BC
Wood's New Board of Directors
Bill Downing, CEO
BC
Wood’s Annual General Meeting was held in Whistler on
September 15th. The meeting was an historic one as it marked
two important firsts: the appointment of Sector Advisory Committee
chairs to the Board, and the election of our first Director
from Alberta. The changes to BC Wood’s Board reflect
two major initiatives: the restructuring by product sector
and the transition to Western Wood, with membership across
Western Canada.
The composition of BC Wood’s Board has always reflected
an effort to have representation by product sector and geography.
This has now been formalized in the new Board structure with
each of the seven chairs of the Sector Advisory Committees
automatically sitting on the Board. The Chair and four “directors
at large” provide further balance.
Here
are the directors of BC Wood’s 2005-2006 Board
I
would like to welcome the new Directors to the Board (Gary
Berman, Werner Budau, Mike Friesen, Kevin Ainsworth and Dave
Holland and Tony Pistilli), acknowledge the returning Directors
(Chair Roy Manion, Grant McKinnon, Wayne Ward, Mark Rufiange
and Russ Dowdeswell), and thank the three outgoing Directors
who have completed their term on the board: Ron Neil of Mitsui
Homes, John Gillis of Weyerhaeuser and Willard Ripley of River
City Woodworks.
BC
Wood's board has always been a source of strength for the
organization. We have been very fortunate in attracting dedicated
individuals with a passion for our industry. This year's board
is no exception.
BC
Wood Open House
Mark
Your Calendars!
BC
Wood invites you to attend an Open House to celebrate the
Festive Season!
When
and where:
Thursday,
December 15th
Refreshments served 3:00 - 6:00PM
Gift Draws at 5:00PM
BC
Wood Office
Suite 200, 9292-200th Street Langley
Bring
along some brochures to add to our display!
Western
Red Cedar Mission to
Japan 2006
Jim Ivanoff, Program Manager Japan
Traditionally,
Western Red Cedar has been a preferred species for outdoor
applications in Japan. While it still enjoys tremendous popularity,
Western Red Cedar’s position in the market has come under
attack from several highly durable hardwood species such as
Brazilian Ipe and Australian Jarrah as well as a domestic
push to increase the use of sugi (Japanese cedar).
 However,
the promotion of these competitive species has, as a result,
also helped increased the awareness of durable wood species
in general. This, coupled with the recent interest in natural
wood products, is now leading more and more house builders
to use wood on the exteriors of new homes, creating more opportunity
for Western Red Cedar products.
Opportunities
for Western Red Cedar:
- Outdoor
applications in residential projects: The use of deck panels/
materials, lattice, and small furniture is growing in Japan
due to both appreciation for the natural look of wood as
well as interest in do-it-yourself projects. Many condominiums
and commercial buildings are now adding roof-top gardens
to create green space and also combat “heat island”
effect.
- Commercial
projects: The drive to use natural building products gained
a huge boost with the 2005 Aichi Expo. More commercial projects
can be expected to follow suit and offer the kind of relaxing
atmosphere that wood can create. This is especially true
for new resort developments that are currently being planned.
- Indoor
paneling: The “woody house” look has become popular
in Japan leading many builders to use various types of wood
interior paneling. Species such as WRC and sugi are chosen
due to their unique colouring and fragrance.
- High-end
DIY/ Home Center products: DIY chains are following Joyful
Honda’s lead in increasing the amount of wood products
they stock. To differentiate themselves, some are adding
higher quality WRC products, much of which is currently
inefficiently produced in small volumes in Japan.
 To
both capitalize on these trends by promoting BC manufacturers
and to also help reinforce Western Red Cedar’s image
in Japan, BC Wood is planning a mission to Japan in March.
The mission will consist of a series of promotional seminars
across Japan where members will have the opportunity to meet
and make presentations to potential distributors/ buyers.
Past seminars have attracted on average 40 Japanese industry
people and allowed members to meet one-on-one with these key
contacts.
The
preliminary mission schedule is as follows:
Saturday,
March 11th: Depart Vancouver
Sunday, March 12th: Arrive in Tokyo
Monday, March 13th: Visit WRC distributor (am), WRC seminar
in Tokyo (pm)
Tuesday, March 14th: WRC seminar in Nagoya
Wednesday, March 15th: Visit WRC distributor, WRC seminar
in Osaka (pm)
Thursday, March 16th: WRC seminar in Fukuoka
Friday, March 17th: Arrive in Vancouver
Members
will also have the option of coming earlier to visit or participate
in the Nikkei Architectural Show (March 7th-10th), which is
one of the two major building products shows in Japan, and/or
to stay longer for the Kita-Kyushu Total Living Show (March
17th-20th), which is the largest industry show in Kyushu.
As
this schedule is subject to change, please contact Jim Ivanoff
(Japan Program Manager) for further details by email ivanoff@canadawood.jp
or Brian Hawrysh at 604-882-7100
Arch
Cards
How
to effectively reach 50,000 industry
professionals in Japan
Jim Ivanoff, Program Manager Japan
Picking
the right medium to promote your products can be a daunting
task in any market, but in Japan it can be almost overwhelming
with so many choices. Of course, potential customers are constantly
being bombarded from many different directions. Luckily in
the housing industry, the Arch Cards are available to cut
through the clutter and get the attention of your target audience.
The
Arch Cards publishers maintain a database of 50,000 housing
industry professionals including architects, builders, and
distributors. The database is divided into two groups, primarily
along the lines of architects and builders. Each month, one
of these groups is sent a direct mailing consisting of a package
of postcards with each postcard acting as an individual advertisement.
What
makes this medium effective though, is that the postcards
direct recipients to reply by giving them several options,
on the back of the card, on how to get more information on
the product or company. The recipient then just has to drop
the postcard into the mail and it is returned to the advertiser
for further follow-up. With the returned postcard the advertiser
gets not only the company’s name and address, but also
the specific contact at the company, company profile, and
their specific interest.
Additionally,
unlike most other forms of advertising, Arch Cards are actually
read. The Arch Cards have developed a positive reputation
for introducing new and innovative products so industry people
look forward to receiving and viewing them. On average, advertisers
receive about 250 requests for information for each insert.
BC Wood can attest to this as the Arch Cards are a major reason
why we have been able to expand our own database from just
over 1,000 entries two years ago to well over 4,000 today.
We have averaged more than 500 replies per insert!
As
the Arch Cards have served us well, BC Wood would now like
to offer this great opportunity to our members at a special
price of only $2,500 per insert. This is less than half of
the amount it would cost companies to do this promotion on
their own. Additionally, BC Wood’s Japan Office will
collect and process all inquiries on behalf of members that
do not have an office in Japan. However, this is a limited
time offer as all submissions must be made by the end of December.
Also, unfortunately we only have a limited number of inserts
we can accommodate, so applications will be taken on a first-come
first-serve basis.
Contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp
for more details.
Upcoming
Shows and Events
Japan
Home Show
Tokyo, Japan
November 16-20, 2005
The
Japan Home Show is the largest tradeshow for the housing and
building materials industry in Japan. Every year, the show
attracts over 1200 exhibitors and 93,000 attendees. It provides
an excellent venue for making contact with key people in the
Japanese housing industry and for expanding business in Japan.
Attendees include wholesalers, retailers, builders, architects,
interior designers, contractors, and developers.
This
event will interest you if you manufacture: decorative building
materials such as doors, windows, millwork, and flooring;
laminated structural building materials such as stair components;
outdoor garden products such as gazebos, decking, and trellis’
out of Western Red Cedar; pre-built structures such as 2x4
housing, and timber frame homes; and remanufactured products.
For
more information, contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp
Home
Builders Expo
Osaka, Japan
November 25-28, 2005
This
tradeshow, held after the Japan Home Show in Osaka, is delivered
by the same organization as the Japan Home Show (Japan Management
Association), and holds great promise for targeting housing
and building materials buyers in the greater Kansai region.
Last year the show attracted over 23,000 attendees comprising
of home builders, wholesalers, retailers, architects, interior
designers, contractors, developers, and real estate agents.
This
tradeshow will interest you if you manufacture: Decorative
building materials such as doors, windows, millwork, and flooring;
laminated structural building materials such as stair components;
and pre-built structures such as 2x4 housing.
For more information, contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp
Welcome
to BC Wood
Jireh
Lumber Inc.
Jireh Lumber Inc. is an experienced exporter of Hardwood and
Softwood logs and lumber. Their office is based in Vancouver,
British Columbia, with sales office in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Jireh Lumber exports Walnut, Hard Maple, Cherry and Red Oak;
Hemlock, Douglas Fir and Spruce and specializes in Cedar.
Tel: 604-244-7145
Fax: 604-244-7115
E-mail: jireh@shaw.ca jireh@shaw.ca
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2005
GBM Update
Randi Walker, Manager, Member Services
We
are pleased to report that BC Wood’s 2005 Global Buyers
Mission was a triumphant success for British Columbia’s
value-added wood products industry - and a HUGE contributor
to the BC economy!
The
‘05 GBM was easily the largest event ever hosted by BC
Wood and may well have been the largest forest products event
ever held in Canada.
Click
on the following links for:
•
2005
GBM Show Report
• 2005
Photo Gallery
To
register for the 2006 Global Buyers Mission, click the link
below
•
2006
GBM Registration Form
• 2006
GBM Floorplan
For
more information on the Global Buyers Mission, contact Randi
Walker at 604-882-7100 or rwalker@bcwood.com.
2010
Infrastructure Initiative
Daryl Holmes, Project Manager
United States and European Union
This
Industry event was held on September 16th, 2005 in Whistler,
in conjunction with the BC Wood Global Buyers Mission. The
event hosted architects; designers, builders and other industry
members involved and interested in the construction of ancillary
Olympic facilities, and other building/renovation projects
along the Sea to Sky corridor. The event included high-profile
speakers, exclusive venue and site visits, information on
and promotion of wood species and product applications, as
well as an introduction to manufacturers of B.C.'s value added
wood products, one on one meetings and networking.
The
event featured the following:
- Over
80 attendees representing the architectural, design, building
and construction community.
-
Over 85 B.C. value-added wood manufacturers showcasing products
and design elements at the GBM.
- Presentation
by Michael Vance, G.M. Community Initiatives - Resort Municipality
of Whistler.
- Presentation
by Doug Ewing, Project Manager for the Whistler Venues,
Vancouver 2010.
- Site
visits of Whistler Mountain Resorts Ltd's "Kadenwood"
Homes, Whistler, B.C.
- Presentations
by Don Gurney, President, Open Space Architecture, Robert
Ledingham, President, Ledingham Design Consultants, &
Ted Hall, Owner, Spearhead Timberworks.
- Site
visit of Munster & Sons Ltd's "Taluswood"
home, Whistler, B.C.
- Networking
sessions between architectural, design, building and construction
attendees and value-added wood producers during the GBM
- GBM
luncheon with keynote speaker address by Doug Konkin, Deputy
Minister, Ministry of Forests.
The
goal of the event was to showcase world class B.C. wood products
and to inspire the architectural/design/building community
to use wood in their existing and future projects. The following
feedback was received from event attendees:
- "After
being here today I am inspired to use wood in my designs.
I'm currently working on a project which was leaning toward
steel--now I would like to see if we can use a combination
of wood and steel." Ron Blennerhassett, Musson Cattell
Mackey Partnership
- "The
whole day was excellent, there was good information, new
contacts, and good networking opportunities. Activities
such as the site visits, and the one on one meetings with
B.C. Wood members encouraged us to meet new people and discuss
topics of common interest."
- "Very
educational, very informative. We learned things about the
business and industry that we would not have had access
to if we had not attended - very worthwhile."
- 100%
of attendees surveyed expressed interest in future B.C.
Wood initiatives.
- 80
% of attendees felt they would likely be engaged in business
with manufacturers they met at the event.
- 100%
of attendees would like to see B.C. Wood's Olympic program
continued.
- 100%
of feedback rated the event as 8-9 out of 10.
- 70%
of attendees cited the event inspired them to consider utilizing,
or using more, wood in their firm's future projects.
In
Partnership with:
Forestry
Innovation Investment Ltd.
Western Economic Diversification
Canadian Wood Council
For more information on the 2010 Infrastructure Initiative,
contact Daryl Holmes at dholmes@bcwood.com
2006
China Mission Updates
Brian
Hawrysh, Director, Remanufactured and Engineered Wood Products
New
Dates for BC Wood China Missions - Spring 200
In
order to accommodate a more favourable schedule for our Chinese
hosts, BC Wood’s two up-coming missions to China will
be re-scheduled for spring of 2006. These two programs offer
our members an excellent opportunity to meet with key Chinese
buyers in these two rapidly growing sectors:
Resort
Sector Mission
February 28th - March 8th, 2006
• Week-long mission will focus on the growing Resort
Sector
• Targeted meetings with pre-qualified developers, builders,
architects and distributors
• Program includes a one-day seminar featuring participating
companies and follow-up site visits
• Specifically targeted for manufacturers of: log &
timber frame structures, exterior siding & roofing and
Western-styled finished products
Industrial Lumber Mission
March 20th - 28th, 2006
• Week-long mission will focus on hardwood and softwood
end-users in China
• Targeted at furniture, giftware and millwork manufacturers
in the Shanghai and Guangzhou regions
• Program includes a one-day seminar and follow-up site
visits to pre- qualified manufacturing plants and distribution
facilities
• Specifically targeted for manufacturers of: hardwood
& softwood industrial lumber and semi-finished components
DO
NOT MISS THIS CHANCE TO SHOWCASE YOUR COMPANY IN CHINA!!
BC
Wood will coordinate on behalf participating companies airfares,
ground transportation, hotel reservations, seminar bookings
and site visits. Space will be limited so members interested
in participating in either of these two up-coming missions
should contact Brian Hawrysh at 604-882-7100 or bhawrysh@bcwood.com
for more information.
Salon
Maison Bois 2005
David Pao, Project Coordinator
The
Salon Maison Bois was held from September 30 to October 3,
2005 in Angers, France. This exhibition is the largest wood
construction show in France and continues to attract thousands
of attendees from throughout Europe with a strong emphasis
on the French Rhone region. Now in its 7th year, with over
52,000 participants, Salon Maison Bois remains the most important
show for the wood frame, pre-built structures, structural
building materials, and outdoor garden products.
BC
Wood and member companies participated with partnering associations
in a high-profile unified Canadian Pavilion that effectively
showcased British Columbia wood products. The quantity of
attendees visiting BC Wood members was overwhelming and continued
throughout the event with hundreds of inquiries from European
architects, builders, and developers. Interest was especially
strong for Canadian timber frame homes and building products.
Members that participated in this event included: Linwood
Homes, Maple Homes, Sperlich Log Homes, Anglo American Cedar
and the BC Shake and Shingle Association.
In
particular, considerable interest was shown in the Log Home
display of Peter Sperlich. At one point during the 3-day event,
attendees were lined up 10 deep to meet with Peter and his
3 interpreters and discuss the opportunity to own one of his
beautiful handcrafted red cedar log home. To quote Peter “
With myself and 3 interpreters, I still can’t keep up,
this is great”
“The
response at the 2005 SMB in Angers France exceeded all expectations.
The event was alive with activity from the very moment it
opened to the closing hour on the last day. It was also common
to see enthusiastic visitors’ line-up in the Linwood
stand to view our home plan collections and discuss their
homebuilding plans. There is an excitement in France for our
homes and Linwood will be back next year in Angers to take
advantage of the opportunities.” – Paul Dauphinee,
Linwood Homes.
Please
contact Dave Farley at dfarley@bcwood.com
for more information.
Trade
Commissioner Service
Discover
New Business
Harvey
Rebalkin, Trade Commissioner, International Trade Canada
Are
you looking for ways to make the most of international opportunities?
Could you use reliable contacts, relevant intelligence and
the chance to network with potential clients and partners?
Your
Virtual Trade Commissioner (VTC) provides access to business
leads, news and key international opportunities. Discover
qualified leads - Canadian Trade Commissioners abroad in collaboration
with theInternational Business Opportunities Centre deliver
eligible leads exclusively to VTC users. Gain insight into
your sector - Through VTC, you can access news items that
match your business interests pulled from over 7,000 sources.
This invaluable information, updated daily, can keep you informed
of events that could affect your company’s growth. Build
networks and strategic alliances - Trade shows, missions and
events are excellent opportunities to discover business leads
and further develop your network of contacts. Use your VTC
to keep up to date and to register on-line for special events.
Pull
it all together with help from a Trade Commissioner - All
the content available through your VTC goes hand-in-hand with
the experience and knowledge of a Trade Commissioner located
in your target market who specializes in your industry sector.
Ask for a “Key contacts search” to obtain a list
of qualified contacts in your target market. Once you have
found a promising opportunity, ask for a “Market prospect”
to learn more about it.
For
more information on the Virtual Trade Commissioner, or to
register, visit www.infoexport.gc.ca
Got
Something to Say?
If
you have any questions, comments, or would like to contribute
to BC Wood News On-line, please contact David
Pao at:
BC
Wood
#200 - 9292, 200th Street
Langley, BC
Phone: (604) 882-7100
Fax: (604) 882-7300
Toll Free: 1-877-422-9663
or email dpao@bcwood.com
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