I got the pleasure of meeting with Mori Kono, a Japanese-Canadian artist. He started as a log home builder after he moved to BC in 1994. Over the years, his passion for carving grew and it quickly became his main focus. In 2005, he established MK Carving & Sculpting in Abbotsford, BC. He creates custom wood carvings and sculptures including hand carved doors, carved mantel pieces, 3D free standing pieces, wall mounts, hardwood detailed carvings, classical architectural carvings, memorial carvings, and custom signs. He creates these custom pieces using all types of wood including local coastal and exotic woods.

Mori has a unique process in creating his pieces. He spends time connecting and learning about the client so he can incorporate their personality and characteristics into the piece. He also spends time researching about the project and discussing the meaning behind the project with the client so the appropriate emotions are conveyed.

Mori’s respect and passion for wood, positive energy, and unique style has landed him many awards including Canada Home Builders’ Association’s Best Creation of Unique Feature of Room Interior award for creating a wrap around staircase with a cougar post (image below).

For more information, visit www.mkono.net 

Design duo Michael Thomas Host and Tanja Hinder are the creative force behind mth woodworks, a local woodworking company based in Vancouver, BC. They combine salvaged Western Red Cedar tree stumps and birch branches with organic resin, creating one-of-a-kind furniture pieces that connect people with beautiful West Coast forests.

This success story started many years ago, when designer and builder Michael Host left his hometown of Vancouver, BC to pursue his passion – the design and construction of timeless furniture. His path led to places like Australia and New York where Michael became an accomplished furniture maker. His journey also brought him to Europe where he was inspired by the architecture and furniture designs. Michael spent many years studying and acquiring renowned and unique woodworking techniques.

Tanja Hinder, on the other hand, grew up in Switzerland. Fascinated by architecture and furniture design, Tanja soon found herself involved in many design-consulting projects. In 2001, she travelled to Vancouver where the paths of Michael and Tanja crossed for the first time. The rest as they say “is history!” Tanja eventually immigrated to Canada and become an aspiring furniture and interior designer.

Over the past year, they have been able to refine their construction techniques to enhance the longevity and durability of their designs. They also further developed their original concept in a new series of products that complement the organic shapes of their salvaged woods in a surprising way.

Today, mth woodworks’ mission is to connect people with BC’s beautiful surroundings by fusing together raw natural elements with organic resin.

“The inspiration for our designs comes from, well, EVERYWHERE. However, nature and travel definitely fuel our creative minds. To us, these are the most important ingredients for all our creations. Guided by clean lines and functionality, we are proud to offer “the bloom collection” and “the host collection” to a diverse clientele.”

For more information on mth woodworks, please visit: http://www.mthwoodworks.com/

Click below to watch a great video on how they salvage their wood:

If you can not see the video link above: click here

BC Wood just recently received confirmation that the funding for our 2013-2014 trade show activities has been approved. We began this year’s proposal writing with some concerns over just how much our members would want to take on in the coming year. Our early December sector meetings with member companies provided some good input on how much companies wanted to do this year and where they wanted BC Wood to focus its’ efforts.

BC Wood took this input and put together a comprehensive package of market development activities. Upcoming activities will focus on expanding market share in the United States while maintaining the hard won presence we have gained in Asian markets and Eastern Europe. Recognizing the possibility of a new and emerging market opportunity in India, BC Wood has scheduled a mission and participation in a trade show in Bangalore in February 2014. The Global Buyers Mission, our 10th, will be a highlight, with over 200 buyers coming to Whistler in early September.

I would like to recognize and thank the staff of BC Wood for the extra effort they put towards writing these funding proposals. The result was that BC Wood has another strong program of approved trade event activities for 2013-2014. For those of you wanting to see the updated list of trade show activities, please visit the BC Wood website at www.bcwood.com and select Trade Events from the Programs & Services tab. Any comments or questions regarding these planned activities can be directed to me at bhawrysh@bcwood.com or by calling our office at 604-882-7100.

This week I had the opportunity to meet with a very interesting company; Vancouver Urban Timberworks. They specialize in producing products from hard and softwoods. What sets them apart is that their products are made from discarded trees around the local area.

In and around Metro Vancouver, there are hundredsof trees that are coming down for various reasons which could be quite costly for the individual or company to discard. Starting out in their North Vancouver driveway three years ago, Eric and Danny began retrieving these fallen trees free of charge. They then transformed these trees into unique wood products including large slabs, furniture, and other custom products.

One of their projects included producing a boardroom table made out of reclaimed and salvaged timber from the Squamish Valley in BC. After retrieving the tree, they reclaimed the usable timber, milled it into slabs, transported it in their biodiesel powered trucks, kiln dried it, CNC’d it flat, and finished the table. Click here to watch a quick video on the production of the table.

With the support of their community, they have moved their business out of the driveway and into a retail location that will soon house an exquisite showroom. They are steadily adding and upgrading their equipment and inventory to increase their capacity and meet a high demand.

For more information on Vancouver Urban Timberworks, visit their website: http://vancouverurbantimberworks.com and their facebook page: facebook.com/pages/Vancouver-Urban-Timberworks/245145348849853

The 8th Annual IDSWest show was held in the New Vancouver Convention Centre, September 27th to 30th, 2012.  The Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) is Western Canada’s annual premiere residential design show featuring over 300 exhibitors showcasing quality cutting edge and original design products and services to an audience of industry professionals, architects, designers, consumers, and media. This is about a 30% increase in exhibitors from the past year and all the participants agreed, it was the finest one yet!

An amazing array of both internationally renowned and local designers (including a fab fashion show), critics, and popular magazine editors spoke throughout the course of the event, drawing standing room only crowds over the weekend.

We had good representation of BC Wood members participating in our joint booth this year, including:

Brent Comber Originals
Coulson Mfg.
Kettle Valley Moulding & Millwork
vin de garde cellar systems
Wide Plank Hardwood Ltd.

The overall displays were great, offering the 30,000+ audience lots of ideas and opportunities to see what exceptional talent we have here in BC. Results received from members to date make it one of the most successful Canadian activities that BC Wood participates in. Congratulations to all our members for their hard work and ingenuity.

A special display sharing our space this year was the Picker’s Shack, designed by UBC students in Michael Green’s program. The fruit stand was designed for a Naramata orchard that wanted to increase their on-farm produce sales. They wanted something functional, well shaded, naturally ventilated, and moveable. The student’s goal was to rethink the modest fruit stand to attract more drive-by customers. The concept is a functional box with subtle complexity. Protection from the elements, display space, views, and seating are all accomplished through an operable wall system made from custom cut pine beetle infested lumber. The roof is made from reclaimed Canada Place roof fabric. When in its closed state, the fruit stand shows hints of the operable elements. When open, the operable elements reveal colourful surfaces that relate to the families heritage and the colours of agriculture. It was a hit at IDSWest, particularly the fresh apples, pears, and cider that were distributed by the students throughout the event.

To see the program and speaker highlights, as well as listings of all the exhibitors, visit their website at www.idswest.com

With the GBM over, BC Wood’s Japan office is now working on bringing members into the market through two major fall shows. One of course is the famed Japan Home Show (Nov 14^th – 16^th) that has been welcoming overseas suppliers for more than three decades. The other, the Osaka Living and Design Show (Oct 24^th -26^th), is a new show for us and is a part of our continuing efforts to brand Canadian wood products in the high-end, Japanese commercial construction and interior design market. This is the last chance for members looking to take advantage of these exciting programs. Only a few spaces remain so please act fast if you are interested.

Osaka Living and Design Show

After a long absence from taking members to trade shows in Osaka, BC Wood will be organizing a Canadian pavilion at the new but highly regarded Living and Design Show. Over the past few years we have participated in Tokyo Designers Week, but decided to change to L&D as it is more focused on B to B for interior design and also gives us a chance to target the lucrative but underserved Kansai region in Japan (all foreign competitors go to Tokyo). This area that includes Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe has a larger economy than all of Canada and is also experiencing a flourishing commercial construction sector. Another benefit of this show for members is that it better covers building products such as flooring and millwork.

Japan Home and Building Show

BC Wood will once again be organizing the Canadian wood products pavilion at the annual Japan Home Show. This year the show will return to its traditional November schedule and run from the 14^th through the 16^th at Tokyo Big Sight.

The JHS typically attracts about 90,000 industry people ranging from importers and distributors to builders and architects and has long been the highest profile building products show in the country, particularly for imported products. This year the organizers have decided to strategically partner with JAPANTEX which is one of Japan’s largest interior trend shows for professionals. With the JHS and JAPANTEX collocated together in Big Sight’s East Hall, it is expected that JHS exhibitors will see a dramatic increase in designers working on non-residential projects.

Also, we expect positive synergies from the HOSPEX show, catering to the owners/operators of medical and elderly care facilities, which will be run concurrently by the same organizers in an adjacent hall. Elderly care facility operators have been adopting 2×4 buildings more and more in recent years because of the perceived therapeutic benefits of wood framed buildings. COFI’s Japan Office has been very active in targeting this market on the structural side and we are endeavouring to find more opportunities for value-added products on such projects.

BC Wood will also be working with the Canadian Embassy on a program timed around the show to target the reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region. As a result, members attending the JHS will also be able to take part in some match-making activities targeting local companies working on both non-residential and residential projects in the tsunami devastated communities.

This show offers a great opportunity for companies looking to enter the Japanese market and take advantage of the many positive trends we are seeing.  Products sectors covered: cabinetry, engineered wood, millwork, log and timberframe, packaged homes, as well as reman and specialty lumber including WRC.

For more information about either of these shows please contact Jim Ivanoff at ivanoff@canadawood.jp.

A reminder of BC Wood’s presence at this year’s Interior Design Show West (IDS West) – September 27-30th. Over the past couple of years, the IDS West has become the venue to see the best of international and local designs. BC Wood will bring together local companies that produce a full range of design-oriented products; everything from custom furnishings and architectural millwork, to cabinets, doors, mouldings, and flooring.

The objective will be to feature the individual companies by drawing more traffic to a centrally located “Design BC” pavilion. The pavilion will be an 1800 square foot of exhibition space, with BC Wood covering a good portion of the hard costs for this sector wide display.

If you plan to participate in the IDS West show this year, please contact me to see how we can save you money and ensure you higher visibility through the “Design BC” pavilion. Call 604-882-7100 or email me at  bhawrysh@bcwood.com.

Principles, John Lore and Evan Sadler, created Live Edge Design in 2006 through a shared vision and out of recognition for the complimentary nature of each other’s styles.

John Lore started with Pickle Ridge Rustic Carpentry which specialized in twig and log furniture (now celebrated in his Forest Lodge Collection). Evan Sadler was known for his fine reproduction styles under the guise of his original company Sadler Fine Furniture. Both discovered their passion for working with local woods, but each was working at the opposite end of the spectrum: John was creating furniture from willow twigs, alder branches and driftwood; Evan, highly polished furniture using solid wood and traditional joinery techniques. Recognizing the many ways their work complemented each other, they decided to form a new company to create the best of an emerging, unique West Coast style. Now sole owner, John Lore continues to stay on the Edge of Design while maintaining the ethical standards in which Live Edge is rooted.

Live Edge uses wood from trees that have been brought down by storms and salvages what is left behind by companies looking for dimensional lumber. Their products are primarily made from local Bigleaf Western Maple, sought after by wood turners and musical instrument makers for its extraordinary figure and beauty. They also work with other woods like Arbutus, Elm, Cottonwood, and Walnut.

Everything from the cutting, milling, drying, design and product creation is done in their workshop and studio on Vancouver Island, Canada. The entire ‘Tree to Table’ process can take close to a year. Since it’s hard to wait that long for a beautiful piece, Live Edge will match their library of wood to fit your unique project, bringing it to your home or business in less than 2 months.

Award winning Live Edge Design caters to a strong regional and North American market, as well as working with international clients. Among their many clients, they have created unique pieces for Starbucks, Joey’s, and the Hilton Hotel. One of their unique projects was the floating ceiling for the 2010 Olympics. Communities from across BC sent Live Edge Design samples of wood that were representative of their area. Live Edge then incorporated it into creating the Spirit of BC ceiling which still graces the internal skies of the 2010 Commerce Centre on Robson Street in Vancouver.

Live Edge will be featured on CTV and Shaw. Stay tuned to their facebook page for updates: www.facebook.com/liveedgedesign.

For more information on the company, visit liveedgedesign.ca

BC Wood will once again be organizing the Canadian wood products pavilion at the annual Japan Home Show. This year the show will return to its traditional November schedule and run from the 14^th through the 16^th at Tokyo Big Sight.

The JHS typically attracts about 90,000 industry people ranging from importers and distributors to builders and architects and has long been the highest profile building products show in the country, particularly for imported products. This year the organizers have decided to strategically partner with JAPANTEX which is one of Japan’s largest interior trend shows for professionals. With the JHS and JAPANTEX collocated together in Big Sight’s East Hall, it is expected that JHS exhibitors will see a dramatic increase in designers working on non-residential projects.

Also, we expect positive synergies from the HOSPEX show, catering to the owners/operators of medical and elderly care facilities, which will be run concurrently by the same organizers in an adjacent hall. Elderly care facility operators have been adopting 2×4 buildings more and more in recent years because of the perceived therapeutic benefits of wood framed buildings. COFI’s Japan Office has been very active in targeting this market on the structural side and we are endeavouring to find more opportunities for value-added products on such projects.

BC Wood will also be working with the Canadian Embassy on a program timed around the show to target the reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku region. As a result, members attending the JHS will also be able to take part in some match-making activities targeting local companies working on both non-residential and residential projects in the tsunami devastated communities.

I am very excited about this year’s Japan Home Show as the housing market overall has been strong this year and the show organizers have been working hard to bring more value to exhibitors. This show offers a great opportunity for companies looking to enter the Japanese market and take advantage of the many positive trends we are seeing.  I will be booking booth space soon so for more information please e-mail me at ivanoff@canadawood.jp.

Francis Lemieux & Co. is a small, custom woodworking company located in Port Moody, British Columbia. With over 20 years of experience serving the BC and US market, Francis Lemieux offers a wide range of services including custom furniture and millwork fabrication, art services, and prototype building. The company is involved in the entire process from design to production and installation. They have chosen to remain small in order to maintain flexibility and diversity in the products they produce and to provide a high level of personalized service.

The company was established by Francis Lemieux, a hands-on master tradesperson in the joinery trade. Francis Lemieux has designed and made everything from musical instruments to furniture and architectural woodwork. For a time, he specialized in the design and production of chairs. Francis Lemieux is also the designer of a collection of original furniture, lighting, accessories, and art work called “Frank Smith”; all of these pieces are produced in-house. Francis Lemieux & Co. has worked with many design professionals and artists to facilitate the production of their products and projects which have included restaurants, hotels, and private residences. Their shop is well equipped for a diversity of products, including a CNC router capable of 2D and 3D work, which is used as a design tool just as much as a production tool.

Francis Lemieux & Co. has exhibited in numerous shows and competitions and has won several design & craft awards. Judson Beaumont has described Francis Lemieux as a positive inspiration when he started his company, Straight Lines Designs, in the 1980′s.

Over the years, Francis Lemieux & Co. has given back to the community by training many apprentices. Francis also volunteered his time to sit on the advisory committee for the Fine Woodworking program at Selkirk College in Nelson, BC and was a member of the former Wood Co-op on Granville Island. In addition, he has donated his work, including art pieces to numerous causes; the most recent being a relief carved art piece donated to the Unicef Unite for Art Auction.

For more information on Francis Lemieux & Co., please visit http://www.francislemieux.com and http://franksmith.ca. To read Francis’ blog, please visit: http://relevantwoodworking.blogspot.com/ .

This January’s cold snap has been blessing ski hills around the country with an abundance of snow after a slow start to the season. However, the Fukushima nuclear crisis still looms heavily over the prospects of resorts attracting foreign tourists. In fact, for 2011 the number of tourists coming to Japan fell 27.8%. Niseko has benefitted the most from inbound tourism over the past few years so it was safe to assume that it was also being hit the hardest by this steep decline in travellers. Therefore, I recently visited the area to find out what was happening and what the prospects were for a rebound.

The first thing that struck me driving around the area was the number of construction sites that seemed to be stopped. In meeting with local people I soon learned that developers quickly put the brakes on many projects after 3/11. However, unlike past boom and bust cycles the owners of these projects are now well financed professional developers. Therefore, they have both the capability to weather the tough short-term conditions and they also have the foresight to see that over the longer term the nuclear fears will dissipate and foreign tourists will return in large numbers. Everything that has made Niseko the most talked about ski resort in Asia is still there.

One positive outcome from the current downturn is that a central “village” may finally be built in the Hirafu area. Over the years many people involved with developments in the area told me that the shoddy shape of the main access to the Hirafu lifts and the lack of a Whistler type village area was holding Niseko back from reaching the next level as an international destination. Many of the old buildings lining the main road were owned by people waiting for the area to grow further but without the means to properly develop the properties themselves. It seems that several of them were persuaded by the bleak prospects last year to finally sell. Once that part of Niseko is redeveloped, the whole area will benefit greatly from it.

Another thing that seems to be changing is the attitude towards domestic travellers. One of the amazing aspects of the Niseko success story was how it could prosper while only catering to foreigners and completely ignoring the massive Tokyo market. Hokkaido was always seen as a clean and pristine area, but that image has been further reinforced by the fact that it was one of the few areas in Japan that was spared any fallout after the Fukushima explosions. By actively pursuing the Tokyo market, Niseko operators can not only fill more rooms now, they can also build a more diversified client based so that the area is less susceptible to future shocks from overseas.

While 2011 was a terrible year for Niseko developers and lodging operators, there is some optimism returning. Apparently the number of inquiries from Australia and ex-pats in Asia has been increasing recently. Hopefully the Japanese government’s declaration in December that the Fukushima plants have achieved cold shutdown will encourage the Chinese tourists to also comeback. At the very least, the Japanese government is looking positively at 2012 by aiming to attract over 9 million inbound tourists topping the previous record of 8.6 million. Let’s hope they are right!

IDSWest 2011 was held in the New Vancouver Convention Centre, September 29 to October 2, 2011.  The Interior Design Show West (IDSwest) is Western Canada’s annual premiere residential design show featuring 200 exhibitors showcasing quality, cutting edge, and original design products and services to an audience of industry professionals, architects, designers, consumers, and media.

An amazing array of both internationally renowned and local designers, critics, and popular magazine editors spoke throughout the 3 ½ day event, drawing standing room only crowds over the weekend.

We had an excellent representation of BC Wood members participating this year, including:

Barker Manufacturing Inc.
Bertuccio
Brent Comber Originals
Coulson Mfg.
Fine Line
Live Edge Design
Mario Sabljak Design
Martha Sturdy Incorporated
Matthieu LeBlanc
Sabina Hill Design
Stick & Stones
Straight Line Designs Inc.
Wide Plank Hardwood Ltd.

The displays and new products launched were stunning, offering the 30,000+ audience lots of ideas and opportunities to see what exceptional talent we have here in BC. Many of our members have already seen orders and requests from the event, making it one of the most successful Canadian activities that BC Wood participates in. Congratulations to all our members!

To see the program and speaker highlights, as well as listings of all the exhibitors, visit their website at www.idswest.com.

Sabina Hill is a Vancouver-based contemporary design studio specializing in art and custom furniture. In collaboration with First Nations artists, Sabina creates limited edition furniture and art pieces that reflect the rich mythology of the Northwest Coast. Sabina has several exclusive collections that feature a variety of design work, and she also does commission pieces for residential and hospitality clients. Her work includes dining tables, coffee tables, sofas, ottomans, beds, and wall panels.

Born in Vancouver, Sabina’s deep-rooted connection with the Northwest Coast is woven into her iconic body of work. With a career that spans three decades, Sabina has collaborated with a variety of designers and manufacturers. Her background in architecture and interior design offers a unique perspective that is evident in her contemporary approach to design.

In 2008, Sabina travelled with BC Wood to England for 100% Design London, representing the Best of BC Furniture Designers at this prestigious show. This trade event introduced her work to an international audience and solidified her relationships with fellow BC Wood members Brent Comber, Judson Beaumont and Michael Trayler. Later that year, Sabina’s work was acquired by the Royal Ontario Museum, an impressive feat for any designer. In 2009, she was nominated for Western Living’s furniture designer of the year and was labeled “One to Watch”. At this year’s IDS West event, Sabina unveiled the Thunderbird Chair, the first piece in the Harvest Collection.

The Harvest Collection is about gathering materials from the earth and incorporating all parts of that bounty into our daily life. The Thunderbird Chair represents a new direction for the designer as she introduces soft goods into her Northwest Coast style. This limited edition chair features the exclusive art of First Nations artist Andy Everson. The chair is made of solid walnut, ebonized inlays and hand-sewn Italian leather with diamond tufted detailing.

This season, Sabina Hill is introducing tanned salmon skins into her work. By integrating elements of this unique material into her functional art pieces, she is adding layers of texture, colour and luxury to her designs.

For more information, please visit sabinahill.com

For over 30 years the Japan Home & Building Show has been one of the most important events in marketing calendar of foreign companies selling into Japan. However, this year there were many challenges facing the event, some resulting from the 3/11 earthquake while others were self-inflicted.

Several years ago the show organizers decided to change the date of the 2011 show so as to time it with the planned UIA event at Tokyo Forum. I personally expressed my concerns over this numerous times as I have seen how such date changes have hurt other shows. Especially with the JHS’ long history, everyone expects it to take place in November. However, they believed that holding it in conjunction with the UIA event would inject new energy into the show.

These plans were greatly complicated by the March earthquake. By having bumped up the show, the organizers also bumped up the recruiting period of the show to late spring, which was still the dark period when no one knew what tomorrow would bring. As a result, purse strings were tightened and I am sure the JHS had trouble signing up exhibitors.

The earthquake and the nuclear disaster also worried the expected 10,000 overseas UIA attendees. In April there was even talk of cancelling the UIA event. However, they moved ahead with it as the situation in Fukushima gradually improved.

As we set-up for the show, I wondered and worried about how it would turn out. As feared, the attendance fell dramatically, from 87,000 to 43,000. Luckily though the quality of the visitors greatly increased as many more architects came to the show for the first time. This was undoubtedly due to the cross-marketing with the UIA event. We even received many overseas guests who came for the UIA event. Overall, even though the overall numbers were down, we felt just as busy as last year since the architects were spending more time with us asking questions about products.

The other thing that I had been wondering about was how much traffic we would receive related to reconstruction efforts in the Tohoku area. Over the three days we met with many builders, developers, and distributors from the earthquake/ tsunami affected areas and they seemed to be getting themselves prepared for the big reconstruction projects. I learned that developers from across the region and even other parts of Japan are buying up all the available elevated land near the coast for such projects. However, they are experiencing labour shortages and are thus looking at overseas suppliers that can help with packaged homes and other solutions.

Despite the drop in attendance I was very pleased with the results of the show. We were able to make a great number of new contacts including ones involved in the reconstruction efforts. This helps us prepare for the Nikkei Show next March where reconstruction projects will definitely be taking center stage.

This week I got a chance to visit The Grape Box in Burnaby and chat with Ruth Hoffman.  The Grape Box is a social enterprise supported by The Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion.

They have a triple bottom-line business model. First and foremost, they offer high quality products at competitive prices with excellent customer service. Secondly, on an environmental note, all of their products are made from reclaimed western red cedar and pine beetle wood. Lastly, their social mandate is to create training and employment for adults with intellectual disabilities.

They currently employ 6 adults with intellectual disabilities at their Burnaby woodshop.  “We are fortunate to have found ideal employees to perform the tasks of cutting, sanding, planning, and engraving and who do not mind the repetitive nature of our work.  Our employees are highly motivated and appreciative of the opportunities to learn wood-working skills and even more thrilled to be paid minimum wage and be able to be contributing citizens to our community. Successfully matching skills to tasks is a key factor to managing our personnel costs and ultimately a sustainable operation,” says Ruth.

The Grape Box started off as a program in the 1980′s run by The Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion (BACI). www.gobaci.com. With years of experience and a growing reputation for quality and service, The Grape Box was spun off into a separate social enterprise in 2007. Today they operate in Burnaby with over  4,500 sq ft. and an integrated workforce of 10.

Their name represents their flagship product – the wine box; however, they also produce outdoor furniture (Adirondack chairs, high and low-back chairs, planters and picnic tables); and a wide assortment of gift boxes for the corporate promotional market. Because they are a small shop, they are also able to accept requests for custom designs and have made table centerpieces, arbors, small bridges, coasters, and trays. They have a laser engraver on-site which allows them to produce high quality engraved products.

“Above and beyond our commitment to being fiscally and environmentally responsible, we chose this business because it offered employment opportunities to individuals with all types of abilities,” says Hoffman. Their philosophy is to build a society where everyone has the opportunity to be included, challenged and successful. “We want to be able to offer more jobs with barriers to employment and become one of BC’s prized business models,” says Ruth.

For more information on the Grape Box, please visit www.thegrapebox.com

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

The Japan Home and Building Show is the most famous building products show amongst foreign exhibitors. Every year companies from Canada, the US, across Asia, and many parts of Europe come to this show to find new Japanese partners or build on their existing market presence. Even companies that do not participate directly time their business trips to Japan around the middle of November so that they can at least visit the show or take part in related receptions.

This year, however, many companies will be surprised to find out that the JH&BS will be held from September 28th through 30th and not in November. This is because the UIA is holding their “World Congress of Architecture” in Tokyo in and the JH&BS organizers agreed with the UIA organizers to tie the two events together. The UIA’s website explains their event in the following way:

“Described as the “Olympics of Architecture,” the UIA World Congress is a major international architectural event that attracts around 10,000 architects, engineers, researchers and students.Since the inaugural World Congress in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1948, it has taken place triennial in 23 different cities around the world.”

By adding these international guests to the JH&BS’ already large audience of Japanese industry professionals, the show organizers are expecting that exhibitors will be able to reach a much wider audience than in the past. This will be of particular interest to those who are looking to begin marketing to other parts of Asia as an event of this calibre in Tokyo will be sure to attract the top people in architecture from neighbouring Korea and China. Considering the bleak outlook that some people foresaw after the 3/11 earthquake, this added vibrancy to the JH&BS is a welcome development.

Another point in this year’s JH&BS’ favour is that some major wholesalers have decided to cancel their own private trade shows in the summer and fall. This means that the JH&BS will be the only venue for buyers, builders, and architects to see new products this fall. It is expected that the strong resulting interest amongst attendees will overcome any confusion resulting from the change in dates.

BC Wood now has its funding in place for the new fiscal year and as a result I am able to accept applications for show space. Please contact me for more information on this year’s event as well as on how to apply.

Working Wood, the BIP Mentoring Program is a funding assisted program designed to deliver tools and instruction to help small furniture manufacturers/designers grow their business. 2011 will be the third year of this valuable program and with two years under our belts, we have been able to streamline, refine and develop the program to allow participants the opportunity to grow their business capacity and see quantitative, measurable results.

The Working Wood program will take place June 2011 – November 2011. The program is intended for small companies who are looking for opportunities to grow their capacities and industry specific knowledge. For more information and the application form, please click here. Space is limited, so please contact Jason Heard ASAP if you are interested in this great program: Jason@idswest.com or call 604.220.2725.

The Forest Lumber & Cooperage manufactures cedar barrel hot tubs, cedar barrel saunas, and cedar barrel water cisterns. They use the cooperage method which is the art of traditional hand crafted barrel making which has been used for hundreds of years.

35 years ago, The Forest Lumber & Cooperage started up in Sooke, BC and is still thriving today. They now offer FSC certified cedar and have Rainforest Alliance Certification. Their Rainwater Collection is perfect for architects that are involved in LEED projects. One such project they were recently involved in was providing 10 cedar water cisterns for a private school in Hawaii. The cedar cisterns have a potable plastic liner which makes the water safe for drinking.

The Forest Lumber & Cooperage is involved in every single step of the production of their products from the quality of wood they use for the rough cedar cants, to re-sawing, dry kilning, and molding, to building and finishing. They ship their products all over the world with majority of their sales in Canada and Europe.

For more information on The Forest Lumber & Cooperage, please visit www.forestlumber.com

Above: Horizontal Cedar Barrel Sauna
Below: Cedar Barrel Hot Tub

The Business Innovation Partnership (BIP) is about to launch the Working Wood Mentoring Program for our 3rd year. This dynamic training and mentoring program is for small, start-up designer/manufacturers in BC who are ready to take the next step.

Mission: Assist selected furniture designers /manufacturers in a comprehensiveeducational/mentoring program to provide tools and skills to successfully participate in a trade/consumer event and grow their businesses, thusly the furniture sector in general.

The program includes a variety of workshops, in-house one-on-one training and site visits, and covers important topics such as business planning & management, marketing and branding for your core audience, product development and finally, actual participation in an important local trade event; the IDSWest Show.

This BIP initiative is one of our shining examples of how working closely with small, almost start-up wood working/ furniture designers in BC can lead to successful company growth. We believe that BC has some of the best designers and craftsmen in the world and are pleased to have this opportunity to help them grow their business.

If you, or someone you know, would like to apply to be part of the upcoming program, please contact Jason Heard at Jason@idswest.com for more information. Space is very limited and the workshops start soon! Check out this video to hear what some of the 1st year participants had to say:

If the above video does not work, go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bz8jwLMIgII