FEATURE—WOMEN OF LUMBER AND FORESTRY CONFERENCE

Educational sessions at this year’s event included Sales Training by professional Sales Coach, Robyn Gooding, Teamwork and Communication with Angela Galanoupolos, who brought her experience with the legendary Second City to work for a very enjoyable exercise with the group. Later, Giselle Blackman, a Senior Human Resources Leader led a discussion on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Everyone in attendance agreed that the sessions were valuable and they all enjoyed a high level of participation and discussion.

Though the WOLF conference is just three years old, it has already produced a tradition of its own that has become one of the favourite moments each year. The Jane Walker Awards were first given out in 2019 by Donna Whitaker, VP of Sales and Marketing at Interfor. Each year the previous winners choose another recipient to receive the award. They then present the awards to the people they chose, along with a few words about how that individual has inspired, supported, or mentored them in their career.

This year’s winners were two Americans and two Canadians:

• Julie Gravel, GreenFirst Forest Products, Toronto, ON

• Nikole Robbins, Universal Forest Products, Grand Rapids, MI

• Michelle Thompson, Pinkwood, Calgary, AB

• Laura Ebersberger, Universal Forest Products, Grand Rapids, MI

WHAT’S NEXT?

Now that the conference has begun to grow its yearly attendance, Lauren and Kaitlyn are looking toward the future. “We are doing our best to grow the event tactfully to support demand but keep the intimate/small group experience for attendees. It allows us to be comfortable and candid and the entire group gets to share all moments of the experience together.”

With that in mind, a large part of the planning for the 2023 conference, beyond market discussion, will be the attraction and retention of women in the industry. To this end, the organizing committee is also working on a scholarship program that will directly aid a woman in her 3rd or 4th year of post-secondary education with both a monetary bursary and the invaluable experience of connecting her to hiring managers and mentors at the conference.

As the industry enters a time of growth and renewal that will be driven by new employees entering the various LBM fields, it is reassuring and inspiring to know that events like WOLF are helping create the kind of lasting connections and community that promote long, satisfying careers.

All photos are supplied by Kaitlyn Chimko from Dakeryn Industries.

Top middle: Daily learning sessions.

Bottom middle: Interactive breakout sessions.

Bottom right: Lunch with the attendees.

“The WOLF conference is an amazing opportunity for forest industry women to connect, network, and mentor the next generation of industry women. The program, curated with women in mind, addresses topics and issues that we often encounter and provides tools and ideas on how to handle them.”

—Marta Chiavacci, Hampton Lumber Sales, Canada