AHEC COLUMN -Continued
AHEC COLUMN -Continued from page 19 the U.S. hardwood resource are published in newspapers, magazines and trade journals worldwide. Several times per year, AHEC publishes membership lists in major overseas publications that target buyers and end users of hardwood. AHEC maintains offices in Japan, Europe, Dubai, China, and Mexico, in addition to our Sterling, Virginia headquarters. If you would like additional information on our overseas promotional programs for U.S. hardwoods, please contact Tripp Pryor at tpryor@ahec.org or by phone at 703/435-2900. Detailed information can also be found on our websites at www.ahec.org and www.americanhardwood.org. n Who's Who - Amidon - Continued from page 2 International Affairs from George Mason University in Virginia and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from University of Hull in the UK. She also holds a Certified Association Executive credential (CAE). Learn more at www.IWPAwood.org. n Who's Who - Zerbian - Continued from page 2 lumber yard where his duties ranged from lumber grading and stacking, forklift operator and planing line operation. His focus has since been on the lumber/dimension procurement and sales. This is Zerbian’s first job in the forest products industry. Prior to working at Fitzpatrick and Weller, he worked in the demolition industry and the forestry/resource management industries. He worked for the Forestry Department of New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for three years. Zerbian graduated from Ellicottville Central School in Ellicottville, NY and then went on to receive his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science with a concentration in natural resources from Ithaca College. Zerbian enjoys hunting, fishing, trapping, woodworking, farming, tree cutting and arborist work as well as sports and fitness. He has been married to Rachel Zer- bian since 2019 and they are expecting their first child this summer. Fitzpatrick and Weller is a member of the American Hardwood Export Council, National Hardwood Lumber Association, Empire State Forest Products Association, Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., Penn-York Lumbermen’s Club, Wood Products Manufacturers Association and the Forest Stewardship Council. For more information, call 716-474-6785, email camronz@fitzweller.com, or visit www.fitzweller.com. n Who's Who - VanVeenendaal - Continued from page 2 his entire life, he joined AWP’s sales group in 2014. VanVeenendaal and his wife Lisa live in Holidaysburg, Pennsylvania and they have one daughter. He enjoys spending time with his family and fishing. AWP is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, American Hardwood Export Council, Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc. and West Virginia Forestry Association. AWP is also involved with various board of directors in these associations. For more information, call 814-203-7237, email gerryvan@alleghenywood. com, or visit www.alleghenywood.com. n IWPA COLUMN -Continued from page 3 place in the association. That feeling of community isn’t anything that shows up in a spreadsheet or an annual report, yet it is one of the make-or-break aspects of an association. An association is more than numbers and statistics, it is the members who make it what it is. I have worked in a number of trade associations in my career and what drew me back to the wood products industry after a decade apart is the people, the sense of our voice being loudest and most effective when we raise it together in service of the good work our industry does to support jobs here in North America and all around the world. Our association has so much good to focus on. Just this year IWPA rolled out new on-demand educational courses, created by industry veterans. We are once again holding our in-person due care training, this year expanded by half a day and taught by a deep bench of industry professionals. Since January we have done dozens of Capitol Hill visits, often with members of the industry on a variety of topics including AD/CVD issues, CITES implementation, GSP renewal, CNL reform, and Lacey Act improvement. Our committees are reinvigorated under the exciting leadership of IWPA members both on and off our Board, helping with input on regulatory comments, outreach to agencies, Capitol Hill talking points, and even suggesting speakers for our Convention. As I look forward to the culmination of my first year as IWPA’s Executive Director this summer, I am struck by how so many dedicated professionals have come together to support me and the IWPA team as we work to accomplish big things for our members. If you are looking for ways to get involved in that work, I can’t wait to talk to you. n NORTHEAST BUSINESS TRENDS - Continued from page 15 lers, and pallet manufacturers and railway tie manufacturers. “The distribution yards are busy, not as busy as they would like, but busy. The kitchen cabinet and flooring manufacturers are quiet. The brokers and wholesalers are somewhat busy, they are having to call around to find the best price. I’ve noticed the pallet manufacturers are slowing down and the railway tie manufacturers are clamoring for more ties,” he went on. When asked if he was having trouble with labor, he said that his mill will always have difficulties in that regard as his mill is in a remote part of the state. As for transportation he said that he is getting calls left and right from trucking companies looking for business. “We’ve been through this before and we’ll come out of it,” he remarked. A spokesperson for a sawmill in Pennsylvania said that he just recently saw a very good month of shipments for both the domestic and export markets. “This next month seems like it is going to be a little bit more of a wait and see approach for where the market is headed and how our sales are going to be,” he said. He said that his company is doing better than it was six months ago but that they aren’t able to find a good cadence as they are experiencing a series of hills and valleys in regard to their sales. “We need people to use more real American hardwoods and not substitutes,” he noted. His company handles Red Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Cherry, Ash, Poplar and Hickory in grades FAS and No. 1 Common and in thicknesses 4/4-8/4. “We aren’t seeing any species outshine another right now,” he mentioned. “We sell to distributors and manufacturers and their markets are moving. They seem to be in the same predicament we are, and they aren’t sure where their sales will go,” he said. His company isn’t having issues with transportation, at the time of this writing. In New York a lumber representative said that his market is medium. “I want to say our sales are worse than they were six months ago. Our sales to the Chinese and domestic markets are slowing,” he remarked. His company handles Red and White Oak in all grades and thicknesses with White Oak being his best seller. He mentioned that his company sells to hardwood distributors and end users, and they haven’t offered any comments as to how their sales have been doing. He also noted that his company isn’t having issues with transportation or labor.n WEST COAST BUSINESS TRENDS - Continued from page 16 White Oak in FAS, No. 1 Common and No. 2 Common all in 4/4. Walnut is his best seller. He sells his lumber to both distribution yards and end users. “Their business is spotty, which is order-to-order,” he observed. “Transportation is not an issue for us,” he said. “Containers are arriving pretty steadily. We get them in seven to 10 days,” he added. n More than 70 Years of Producing Appalachian Hardwoods Lowery Anderson landerson@ralumber.com Anthony Hammond ahammond@ralumber.com Ling Walker lwalker@ralumber.com Rusty Hawkins rhawkins@ralumber.com 14.4 million board feet Warehouse & Shed Capactiy 1.1 million board feet Kiln Capacity 50 million board feet Annual Production 14 countries Lumber Shipped 1.800.577.5576 | INFO@RALUMBER.COM | FACEBOOK.COM/ROYANDERSONLUMBER Page 22 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Import/Export Wood Purchasing News n June/July 2023 Page 23
