CHB – Continued from
CHB – Continued from page 12 Business Trends U.S.A. Max Cadrin, C.A. Spencer Inc., Laval, QC; Wally Klubek, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, NY; and Mike Brooks and Shaun Rowe, Quality Hardwoods Ltd., Powassan, ON Sylvain Giguère, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, QC; Peter Lovett, King City Northway Forwarding Ltd., Montreal, QC; Patrick Gagne, Guillaume Genest, Primewood, Drummondville, QC; and Eric Vigneault, Vexco Inc., Plessisville, QC Terry Miller, Import/Export Wood Purchasing News, Memphis, TN; Remy Caron, Groupe Savoie Inc., Saint-Quentin, NB; Peter Van Amelsfoort, Quality Hardwoods Ltd., Powassan, ON; and Jean-Paul Lupien, MKMQC Inc., Mascouche, QC Steve Allen, Midway Lumber Mills Ltd., Thessalon, ON; Eric Desjardins and Denis Dube, J.D. Irving Ltd., Clair, NB; and Marco Morin, Giguere et Morin Inc., Drummondville, QC CANADIAN HOCKEY Yvon Millette, Vexco Inc., Plessisville, QC; Ian Langlois, Primewood, Drummondville, QC; Bill Miller, Haliburton Forest & Wild Life Reserve Ltd., Haliburton, ON; and Lloyd Lovett, King City Forwarding USA Inc., Chesapeake, VA Jean-Francois Audet, Primewood, Drummondville, QC; Mareike Offermann, Karin Offermann, Fritz Offermann KG, Oldendorf, Germany; Guillaume Genest, Primewood, and Dallin Brooks, executive director, National Hardwood Lumber Assoc., Memphis, TN The annual Canadian industry hockey game was held this year at Complexe Sportif Bell in Brossard, QC. The Blue Team (King City) included the following: (Kneeling, from left): Max Cadrin, C.A. Spencer Inc., Laval, QC; Alessandro Pecoraro, King City Forwarding, Montreal, QC; Dominic Beauchamp, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, QC; Daniel Cormier, MKMQC Inc., Mascouche, QC; Alain Beaudoin, Beaudoin Gauthier Lumber, Laval, QC; Jean-Francois Dion, Scierie Dion et Fils Inc., Saint-Raymond, QC (Standing, from left): Richard Davis, Referee, Montreal, QC; Lloyd Lovett, King City Forwarding USA Inc., Chesapeake, VA; Patrick Goodfellow, Goodfellow Inc., Delson, QC; Anthony Raspa, Quality Hardwoods Ltd., Powassan, ON; Greg Richardson, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, NY; Peter Van Amelsfoort, Quality Hardwoods Ltd., Powassan, ON; Samuel Bouchard, Peter Lovett, King City Northway Forwarding Ltd., Montreal, QC; Dany Houde, Plancher PG Inc., Saint-Edouard-de-Lotbinière, QC; Yvon Lambert, Coach/Former Montreal Canadien Hockey Player, Montreal, QC; and Jean Morin, Referee, Montreal, QC (Kneeling, from left): Fabrice Beaulieu, Bègin & Bègin Inc., Lots-Renversès, QC; Jean-Paul Lupien, MKMQC Inc., Mascouche, QC; John-William Day, Plancher PG Inc., Saint-Èdouard-de-Lotbinière, QC; Denis Maheux, Remco Air Inc., Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC; Frèdèrick Cotè, Sèchoir MEC Dry Kiln, Victoriaville, QC; Wally Klubek, Baillie Lumber Co., Hamburg, NY (Standing, from left): Richard Davis, Referee, Montreal, QC; Claude Cadrin, C.A. Spencer Inc., Laval, QC; Vincent Caron, Groupe Savoie Inc., Saint-Quentin, NB; Marco Vachon, Les Bois Poulin Inc., Shawinigan, QC; Brin Langmuir, Falcon Lumber Ltd., Toronto, ON; Eric Vigneault, Vexco Inc., Plessisville, QC; JF Martel, Jason Somers, Groupe Savoie Inc., Saint-Quentin, NB; Jèrome Labrecque, Bois Cargault Inc., Saint-Pamphile, QC; Yvon Lambert, Coach/ Former Montreal Canadien Hockey Player, Montreal, QC; and Jean Morin, Referee, Montreal, QC Lake States Lumbermen in the Lake States region had good things to say about their markets in recent interviews. “Our business activity seems to be going well,” said a lumber provider in Illinois. Compared to six months ago, his business is “a little better,” he remarked. “Prices were better overall six months ago, but some prices have gone up.” He sells Ash, Hard and Soft Maple, Walnut, Cherry, Hickory and Red and White Oak in 4/4 through 8/4. His best sellers are White Oak, Walnut and Ash. He sells his lumber mostly to distribution yards and some to end users, including flooring plants. “Sometimes,” he said, “we don’t hear from them about how their business is going, but what you do hear is good.” Asked about transportation, he replied, “Thank God, after two years of difficulty, transportation is good. We have a couple of big trucking companies we have been working with for three months, so it’s easier to get trucks.” A Wisconsin sawmill representative noted, “Business is slow, but we are able to move lumber on a regular basis. My Red and White Oak are selling well. However, some other species including Aspen and Basswood are slow movers now.” In fact, his business activity is not as good as it was several months ago, he stated. He offers Red and White Oak, Basswood, Hard and Soft Maple, Aspen, Cherry and Hickory mostly in 4/4, some 5/4 and No. 3 Common and Better. White Oak is moving best for him. He sells his lumber to both distribution yards and end users. “I’d say their sales to their customers are slower than normal. If they need lumber, they’ll call me, and if I don’t have it, they will call someone else. My sales to them are on a short notice basis. “We have no problem with transportation,” he added. “I’m sure the high interest rates have a lot to do with why people are not buying more lumber.” In Michigan, a sawmill spokesman said his business is “OK. We had a booming start to the year. After that, we have shipped about what we usually do. Business isn’t booming, but it’s not bad. It’s been about average.” He said business activity is about equal to what it was before the holidays. He sells Hard and Soft Maple, Red and White Oak, Hickory, Walnut and Cherry in No. 3 Common and Better, 4/4 through 8/4. His best sellers, he commented, are Red and White Oak, Hickory and Walnut. His customers are evenly divided between end users and distribution yards. “My customers seem to be busy but not swamped,” he said. “Transportation is fine,” he noted “However, it’s been really wet with rain, so logging has been a struggle.” n Northeast Across the Northeast region there seems to be a mixed bag on how hardwood lumber sales were varying, at the time of this writing. In Maine a sawmill representative said that his sales have been poor. “There is lack of demand, and there is over supply. I don’t think that sales will change for quite a while. As far as I can tell everyone is waiting to see what the summer brings and that is usually a quiet time, even in the best of markets,” he said. He noted that despite his sales being poor they are better than they were six months ago. “Lumber seems to be moving, but the pricing is a lot different than it was,” he continued. His company handles Hard and Soft Maple, Yellow Birch and Ash in all grades from pallet to prime and in thicknesses 4/4-8/4. He mentioned that Yellow Birch is selling the best for them right now. He said that his company sells to end users, such as furniture, kitchen cabinet and flooring manufacturers, as well as distribution yards, brokers and wholesa- Continued on page 23 Page 14 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Page 15
