A Vernon-based company is making sure that families in need have a place to call home.

Tolko Industries has donated lumber to help Habitat for Humanity build homes for low-income working families with children in Westbank.

“We are very pleased to again be partnering with Habitat for Humanity on such a great project,” said Greg Maralia, with Tolko.

“It is very satisfying to contribute back regionally grown and manufactured product to help these two local families own homes.”

Tolko is supplying lumber from its Nicola, Lavington and Kelowna mills, and plywood from its Armstrong mill to frame a duplex.

This partnership with Habitat for Humanity renews a relationship that grew in 2006, following donations and a team of Tolko employees who travelled to New Orleans for rebuild efforts after  Hurricane Katrina.

Source: Vernon Morning Star – May 6, 2011

Norelco Cabinet Solutions opened their doors almost 40 years ago in Kelowna, BC.  They now have two manufacturing plants in Kelowna with Cucina Del Re Cabinetry, specializing in high-end custom cabinetry.  They have a team who designs and builds all types of different cabinets that suit the individual customer’s needs, including two very skilled, hand-crafters who carve intricate details on the cabinets.  Norelco’s primary cabinet division uses innovative European technology and high quality materials to design and construct cabinets for residential and commercial buildings.  They distribute all over Western Canada and the US including Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and California.

Norelco has actively participated in a number of Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) activities over the past two years.  Along with attending workshops, they have completed a Lean program as well as a sales and marketing project.  When the current owners purchased Norelco, they were told that the facility would not be able to exceed a certain amount in sales due to the limited production space.  At that time, Peter Raja started the lean program with the help of FPInnovations, one of the BIP partners, in hopes of increasing their productivity, and thereby their sales and margins.  After implementing the new program, they are now producing at well over the previous limitation in sales and have the capacity to keep growing.

Recently, Norelco has completed a sales & marketing project with sales guru, Neil Godin.  They were instructed on how to set up a Facebook account, Twitter account, a blog through WordPress, joined LinkedIn, and developed an e-newsletter.  Norelco has fully immersed themselves into the world of social media.  Their first newsletter was sent out to 800 contacts last month and since then, 300 additional people have signed up for the newsletter.  They have 111 followers on Twitter and 70 on Facebook.  They also optimized their website for search engines to display them as the very first result when “Kelowna kitchen cabinets” is searched; whereas before, they were listed on the 25^th page.  In a very short time, they have greatly increased their brand awareness.

Social media is a powerful tool for companies to use to strengthen their relationship with clients and potential clients, while increasing their company’s profile.  However, you must learn to use it correctly to yield results; otherwise, you might do more harm to your company’s image than good.

Not only is Norelco establishing their presence online, they are also expanding into the Hawaii market.  As a BC Wood member, Norelco has had the opportunity to attend tradeshows in Western US and Hawaii to meet with prospective clients that they normally would not have the opportunity to get in front of.  Peter says “If it wasn’t for Dave [Farley] and BC Wood, I would never have gotten these clients, or even gotten in the door to talk to the executives.”  BC Wood has in-market representatives in the US, Japan, China and Korea.  If you are considering expanding into these markets, contact BC Wood at 604-882-7100 for more information on how to access our knowledgeable representatives.

For more information on Norelco, visit their new and improved website at www.norelcocabinets.ca.

For more information on instigating a company project like the ones Norelco has successfully participated in, contact Scott Thompson, Manager, Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) at 604-882-7100 or sthompson@bcwood.com.

As in the past, BC Wood’s 2011-2012 programs are designed to increase your export sales, reduce your costs in developing export markets, and increase your profitability by diversifying your markets. By pooling member resources and leveraging federal and provincial funding programs, we minimize the cost and maximize the benefits to your company in pursuing new export markets.

That said, we have an amazing line-up of activities this year, all recommended by our advisory committees late last year. Lots of new markets and shows that we have not participated in before, as well as a couple that we have not done for years – but they are back, and so are we!

Of special note is the position we are taking in Eastern Europe and Russia. These are unexplored territories for BC Wood, but research and recommendations from our members indicate that there may be some excellent new business opportunities for a number of industry sectors in Kiev, Turkey, and Russia.

We have once again grown our Canadian/domestic program to assist smaller companies getting started with growing their business a little closer to home. In the US, we have added more targeted market activities that will strongly appeal to those looking for the higher-end architect/builder audience. All the shows are listed on the BC Wood website, or you can download a copy of it here.

For the first time in 6 years, our Board of Directors has approved a minor increase in our annual dues of 10% and you will see this reflected in our Membership renewal notices that will be in the mail to you this week.

The Signature Membership, at $2,200, includes full access to all BC Wood programs, including all domestic and international cost-share tradeshow and mission activities and in-market representative support. Our in-market staff experts are able to help participating members’ source specific, qualified contacts and opportunities in Japan, China, Korea and the US. They are also qualified to offer market advice and provide assistance with locating and connecting with agents, distributors and end users. This invaluable service is available only to Signature members of BC Wood who are actively pursuing export market opportunities.

Base Membership, at $550, includes access to all programs other than the cost-shared tradeshows and missions. You do, however, have the opportunity to participate in the annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM) in September. Base members who only wish to enter one or two BC Wood supported trade events per year, can use the “pay as you go” program, for an additional fee of $500 per Canadian trade show and $1,000 per international trade event.

Details will be in the renewal package outlining the benefits of both levels of membership. At any time during our fiscal year, you can elevate your status to Signature Member with a simple phone call or email to our office.

If you have any questions regarding your membership or the program offerings, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 604-882-7100 or by email: rwalker@bcwood.com.

We look forward to working with you again this year!

New to BC Wood is Oregon Canadian Forest Products. Phil Lemon started this company in 1994. They manufacture and distribute high grade industrial clears from the coast of British Columbia. They specialize in Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, Hemlock, fine grain, in both quarter sawn and flat sawn clears. They can supply custom sizes as small as 1×2 and as large as 12×12 and wider. They also manufacture WRC pattern stock for the hot tub and sauna industries.

A unique feature of this company is that they are able to diversify quickly and handle all types of special and unique orders. They also supplied Western Red Cedar for the construction of the Richmond Oval.

Oregon Canadian Forest Products strives to give back to their community by supporting local youth sports groups and many local and international charities with scholarships and donations.

For more information on Oregon Canadian Forest Products, visit their website: www.oregoncanadian.ca

March 12th and 13th in Abbotsford was wet and rainy outdoors, but indoors, the sun was shining on 15 BC Wood members who chose to exhibit at the show this year. Everyone I talked to was extremely optimistic and very busy. Although, not hordes came through this year, it was a steady flow and the folks that did brave the weather were welcomed by enthusiastic and talented manufacturers of everything from beautiful log & timber-frame homes, to finished product such as doors, windows and flooring – and many of them were BC Wood members! I saw many walking around with plans, looking to talk to builders and manufacturers about their dream homes…and they came to the right place!

Attending this year was Shamawood, Tamlin Homes, Kettle River Timberworks, Mastercraft Window & Doors, Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring, Canada’s Log People, Trout Creek International, Pacific Log Homes, BC Timberframe Company, Western Forest Products, Daizen Joinery, Linwood Homes, Pacific Homes, Hamill Creek Timber Homes and Pioneer Log Homes. BC Wood shared a booth with the Log & Timber Building Industry Association (LTBI), manned by our friends Art Paul from Permanent Pole and industry expert, Brian Lloyd.

The LTBI will hold their AGM this year at the 108 Mile Resort, along with an industry forum including a presentation by CAWP on the very important topic of Job Costing and Cost/Benefit Analysis of CNC Technologies for Timber Framing. They expect a good turnout for this annual event and I’m sure they will share the results with any industry members that couldn’t make it.

I’m excited to announce that we will be taking six BC Wood member companies to the ICFF in New York, May 14th to 17th.  We are particularly pleased that four of the companies are new to the event – Live Edge Design (John Lore), Collaboration (Marie Khouri and Dave Demers), Vin De Garde wine cellars (Billy Carpenter) and Flavour Furniture (Mario Sabljak).  They will join members Martha Sturdy and John Ross for this international event, held at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan.

Marie Khouri will be showing her L5 Spine Bench – which is also part of her current showing at the prestigious Buschlen Mowatt Gallery in Vancouver right now. Her opening night event last Thursday was packed with art loving connoisseurs – we even spotted Brent Comber and Christian Woo in the crowd. She first launched the L5 at the IDSWest last fall and the media, along with wood folks like us, loved it.  Marie is a gifted sculptor who works in primarily clay, bronze & concrete, but has recently very successfully added wood to her portfolio of mediums. Much has been written about this well-traveled artist – you have but to ‘google’ Marie Khouri to get pages and pages of information and articles on her and her work.  We are very excited that she will be part of our NY group this year!

I look forward to introducing all of our ICFF participants in the coming weeks.  Stay tuned…

Dove Creek Timber is a specialty saw mill and shingle mill specializing in clear Western Red Cedar located in Courtenay, BC (Vancouver Island). They grade, and sort a variety of products, from 2×2 and fingerjoint blocks to 40′ timbers in all grades, kiln drying and planing available upon request. Although they specialize in Western Red Cedar, they can also offer other species as well.

Owner Rick Pizzey has been in forestry all his life. He knows the challenges this industry faces for all involved. He started out like anyone else, stacking lumber and falling trees. He moved on to create the very successful specialty mill, Lukwa Mills in Port Hardy, BC (1988-2000). Following that, he established his family run business, Dove Creek Timber in Courtenay, BC in 2002. He looks forwards to where the industry takes him.

Dove Creek Timber has been actively giving back to the community through volunteer work and donating cabins and materials to single families, youth camps, and groups. The cabins shown in the picture below were donated to the YFC, a local youth group to help the younger generation enjoy their youth and boost their morale. “We care about their future and know we can contribute to it as a business,” says Pizzey.

For more information on Dove Creek Timber, please visit their website: dovecreek.ca

BC Wood and our partners at Canada Wood just wrapped up another year at the Woodmac/Woodbuild/Furnitek show in Shanghai. We had great support from members with the largest group yet for BC Wood’s China program. A total of 8 member companies from British Columbia and 2 companies from Ontario and Quebec attended the show to promote wood products from Canada. For several companies, it was the first time to attend a show in China and experience this growing market. The four day show took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre attracting 360 exhibiting companies and 16,730 industry attendees.

Despite the slow economic recovery and challenging times ahead, Canadian companies had a strong, unified presence at this event. Other countries that normally attend this show did not have major exhibits which raised many questions about the conditions of other competing wood suppliers. One thing that was for certain was the overall success that Canadian companies are having in China. Whether it was dimension lumber or Western Red Cedar, the ongoing talk at the show was the number of containers that are entering China. The demand in China is definitely there, but that raised concerns among both buyers and exhibitors about the availability and stability of long term supply.

With China’s growing economy recently surpassing that of Japan, it was no surprise how much attention and enthusiasm is on this market. According to a recent article in The Economist, China will surpass the United States as the biggest export market for wood by as early as 2013. The downturn in the US housing market greatly impacted our export sales closing mills and costing jobs. Today however, the demand from China has reopened mills and created new jobs for the industry.

For more information on BC Wood’s activities in China, please contact David Pao at dpao@bcwood.com or 604-882-7100.

One of our members, Straight Line Designs, was recently featured in Fine Woodworking:

“If you want to make an “exploding” dresser or a chest of drawers that stands with a “hands-on-hips” attitude, you’re going to have to take a page from Judson Beaumont’s book and abandon traditional furniture-making techniques for a while. Instead of traditional construction, Beaumont creates his often-whimsical designs using techniques inspired by aircraft construction and the human body. He begins by assembling an internal skeleton using a nail gun, skins it with thin sheets of plywood, and then adds veneer or paint. This technique allows him to make virtually any shape, from dramatic curves to human postures. And every single piece of Beaumont’s furniture is completely functional.”

To view this article, click here (you will have to be a subscriber to view the article)

Straight Line Designs is a one-of-a-kind workshop that has been operating out of Vancouver, British Columbia for the past 25 years. In addition to installations, sculptures and private commissions, designer Judson Beaumont and his staff of eight full-time craftspeople have designed and constructed a variety of custom-built furniture and projects for public institutions and children’s exhibitions throughout North America and abroad. Focused on quality and custom design, Judson’s studio stays far away from mass production. Our workshop’s building capacity is restricted but Jud’s designing ability is not!

I had the pleasure of visiting Jud’s shop last summer.  As I walked into the shop, I felt like I walked into Dr Seuss’s workshop. There were all different shapes and colours, and to set the mood, whimsical music was playing in the background. It looked like a really fun place to work. Jud Beaumont gave me a delightful tour of his shop and showed me some really unusual pieces of furniture. Jud also shared some pretty interesting stories about tradeshows he has done in the past. If you ever run into him, ask him about his Tokyo adventure involving his Elvis Whale.

For more information on Straight Line Designs, visit www.straightlinedesigns.com

Spearhead Timberworks, based in Nelson, BC, manufactures heavy timbers, steel, and glulam with a separate division manufacturing architectural wood work. They started out as a small, traditional timber frame company 20 years ago and have morphed into a progressive, innovative company that uses digital technology, such as 3D modeling software and CNC equipment, while keeping the original craftsmen touch to their work. They work in collaboration with award winning architects and engineers in Canada and the US. They are experienced in LEED buildings and Living Building rated projects. One of these projects, the Laurance Rockefeller Preserve (above image), was one of the first LEED platinum rated projects in North America.

Over the years, Spearhead Timberworks has regularly donated to local and international charities and continuously gives back to their community. In the past couple of years, they have donated several timberframe signs and shelters to the city of Nelson. This year, they donated a timberframe racers hut that was installed on Nelson’s local ski hill, the Whitewater Ski Resort. In addition to giving back to their community, they are also committed to healthy living and won the commuter challenge in 2009 where majority of the employees left their cars at home, and biked to work.

For more information on Spearhead Timberworks, visit their website: www.spearheadtimberworks.com

This week’s Member Spotlight features Mario Sabjlak Design. Mario Sabljak started “Flavour Furniture” in a small shop in East Vancouver. “I was building limited edition hand crafted furniture. The name changed and the projects got a little bigger.” Six years later Mario Sabljak Design was launched. They now fabricate custom interiors for residential spaces in the Lower Mainland. They also design unique commercial settings, such as boutique retail store fronts, restaurants interiors, and still build limited edition furniture.

On Mario’s experience with BC Wood, he responds with:

“I met with David Pao and we had a great conversation about the benefits of joining BC Wood. I was really interested in exploring the design markets in different cities and David assured me that BC Wood was here to help promote my company. I just joined BC Wood this Summer and recently returned from Japan after doing Tokyo Designers week.

From day one, landing in Tokyo, Jim Ivanoff and Miho Ohashi were helping promote all of the Canadian designers. Those two really helped me get the most out of my first overseas trade show (and I can’t forget my interpreter “Mio” who helped out at my booth). I also had the pleasure of spending time with B.C.’s biggest designers: Brent Comber, Judson Beaumont, Martha Sturdy, and John Ross. They were all very helpful, engaging, and shared plenty of stories during our week in Tokyo. Going to Japan with BC Wood has introduced me to the right people and helped me plant a seed in a new market.”

This week’s member spotlight is on Acorn Wood Design Ltd. Having recently celebrated its 25^th year in business, the company grew from a back yard garage into a 15,000 square foot facility (including shop and offices) on Mitchell Island in Richmond, British Columbia. Linda Wray from Acorn says “in the old garage, my husband would have to go out into the laneway to cut a 4 x 8 sheet of ply. Amazingly the neighbours never complained!!”

Acorn Wood Designs Ltd. now has four working partners leading a talented team. Each of them bring a unique expertise to a singular goal – “to ensure that our customer service is beyond exemplary and that every commission is the very best it can be.” Throughout the 25 years in business, Acorn has focused its expertise in turning their client’s visions into realty.

By combining state-of-the-art technology, meticulous shop drawings with established cabinetmaking techniques, Acorn manufactures and installs architectural millwork exactly as specified. Over the years, they have worked with “very high end restaurants, having done several in the last 12 years, which makes us the leader in this domain,” states Robin St-Pierre from Acorn.

At Acorn, they embrace projects of any scale, specializing in innovative designs for the commercial sectors. Taking care of every detail, their team works diligently with key specialists and suppliers to provide the most elegant and efficient solution for each commission.

Recently, they celebrated 25 years in business with a party which was very well attended.  Linda thanks the industry, “It was a pleasure to have a chance to celebrate something positive in business and express our gratitude to our customers, suppliers, designers, and friends of Acorn.”

2009 – AWMAC Gold Award for Excellence of Service for the Keg Restaurant in Tempe, Arizona

2010 – AWMAC Gold Award for Excellence of Service for the Earl’s Restaurant in Bellevue, Washington

For more information on Acorn Wood Design Ltd, please visit their website: acornwd.com

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Christian Woo this week to talk about how being part of the first Working Wood experience affected his business.  It’s a great story – the kind you love to hear about.

Two years ago, Christian was working away at his small business, doing one-off projects in cabinetry and some furniture pieces.  He was thrilled to be invited to participate in our inaugural Working Wood program, sponsored by the Business Innovation Partnership (BIP).  This mentoring program’s goal was to take 4 – 6 small furniture manufacturers and offer them skills development in the areas of product line, product design, business planning, marketing, and trade show success.

Although Christian felt he benefitted from all elements of the program, there were two pieces that really affected the change in his career path: the “building a brand” workshop, and meeting and working with the program’s key mentor, Brent Comber.  As a small business, getting the vote of confidence from his peers was a key driver in his success.

“Graduation” for the Working Wood members was successful participation in the 2009 IDSwest show in Vancouver.  His booth received some attention in the Globe & Mail and started getting him some local notoriety.  Following that success, Christian took the next step and decided to participate with BC Wood in the 2010 International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) in New York.  This was now serious business.  He spent a lot of time and effort rebranding his company and accepting that using his own name meant he would have to ensure the integrity of all his work, for the entire world to see.  He developed a completely new line of case goods and called them Covert.  He launched this line at the ICFF and the industry loved it.  He received recognition in one of the industry’s favorite magazines – Azure and started getting inquiries from all over – including an exclusive retailer in Toronto (who now carries the Covert line in their upscale store).

Western Living had also seen Christian’s work (check it out at http://www.vanspecial.com/western-living-x-christian-woo-cool/) and a few months ago, recognized him publicly at their “Western Living Designer of the Year” awards as the “one to watch” in the Furniture Design category.  Local retailer Provide has been carrying Christian’s pieces and featured him in a recent blog at http://providehome.blogspot.com/2010/08/designer-profile-christian-woo.html .  He’s in great company there with other featured artists like Martha Sturdy and John Ross Design.

Christian credits a lot of his recent success and notoriety on his decision to join the Working Wood program.  It has built his confidence and he is very much looking forward to updating his Covert line of goods for the 2011 ICFF in New York.  Congratulations Christian – your creativity, hard work and charm are paying off!

Pacific BioEnergy Corporation (PBEC) and Forsite Consultants Ltd. announced today the formation of a new joint venture timber management company, PacFor Timber Ltd. (PacFor). The new company will be based in Terrace, BC and will begin operations immediately.

PacFor will be responsible for managing three Forest Licenses in the Kispiox Timber Supply Area. The current allowable annual harvest from the three licenses is 154,366 cubic meters (m3) per year. The Kispiox Timber Supply Area is located between Terrace and Smithers in Northwest BC. PacFor will focus on providing logs and fibre to area sawmills, new bioenergy and pellet manufacturing plants and supporting log export markets.

Brad Bennett, Vice President of Operations for PBEC stated “combining the expertise and synergies of PBEC and Forsite Consultants will ensure that PacFor maximizes the value of every log harvested from the three licenses. One of the forest management challenges of the past was that most companies could only send their logs to a local sawmill or pulpmill and not every log was best suited for either one of these forest products. PacFor already has three options of where it can send logs and we hope other new forestry ventures in Northwest BC will provide a greater range of options in future.”

John Drew, President of Forsite Consultants Ltd. said “I’m excited to work with PBEC to manage these forest licenses. I believe strongly that our focus on getting the right log to the right client and maximizing the value of forest resources within the Kispiox TSA is the right thing to do and will help ensure our success.”

PBEC has operated a wood pellet manufacturing plant in Prince George since 1995 and is currently expanding its Prince George Plant. When completed the project will make PBEC’s PG Plant the largest in Canada. PBEC also owns the Kitwanga Lumber mill and a large forest license in the Nazko area. Forsite Consultants Ltd. has been providing forest management services to government and industrial client throughout BC for the past 24 years.

For more information, visit www.forsite.ca or www.pacificbioenergy.ca.

As we approach the end of our calendar year, we begin the process of identifying programs, events, and tradeshows for BC Wood members for the upcoming fiscal year, April 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012.  This means you are invited to participate in our Sector Advisory Committee meetings.

One of the great things about being a BC Wood member is that you can have a say in our programming by assisting us in selecting the most beneficial activities for your sector’s participation.

As you know, trade shows and events are the most significant means BC Wood has of getting your companies and products in front of important buyers.  There are thousands of tradeshows all over the world and we do our best to target the markets where our members will have the best opportunities for growth and success.  These are currently the US, China, Korea, Japan, Europe and Canada.  Because we have full time staff and resources in most of these markets, it also gives our members the advantage of organized, on-site pre and post event activities and missions. However, we are open to suggestion on any and all market activities that fall within our funder’s guidelines.

Once we have completed our Sector Advisory Committee meetings, the BC Wood staff prepares our proposals and requests to our Provincial and Federal Government funders for submission by mid-January.  Approvals are generally received by mid-March.

If you would like to be part of the Advisory Committee for your sector, please contact me ASAP, as we will be organizing these meetings over the next four weeks.  You can either email me at rwalker@bcwood.com or call 604-882-7100.

A few thoughts and observations over the past few weeks that may be of interest to Industry.

Is their light at the end of the dreary economic tunnel? Judging from the response and feedback from architects attending the AIA Colorado show this past week there just may be.  A good number of attendees who came by the BC Wood booth were optimistic that the worst of the downturn was behind them and that a slow return to sustained economic growth could be expected in 2011.

BC wood along with member companies, Fraserwood Industries, Structure Craft, Unison Windows, Linwood homes, and Structurlam participated in the 3 day event which draws approximately 500 + architects, engineers, builders and developers from across the State of Colorado. This was our second year participating and the general consensus was that a renewed sense of optimism and opportunity was felt this year as compared to last.

New BC Wood member, StructureCraft, participated for the first time and according to Mike Marshall of StructureCraft, they were happy with the number of high quality leads that were generated from the event.  During the Friday night opening reception, the StructureCraft display was full of architects admiring the massive Paralam column and Glu-lam samples that were a hit in creating a buzz and drawing people into the booth. Many architects also recognized the photos of the innovative “wood wave” roofing design that was a feature highlight of the Richmond Speed Skating Oval shown across the world during the 2010 Olympics.

“All in all we had a very good show, and are happy with the high quality people that we met at the show. We now need to chase down the leads that we got at the event” commented Mike Marshall.

Other members were also happy with the event. Unison windows showcased a new line of custom windows featuring Accoya wood on the exterior and a new innovative exterior tilt and turn mechanism that is thought to be the first of its kind in North America. The response on the product was positive from both residential and commercial architects who especially liked the use of the Accoya wood in providing a design alternative to aluminum cladded product that is the current mainstay of the market.   One architect working on the design of a new religious center is keen on using the windows on the project as it will provide a “complementary look to the heavy wood and stone design of the building”

Does the optimistic feel that was taken from the conference mean that the market is gradually returning to normal? Well, the opinions of the architectural community is usually a good measuring stick as they are one of the 1^st professions involved in any significant residential, or commercial building project. So if the architect is generally optimistic, then that may be a good sign that there is indeed light at the end of the economic tunnel.

For a list of attendees at this year’s event or for more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at dfarley@bcwood.com.



As we mentioned in our last Wood Connections, the final Working Wood project is participation in the Interior Design Show West (IDSwest), which launched with “Opening Night”, October 14^th, at the new Vancouver Convention Centre.

Richard Kaufmann, Chair of the Industry Advisory Committee for the Business Innovation Partnership, was on hand to congratulate the five companies that made up the program this year, and thank Jason Heard for organizing the program and delivery.  Jason was pleased to introduce and welcome Minister Pat Bell, who said a few words to the group about how important he feels their work is in growing a wood culture in the province.  He strongly supports the Working Wood program and hopes it will help to build many more world class designers in the future.  Minister Bell then spent time with each of the five “new” companies and visited last year’s participants as well.  Brent Comber, the primary program mentor, was a great guide for the Minister throughout the evening, who also took the time to meet a number of other BC Wood members exhibiting at the show.

This year’s IDSwest event is an exceptional example of the talent and creativity of BC companies – look for the exciting new pieces and exhibits from Roland Benesocky & Yves St Hilaire from Sticks and Stones Furniture; Darren Bertuccio from (the newly branded) Bertuccio; Matthieu LeBlanc; Steve Guan from Fine Line Creations; and German Pombo from (the newly branded) studio pombo.

Founded in 1994, Mid Valley Lumber Specialties Ltd. is located approximately 30 miles east of Vancouver, in Aldergrove, BC.  Their primary focus is the manufacturing and distribution of high quality Western Red Cedar, Hemlock, and Douglas Fir products to the North American, European, and Asian markets.  Mid Valley offers a full line of Western Red Cedar products for almost any application: balusters, appearance grade, posts and timbers, decking, fence boards, fence rails, fence posts, and industrial components.

What sets Mid Valley Lumber apart from their competition is their flexibility and willingness to manufacture products their customer are looking for.  According to Al Fortune, President of Mid Valley Lumber, your word is your commitment to quality and customer satisfaction. “We are not looking for a one time sale: we are looking to build long term relationships, where the customer is happy and continues to deal with us.  Building a long term partnership with our customers is one of the keys to our success.  A happy customer is a repeat customer and we want repeat customers.” Fortune said, “One way to ensure repeat customers is to produce quality, consistent products time after time. You also need to have the flexibility to change with the market conditions and adapt to the customer’s requirements.”

Mid Valley Lumber regularly participates in the NAWLA show with BC Wood and has attended 5 of BC Wood’s annual Global Buyers Missions in Whistler.  According to Fortune, “this was probably the best year for us at the GBM.”  This year they made many contacts with potential new customers and “will most definitely attend next years GBM.”

For more information on Mid Valley Lumber, please visit their website: www.midvalleylbr.com

“If a Tree Falls in the Forest…

…does anybody hear?” Rick Bowerman and his design team at Bowerman’s Handcrafted Furniture in Squamish certainly do. They’ve carved a name for themselves as some of BC’s premier craftsmen and designers of reclaimed and recycled wood furniture.

Rick insists that they never cut down trees for their reclaimed furniture. They rely on a local woodsman who alerts them to trees that have fallen. The majority of the local reclaimed wood he uses is western maple or cedar, adding fir to the mix for a more contemporary look. He also “imports” reclaimed pine flooring from farmhouses in Ontario and Quebec. “Every piece of wood has a story to tell.”

Bowerman started his business restoring antiques, learning the basics and importance of sound joinery skills. Quality is paramount to his team who still use traditional methods to craft each unique piece. Their skill is evident in the other main focus of the business – custom wood cabinetry. Known for their “impeccable design and craftsmanship”, Bowerman’s cabinets are built with locally sourced wood and low VOC products. Other popular products include tables, benches, sideboards and armoires with every piece built in-house from start to finish to the highest standards.

Rick Bowerman will always value the natural beauty of wood and what you can create from it. He says most of the time, he can already see the finished piece before the first cut is made. With the desire for homeowners looking for custom pieces while incorporating recycled and green products, his business is growing. Creativity and attention to detail have made Bowerman’s the choice of designers, contractors and homeowners across British Columbia.

Bowerman’s is thrilled to be part of BC Wood and invites members to visit their website to find out more at www.bowermans.ca.