News

The 76th Annual Convention of the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA) was held April 2 & 3 in Boston, Massachusetts at the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel.  This year’s “Boston for a Buck!” theme brought in 161 members and guests for the 1 ½ day event that offered attendees a familiar environment for business networking, in addition to learning more about economic insights, construction and design trends, industry issues and Association programs and activities.

The Convention kicked off with an opening business session where NELMA Chairman Tom Jenkins of Old Town Lumber welcomed members and guests to the venue.  Officers of the Association were elected at the session as follows: Jeff Desjardins of Moose River Lumber, Jackman, Maine (incoming Chairman), Peter Buckley of Mill River Lumber, North Clarendon, Vermont (1st Vice-Chairman), Jason Brochu of Pleasant River Lumber, Dover-Foxcroft, Maine (2nd Vice-Chairman), and Randy Caron of Caron Consulting, Garfield Plantation, Maine (Treasurer).  Elected to the Board of Directors: Nicholas Fontaine of Fontaine Inc. (Woburn, Quebec), Kevin Hynes of Hancock Lumber (Casco, Maine), and Chuck Gaede of Durgin and Crowell (New London, New Hampshire).  Re-nominated for a second term on the Board of Directors was Dan Harrison of Cersosimo Lumber, Brattleboro, Vermont.  Elected as the Wholesaler member representative to the Board of Directors was Jamie Place of Eastern Forest Products in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire.

Recognized for their service on the NELMA Board were outgoing Directors Kim Moore of Madison Lumber Mill in West Ossipee, New Hampshire; Elwood Lowell of Lowell Lumber in Buckfield, Maine; and Wholesaler member representative, Lorin Rydstrom of Seaboard International in Nashua, New Hampshire.

A full compliment of NELMA Committees met during the Convention that included Marketing, Pine, Dimension, and Grading Committees, all leading up to the Board of Directors meeting as the final business event of the Convention.  Actions approved by the Board included a study on the location and quantity of Norway Spruce for potential lumber design value assessment, conducting both the Dimension and Pine grader’s competitions in August or September of this year, a survey of NELMA’s 5/4 lumber producers regarding finished sizes for further analysis, and the reduction of dues payments to the Association beginning in April for the next 6 months by current lumber manufacturing members, with possible extension to 9 months.  In addition, the task group created by the Board last fall to review Association dues and proprietary grades will begin deliberations this Spring.

The Board also received updates on the latest arbitration rulings and implementations surrounding the Canadian Softwood Lumber Agreement from Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports; recent actions on the Log Watering issue in Maine and other potential stormwater rulings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire from Phil Ruck of CES, Inc.; and from Kerry McGrath of Acadia Insurance updating the status of the NELMA Insurance Safety Group and anticipated dividend payments to the insured members based on favorable loss control data.

Three additional guest speakers were incorporated within the overall program to engage the membership on a number of important topics.  Ms. Jill Neubauer of Neubauer Architects in Falmouth, Massachusetts provided a contemporary architect’s view of building with locally available construction materials such as Eastern White Pine and Spruce/Fir wood products and  the interior design trend of “mixing” wood, glass, metal, and concrete.  Mr. Paul Jannke of RISI Inc. provided valuable economic forecast information for the remainder of 2009 and into 2010, updating his presentation given to the NELMA members last fall.  And Mr. Craig Webb, Editor of ProSales magazine, who presented the current state of the lumber retailer business and how this important customer group for lumber and wood products is evolving itself to survive the downturn in construction.

While business was the reason to be in Boston at the Convention, the group enjoyed a bit of much-needed comic relief, with Maine’s own Bob Marley providing luncheon entertainment.  Many of the attendees also enjoyed a night at Boston Opera House with the smash hit, Dirty Dancing.

NELMA would like to give a special thank you to the Convention sponsors for their generosity: Diorio Forest Products, Eastern Insurance, Hancock Lumber, HESCO, L.R. McCoy, P. Diprizio Lumber, Seaboard International, and USNR.

The next NELMA meeting event will be the Fall Board of Directors meeting and Golf Tournament, September 17 & 18, 2009 in Kennebunkport, Maine at the Nonantum Resort and Webhannet Golf Club.