata and

Ponderosa Pine, said the nation’s well-publicized financial problems further weak-ened his company’s bottom line. However,he believes the housing market could turnaround quickly if money issues are sortedout.

In mid-Decembersuppliers of woodproducts in thePacific Northwestwere having a toughtime being optimisticand spreadingChristmas cheer.Those companiessupplying commodi-

ty products noted prices so low they com-pared to prices in effect 20 years ago.Many mills in British Columbia and southinto Washington, Oregon and northernCalifornia are in the process of closing allor most of their mills and say they will notopen again until they can make a profit ontheir products.Cam Cook, in sales for Gorman Brothers,West Bank, B.C., said, “We’re on a Marchyear’s end and this December is probablyone of our slowest on record for selling ourboard products. Business is slow. Weare not looking for new customers. Wesell all our product to appointed wholesaledistributors in the U.S. and worldwide.Being global with our sales has definitelybeen a positive. Some of the slower busi-ness is seasonal. We are still movingwood, although the percentage of oursales to our U.S. customers keeps drop-

West Coast Business Trends

Midwest Business Trends

By Wayne MillerExecutive Editor

By Paul Miller Jr.Assistant

Managing Editor

ping. So far we have only dropped oneshift and we are still running five days aweek. The sales climate in the U.S. isglum. Everyone is bunkering in with bothrecession and winter arriving officially atnearly the same time. For 2009 most ofour customers say they expect a slow firsthalf and the back half of the year to be bet-ter. Overall, customers see 2009 beingroughly a repeat of 2008. Right now everyday is a grind.”Ryan Furtado in sales for SawarneLumber, Richmond, B.C., said, “You canonly phone customers so much withoutmaking them feel hassled. Our phones arevery quiet and we are initiating most of thecalls. There is a little spring buying goingon, but not what we would normally expectfor our Western Red Cedar products.Maybe two out of 20 customers are actual-ly ordering now for spring. No one wantsto carry Cedar inventory and loggingcamps up here are in the process of clos-ing down until spring. That does not bodewell for those buyers who will need theproduct after the first of the year. There willbe shortages in some items. One thingthat has helped somewhat is the fact thatthe Canadian dollar has dropped againstthe U.S. dollar so that right now theexchange rate is $1.26 Canadian for eachU.S. dollar. Since we sell in U.S. dollarsthat is a good thing for us. There are nota lot of back to back sales going on rightnow and not much profit, if any, in sales.We hear predictions of a turnaround inNovember ’09. The strong will survive allthis and will improve their position in themarketplace; the weak will fall by the way-

“People are a little leery about spendingwith banks not loaning like they should be,”he said. “Until we get things flowing again,business is going to be down. It’s a buyer’smarket so why wouldn’t you think aboutbuying a house.”A Florida-based wholesaler, whose client

base is located in Oklahoma and otherparts of the Midwest, added that sales are“pretty flat” in the region. “There’s growinganticipation about which what mill closes orcurtails production because that causes asmall spike in the market. However, thatsmall increase in business doesn’t lastlong.”The source said that his customers in

some states have avoided purchasing a lotof lumber because of government salestaxes charged to inventories at the end ofthe year. In order to avoid those taxes,firms let their inventories get as low as pos-sible before placing new orders andreplenishing their supplies after January 1.The contact said he hopes that President

Obama can help spearhead some legisla-tion that benefits the forest products indus-try such as plans to improve the nation’sinfrastructure. “Highway spending isalways good for Southern Yellow Pine tim-bers, which are used in girders and stemwalls,” he said. “It could certainly be a bighelp for lumber companies, but it will prob-ably happen too far down the road to be ofany significance right away.”However, the source said he does know of

some activity coming down the pike.“There are some tract builders set to comeonline after the first of the year, but I don’tthink anybody expects a good year in2009,” he said. “We’re already behindsales-wise because mill closures and cur-tailments persuaded customers to buywood that they didn’t need to purchaseuntil after the first of the year. Those salesprobably swallowed up some consumptionthat would have happened in Decemberand January.”

Green Building Could Triple In Five Years

According to a recent report by McGraw-Hill Construction, the potential for contin-ued growth in the green building marketcould triple in value by 2013 to more than$140 billion. That includes plans in IowaCity, Iowa, to make city buildings “moregreen,” which is part of a nationwide planby President Obama.The McGraw-Hill report, entitled “Green

Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change,”states that the value of green building con-struction has grown from $10 billion to anestimated $49 billion since 2005. In all like-lihood, that number will continue to growover the next five years.“Green growth is phenomenal across the

globe,” said Harvey M. Bernstein, vicepresident of industry analytics, alliancesand strategic initiatives for McGraw-HillConstruction. “The business opportunitiesafforded by green building, even in themidst of a global economic crisis, are realand recognized by industry players.Furthermore, green building has greatpotential to help tackle unemploymentthrough green jobs, and can address othersocietal issues, such as creating healthierplaces where we live and work.”The U.S. Green Building Council reports

that green building has been less affectedby the downturn in the housing market,and homebuyers are willing to pay for agreen home. Perceived economic benefitsdriving green building include higher rev-enues, lower lifecycle costs and loweroperating costs.However, most green building projects

such as those in Iowa City will require addi-tional funding from the federal government.Jim Schnoebelen, a district engineer forthe Iowa Department of Transportation,said a commission is currently evaluatingneeds in the area. He noted that the statehas yet to earmark any projects becausethey are still investigating the potential ofthose projects.

Midwest Gas Prices Among Lowest In Nation

As gas prices continue to fall nationwide,the Midwest region is reporting some of thelowest prices in the United States. In theMidwest at press time, the average pricefor a gallon of regular gasoline is $1.72,while a gallon of diesel costs about $2.58 agallon.However, according to The Kiplinger

Letter, oil prices, which have dropped fromover $150 a barrel to under $50, will beginheading back up in the spring as signs ofeconomic recovery emerge. It’s likely oilcould dip near the $30 mark before climb-ing again likely to $80 a barrel byDecember 2009. The Midwest region’saverage price of diesel fuel is down about

Continued on page 34

Continued on page 41

January/February 2009 Page 25

At NAWLA, Mission Of SEC Discussed

The Evergreen Building Products Assoc., an SEC member, conducts aneducational seminar on U.S. Softwood products at a recent China sem-inar tour.

The SEC Species Grades manual is one tool used by the organization tofurther the use of American Softwoods worldwide. The SEC promotesAmerican Softwoods in 10 languages and on its association website.

Softwood Export Council (SEC) members work at the American Softwoodsbooth at the WoodMac trade show recently in Shanghai.

Chicago, Ill.–Among the speakers atthe recent NAWLA Traders Market®was Craig Larsen, president of theSoftwood Export Council (SEC), anon-profit trade federation comprisedof trade associations, groups andother state agencies. The SEC is alsoa cooperator with the USDA and itsForeign Agricultural Service (FAS).Additionally, SEC partners with APA-

Engineered Wood Assoc., theSouthern Pine Council, AmericanHardwood Export Council and theAmerican Forest & Paper Assoc.The American Softwoods is the inter-

national marketing brand used by theSoftwood cooperators. AmericanSoftwoods has an international mar-keting staff with offices located inTokyo, Shanghai, Mexico, London andMadrid.At the Traders Market, Larsen report-

ed on the SEC’s activity and explainedthat the organization promotes U.S.Softwood products in internationalmarkets. “We annually secure FASfunding in two programs – the ForeignMarket Development and the MarketAccess Program (MAP),” he said.FAS funding is used on target activi-

ties that benefit member organizationsand member companies.Larsen noted that the marketing focus

for 2008 at SEC was on structuraluses and interiors. For structural uses,the concentration has been on woodframe construction and concrete form-ing and supports. The areas of focushave been Japan, Mexico, MiddleEast, Korea and the United Kingdom.For non-structural use the focus is on

interiors, furniture, windows, doors,millwork and moulding and secondaryproducts/components. Areas of focusare China, Vietnam, European Union,Mexico and the Middle East.According to Larsen, U.S. lumber

exports trended up in 2008 (atpresstime) compared with exportsfrom other countries. East Asia andthe Middle East followed in secondplace, and overall, exports globallywere up an average of 4 percent,although both the European Unionand Southeast Asia trended downfrom previous years.Large increases in the amount of

exports of U.S. Softwood were record-ed by Pakistan, UAE, Thailand,Vietnam, Chile, Korea and the UK,according to Larsen’s report. Howeverexports of Southern Pine from the U.S.over the past year trended down anoverall average of 4 percent toMexico, Spain, Taiwan and China.There was a significant surge inexports in 2008 to the DominicanRepublic, however, as well as toJamaica.Larsen noted that in Japan the hous-

ing/construction market is changingdue to the Canadian-U.S. dollar equa-tion and the lack of availability of highgrade lumber. He also cited the factthat Euro prices are higher against theYen and China losing its low-cost edgedue to the onset of the Russian logtax.Larsen said the market in China is

settling and while 5 million housing

starts were posted in China over the past year, only 200 were of wood frames.High rise apartments and bare units, he said, are the norm there. However, headded that housing reform is occuring and is marked by higher consumer expec-tations, higher incomes, a developing middle class –– all of which are workingtogether to increase demand in the housing market.The SEC promotes the U.S. Softwood market in 10 languages and through the

association website. For more information, visit the orgranization’s website atwww.softwood.org.

•

Page 26 The Softwood Forest Products Buyer

High-Brow To WhirlyBall, NAWLA Entertains

Tim Kropf and Willie Schrader, National Forest Products Ltd., London, Ont.;Berny Power, Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; and Dan Plouffe andChris McDonald, National Forest Products Ltd.

Terry Miller, The Softwood Forest Products Buyer, Memphis, Tenn.; Jim Dunse,Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; and Richard Paci, American LumberCo. Inc., Walden, N.Y.

By Wayne Miller

Chicago, Ill.–When more than 1,500attendees traveled here recently forthe annual NAWLA Traders Market®,they did so to view new products, tonetwork with peers and to learn waysto survive a challenging economic cli-mate. They also came to have fun,and they were not disappointed.Whether attending classic formalstage productions or taking their turnplaying WhirlyBall, a plethora of activ-ities was available to NAWLA dele-gates.For example, Mill & Timber ProductsLtd., located in Surrey, B.C., hostedabout 20 guests at the United Centerin Chicago as the NBA hometownBulls beat the Phoenix Suns, 100-83.From their seats in a penthouse suite,guests had a birdseye view of all theaction on the court. Mill & Timber alsoserved various appetizers and provid-ed an open bar.On another occasion, ColumbiaCedar and Lazy S Lumber hosted afun-filled evening playing WhirlyBall, agame of coordination played in motor-ized bumper carts in which partici-pants use hand-held scoops to propelwhiffle balls at a scoring target. PartLacrosse, part hockey and part bas-ketball game –– WhirlyBall is provingto be one of the most popular indoorsports ever invented.

•

Martin Wiegand III, Martin Wiegand, Inc., Washington, D.C.; Ron LeMaitre,Haida Forest Products Ltd., Burnaby, B.C.; Jim Dunse, Mill & Timber Products,Surrey, B.C.; Gary Arthur, Haida Forest Products Ltd.; and Dave Hunt, NationalForest Products Ltd., Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Bobby Crowley, Richardson Timbers, Dallas, Texas; Stan Wiebe, Central CedarLtd., Vancouver, B.C.; Jim Dunse, Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Surrey, B.C.;Mark Porter, Cedar Creek Wholesale, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.; and Pat Miller,Cedar Creek Wholesale, Inc., Dallas, Texas.

increase, he said.Note: This tax dollar saving option for

the El Dorado High School, as well asfor other new schools in Arkansas,was made possible by corrections tothe Arkansas School Facilities Manualto allow architects and their clients theoption of using wood building prod-ucts rather than concrete or steel. In acollaborative effort, the APAEngineered Wood Association,American Forest & Paper Association,Arkansas Forest & Paper Council,Arkansas Forestry Association, AIAArkansas Chapter, and the WoodProducts Council successfully lobbiedfor these cost saving corrections.

•

HIGH SCHOOL -Continued from page 2

WhirlyBall attendees included: Joe Petree, OrePac Building Products,Tacoma, Wash.; Ralph Schmidt, Columbia Cedar, Inc., Kettle Falls, Wash.; andMerry Schmidt and Dave Duncan, Lazy S Lumber Inc., Beavercreek, Ore.

WhirlyBall attendees included: Chris Retherford, Columbia Cedar, Inc., KettleFalls, Wash.; Peter Giroday, MacKenzie Sawmill Ltd., Surrey, B.C.; MikeMcInnes, L. R. McCoy & Company, Inc., Meskit, Nev.; Larry Petree, Lazy SLumber Inc., Beavercreek, Ore.; and Kendall Walker, Parksite, Inc., Apex, N.C.