BC Wood News On-line will focus on the latest happenings at BC Wood, articles from BC Wood staff, Member news, and additions and changes to the BC Wood website. It will grow and change depending on the demands and needs of our Members. As always, please contact Mary Jelic with comments, suggestions, or contributions. We hope that you enjoy this new informative newsletter and look forward to hearing from you.

I heard a comment from one of our members the other day that got me thinking. He said, “every time I read something about BC Wood, it’s changing again”. Given my experience running the organization for the past two years, I thought that he made a good point. Then I started thinking about what really has changed, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that BC Wood’s mandate has actually remained remarkably consistent. Our mandate of “helping value-added wood product manufacturers find and take advantage of new market opportunities” is the same today as it was when BC Wood was founded.

What else hasn’t changed? BC Wood is still industry led, with an all-industry Board of Directors. BC Wood is still funded jointly by industry, the provincial government and the federal government. BC Wood still represents every wood products sector in every area of the province. Finally, BC Wood still responds quickly to the changing marketing needs of our members.

That’s not to say that we do everything the same way we always did. BC Wood’s delivery of its services continues to improve and has become more structured and professional. In an effort to improve our member’s ability to enter export markets, BC Wood is in the process of launching the Market Expansion Program. This program is the next step in providing the marketing tools required for the BC value-added wood products industry to continue to expand and compete globally – BC Wood’s mission since 1989.

Many of you have already visited the new Members Only section on the BC Wood website or heard about it in the last issue of the Value Added Report. If you haven’t, we think that you will be pleasantly surprised with what you find. We have designed this area of the website to serve as a timely information source for our Members and a place to go to when conducting market research or retrieving WWIS leads.

The Members Only area is continually being upgraded. The newest editions to the area include What’s New, What’s New Archives, International Markets, Resource Center, and Tradeshow Readiness. In addition, there are sections on Business Services, Business Tools, E-Mail Newsletters, Market Reports, Tradeshow Updates, and Members Exchange.

When you first log into the Members Only area, you will want to go to the What’s New section. This is where you will find announcements of the latest additions to the website, as well as value-added industry news. If you happen to miss a week or two of announcements, you can always find them in the What’s New Archive section.

International Markets currently includes information on China, Europe, India and Japan. Each country contains some brief facts and background to give you a general idea about the country. Articles, written by our in-market representatives, are listed by country, giving you inside information on what is happening in their markets. Information about the BC Wood program contains the direction and marketing strategy that BC Wood is currently pursuing for each specific country. BC Wood, government, and other useful contacts are available for each of the countries. Various websites and reports pertaining to each country are listed for your reference as well.

The Resource Center contains information on the BC Wood library. Here you can find out what new reports and publications BC Wood has received, what publications BC Wood subscribes to with the associated website links, and information on articles within these publications that may be of interest to our Members. If you require specific market intelligence information, you can contact Mary Jelic or complete the online request form.

Tradeshow Readiness features information for preparing to travel abroad to BC Wood funded tradeshows. This area contains information that will assist you in preparing for your trip, Canada Direct Access Numbers, Canada Government Offices abroad, jet lag remedies, a travelers kit, and some useful travel related websites.

The Tradeshow Readiness section also contains Country Travel Reports, which is travel related information for countries that BC Wood and its members often visit. These countries include Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. For each country, there is information on such topics as vaccinations, disease precautions, crime, travel, and money matters. We hope this is useful to you as you prepare for your trip abroad.

The Members Only website is always changing, with new items added everyday. Tradeshow Tips, as well as an online version of the BC Wood resource center database will be the newest editions to this area, available in the near future. Be sure to keep up to date by checking the What’s New section often. Again, if you have any questions, comments, or contributions that you would like to make about this website, please contact Mary Jelic.

Are you interested in exporting your products or entering new markets? Do you want to participate in industry-relevant marketing events, tradeshows, and missions? If yes, BC Wood’s new Market Expansion Program is the answer.

The Market Expansion Program guides you through the process of developing a marketing plan by providing you with a sector-specific template and user guide, information sessions, seminars, and workshops. Topics range from Financing and Insurance, Brokerage, Packaging, Freight Forwarding and Distribution, to Maximizing Tradeshow Opportunities and Winning at Marketing; all delivered regionally, on a cost-shared basis.

Additional courses, seminars and workshops may be taken at British Columbia Institute for Studies in International Trade (BCISIT), the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT), or provided in collaboration with the Export Development Corporation (EDC), the Canada Housing & Mortgage Corporation (CHMC), Industry Canada International Trade Centres, and others.

Detailed information will be available soon. Be sure to check www.bcwood.com regularly for updates.

Canadian manufacturers will save hundreds of dollars in time and money with a new contract agreement template created for Canadian companies building homes in Germany. Commissioned by the Canadian Consulate in Hamburg, Germany, the template requires only the specific manufacturer and purchaser details to provide a professional, legal contract.

Canadian manufacturers are estimated to build 1000 - 1500 homes annually in Germany for German clients. Many companies were running into difficulties due to cultural and business practice differences. In response, the Canadian Consulate hired a lawyer to draft a contract agreement template that would ensure Canadian manufacturers had all the information they needed, and that both parties had a roadmap that would be agreed on and followed for the duration of the project.

Specifics of the contract include the prefabrication and assembly of the house in Germany. The manufacturer can outline what they will and will not do, reference any changes to the plan, and provide an estimated cost along with the details on work progress and resources. A delivery schedule outlines the timeframe for delivery during the building process. Site preparation and the assembly of the house indicates where the house is to be built and describes the working conditions of the site.

An area where manufacturers had previously run into problems was with price, payment and duties and taxes. In the template, base contract price and terms of payment, including when and how the payments will be made, as well as who will pay what duties and taxes is clearly detailed. Information is also included on invoices and interest; risk of loss, damage and transport insurance; acceptance; warranty; certificates and inspections; arbitration; and applicable law.

For more information on this template, please contact BC Wood’s European Representative, Ludger Spohr or Wolfgang Schefczyk of the Consulate of Canada in Hamburg at (011-49-40) 46-00-27-0. The Consulate in Hamburg deals with the log home, forest products, and wood furniture sectors. In addition, you can contact Wolfgang Schefczyk if you need assistance with obtaining a working visa in Germany.

For Pickle Ridge Rustic Carpentry, the Hospitality Design Expo in May proved to be the right show. BC Wood brought six member companies to the HD Expo, and first time exhibitors Pickle Ridge found a great deal of interest in their product line. In fact one North Carolina retailer was so taken with owner John Lore’s’ product that he bought the display furniture right from his booth. The furniture he purchased included a bedroom set of a bed, armoire, dresser, nightstand, and a bistro set.

John has an environmentally friendly marketing strategy in place, hoping to target the eco-tourism industry. Based out of Duncan, B.C., Pickle Ridge likes to walk the “ecological highroad”, with a natural looking product that has a low impact on the environment. They use salvaged wood that is left over from clearing areas so they are not cutting down any new trees. Pickle Ridge creates rustic looking indoor and outdoor furniture by using cedar and alder sticks and logs with the bark still on it. A non-toxic oil wax mixture is used to finish the wood and no composite materials are used, so no harmful chemicals are involved in the finishing process.

One of Pickle Ridge’s recent projects involved the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Centre. Environmentalists who wanted a furniture product that would not create a problem for the environment run the centre, and decided that Pickle Ridge’s eco-friendly furniture was a perfect fit. Following on the success of the Puget Sound project, John decided to check out the vast hospitality design market through the HD Expo, held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I had the opportunity to speak with John Lore about his company and his experience at the Hospitality and Design Show. Although this was their first time exhibiting at the show, John’s expectations were exceeded, and he plans to attend again next year. “It was a great show. The right kind of people who influence buying decisions were there and we think we will receive lots of work out of it,” commented John.

The show attracted a large crowd and it is the place to be if you are marketing your products to the hospitality and design industry. Attendees at the Hospitality Design Expo include furniture agents, interior designers, and architects who come to the show to get ideas for future projects. Compared to the smaller garden shows that Pickle Ridge has attended in the past, the Hospitality and Design Show helped them gather qualified leads. John used an electronic card scanner to scan the prospects contact information, which allowed him to gather a large number of qualified leads, and will assist with his follow up contact after the show.

For more information on the Hospitality Design Show, you can visit their website at www.hdexpo.com or contact BC Wood.

New Associate Members

Formed in 1988, the Comox Valley Economic Development Society is your "first stop" for business information services in the Comox Valley. We work together with local government, community organizations and companies to increase wealth, investment and employment in the Valley. Currently we are working in partnership with Hancock Timber Resources on a 500 acre value added wood processing centre.
John Watson (250) 334-2421

Not signed up for the Enhanced version of the BC Wood Worldwide Inquiry System? Contact Yuri Akeroyd to find out the benefits of enhanced membership.