2019 April Hardwood Matters

TH E VOIC E O F THE HARDWOOD IN DUSTRY

H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S April 2019

plus TOP 10 RECRUITING TIPS UNDERSTANDING THE NHLA GRADING RULES

Employee Recruitment and Retention: Overcoming the Biggest Business Issue of 2019

T H E O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E N AT I O N A L H A R D W O O D L U M B E R A S S O C I AT I O N S T R O N G R O O T S . G L O B A L R E A C H . | W W W. N H L A . C O M

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CONTENTS April 2019 • Issue 199

WHAT'S INSIDE

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ONLINE

feature

instant

10 Employee Recruitment and Retention: Overcoming the Biggest Business Issue of 2019

TOP POST OF THE MONTH at facebook.com/NHLAOfficial #ThrowbackThursday to this 1920 sawmill. Things have changed just a bit over the last century!

departments 6 Accolades 6 Inside NHLA 8 Legislative Log Setting Directions for 2019 16 Rules Corner Understanding the NHLA

Grading Rules Follow us

reader services 4 18

President’s Message Educational Calendar

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A P R I L 2 0 1 9 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S |

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H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S T H E VO I C E O F T H E H A R DWO O D I N D U ST RY National Hardwood Lumber Association PO Box 34518 • Memphis, TN 38184-0518 901-377-1818 • 901-382-6419 (fax) info@nhla.com • www.nhla.com

THE MISSION OF NH LA To serve NHLA Members engaged in the commerce of North American hardwood lumber by: maintaining order, structure and ethics in the changing global hardwood marketplace; providing unique member services; promoting North American hardwood lumber and advocating the interest of the hardwood community in public/private policy issues; and providing a platform for networking opportunities.

ADVERTISER INDEX IFC DMSi 7

TallyExpress by DMSi

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King City/Northway Forwarding

IBC Pike Lumber Company, Inc. 5 RossiGroup 20

Southern Forest Products Association

For advertising, convention sponsorships and exhibit booth sales contact: John Hester, Director of Membership at j.hester@nhla.com or 901-399-7558 Vicky Simms, Membership Development Manager at v.simms@nhla.com or 901-399-7557

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MISSION LEADERS

Darwin Murray McClain Forest Products President

Bucky Pescaglia Missouri-Pacific Lumber Co., Inc. Unique Services

Jeff Wirkkala Hardwood Industries, Inc. Vice President

Kevin Gillette Tioga Hardwoods, Inc. Rules

Brent Stief Huron Forest Products, Inc. Past President 2016-2018

Darrell Keeling Northwest Hardwoods Structure

NHLA STAFF

Mike Powers Maley & Wertz, Inc. Industry Advocacy & Promotion

Lorna D. Christie CEO l.christie@nhla.com Amanda Boutwell Marketing and Communications Manager a.boutwell@nhla.com

Jon Syre Cascade Hardwood, LLC Membership & Networking COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Renee Hornsby Director of Communications/Editor r.hornsby@nhla.com

Stephanie VanDystadt DV Hardwoods, Inc. Membership

Melissa Ellis Smith Graphic Designer m.ellis@nhla.com

Rob Cabral Upper Canada Forest Products, Ltd. Promotion & Advocacy

■■■ Trisha Clariana Office Manager Desirée Freeman Controller Julia Ganey Member Relations Manager

Garner Robinson Robinson Lumber Company Convention David Mayfield Mayfield Lumber Co. Inspection Services

Rich Hascher Inspector Training School Instructor

Bruce Horner Abenaki Timber Corp.

ITS/Continuing Education

John Hester Director of Membership and Business Development

John Griffin Frank Paxton Lumber Communications & Marketing

Debbie Horn Executive Assistant/Project Management

Joe Snyder Fitzpatrick & Weller, Inc. Rules

Carol McElya Accounting Assistant & Publications Becky Miller Inspector Training School Administrator Vicky Quiñones Simms Membership Development Manager Dana Spessert Chief Inspector

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Rachel Spiers Marketing Associate r.spiers@nhla.com A P R I L 2 0 1 9 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S

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Michael Hilburn - President mhilburn@kingcityusa.com

Lloyd Lovett - CEO l.lovett@kingcitynorthway.com

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

PROMOTION THE NEVER-ENDING STORY

T

hanks to everyone who called or emailed your thoughts about last month’s article, “Time for a New Approach to Promotion.” After all the conversations, I realize there is still much to discuss about this topic.

So, I would like to continue the “promotion conversation” for another month.

Just about everyone I’ve spoken with agrees that now, more than ever, promotion isn’t a nice to have — it is a must have. We don’t have a choice because the aggressive (and sometimes untruthful) marketing tactics of our competitors has given them ownership of the dialogue with consumers and key influencers. We are losing ground, and the longer we wait, the more difficult it will be for us to be successful.

Since 1969, the hardwood industry has engaged in at least six broad ranging attempts, (including two check-offs) to promote North American hardwoods to consumers and/or architects and designers.

While all efforts achieved some initial success, most were absorbed by industry trade associations like HMA or NHLA or were discontinued without achieving campaign goals.

Before we embark on a new promotion campaign, we must learn from our past by carefully considering the “lessons learned” from such efforts.

• Lack of consistent, broad base funding – On average, past promotional efforts have been funded by a small percentage of the industry, creating dissent between “free-riders” and funders. The lack of broad participation has led to larger funders abandoning campaigns out of frustration.

• Board turnover and changing market cycles make it difficult to maintain focus and consensus on funding promotional efforts along with agreement on targeted audiences, and promotional strategies.

• Research is useful but doesn’t provide all the answers. Messaging must resonate with target audiences to be successful. It’s not about what messaging we think is important. We must understand what the target audience needs to hear to change their perception of North American hardwoods.

• In the case of check-offs, the most common concern was fear of government intervention and how check off assessments should be determined. A mix of competing products also created animosity between industry segments.

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• Campaign development must be inclusive and not exclusive to prevent dissent over the long term.

• Associations must set aside competitive interests to work on behalf of the entire industry.

• To change perception, we must be able to raise funds to support a long-term promotional strategy. Past efforts have been unable to reach long term funding goals.

Perhaps our most compelling challenge was first identified in 1969 by a public relations firm hired by the Hardwood Institute, one of our earliest promotion efforts. The manager of the firm noted, “Many promotions that would be possible are seriously diluted by the multiplicity of competing voices in the hardwood industry. He added, “Is there a hardwood industry, or is there a collection of groups seeking a common thread? “ Wise advice for an industry supporting dozens of trade associations across the country. My company alone is a member of 5 hardwood forest products associations. Perhaps the first steps in our next promotional effort is not deciding on who we want to talk to, what we want to say, or the funding mechanism. If we are truly committed to creating a strong voice for our industry, we must first address the challenges of those competing voices and associations. Achieving that consensus will be the foundation of our success.

I believe our industry has some of the most skilled Executive Directors in the nation. These association leaders are the professionals who should be guiding us through a promotional effort. A unified collaborative effort led by these professionals and supported by their members should be the starting point of promoting our products.

Once again, I would like to hear your thoughts. Contact me at d.murray@nhla.com

Darwin Murray, NHLA President McClain Forest Products dmurray@mcclainforestproducts.com W W W. N H L A .C O M

A new beginning for the Gold Standard for Cherry from Emporium, PA The Rossi Group announces the launch of its new State of the Art high-tech sawmill at Emporium in Pennsylvania to serve domestic and export markets from the sustainable Allegheny Forest resources with the highest quality Cherry and many other hardwood species.

Rossi Group LLC, www.rossilumber.com Tel: 1(860) 6323505

ACCOLADES

Congratulations

Milestone Members NHLA would like to recognize our members who celebrated a milestone anniversary of 5 years or more during the month of April.

5 YEARS Acme Pallet Inc. | Associate | April 2014

20 YEARS

Welcome New Members (Q1 2019 as of printing)

ACTIVE U1 MEMBERS Hershberger Hardwoods, Mt. Victory, OH High Country Lumber, Millwood, KY Tie Timber, LLC, Stilwell, KS Northwestern Hardwoods LLC, Clymer, NY White County Lumber Co., Inc., Sparta, TN ACTIVE U2 MEMBERS Douthit Tie & Lumber Co., Camden, AR TRICO Enterprises, LLC, Lakewood, OH

Masco Cabinetry, LLC | Associate | April 1999

30 YEARS SII Dry Kilns | Sustaining | April 1989

ASSOCIATE MEMBER Crow Works, Killbuck, OH SUSTAINING MEMBERS Progress Engineering, Manchester, ME Samuel Packaging Systems Group, Surrey, BC, Canada Taylor Group, Louisville, MS

INSIDE NHLA

ITS at High School Career Day

The Inspector Training School recently participated in the Millington Central High School Career Day Fair. The goal of the fair was to expose high school juniors and seniors to potential career paths they may not have considered. The fair was extremely successful, generating potential student leads and increasing community awareness of the hardwood lumber industry as a career.

ITS Field Trip

J. T. Shannon Lumber Company was kind enough to host a field trip for Inspector Training School students (class #188). There are several more field trips scheduled for ITS students throughout the year.

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John Hester and Rachel Spiers A P R I L 2 0 1 9 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S

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A P R I L 2 0 1 9 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S |

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LEGISLATIVE LOG

Setting Directions For 2019

by DANA COLE, Executive Director Hardwood Federation

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he 2019 Hardwood Federation’s Board of Directors and Hardwood Federation PAC Board of Directors recently held their annual winter meetings in Washington D.C.

The first order of business was the introduction of the members of our 2019 Board of Directors and HFPAC Board of Directors. The Federation Board provides strategic direction for advocacy priorities and out-reach efforts as well as oversight of our budget and other administrative functions. The HFPAC Board is instrumental in helping to raise PAC dollars to support our congressional allies and

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in identifying those we should consider for financial support. This group is vital to our efforts on behalf of the industry and we rely heavily on their insight and guidance.

Our 2019 Board of Directors President is Rick Holden of Derr Flooring in Willow Grove, PA. He will be ably supported by incoming Vice President Matthew Smith of Smith Creek in Borden, IN. The NHLA is represented by a total of eight outstanding hardwood industry leaders on the Hardwood Federation and Hardwood Federation PAC Boards.

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NHLA REPRESENTATIVES The four NHLA representatives to the Hardwood Federation Board are Scott Heidler of Heidler Hardwood Lumber Company (who also serves as immediate Past President of the Board), Darwin Murray of McClain Forest Products, Ted Rossi of the Rossi Group (also Development Chair), and Jeff Wirkkala of Hardwood Industries Inc. NHLA representatives sitting on the HFPAC Board include John Crites II of Allegheny Wood Products, Jesse Joyce of Middle Tennessee Lumber, Darrell Keeling of Northwest Hardwoods, and Charlie Netterville of Fred Netterville Lumber Company. The HFPAC Board is led by President Tommy Maxwell of Maxwell Hardwood Flooring and Vice President Bob Miller of Frank Miller Lumber.

The Hardwood Federation is very grateful for the tremendous support and engagement of NHLA in the Federation. We very much look forward to working with your delegates to our boards.

The primary focus of the February meeting is to set the direction and priorities of the Federation for the coming year. After considering

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our 2018 advocacy activity in D.C., the anticipated Administration agenda, and the responses to the annual Hardwood Federation Priority Policy Survey, the Hardwood Federation and Hardwood Federation PAC Boards discussed and set a course of action for 2019.

Of course, the ever changing world of politics and policy can shift some of this course, but to have a sense of direction at the start of every year greatly helps the Hardwood Federation staff provide the best possible assistance to the hardwood industry.

In 2019 the top issues reported by the survey mostly fell in line with anticipated priorities: Regulatory Reform, Federal Forest Management, Tax Reform, Trade, and Innovative Wood Products. Following these were issues that HF will continue to monitor throughout the year including: Funding Government Programs that Enhance Exports, Export Markets, the Lacey Act, Biomass, Immigration Reform, and the Endangered Species Act. The Board also recommended a focus on transportation issues – with special regard to trucking – and other Infrastructure issues that may have potential to move in a now divided Congress.

These are not new topics for the Federation, but the levels of importance placed on them by those who responded to the survey is a clear mandate for us. Congress will continue to hear from us why it is important that the right decisions are made when considering reform measures in these areas . . . and why the wrong decisions can devastate our industry. continued on page 20

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EMPLOYEE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION Overcoming the Biggest Business Issue of 2019

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A P R I L 2 0 1 9 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S |

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t’s every manager’s nightmare: One of your best employees unexpectedly resigns, and you have to find an immediate replacement. Or, a longtime employee is approaching retirement, and you worry about finding someone else with their particular skill set – which is not an easy task given that unemployment rates are at near-record lows. Rapid technological advances in the hardwood lumber industry and numerous retiring baby boomers have shifted the landscape of employee recruitment and retention. These issues are compounded by the fact that most sawmills are in rural areas with shallow pools of potential employees.

According to the recently released Hardwood Economic Impact Study, the hardwood industry employs nearly 21 million people.

Hardwood producers and manufacturers, including sawmills, lumberyards, flooring companies, kitchen cabinet manufacturers, and railway ties, directly support nearly 750,000 jobs, while related industries, including transportation, retail, forest owners and logging support more than 1.4 million jobs.

So, where do you turn when you need to fill one of the 21-million jobs the hardwood industry supports? There are so many ways to reach people in this digital age, from social media to email to jobsearch websites, you may wonder which one you should use. The simple answer is all of them. However, the key to finding quality employees is more nuanced than just finding someone online.

Mike Powers of Maley & Wertz, Inc. has used job fairs at local high schools, temp agencies, and referrals to find new entry-level employees, but he has a big picture plan as well. Powers says, “A few years ago I decided that I needed to build a succession team. This included NHLA lumber inspectors, management, and sales. I have been very successful in attracting these individuals when I contact the local high schools and universities in my area. I generally start with the placement counselor and sell our industry and available career paths.

The counselors then do a great job of matching me up with potential applicants and their resumes.”

Today, recruitment isn’t as easy as posting an ad and waiting for quality employees to come to you. You have to understand where your possible recruits spend their time, whom they spend their time with, their values, what their personal goals are, and how you can help achieve them.

When it comes to posting your job opening digitally, the platforms you should use will vary depending on the job. For example, if you are looking for someone who is highly skilled and has experience, you

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“A few years ago I decided that I needed to build a succession team. This included NHLA lumber inspectors, management, and sales. I have been very successful in attracting these individuals when I contact the local high schools and universities in my area. I generally start with the placement counselor and sell our industry and available career paths. The counselors then do a great job of matching me up with potential applicants and their resumes.” are better served posting your job opening on LinkedIn and other professional sites. If you are looking to hire someone at entry-level, you should consider job-hunting websites like CareerBuilder, Indeed or Glassdoor. One job-posting venue that can be used for all employee-types is Facebook. Facebook will allow you to specifically target the type of employee you are looking for based on interests, work experience, and location.

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TOP 10 RECRUITING TIPS

counselors to let them know you are interested in hiring graduates or call local high schools about participating in job/career fairs.

1. Take advantage of your NHLA membership. Post your employment opportunity to the NHLA Job Board (www.NHLA.com/jobs).

It’s free for members, and it is a well-known resource for qualified people looking for jobs in the hardwood lumber industry.

6. Let your location work for you, not against you. If you want to attract people from other cities, do a great job of promoting your location. Give applicants details on what makes your town great. Examples include high performing local schools, family-related activities, low crime rates, or short commute time. This works particularly well for companies located in rural areas with great schools and low crime.

If you aren’t getting results posting your job to your town, post it to the nearest big city. People are willing to move for the right job.

2. Reach out to the NHLA Inspector Training School. The school is always graduating new potential employees. Make sure the students know you are looking to hire.

3. Create better job postings to attract better applicants. When posting your job opening, avoid using just the job description. Quality people aren’t looking for jobs. They are looking for careers. Start your posting with a paragraph that gives potential applicants details that are exciting about the job, so they are more likely to continue reading. Include things about your company that show stability, like how many years you’ve been in business or how long employees stay (if you have a low turnover rate). Other items to promote include competitive salaries, education opportunities, benefits, and anything else applicants will find interesting, like using state-of-art equipment.

4. Remember your current employees + LinkedIn = qualified candidates! Ask your employees for the names of the best people they’ve worked with in the past and look them up on LinkedIn. Review their experience, and if you like what you see, contact them about applying. You can also use the advanced search function on LinkedIn to find candidates with similar backgrounds and reach out to them about your job opening.

5. Don’t underestimate the power of the phone. In rural areas, the phone can be a dependable resource for discovering local talent that may not be accessible online. Try calling local high school guidance

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7. Encourage your current employees to help in your search. Send a company-wide email that includes your job posting so your employees can quickly post to any of their social media accounts.

8. Find your niche. Look for niche job boards or social media groups that focus on the particular skill you need from a new employee. For example, if you need to hire a new lumber inspector, NHLA has a Facebook group with the perfect audience. Go to Facebook and search for the “National Hardwood Lumber Association Group.” Posting your job opening to social groups that share a common interest is much more effective than posting it anywhere else – even your own website.

9. Expand your search radius. In rural areas, it's not uncommon for people to commute long distances to and from work. In larger cities, you are likely to find employees within a 30-mile radius. However, in rural areas, you should expand your search to at least 50-miles.

10. Work through local institutions. Find local colleges, chambers of commerce and other institutions that may know of someone who’d be perfect for the role you are seeking to fill. This is especially helpful for businesses in rural areas since people tend to know each other and can help you find fresh talent.

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Use recognition and rewards systems.

Every person wants to feel appreciated for what they do. Show your employees you appreciate them and let them know how their hard work helps the organization.

Once you’ve found and hired the perfect candidate, you are faced with a new predicament: Keeping them. According to the Wall Street Journal, the cost of losing an employee can be as high as 50 percent of their annual salary. But, it’s more than just money. You’ve also lost talent and time.

Plus, high turnover rates can lower your company’s knowledge base, decrease performance, and lead to low morale. All of this boils down to one thing. You must have a strategy for employee retention.

rewards system that incentivizes great ideas and dedication. Making your employees feel appreciated is one of the best ways to retain staff.

Ensure a stable work-life balance. If you expect your staff to consistently work long hours and be available at a moment’s notice, you are more likely to run into problems with employee retention. A healthy work-life balance is crucial. Burnout is real. Encourage staff to take vacation time they’ve earned and don’t hassle them over sick-leave.

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE RETENTION

Offer employee growth through training and professional development. Employees want the possibility for advancement. Smart managers invest in their workers' professional development and seek opportunities for them to grow. Find out what your employee’s longtime goals are and determine how your company can help them successfully achieve their objectives. Some companies pay for employees to attend industry events each year, and many cover the cost of tuition for continuing education, including the NHLA Inspector Training School and short courses.

Offer a competitive salary. If you want to keep your most valued employees, then you have to pay them competitive wages. You can look up the average salary for a specific job with a simple Google search.

Offer your employees a starting salary that is above average. It doesn’t have to be ridiculous, but the very definition of competitive pay is a salary that is higher than average.

Don’t forget the benefits. With healthcare costs continuing to rise, merely paying a competitive salary isn’t always enough. Quality employees want competitive benefits as well. Essential benefits include health insurance, life insurance, and a retirement-savings plan. Other benefits like flexible schedules and paid sick leave are also valuable to employees. There are many benefits you can offer that won’t break the bank like allowing office employees to bring their dog/cat to work once a month, offering pet insurance, closing the office at 4:30 instead of 5:00, giving employees a day off for their birthday, providing a free lunch once a month after a staff meeting, free CPR training, or inviting food trucks to your site at lunchtime. Something as simple as offering free coffee can go a long way in making employees happy.

Use recognition and rewards systems. Every person wants to feel appreciated for what they do. Show your employees you appreciate them and let them know how their hard work helps the organization. Set up a

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HOW CAN AUTOMATION INCREASE RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION? Young people looking to begin new careers have spent their entire lives surrounded by technology. As they enter the workforce, they expect to encounter new technology in every career path. If your company has the latest automation technology, your business is attractive to younger employees because they don’t want a job that requires a lot of manual labor.

They are looking for jobs that have evolved with the latest technology.

Dr. Rado Gazo, a professor of wood processing and industrial engineering at Purdue University points out, “While automation offers higher production rates for less money, it also leads to the reduction or elimination of jobs that involve high risk or strenuous manual work. It also increases the availability of higher skilled jobs. The other W W W. N H L A .C O M

Workers are hired, trained, work for a couple of years and then move on to another industry. factor is the availability of both skilled and unskilled workers willing to spend significant portions of their lives in the sawmill environment is not as high as it used to be. Workers are hired, trained, work for a couple of years and then move on to another industry. The recent Indiana Hardwood Strategy Study identified the availability of qualified workers as a number one challenge to the continued growth of the hardwood industry.”

Dr. Gazo continues, “Moving down the production line, here are some examples of automation that have made work in the primary hardwood industry less physically demanding, less monotonous, safer, and yes, even more attractive to a younger generation.

• Log harvesters (although they may not work as well for hardwoods as they do for softwoods in some regions) • Bucking equipment in the log yard (improves precision, data collection)

Not every sawmill can afford automations like these. Dr. Gazo has a solution for small-to-medium sized mills that lack the production volume to justify significant automation investments. “A good starting • Automatic edger (took arguably one of the most difficult physical jobs on the line and turned it into a high skill level job, significantly point is to try to improve or eliminate jobs that require handling, operations that require repeated handling of boards, using sensors, improving edging decisions in the process) scanners, and computers to optimize production decisions, and mate• Bin sorters (eliminates physical labor, improves accuracy) rial flows, and reducing high-risk operations. Someone once said the easiest way to create jobs is to sell the bulldozers and buy the shovels.

• Automatic stackers (reduces boring physical labor) It is clear that our industry needs to go the opposite way. Timely adoption of technology will not only increase our competitiveness, • Lumber scanners (objective, consistent evaluation, and but it will also help us to deal with fewer willing and able workers.” measurement)” W W W. N H L A .C O M

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RULES CORNER

Understanding the NHLA Grading Rules

by DANA SPESSERT, NHLA Chief Inspector

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n September of 2010, I was fortunate enough to be chosen to serve as NHLA Chief Inspector.

Since then, I have travelled extensively – both domestically and internationally and I have grown to understand how the NHLA lumber grading rules can be viewed as complicated.

The lack of understanding of the NHLA grading rules has increased over the last few years due to the fact that fewer industry professionals are taking the time to attend the Inspector Training School as well as the hardwood industry’s migration toward export markets.

Note: The export markets tend to be much less interested in the full use of our trees and more interested in a 100% usable piece of lumber.

Antigo, Wisconsin May 20-July 26 Inspector Training School 190th Class Traditional 10-week hands-on training

Memphis, Tennessee Sept. 4-Nov. 22 Inspector Training School 191st Class Traditional 12-week hands-on training

The monthly Rules Corner is an attempt to bring clarity to the Rules and increase the understanding and application of the Rules.

It is my goal that by presenting and answering these questions, someone else will benefit from the answer.

QUESTION 1:

Does the First Lineal Foot Rule apply to the 1 Common side of a FAS 1 Face board?

The First Lineal Foot Rule, on page 15, paragraph 59 of the NHLA Rules Book is: "Within one lineal foot from the ends of the boards of standard lengths there must be 50% clear wood, and not less than 25% of sound wood in the aggregate."

This rule is listed under the grade of FAS, so it would apply to both faces of an FAS board. It is not listed under the 1 Common Rule and therefore does not apply to the 1 Common side of F1F.

QUESTION 2:

Is there any limit on the length of cutting used when applying the 97% Rule?

The 97% Rule on page 15, paragraph 63 states: "Admits also pieces 6" and wider of 6' to 12' surface measure that will yield 11.64/12 (97%) in two clear-face cuttings of any length full width of the board."

As is stated in the Rule, "any length full width," so the only limitation would be if the board has a defect that would not allow the cutting to be full width of the board, then it would not be allowed, the cutting could be any length.

Dana Spessert, NHLA Chief Inspector can be reached at 901-399-7551 or by email at d.spessert@nhla.com.

Register at nhla.com.

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SAVE THE DATE MARCH 26

RULES CORNER GOES LIVE As a way to increase member and industry interaction, the Rules Corner will become a Facebook Live Question & Answer Session, with the inaugural event taking place on March 26 at 11:30am CST. The plan is to host this FB Live event every month. Please follow us on Facebook at NHLA_Official to find out the exact date and time of our next event. Anyone is welcome to send in questions in advance. Tune in and watch live as I answer your lumber grading Rules related questions.

IT’S ALL ABOUT

WHO YOU KNOW

NHLA helps hardwood companies achieve profitability and solve their top business challenges with data-driven, expert advice and hands-on training with our dedicated team of National Inspectors.

How Can We Help You Reach Your Goals? Let's Talk!

Meet Barry Kibbey

Specialty: Dispute Resolution, Lumber Inspection, Sawmill Training, Training and Upgrading Territory: USA - North and Midwest Barry is the fourth generation of his family to work in the hardwood lumber industry. He started hooking tongs on a log crane when he was just 13-years-old. When he turned 18, Barry graduated from NHLA Inspector Training School in 1973 (class #52). Upon graduation, Barry landed his first job as a Lumber Inspector at American Lumber Company in Union City, Pennsylvania. He has worked for NHLA for 20 years.

Barry can be reached at 814-566-2023 or by email at b.kibbey@nhla.com.

Barry has over four decades of experience inspecting lumber and has held just about every job in the industry from lumber stacker, to kiln operator, yard supervisor, and consultant. He enjoys teaching others the techniques that have helped him lead a successful career in the Hardwood Industry. Barry has been with NHLA since 1998.

To find the National Inspector in your area visit NHLA.com.

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EDUCATION & TRAINING For hardwood business owners and their employees Register for classes at www.nhla.com.

APRIL

APRIL

APRIL

APRIL

2-4

8-19

29-May 1

29-May 11

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Inspector Training School Progressive Program BLOCK 1

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Two weeks of hands-on training.

Venue: NHLA Headquarters Memphis, TN

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Venue: Allard Lumber Brattleboro, VT

Venue: Hardwood Industries, Inc. Sherwood, OR

Instructor: Rich Hascher, NHLA ITS Instructor

Venue: NHLA Headquarters Memphis, TN

Instructor: Jack English NHLA National Inspector

Block 2: Online study Block 3: Three weeks handson training and final testing at NHLA headquarters

Instructor: Rich Hascher, NHLA ITS Instructor

APRIL

MAY

JUNE

JUNE

29-May 11

20-July 26

3-14

3-14

Inspector Training School Progressive Program BLOCK 1

Inspector Training School 190th Class

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Inspector Training School Progressive Program BLOCK 1

Two weeks of hands-on training.

Venue: Allard Lumber Brattleboro, VT

Traditional 10-week hands-on training to achieve the certificate of completion in Hardwood Lumber Inspection.

Instructor: Jack English NHLA National Inspector Block 2: Online study Block 3: Three weeks handson training and final testing at NHLA headquarters.

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Venue: NTC Wood Technology Center of Excellence Antigo, WI Instructor: Rich Hascher, NHLA ITS Instructor

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Venue: Dabney S. Lancaster College Clifton Forge, VA Instructor: Barry Kibbey NHLA National Inspector

Instructor: Jack English NHLA National Inspector

Two weeks of hands-on training.

Venue: Dabney S. Lancaster College Clifton Forge, VA Instructor: Barry Kibbey NHLA National Inspector Block 2: Online study Block 3: Three weeks handson training and final testing at NHLA headquarters.

W W W. N H L A .C O M

EDUCATION IS KEY TO YOUR COMPANY’S SUCCESS “Very nice people and Rich, the instructor, is the best. He makes everything so simple and easy to understand. I am very thankful that Pike Lumber Company is sending me through this class.

Best class that I ever took!”

— Elliot Woolums

JUNE

JULY

JULY

AUGUST

10-13

8-19

8-19

12-23

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Inspector Training School Progressive Program BLOCK 1

Inspector Training School Progressive Program BLOCK 1

Venue: Ron Jones Hardwoods Franklin, PA

Venue: NHLA Headquarters Memphis, TN

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Venue: Yoder Lumber Company, Inc. Millersburg, OH

Venue: Ron Jones Hardwoods Franklin, PA

Instructor: Barry Kibbey NHLA National Inspector

SEPTEMBER

2-14 Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Venue: Northwest Hardwoods Marion, NC Instructor: Mark Bear NHLA National Inspector

W W W. N H L A .C O M

Instructor: Tom Byers NHLA National Inspector

SEPTEMBER

Two weeks of hands-on training.

Instructor: Tom Byers NHLA National Inspector

Block 2: Online study Block 3: Three weeks handson training and final testing at NHLA headquarters.

SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER

4-Nov. 22

Inspector Training School Progressive Program BLOCK 1

Inspector Training School 191st Class

Venue: Northwest Hardwoods Marion, NC Instructor: Mark Bear NHLA National Inspector Block 2: Online study Block 3: Three weeks handson training and final testing at NHLA headquarters.

Instructor: Rich Hascher, NHLA ITS Instructor

Block 2: Online study Block 3: Three weeks handson training and final testing at NHLA headquarters.

2-14 Two weeks of hands-on training.

Two weeks of hands-on training.

23-27

Traditional 12-week hands-on training to achieve the certificate of completion in Hardwood Lumber Inspection.

Venue: NHLA Headquarters Memphis, TN Instructor: Rich Hascher, NHLA ITS Instructor

Intro to Hardwood Lumber Grading

Intro class to gain a basic understanding of the NHLA hardwood lumber grading rules and how the rules affect the value of lumber.

Venue: Wood-Mizer, LLC Indianapolis, IN Instructor: Barry Kibbey NHLA National Inspector

A P R I L 2 0 1 9 H A R D W O O D M AT T E R S |

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continued from page 9

The Hardwood Federation Board of Directors were also informed that the long awaited Hardwood Economic Impact Study is ready for release and distribution. The findings show that the U.S. hardwood forest products industry helps to employ over 1.8 million people and contributes $348 billion to the U.S. economy. Hardwood producers and manufacturers, including sawmills, lumberyards, flooring companies, kitchen cabinet manufacturers and railway ties, directly support more than 685,000 jobs in 25,000 facilities generating $35 billion in annual income. Related industries, including transportation, retail, forest ownership and logging support more than 1.1 million jobs and add $212 billion to the economy. For every $1 million in output of hardwood products, 5.3 jobs are created.

The Hardwood Federation was established as a coordinating body within the industry to represent common interests on federal policy . . . a mandate I am proud to continue. The economic impact study project is a natural extension of our daily activities on the Hill: identifying unifying goals, gathering supportive industry and association leaders, jointly developing solutions and serving as an organizing body for implementing those solutions. The result is

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a product that has far reaching value beyond one company or one organization. I look forward to continuing to work with all the wonderful members of the hardwood community to identify future ways to serve the industry in this manner.

The hardwood industry economic impact study was conducted by Agribusiness Consulting and financially supported by the following organizations: The American Hardwood Export Council, the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., the Decorative Hardwoods Association, the Hardwood Federation, the Hardwood Manufacturers Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lumberman’s Association, the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association, the Lake States Lumber Association, the Maple Flooring Manufacturers Association, the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the National Wood Flooring Association, the Railway Tie Association and the Wood Component Manufacturers Association. Additional support was provided by the Hardwood Market Report and the Pennsylvania Lumbermen’s Mutual Insurance Company. It may be viewed at www.hardwoodfederation.com.

W W W. N H L A .C O M

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