Ashley Amidon is the
Ashley Amidon is the executive director at International Wood Products Association (IWPA), in Alexandria, Virginia. IWPA advocates for the acceptance and demand for the legally sourced and sustainable wood products. IWPA was established in 1956 and is Ashley Amidon the leading international trade association for the North American imported wood products industry. IWPA represents 167 companies and trade associations engaged in the import of hardwoods and softwoods from sustainably managed forests. Amidon started at IWPA as the organization’s lobbyist and PAC director a decade ago. She left to hold roles as a lobbyist for the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association, where she worked on environmental and trade policy issues and the Vice President of Public Policy for the National Pest Management Association, where she led its public policy team and served as treasurer of its Political Action Committee as well as serving as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Pest Management Association. Amidon holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and By Michael Snow, Executive Director American Hardwood Export Council Sterling, VA 703-435-2900 www.ahec.org Who’s Who in Import/Exports Continued on page 22 Camron Zerbian is responsible for lumber purchasing/sales, dimension component sales and general operations at Fitzpatrick and Weller Inc., located in Ellicottville, New York. Fitzpatrick and and Weller Inc. is a lumber Camron Zerbian and wood components manufacturer that focuses on domestic and export sales. They produce 7.5 million board feet of lumber annually, in species of Hard and Soft Maple, Poplar, Red and White Oak, Hickory, Larch, Cherry, Basswood, Ash, Birch, Walnut, White Pine and Sapele, Mahogany and European/American Beech. They handle these species in thicknesses 3/4-12/4 and grades No. 3 Common through Prime and S2S and Rough. Fitzpatrick and Weller also offers SLR, S4S and dimension products, including, edge glued panels, blocks, CNC machining, boring, millwork, cabinet parts/ accessories and more. Zerbian has worked for Fitzpatrick and Weller for two years, where he started out in their dimension plant becoming familiar with their rough and finish mill processes. He then went on to work in their Continued on page 22 Gerry VanVeenendaal is the Northeastern U.S. sales representative for Allegheny Wood Products (AWP), located in Petersburg, West Virginia. AWP has eight sawmills with an annual capacity of 200 million board feet and four drykiln facilities with an Gerry VanVeenendaal annual kiln production of approximately 75 million board feet. AWP produces and sells both green and kiln-dried lumber. They process all traditional Appalachian species including, Red and White Oak, Poplar, Soft and Hard Maple, Cherry, Hickory and Walnut. They mainly produce these in 4/4 thickness through their sawmill and kilndry facilities, however they do have 5/4 through 8/4 in select species. Their green lumber sales are predominately industrial products and No. 2 Common Oak for solid wood flooring. VanVeenendaal grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley until his family moved to Central Pennsylvania. His father held various positions at different hardwood companies exposing VanVeenendaal to the industry at an early age. While he has been in the forest products industry in one form or another Continued on page 22 How Can Your Company Benefit From AHEC Membership? Over the past several months, I have spoken with many of you in the hardwood industry and have found that there is an overwhelming understanding of--and appreciation for--the increasing importance of exports to the short and long-term profitability of our industry. And, while I have found general support for AHEC’s overall mission to “grow the pie” for U.S. exporters through generic educational and promotional activities, I have also learned that there is a perception among the industry that generic promotion is the only thing that AHEC does, and there are no real direct benefits to members who pay dues as opposed to the industry at large who all benefit from generic promotion. As with any trade association, the benefits you receive from AHEC membership tend to be directly proportional to your involvement with the organization. Those members who participate in events overseas and remain in contact with the AHEC overseas staff on a regular basis will certainly get more out of their investment than an inactive member. Nevertheless, the direct benefits even for less active members are substantial, and are outlined below: • American Hardwood Environmental Profile (AHEP) – Simply put, AHEPs are a consignment-specific shipping document which will provide access to information on the risk of illegality as well as sustainability of the U.S. hardwood species contained in that consignment, together with quantitative data on the environmental impacts associated with delivering each specific consignment to an individual customer anywhere in the world. In the short term, this document is designed to satisfy “due diligence” requirements arising from illegal logging legislation such as the Lacey Act in the U.S., the EU Timber Regulation, and Japanese “Green Procurement” laws. This document is free and exclusive to AHEC members, and can be filled out on our new website platform: ahec.org. • Participation in AHEC Trade Show Pavilions: AHEC offers several opportunities per year for members to exhibit in AHEC-funded trade show pavilions at a greatly reduced cost. AHEC takes charge of the stand build, space rental, signage and even the furniture and electrical service. For 2023 AHEC will host (or has hosted) pavilions at Dubai Wood Show, Interzum Guangzhou and FMC Shanghai in China, Vietnam Wood in Ho Chi Minh City, Delhi Wood and Mumbai Wood in India, and TechnoMueble in Guadalajara, Mexico. • Conventions - AHEC holds regional conventions in Greater China/Southeast Asia, Europe, and Mexico. These events provide unique opportunities to network with a large number of potential overseas buyers and learn about the latest market developments. In 2023 we will host our first Greater China Convention since the COVID pandemic in Chengdu, an American hardwood trade symposium with the UK and European Timber Trade Federations and are planning to co-host a Mexico Convention in partnership with IMEXFOR in the fall. Participation in these events are free of charge for AHEC members. • Trade Leads - AHEC distributes trade leads to all AHEC members. These trade leads are received through AHEC overseas offices from potential buyers at trade shows, conventions, networking, and trade missions. • AHEC U.S. Hardwood Exporter Brochure – This publication lists all AHEC members, including complete contact information as well as information on species and product lines. Approximately 20,000 brochures are distributed annually in response to inquiries received by the AHEC overseas offices, and at trade shows, seminars, and other AHEC activities abroad. • Market Intelligence/Statistical Reports: Every month, AHEC members receive market reports from AHEC overseas directors. Reports are based on the directors' 100+ trade servicing visits with timber traders, manufacturers, architects and designers around the world, and provide cutting edge information on current market conditions and future opportunities, feedback from importers and end-users, and updates on the latest regional hardwood events. AHEC Continued on page 19 Table of Contents FEATURES: IWPA World of Wood................... 1 Montréal Wood Convention........ 1 Canadian Hardwood Bureau...... 1 San Group.................................... 4 Oak Pointe.................................... 5 Alan McIlvain Co.......................... 6 DEPARTMENTS: Who's Who in Import/Exports.... 2 AHEC Column.............................. 2 IWPA Column............................... 3 Washington Scene...................... 7 Business Trends USA............... 15 Canadian Trends....................... 17 Stock Exchange....................30-31 Business Trends Abroad...........32 Newswires...................................34 Index of Advertisers.................. 38 IMPORT/EXPORT A Bi-Monthly Newspaper Serving the International Wood Trade. Published by International Wood Trade Publications, Inc. P. O. Box 34908 Memphis, TN 38184 Tel. (901) 372-8280 FAX (901) 373-6180 Web Site: www.woodpurchasingnews.com E-Mail Addresses: Advertising: wpn@millerwoodtradepub.com Editorial: editor@millerwoodtradepub.com Subscriptions: circ@millerwoodtradepub.com Paul Miller, Jr. - President/Editor Terry Miller - Vice President/Associate Editor - Secretary/Treasurer Zach Miller - Vice President Chris Fehr - Sales Representative Sue Putnam - Editorial Director Matthew Fite - Staff Writer Cadance Hanson - Staff Writer Rachael Stokes - Graphic Artist Camille Campbell - Graphic Artist Apryll Cosby - Advertising Manager Lisa Carpenter - Circulation Manager U.S. Correspondents: Chicago, Ill., Grand Rapids, Mich., High Point, N.C., Los Angeles, Calif., Portland, Ore., Memphis, Tenn. Canadian Correspondents: Toronto Foreign Correspondents: Brazil, Philippines, Malaysia, Chile, Bangkok, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand. The Import/Export Wood Purchasing News is the product of a company and its affiliates that have been in the publishing business for over 94 years. Other publications edited for specialized markets and distributed worldwide include: Forest Products Export Directory • Hardwood Purchasing Handbook • National Hardwood Magazine • Green Book’s Hardwood Marketing Directory • Green Book’s Annual subscription rates - 6 bi-monthly issues U.S. - 1 year; - 2 years; 0 - 3 years; Canadian & Foreign orders Must be paid by check drawn on U.S. Bank, Credit Card, or by wire Transfer Canada (U.S. dollars) - 1 year; 5 - 2 years; 0- 3 years; Foreign (airmail) 0 - 1 year; 4 - 2 years (U.S. dollars) Send address changes to: Import/Export Wood Purchasing News P.O. Box 34908, Memphis, TN 38184-0908 The Publisher reserves the right to accept or reject editorial content and Advertisements at the staff ’s discretion. By Ashley Amidon, CAE Executive Director International Wood Products Association Alexandria, VA (703)820-7807 (c) www.iwpawood.org IWPA’s World Of Wood Highlights Importance Of Connection IWPA recently held its annual convention where historically, the Executive Director gives a speech on the state of the association. As I prepped my speech, I was tempted to rely on data; after all metrics are usually an essential part of any business or association. The number of people who choose what you have to offer (members for IWPA, customers for your business), the state of your bottom line, your staff retention… all of these are incredibly important, essential even. However, they don’t give you the full picture. Any association’s success or failure is determined by its members. I don’t just mean that in the obvious way, where members joining or leaving will affect the association’s future. Rather, I mean to say that the character, the energy, the “vibe” (as the kids these days like to say) all form a cohesive culture that will determine success or failure. I recently did a visit with a returning member who last attended a World of Wood convention many years ago, and they compared it to what they felt this year at our meeting. They shared how before, they had felt like since they didn’t know many people, they didn’t feel terribly welcomed, and ended up feeling like they would not do much business at the meeting. They ended up not renewing. They attended our meeting this year and said how it felt like a totally different association – they felt welcomed everywhere, they made great connections, and they did a lot of business. They shared how many people went out of their way to say hello, to make them feel like they had a Quality Everything We strive every day to be on the forefront of our industry by offering first class products and excellent service to our customers. Building relationships around the world. bankshardwoods.com Continued on page 23 Page 2 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Page 3
