By Roy Manion

Global Buyers Mission:

I am sure you will be reading many articles on the GBM in this Wood Connections edition and this one will be no exception; however, this article will focus on just the Architect & Designer Program portion of the GBM.

For the A&D’s, the program began with Thursday’s Living and Building With Wood seminars, which we are pleased to report were among the best we have ever had and accordingly, received excellent reviews from those who attended.

On Friday, we introduced a new program for the architects and designers. In the past, we have take tnhem on site tours of some of the finer projects in Whistler. However, this year, in lieu of site tours, we opted for an architect’s only session with the manufacturers. One of the key reasons is that in previous years, while architects and designers walked the exhibit floor along with the buyers, many exhibitors didn’t get a real chance to talk to the A&D’s. While A&D’s wanted to learn about various products, they really didn’t want a sales presentation and in other cases they would look at a booth from a distance and if there wasn’t an immediate interest, they would simply walk by. In response to all this, Friday afternoon’s, Speed Learning Architects & Designers Only Session was developed.

For the A&D’s, we were able to provide them with Educational Credits for participating in the afternoon session. The A&D’s were broken up into small groups (maximum 4 people) with a specific agenda that required them to visit one of two preselected streams of 10 manufacturers, with each group starting at different exhibitors booths – sort of like “speed dating”.

For the participating exhibitors, they had to prepare 15 minute educational mini seminars which they gave to each of the 10 groups in their “stream”. By the end of the day, many exhibitors were hoarse – a sign they did a lot of talking which was a good thing.

As the program was new, neither the manufacturers nor the A&D’s quite knew what to expect. For many, this was the first time they gave an accredited educational seminar to the A&D’s. The A&D’s, for their part, were pleasantly surprised that they received educational sessions and not “sales pitches”. Some even said they were the most intense series of seminars they had ever attended.

One of the many positives from the session is that A&D’s were expected to sit in on presentations that they initially felt were of no interest, only to find that in some cases, an interest did indeed exist. In at least one case, an architect and exhibitor found a common interest and as a result, the exhibitor could be supplying a major project the architect is working on – a situation that would have never developed without this particular session.

The consensus is that both sides want the program to continue next year.

Architect Program:

Now that the GBM is mostly behind us (we are still collecting surveys to determine what we did right and where improvement is required), we are moving onto our regular A&D programs with a number of activities already booked for October.

Specifiers Guide:

As we have mentioned in the past, the Guide is available on 2GB flash drives which were given out at the GBM. We now have the Guide on-line, in hard cover and on flash drives, which means that we have all the architects and designers requirements handled. If you wish to have your company included in the Specifiers Guide, please let me know.

As always, we welcome your company participation in any of the programs relating to architects, designers, contractors, and local governments, or if you just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com. If you aren’t quite sure if the aforementioned group should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us. We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions.

Please note that I will be on vacation the weeks of September 26th and October 3rd, returning the day after Thanksgiving.

Roy Manion

GBM:

Since our last Wood Connections, the architect program has been almost all about the GBM – almost! After a slow start with sign-ups, we will again have a great turnout from the architect and designer community and we will have an even greater turnout this year than we last year. This is a great testament to the draw that our industry provides.

All of the exhibitors who will be giving presentations to architects on Friday afternoon have either completed their presentations or are currently putting the final touches on them. It is somewhat of a challenge for those who have never presented to architects in the past as the presentations must be educational and generic. As most of us are sales people, it is tough not to be overtly promoting our companies and products. However, based on the presentations we have received, I am very pleased with the caliber of them as they are all very professional and I think it will be a mutually beneficial event for both the architects and the companies involved.

Architect Program:

While the past couple of weeks have been mostly about the GBM, we still continue on with other programs. In this regard, we are now up to 5 L&L sessions that we have booked for the month of October, as well as continuing to work with companies in our industry to assist them in their pursuit of architects.

As we do with all of our Wood Connections reports, we welcome your company to participate in any of the programs or if you just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com . If you aren’t quite sure if architects (and contractors) should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us. We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions.

 Registration for the 8th annual GBM is now sold-out completely. We are delighted to host over 600 delegates to the event this year. The entire office will be in Whistler from Tuesday, September 6th to Sunday, September 11th.

Click here for a current listing of participating industry manufacturers and suppliers.

You can access the current list of registered buyers from Europe, Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, India, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Mexico, United States, Vietnam and Taiwan. Click here for the international buyer listings.

As many of you know, we are also delivering the Living and Building with Wood Forum on Thursday, September 8th, as part of the GBM Program. Participants include: architects & designers; municipal planners; engineers; developers and builders and will be attending to learn about how to use wood in both commercial and residential projects. Click here for a listing of LBWW participants.

The overall GBM Schedule of Events can be accessed by clicking here.

You can also check out BC Wood’s website (www.bcwood.com) for GBM info, lists of past buyers and exhibitors, and great event photos from 2009 and 2010.

We would like to thank our partners and sponsors, without whom this program could not be delivered: Platinum Partners: Natural Resources Canada Wood Export Program (CWEP); Forestry Innovation Investment Ltd. (FII); and Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC); our Silver Partners: Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau (CSSB); and our Bronze Partners: the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) and HSBC Canada. Our Corporate Sponsors this year include The Waldun Group, Howe Sound / Pallin Timber and BFL Canada Insurance Services Inc.

To those of you already registered, we look forward to seeing you on the Mountain!

For more information, please contact me at rwalker@bcwood.com  or call me at 604-882-7100.

GBM:

With the GBM now just a little over two weeks away, everything is in high gear as we put the final touches on what looks to be another great event. Living & Building with Wood (LBWW) delegates continue to sign up, speakers are putting the final touches on their seminars, and all of the exhibitors who will be participating in the LBWW program on Friday afternoon are also working on their presentations. The Friday afternoon LBWW session is new to the GBM and if everything works out as planned, it should be a great addition and a win-win for both the architects and the exhibitors.

Architect Program:

We conducted another 3 lunch & learn sessions over the past two weeks; one focusing on the Wood First Act, one on Timber Frame, and the third split between the Wood First Act and Millwork. That will be it until October as the GBM will use up all our time from now until well after the event. Having said that, we have already booked 4 sessions for October and are also working on 3 mill tours, so once the GBM is behind us, we will be back into our architect and designer program in full force.

In reviewing why there was so much activity with the A&D program during this summer which is normally a very quiet period, I believe it can be attributed to two major factors:

1. BC Wood has become more recognized in the A&D community both as a resource and a deliverer of excellent seminars – many by member companies
2. BC Wood’s expanding exposure in the A&D community along with the province’s Wood First Legislation has increased the architects’ and designers’ desire to learn more about BC’s value-added wood industry and the products we produce.

As we do with all our Wood Connections reports, we welcome your company to participate in any of the programs or if you just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com . If you aren’t quite sure if architects (and contractors) should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us. We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions.

Roy Manion

Global Buyers Mission (GBM):

We are now going all out on the GBM with all that is involved relative to recruiting architects, contractors, and engineers to attend. Architects pay a fee to attend, ensuring that only those who are really interested will be attending.  Developments include:

• We have sent out the invitations to the architect and designer community to attend the GBM and have already received registrations – this year everything is being done on-line, improving our response time and accuracy.
• Essentially, all the speakers for the Thursday seminars have been finalized.  We will now be working with them on their content.  We have great speakers again this year, which is important as they are a key draw for the architects and designers.
• As we began to do last year, we are now inviting contractors and engineers to the GBM.  If you have any relationships with one or more contractor or engineer firm that you wish us to approach, let us know and we would be pleased to extend an invitation.
• We have also begun the process of contacting exhibitors who wish to spend some one-on-one time with architects at their booth Friday afternoon.  We have a limited number of spots available, so if you are an exhibitor and feel that meeting with architects and designers is something that would benefit your firm, please let us know.

Architect Program:

As mentioned in past Wood Connections, we have started including contractors in our program and are now beginning the process of actually visiting them and/or setting up Lunch & Learn sessions, similar to what we have been doing for architects and designers.  Although the process is in its beginning stages, it is already paying off with a couple of leads for members of the program.

As mentioned in our last Wood Connections, we have successfully organized and delivered mill tours and seminars for some of our participating members.  One of the tours was with Unison Windows.  The event was fully booked so we decided to have a follow up tour, which is now also fully booked; once again illustrating the popularity of these types of events.

Another new program we have launched is Lunch & Learn sessions with architects and designers, specifically on the Wood First Act.  There are two key elements to the sessions: one, explaining the act and its impact on architects; and two, making the audience aware of the products in our industry that can be supplied on the projects identified by the Act.

As we do with all our Wood Connections reports, we welcome your company participation in these programs. If you require additional information about the program, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com.  If you aren’t quite sure if architects should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us.  We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions and if you wish to, proceed in assisting you with making your company “architect ready”.

A few comments, suggestions, and insights that may be of interest to industry…

I was in Seattle last week to meet with David Leavengood, principle of Leavengood Architects. This firm designs high-end public and residential projects for clients across the Western United States. Of particular interest to Leavengood is the redesign and renovation of historic lodges. He has worked on numerous projects for federal and State parks across the US and is currently working on the redesign of Crater Lake Lodge in Oregon.

According to Leavengood, “There’s the whole fantasy-storybook aspect of lodges. That has a lot to do with people searching them out. They go on vacation, exploring, spending relaxing time with family. It’s an opportunity to put fantasy into their lives. Lodges — the good lodges — always communicate that aspect.”

The firm believes in being true to the original design as the hand-hewn quality of lodges often has to do with the fact that the designers are not always professionally trained.  “In remote regions, the builders are ranchers — cowboys who get a notion into their head, seek out available materials nearby, and assemble it as simply as they can without the refinements that architects might bring to it”.  The firm’s vision brings considerable sophistication to the rough-and-tumble functionalism of Western ranch-home tradition.

“I got discovered while teaching in Montana. You do one log, heavy-timber building with stonework and a rusticated vocabulary and your name gets passed around. Small cabins grew into bigger personal lodges, then into ranches with horse barns and outbuildings. These are communities, and we are doing all the infrastructure and land reclamation, along with designing the buildings.” The firm has a branch in Jackson, Wyo., and does more work in Wyoming, Oregon, California, and Montana than it does in Washington.

The good news for members wanting to work with creative talented architects such as David Leavengood is that he is planning on attending the GBM in Whistler this September. For more information on his firm check out his website at www.leavenarch.com

Some interesting developments on the Suncadia resort development. For background, Suncadia is a 6000 acre semi private resort community located in Roslyn Washington in the Cascade Mountains – a 1 hour drive outside of Seattle.

The development was conceived by the Jeld-Wen company, the huge window and door manufacturer located in Klamath Falls, WA. After some considerable pain and financial restructuring due to the recession, The Suncadia development is back and a decent number of residential and light commercial construction projects are currently underway.

The resort resembles Whistler a few decades ago with Mountain inspired homes situated around two golf courses a small village center and an owners lodge and fitness center.

Good opportunity exists for manufacturers who produce heavy timbers, millwork, and finished wood products that lend itself to the Mountain design. That is, if you have sold product in Whistler you may want to keep an eye on the Suncadia development over the next while.

For more information on Leavengood architects, Suncadia, or other opportunities in the Western US please feel free to contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com

Roy Manion

This week, we are wrapping up quite an active month with the architect program. June activities included:

• AWMAC Convention in Osoyoos where we exhibited, attended some highly interesting seminars, and met a number of individuals from BC’s Millwork Sector.
• 2 Factory Tours and seminars (Unison Windows and Doors in North Vancouver and Structurlam Products in Penticton and Okanagan Falls)
• Participated at an open house for Tamlin International’s new facility in Aldergrove
• Conducted a lunch and learn session on Cabinetry with one of our members carrying the ball in the session. This session was requested by the architect firm on that specific topic. This was in follow up to a previous session we held for the firm.

Details of the two factory tours are as follows:

Unison Windows and Doors:
Located in North Vancouver, Unison is a designer and manufacturer of high end wood windows and doors, primarily for the residential market. The two hour event included seminars on how to use wood windows for multi-story floor to ceiling glazing systems and how wood glazing systems can be made to provide low maintenance wood exteriors and achieve many structural advantages over aluminum frames. Also featured were 2 architects who were frequent specifiers of wood windows and gave presentations from the architect’s perspective on the advantages that wood windows offer and also responded to questions.

The tour included demonstrations on glazing, laminating different wood species together, and water testing required to achieve certifications. Approximately 25 architects attended the 2 hour session.

Structurlam Products Inc
This was a full day event also attended by 25 architects. The primary purpose was to tour Structurlam’s brand new CrossLam facility in Okanagan Falls, the largest Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) plant in Western Canada and one of the world’s most modern. During the tour, we witnessed the preparation and lay-up of CLT panels – which can be as large as 10′ wide and 40′ long – and the planing of these large panels.

We also toured Structurlam’s Glulam plant in Penticton and while there had demos on 5 Axis CNC and 3D modeling. At lunch we had a seminar by Robert Malczyk of Equilibrium Consulting on the advantages of CLT panels and their role in construction

We then toured the Okanagan College Campus which is in line for designation as BC’s first Living Building Challenge institutional structure and LEED Platinum certification. The day concluded with a wrap up at Poplar Grove Winery and included a little wine tasting.

Both tours were highly regarded by the architects who gave up considerable time to attend them and both give credence to the value of having architects tour members’ facilities.

We currently have 3 more factory tours in various stages of planning. However, with summer now hear, the Architect Program’s activities will definitely slow down. As always, it also allows us time to “retool”, and work on our data base of our target audiences. We also use the time to prepare for the GBM.

Global Buyers Mission (GBM):
We are well into the planning of the Architect Program for the GBM.

As you read in the last “Wood Connections”, this year we are offering an exciting new program for both the architects and exhibitors where all interested exhibitors will be able to give 15 minute presentations throughout Friday afternoon to the attending architects and designers. Arangements have been made with AIBC to make the presentations qualify for architects’ learning credits. We will be in touch with the exhibitors who have signed up for the program to assist in their presentations so if you don’t know exactly what to do, we will be there to help you.

Once we have finalized the speakers, which we are in the process of doing, we will be sending invitations to the architects and designers throughout the province. We expect this to happen next week. I have already been asked by a few architects if we are going to have a GBM this year so the awareness is definitely out there.

As always, should you want your company to participate in any of these program or just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com. If you aren’t quite sure if architects should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us. We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions and if you wish to proceed, to assist you in making your company “architect ready”.

Roy Manion

We are very excited to offer a new program to exhibitors interested in getting your message out directly to Architects at the GBM this year. We have been given the opportunity to offer important Learning Units to participating Architects & Designers through “one-on-one” meeting sessions with participating exhibitors. On Friday afternoon, we will have an “Architects & Designers only” session in the exhibition hall and participating exhibitors will be given an opportunity to present information about their products in 15 minute sessions, throughout the afternoon. These sessions will be conducted with 5 – 7 architects per group, moving from booth to booth from 1:30 – 5:00 PM. Each participating exhibitor will have the opportunity to present to over 60 Architects & Designers during the afternoon program.

As a bonus, BC Wood will be taking the participating exhibitors and Architects out to a group lunch, when the showroom closes at noon on Friday.

If you have already registered to exhibit at the GBM, you should contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com to make sure your name is on the list. If you have NOT already registered and received a booth space, you should contact Randi Walker in our office ASAP (rwalker@bcwood.com or call 604-882-7100). There are still booth spaces available, but we are already 70% sold on floor space, so you should do it soon.

This is an outstanding opportunity to meet these Architects & Designers and get your name and information about your products & services in their hands. Contact us soon!

Roy Manion

Last week, BC Wood sponsored another factory tour and seminar event at one of our participating members and from all reports, it was highly successful. Approximately 40 architects from the Lower Mainland attended the tour of Mitsui Homes Canada in Langley to observe first-hand how prebuilt structures and trusses are manufactured in a factory environment. A seminar on prebuilt structures was given by Mitsui’s Senior Vice President and a related seminar was given by Erol Karacabeyli of FPInnovations. Like a similar event BC Wood sponsored earlier in the year at Pacific Homes in Cobble Hill, the architects drove a fair distance to attend the tour illustrating both great interest by the Architect community in prebuilt structures and the attractiveness of factory tours.

We are now putting final touches on two more factory tours, which are scheduled for next month and which, I am sure, will be equally well attended.

Another successful event BC Wood was involved with was a full day seminar in which we partnered with FPInnovations. The seminar, “An Introduction to Lean Construction Basics”, was attended by almost 30 architects plus contractors, developers and manufacturers of wood based products. We were able to provide architects with 6-1/2 hours of learning credits (6.5 Learning Units). This incentive along with the topic was very attractive and we ended up with a full house.

We are pleased to state that, to date, all the factory tours and seminars BC Wood has partnered in, the host companies’ presentations and tours were very professionally given and well received. This has resulted in BC Wood’s reputation as a provider of first class events makes it that much easier to attract architects to future events, a win-win situation for everyone.

As mentioned in the last Wood Connections, BC Wood has now added contractors (non-residential) and select engineers to our target audience. We have already started the process of targeting and contacting key firms and expect to be face-to-face with them in the near future. Our key objectives will be to bring these firms up to date on the Wood First Act and create an awareness of the great products made in our industry.

As always, should you want your company to participate in these programs or just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com or 604-882-7100. If you aren’t quite sure if architects should be included in your marketing activities or how to go about doing it, again, just get in touch with us. We would be pleased to provide answers to any of your questions and if you wish, assist in making your company “architect ready”.

Roy Manion

The Architect & Designer Program just got better!  We have now added contractors to our target audience. Also, as a result of the efforts of the Wood Enterprise Coalition, we also have access to many municipalities throughout the province.  Of course, this means additional work for yours truly, but is a welcome addition as it expands the groups in our province to whom we can reach out to educate on the great products that are produced by participating members.

As mentioned in the previous Wood Connections, we have been putting the final touches on the 2011 – 2012 Architect & Designer Program which is now done and includes the previously mentioned groups. While we are giving priority to companies that participated last year, we fully expect there to be openings for new companies.

Since our last Wood Connections, we also held a Lunch & Learn session that featured a single BC company. This was a return visit for BC Wood as we were contacted by the architect firm a few weeks ago wanting more information on our industry.  The firm made their choice based on a variety of seminars we submitted to them.  This is happening more and more frequently which is just another illustration of the inroads the A&D Program is making to this influential community.

In addition to the above, we are working on two major events which will happen over the next two weeks and to which we invited the architect community. The first one is a collaboration with FPInnovations on a seminar entitled “Introduction to Lean Construction Basics”.  The other is a combination of a factory tour and related seminars. In both cases, as it seems to be with all BC Wood events, these two events were completely booked out within a little over a week of the invitations going out, again, an indication of the desire of architects to learn more about what our industry is doing.  It is also indicates the reputation BC Wood and its members have earned when it comes to putting on quality and meaningful seminars.

For more information on the Architect & Designer program, please click here

As always, should you want to participate in these program or just require additional information, please contact me at rmanion@bcwood.com

On Friday, I met with Bird Construction who is constructing a large acute care facility in the Lower Mainland.  Currently it is constructed out of steel and concrete; however, due to the pending Wood First Act, the contractor advised that there needs to be a relatively significant wood component added to the project.  More than anything, the contractor is looking to industry for assistance in nature of product and designs that might be acceptable.  Here are some of the issues:

1. First of all, as the architect did not incorporate any wood into this project, the contractor said that they are essentially starting with a blank sheet of paper and are looking for industry to provide some interesting concepts using wood.  While the main structure has been competed, there is still opportunity for entrance ways which can incorporate structural wood including glulams, beams, posts, etc. as well as non-structural wood including cladding, paneling, cabinets, furniture, millwork and the like.

2. Ideally, but not totally necessary, the wood and or design should have a story to tell; ie: wood from our MPB forests, recycled wood, etc.  Local species would get preference over imported species.

3. Now comes the challenge, as an acute care facility, the contractor advised that all integral wood components need to pass the following standard - CAN/ULC-S134, and vertical fire spread test.  As such, if you have supplied wood products to similar type projects, the contractor would like more information about it.  While this standard would apply to certain products, such as, the exposed structural components,cladding, paneling, etc., it wouldn’t apply to all millwork (aside from required fire rated door), cabinetry, and furnishing.

4. Last but not least, there are budgetary issues.

I wish I could be more specific but the above is all the information that was provided.

If anyone has any suggestions or questions, please contact Roy Manion at rmanion@bcwood.comor contact Roy at BC Wood’s office at 604 882-7100

Now in its fifth year, The Interior Design Show West, is the West Coast’s only premium industry and consumer show for contemporary residential design. Attracting a balanced audience of both architecture and design professionals and design savvy consumers, IDSwest 2009 will welcome more than 25,000 visitors from September 17 to 20 at the Vancouver Convention Centre. Over 100,000 sqft will be transformed into an inspirational design forum showcasing latest products and services from 200 world renowned designers and local icons.  Please click this link to view the exhibitor prospectus and here is a link to the website www.idswestcom

The 2009 Global Buyers Mission is shaping up to be another great event!  I’m pleased to say that our partnership with the Cedar Shake & Shingle Bureau and the Western Red Cedar Lumber and Export Associations has strengthened our abilty to bring the important US buyers to our event, particularly given these challenging economic times.

We’re also thrilled to see such a strong interest from our off-shore recruiting efforts and expect to surpass our target of 150 pre-qualified international buyers from Australia, China, Europe, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Roy Manion has already indicated in his Architects Update that we have pretty much over-sold the Architects/Designers Program for the GBM, and have a waiting list for interested participants.

We’re happy to announce that Minister Pat Bell will be joining us to officially open the event Friday morning and welcome the participants on behalf of the Province of BC.

If you haven’t registered yet but are interested in participating, please contact me ASAP in the office at 604-882-7100, or by email to rwalker@bcwood.com.    Stay tuned for regular updates…

We now have received over 100 applications from architects and designers to attend the GBM.  Of these, 95 have registered.  We anticipate that we will achieve our goal of 100 registrations by the next few days, a record for this event.  Of the applications we have received, the split between new and returnees is 50/50 which we are also very pleased with.  For more information on the architect program of the GBM, please feel free to give me a call at BC Wood offices at 604 882-7100.