BC Wood Specialties Group 2015 Annual General Meeting
9:30 - 10:15 AM, Thursday, September 10th, 2015  Whistler Conference Centre 

BC Wood will be holding its' 2015 Annual General Meeting on Thursday, September 10th, 9:30 AM at the Whistler Conference Centre in Whistler, British Columbia. All BC Wood members are encouraged to attend.

To register or for more information, please contact me directly at bhawrysh@bcwood.com or by phone at 604-882-7100 (toll free 1-877-422-9663). We look forward to seeing you in scenic Whistler, BC for BC Wood's Annual General Meeting on September 10th, 2015.

Do you have difficulty understanding marketing and communicating your company's benefits? Discover how to effectively communicate your unique selling features and correctly position your company for your target audiences.

A Marketing Assessment reviews and evaluates all your marketing activities and provides recommendations for fine-tuning your strategy to achieve your business goals. Working with a dedicated marketing consultant, you will receive:

• Expert marketing advice at a fraction of the cost
• A comprehensive report of your branding, positioning, target audiences and marketing activities
• Recommended changes to improve your marketing efforts
• New ideas to stretch your marketing dollars
• Simple changes to strengthen your brand and better position you against competitors

Through the Wood First program, you may be eligible for additional support with your marketing projects. Aimed at developing your marketing skills, these projects may include branding, strategic planning, or project specific consultation.

Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing Ltd. (M&L) is a specialist carpentry company based on Vancouver Island, in BC. The M&L team works both locally and internationally to design, build, and erect new structural timber systems, and to conserve historic timber buildings.

The company was started 11 years ago by Gordon Macdonald and Stephen Lawrence, who had worked together in Britain for 10 years previously. Their portfolio of European timber work included a new hammer-beam roof for Stirling Castle, restoration of the fire-damaged Windsor Castle (for which Steve was personally commended by HRH Queen Elizabeth), and major timber engineering works such as the Solar Canopy, Europe's largest solar array. During this time the pair also made multiple television programs about historic carpentry and timber technology, including the reconstruction of a 20T Roman war machine for the BBC Television series 'Secrets of Lost Empires'.

In 2004, they decided to return to Canada, but ironically one of their first projects took them into the South American jungle, where M&L led an international team in the construction of a timber framed pavilion for Conservation International; the site was located 120-miles up the piranha-infested Coppername River, in the heart of a 5-million acre World Heritage Site, and accessible only by dugout canoe. Since then the pair has never looked back, and M&L has now delivered projects on 6 continents including Antarctica.

2-years ago Mike Marshall joined the M&L team bringing his extensive design/build experience and knowledge of wood processing. Mike's portfolio of timber work includes such well-known projects as the Richmond Skating Oval, VanDusen Gardens Visitor Center, Tsingtao Pearl Visitor Center and the stunning Bow River Pedestrian Bridge. Think of a major structural timber project in BC during the past decade, and the odds are good that Gord and Mike have been involved with it in some way or another. The combined bench-strength of Gord (CEO) and Mike (COO) represents an exciting new direction for M&L, and the effects are clear to see: since Mike's arrival the company has doubled in size, and now employs 60x full-time staff including a dedicated rigging and roped-access team. At the time of writing, the BC Company is currently working on projects in Japan, New Zealand, and throughout the western provinces.

M&L's core business is all about structural timber regardless of whether it's a design-assist contract or the fabricating and assembly of wooden buildings. But what really gets the M&L team up in the morning are unique and innovative projects such as the Terra Nova Park in Richmond (for more information and images of this project, click here) and the Ross Sea Heritage Conservation Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObPJzhvBUtc.

Currently, M&L is on site in Japan with their Cloud Walk project (image above). The Cloud Walk is a suspended walkway on the summit of a Hokkaido mountain for the purpose of cloud-watching. The Unkai is a stunning local cloud formation caused by summer temperature inversions, the new walkway will facilitate early-morning visitors who hope to see the sun rise through a sea of clouds thousands of feet below.

For more information on Macdonald & Lawrence, click on the video link below and visit their website: macdonaldandlawrence.ca.

Have you booked your space at the 2015 GBM EVENT yet?

"The GBM is a structured and highly organized trade show that brings qualified business partners together. And there is not better setting than Whistler to encourage enthusiasm and conversation. As far as trade shows go, GBM has quickly climbed up the ladder of relevance. Most sawmills and wholesalers from Western Canada attended this year. I think the representation from these industries is better than NAWLA. Personally I wouldn't change a thing." Dakeryn Industries

If you haven't experienced the GBM, or have had to miss it this past year, you should be aware that this is the greatest opportunity of the year to showcase your products to over 300 pre-qualified international buyers and North American Architects, Designers, Builders, Contractors, Developers & Engineers.

"Once again a great event with a good mix of visitors. The mix between "Wood First" attendants and "Global Buyers" gives it the critical mass to make it a great event." Brisco Mfg.

Last year, over $43 million in new business was developed at this event alone. Here's a link to who has signed up to exhibit already: http://www.bcwood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/GBM-Exhibitors-2015.pdf

"This was our first time to attend the GBM. I felt that having a booth gave our company a strong reputation for our overseas offices in China and Vietnam. I would highly recommend other BC companies to participate." Pacific Forestry

Meet the local industry stars in a short video from last year's event: https://youtu.be/xuLB4lRpoU0

Pre-qualified Buyers will come from the US, Australia, Western Europe, China, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Taiwan and some newer markets like Malaysia.

GBM Program Schedule

Thursday - September 10

• BC Wood AGM; CSSB meetings; Wood First Seminars; Exhibitor set-up
• Evening Welcome Reception at the spectacular Roundhouse Lodge at the Peak of Whistler Mountain for all participants

Friday - September 11

• Breakfast with Opening Ceremony and Morning Networking/Tradeshow/Meetings
• Afternoon Sponsored Golf Tournament; Architects (Wood First) in-booth presentations; or Whistler free time
• Evening Networking Dinner/Reception

Saturday - September 12

• Breakfast and Morning Networking/Tradeshow/Meetings
• Exhibitor teardown

Exhibitor Fees

BC Wood, WRCLA, CSSB or other BC Based Wood Products Association Member

10 x 10 booth space - $ 2,279

Outside BC Canadian Wood Products Association Member

10 x 10 booth space - $ 2,849

Non-member

10 x 10 booth space - $ 3,329

Each additional company participant $425 / Spousal Program $100 for each Evening event

Exhibit Registration Includes:

• 2 full participants per booth space
• Basic electrical, pipe & drape, covered table & 2 chairs, carpet & Wi-Fi
• All meals during the event including the Thursday night Welcome Event at the Roundhouse Lodge & Friday evening Networking Dinner Event
• Full access to Thursday Association Programs
• Complete multi-lingual company listing in the Mission Program Guide

Exhibit space is now VERY limited and will be available on a first-come / first-served basis. If you haven't already registered, contact us for your online registration link at gbm@bcwood.com or call Randi at 604-882-7100.

BC Wood will coordinate the exhibition of member companies at the EXPO CIHAC MEXICO CITY 2015, together with a trade mission component to meet Mexican wood importers, distributors, manufacturers, and visit construction sites. Member companies that participate in this event will have an opportunity to gain first-hand market intelligence, further develop their Mexico market network, and meet prospective importers and buyers.

This 27th anniversary of EXPO CIHAC is the best exposure for the Building Construction Industry in Latin America. Over 53,000 construction industry professionals participate in 150 conferences, 115 workshops, and see 500 exhibitors showcasing their products in building materials, machinery, equipment, tools, building systems, prefabricated technologies, and industry trends.

BC Wood will have a 21 sqm booth where member participants will have kiosk displays to show their products and services, meet attending delegates, and have the support of bilingual staff.  Perhaps most importantly, Member participants will also have the opportunity to join the five day trade mission component, running simultaneous with the show days, to meet directly with qualified importers, distributors, manufacturers, industry associations, and see construction sites.

Contact Ken Hori at khori@bcwood.com for more information and to arrange your participation.

BC Wood with adequate interest from it's' members, intends to exhibit at this year's Batimat show in Paris, November 2nd - 6th. The Batimat tradeshow is the largest and best known building products show in the European market. Batimat is held every two years and attracts over 340,000 attendees. Some 70,000 of these attendees come from neighboring Western European countries and the new emerging markets in Eastern Europe. A unique feature of the show is that it consolidates companies featuring wood products and wood building systems in one of its sixteen halls. So while the show is very large, the majority of potential customers for wood based products and building systems are concentrated in one display hall.

High quality, specialty lumber and building materials such as WRC decking, siding, and roofing and Douglas-Fir, Hemlock, and Western Hardwood lumber remain in demand in Western Europe and increasingly in the emerging markets of the Eastern post-Soviet bloc countries.

BC Wood plans to organize a relatively large display at the Batimat tradeshow for member companies and other Canadian forest products associations. Space is limited, so, for more information regarding the Batimat show, BC Wood's participation, and costs, please contact Brian Hawrysh at 604-882-7100 or directly at bhawrysh@bcwood.com

Sayonara Toranomon, Hello Ebisu!

After co-locating in the COFI Tokyo office for almost 12 years, BC Wood Japan moved to a new location in Ebisu on July 10th. BC Wood member companies have asked us to offer a showroom in Japan that would showcase year-round the many interesting wood products that British Columbia has to offer. The lack of space where the products we promote could be seen and touched has also been a common complaint of our Japanese clients these past 12 years. With our new first floor showroom/office in the centrally located Ebisu district, we expect that we can represent the Canadian industry well in the important Japanese market, that has such a deep appreciation for quality wood products.

Over the next few months, we will be bringing in many display materials and samples from Canada so that we showcase a variety of products such as cabinetry, engineered wood, furniture, millwork, structural materials, wood building solutions, and of course Western Red Cedar. We will make further announcements once the renovated space is completed.

After the relocation, we will continue the cooperative efforts with our Canada Wood partners at the APA, Canada Tsuga, COFI, and QWEB as well as the Canadian Embassy, the Government of Alberta Japan Office, and the Government of British Columbia Japan Office on various programs to promote Canadian forest products in Japan.

We look forward to better serving both our members and Japanese clients with the new showroom and are pleased that many people will now have the opportunity to visit us. See you in Ebisu!