‘The Music City’
‘The Music City’ Welcomes 2011 NHLA Nashville, Tenn.– Please turn to page 57 Convention BY GARY, WAYNE AND PAUL MILLER JR. A total of 970 attendees packed the Gaylord Opryland Hotel, located here, for three days of exhibits and guest speakers during the 2011 NHLA Annual Convention & Exhibit Showcase, hosted by the National Hardwood Lumber Association and presented by the Lumbermen’s Underwriting Alliance. Co-sponsors included Upper Canada Forest Products, UCS Global, A&M Woods Specialty and Sierra Forest Products. Included among the many speakers was: Robin Crow, author, speaker and entrepreneur, served as opening session guest speaker for the Convention. He was followed Friday by John Calipari, University of Kentucky men’s head basketball coach, a highly recognized and successful coach, mentor and motivational speaker. Chris Bingaman led a Hardwood “Check-Off” Panel Discussion during the Convention and Dana Spessert, NHLA Chief Inspector, guided a panel discussion about NHLA rules as part of several educational seminars intended to enlighten participants about the many aspects of the Hardwood lumber grading system. Michael Snow, executive director of AHEC, moderated an Pictured are 12 of the past NHLA presidents, as well as the current office holder, who attended this year’s convention: (Back Row, from left): Henry Jones; Bob Owens; John Thomson; Ted Thomas; Orn Gudmundsson, Sr.; Jim Howard; and (Front row, from left): Len Barrett; Greg Kitchens; Ted Rossi; Dave Redmond, current NHLA President; Gladys Hamer; Wendell Cramer and Wally Fields. Jean-Francois Audet, Primewood Lumber, Drummondville, Que.; Jack Shannon III, J.T. Shannon Lumber Co. Inc., Memphis, Tenn.; and Kevin Nolan, Rives & Reynolds Lumber Co. Inc., Louisville, Miss. Jack and Katie Shannon Jr., J.T. Shannon Lumber Co. Inc., Memphis, Tenn.; and Jeff Hanks, Bill Hanks Lumber Co. Inc., Danbury, N.C. Doug Keele, Wood-Mizer Products Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.; and Karen Hjerpe and Don Lake, Dunavant Global Logistics Group, Memphis, Tenn. 26 Hardwoods...A Renewable Resource
Greg and Cynthia Kitchens, Kitchens Bros. Manufacturing Co. Inc., Utica, Miss.; Paul Miller Jr., National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis, Tenn.; and Mike Schulke, Tigerton Lumber Co., Tigerton, Wis. John Hawkinson, Hawkeye Forest Products Inc., Boise, Idaho; John Patterson, Begley Lumber Co. Inc., London, Ky.; Paula Turlington, SII Dry Kilns, Lexington, N.C.; Jeff Childs, Hawkeye Forest Products Inc., Mt. Vernon, Ohio; Chuck Boaz, Corley Manufacturing Co., Chattanooga, Tenn.; and Lee Stitzinger, BWP Hardwoods Inc., Brookville, Pa. Brian Potter, Pike Lumber Co. Inc., Akron, Ind.; George Crawford, Somerset Wood Products Inc., Somerset, Ky.; Jesse LaSon, Rossi Group, Cromwell, Conn.; and Randy Flament, Emporium Hardwoods Inc., Emporium, Pa. Diane Beauchamp, Northern Hardwoods, South Range, Mich.; and Stephanie Van Dystadt and Viateur Girard, DV Hardwoods Inc., Fassett, Que. Steve Lawser, Wood Component Manufacturers Association, Marietta, Ga.; Deb Hawkinson, Hardwood Federation, Washington, D.C.; Paula Turlington, SII Dry Kilns, Lexington, N.C.; Mark Barford, NHLA Executive Director/CEO, Memphis, Tenn.; and Carlton Owen, U.S. Endowment for Forestry Communities, Greenville, S.C. Steve Gunderson, Wesley Boles, and Debra and Parker Boles, Hermitage Hardwood Lumber Sales Inc., Cookeville, Tenn.; and Paul Miller Jr., National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis, Tenn. Romel Bezerra, InterSomma LLC, Pembroke Pines, Fla.; and Gina and Ray Wheeland, Wheeland Lumber Co. Inc., Liberty, Pa. Steve Staryak, Lawrence Lumber Co., Maiden, N.C.; Mark Vollinger, W.M. Cramer Lumber Co., Hickory, N.C.; and Casey Goodman, C.B. Goodman & Sons Lumber Inc., Hickory, Ky. Additional photos on next page Wayne Miller, National Hardwood Magazine, Memphis, Tenn.; Rod Reader, Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. Inc., Stoughton, Mass.; and Troy Brown, Kretz Lumber Co. Inc., Antigo, Wis. NOVEMBER/2011 27
