ONTARIO Continued
ONTARIO Continued forestry NHLA products, GRADUATION including, but - Continued from page 32 not limited to timber, paper, and other Graduates wood were: products. This was good news for the Hardwood sector! Dillon Thomas Clough of Dummerston, Vt. – The Cersosimo construction Lumber sector Company, in Ontario Inc. was allowed to continue work Tyler on James commercial Cretin of Lyons, and residential N.Y. – construction that were due Tim to Cretin be delivered Logging & by Sawmilla July deadline. n Andrew Michael Hees of Gaylord, Mich. – Monarch Millwork Collin Elton Howell of Bolivar, Tenn. – NEWS DEVELOPMENTS Continued from page 13 Howell & Sons Lumber Company of California Daniel issued Stark Johnsonius an order directing of Henry, all Tenn. individuals – living in the state Henry to “stay County at home Hardwoods, . . . except Inc. as needed to maintain continuity Jaymes of operation K. Kimballof the Brattleboro, federal Vt. critical – infrastructure sectors.” Cersosimo Lumber Company, Inc. Other Jacob states Randall other Lee of jurisdictions Blue River, Wis. have – developed their own lists Wieland of essential & Sons Lumber industries Company and workers who would be excluded Nathan from Joseph broad Lyons “shelter of Franklin, place” N.C. or similar – quarantine orders. Dana Lynn Maines of Big Run, Pa. – Joshua Troy Myers of Vicksburg, Miss. – WOODWORKING COMPANIES STEP UP TO Brandon Joseph Nichols of Spartansburg, Pa. – HELP FIGHT CORONAVIRUS Northwestern Hardwoods As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, a number Jerry Wallace Page of Arrington, Va. – of woodworking companies shifted their production to aid in Turman Tye River, LLC the fight against the deadly virus. Gator Matthaeus Works, Josef based Thurner in Denham of Kotschach, Springs, Austria LA, – switched from making Josef Thurner millwork Holz to GmbH producing urgently needed plastic face shields. Dyland Lee The Veach shields, of Glasgow, which weigh Ky. – about 2.2 ounces, are made Dickerson from Lumber FDA-compliant Companypolycarbonate plastics so they are Class safe President to use in Andy medical Hees, applications. son of keynote Most speaker orders Mike for Hees, its face delivered shields the have class come address. from He health congratulated care-related the graduates compa-onies, but accomplishments the company of also the last has 14 received weeks and orders encouraged from hospi- them to keep their tals and honing sheriff’s their associations. skills. “We have flipped, measured, and re-measured every board in the shed; and now we all carry the same powerful tool In New Orleans, GoodWood NOLA also is making plastic as we head out into the industry. We have all come a long way but as face shields. Michael Dalle Molle, company owner and director, good as we are now, it’s not quite an ESPN event. Just remember to keep said practicing; the company we’ve switched got a long from way designing to go.” and making furniture after a local hospital group asked for help producing personal protection equipment products. The frame and shield are laser cut and packed flat, then shipped to hospitals where they are assembled and sanitized. Hillcrest Cabinets in North Bay, ON was using its 3D printer to make face shields, which it donated to local healthcare workers. Employees at Kindel, a furniture manufacturer in Grand Rapids, MI, were producing sewn surgical masks to be worn over N-95 masks to prolong the usefulness of the respirator masks. “We are adhering to the CDC guidelines and are maintaining a safe distance, and are continually conscientious of the health and safety of our workers,” a company statement said. Class President Andy Hees, son of keynote speaker Mike Hees, delivered the class Also address. in Michigan, a week after shutting down manufacturing to abide by a state “stay at home” mandate, furniture NHLA Chief Inspector Dana Spessert, acting as Master of manufacturer Herman Miller welcomed back 30 percent of Ceremonies, concluded the program with one final word of wisdom. its workforce to help manufacture face masks and shields. 42 36 JUNE 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE Hardwoods...A Renewable Resource
Case goods manufacturer Palettes by Winesburg also brought back employees to produce face masks. It, too, had closed because of a state order, but the Millersburg, OH based company brought back about 60 of its 200 workers to produce face masks for health-care providers. Its sales manager said returning to work was done voluntarily, that social distancing guidelines were being followed and that the lunch rooms were closed to prevent group congregation. OSHA CLARIFIES COVID-19 REPORTING REQUIREMENTS The U.S. Department of Labor has announced that businesses will not have to consider confirmed cases of CO- VID-19 as recordable incidents for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordkeeping purposes unless objective evidence shows that cases are work related. OSHA noted that determining whether a worker contracted COVID-19 while performing work duties is difficult given the ongoing community spread. This action provides regulatory certainty to manufacturers and helps protect companies from unfounded liability claims while letting businesses focus on hygiene and safety procedures at their facilities. The enforcement memo is available online at https: //bit.ly/2Vahldh. FEDERAL PROGRAMS TO AID SMALL BUSINESSES DURING PANDEMIC President Trump has signed three pieces of legislation to deal with economic strains resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The Hardwood Federation reports that the first bill provided .3 billion for health providers, disease testing and small-business loan subsidies. A second relief package of about 0 billion went into effect that included tax credits for employers offering paid sick leave and increases to unemployment benefits and food assistance.Then the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed, providing around trillion in wide-reaching measures that include direct payments to citizens, loans and grants to small and medium businesses, and support for medical and first responders. Application processes and guidelines for most of the programs had not been developed as of press time. Here are some details: • Disaster Assistance Loans—Used for natural disasters in standard times, the disaster assistance provided by the Small Business Administration allows for affordable financial help to businesses in declared disaster zones (of which all 50 states have been declared for COVID-19). This allows for economic injury loans of up to million at a low rate. More information, including how to apply, is available at www.covid19relief.sba.gov. Please turn the page Family Owned And Operated Since 1976. A.W. Stiles Contractors providing a full line of Modern Day Lumber Drying Equipment. New Installations and Complete Rebuilds on Existing Equipment. Hardwood Package Kilns, Predryers, Walnut Steamers. Also manufacturing softwood kilns, including Dual Path Continuous Kilns. Our kilns are all manufactured in McMinnville, Tennessee. Complete Kiln and Predryer Rebuilds •Roof Replacements •Heating Coils and Complete Steam Systems •Doors and Carriers •Structural Repairs • seals, etc. •Protective Coatings •Complete line of replacement parts Providing replacement control installations and upgrades for existing kilns and pre-dryers. Screen shot above. User Friendly, Reliable, Compatible with Existing Equipment. Contact: Lee Stiles Cell: (931) 409-0144 286 Bass Lane, McMinnville, TN 37110 Email: lee@awscontractorsinc.com Website: www.awscontractorsinc.com JUNE 2020 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 43
