How Can Your Company Benefit From AHEC Membership?
Over the past several months, I have spoken with many of you in the hardwood industry and have found one topic that keeps coming up: finding new markets. As substitute materials and trade challenges impact our industry every year, there is a critical need to create new hardwood consumers all around the globe. While I have found general support for AHEC’s overall mission to “grow the pie” for U.S. exporters through generic educational and promotional activities, I also want to stress the real direct benefits to dues-paying members as opposed to the industry at large who all benefit from generic promotion.
As with any trade association, the benefits you receive from AHEC membership tend to be directly proportional to your involvement with the organization. Those members who participate in events overseas and remain in contact with the AHEC overseas staff on a regular basis will certainly get more out of their investment than an inactive member. Nevertheless, the direct benefits for AHEC members are substantial, and several are outlined below:
• Deforestation-Free Due Diligence Statements with American Hardwood Assured (AHA): The AHA is a new software platform developed by AHEC to demonstrate to international buyers that U.S. hardwoods are legally sourced, deforestation-free, and climate positive. Using the EUDR Definition of deforestation as conversion to agriculture, AHA can provide county-level geolocation data to identify deforestation in the sourcing areas for U.S. hardwood products. For the vast majority of U.S. forests, the AHA proves there is no risk of deforestation under the EU definition.
• The AHA offers independent, cost-effective, and robust assurance of the sustainability of U.S. hardwoods at scale and is being updated with new features in 2026 including blockchain based chain of custody and remote testing for wood provenance identification.
• Participation in AHEC Trade Show Pavilions: AHEC offers several opportunities per year for members to exhibit in AHEC-funded trade show pavilions at a greatly reduced cost. AHEC takes charge of the stand build, space rental, signage and even the furniture and electrical service. For 2026 AHEC will host pavilions at IndiaWood in Bangalore, Interzum Guangzhou, Dubai Wood Show, QIFF in Qingdao, China, TechnoMueble in Guadalajara, Mexico, FMC Shanghai, and at TIWF in Bangkok, Thailand.
• Conventions: AHEC holds regional conventions in Greater China/Southeast Asia, Europe, and Mexico. These events provide unique opportunities to network with a large number of potential overseas buyers and learn about the latest market developments. In 2026 we will host our Greater China and Southeast Asia Convention and are planning to co-host a Mexico Convention in partnership with IMEXFOR in the fall. Participation in these events is free of charge for AHEC members.
• Seminars: AHEC sponsors more than 30 seminars in 10-15 different countries per year. Offering another significant networking opportunity to all AHEC members, the seminars are designed to give overseas importers, specifiers and end users an increased understanding of the U.S. hardwood resource, as well as technical information on grading, characteristics and applications of the major U.S. hardwood species.
• Trade Leads: AHEC distributes trade leads received through overseas offices from potential buyers at trade shows, conventions, networking, and trade missions.
• Market Intelligence/Statistical Reports: Every month, AHEC members receive market reports from AHEC overseas directors. Reports are based on the directors’ 100+ trade servicing visits with timber traders, manufacturers, architects and designers around the world, and provide cutting edge information on current market conditions and future opportunities, feedback from importers and end users, and updates on the latest regional hardwood events. AHEC also provides to U.S. hardwood export statistics which are available by country and species, as well as access to import data from several of our major trading partners, which will allow your sales staff to not only track U.S. exports, but also keep track on what our competitors are exporting to major markets.
• AHEC U.S. Hardwood Exporter Brochure: This publication lists all AHEC members, including complete contact information as well as information on species and product lines. Approximately 20,000 brochures are distributed annually in response to inquiries received by the AHEC overseas offices, and at trade shows, seminars, and other AHEC activities abroad.
• Trade Shows: Every year, AHEC exhibits at more than 20 regional and national trade shows around the world, from events in the Middle East, India, Brazil and Vietnam to more established shows throughout Europe, Korea, Japan, China, and Mexico. AHEC members are always welcome to use the AHEC stand as a base of operations for attending these shows, and AHEC overseas staff can assist members with registration information and accommodations.
• Online AHEC membership database: Complete contact and product line information for all AHEC members are catalogued in an online database, through which potential buyers can search for suppliers by region, species or product. The database is accessible via AHEC overseas websites that target foreign buyers and specifiers.
• AHEC Publications: AHEC publishes a wide variety of publications in multiple languages that are available free of charge to AHEC members and have proven invaluable to sales staff. These publications, like A Guide to Sustainable American Hardwoods, educate potential buyers, architects, designers and specifiers on the variety of U.S. hardwoods and their uses.
• High-res Photo Database: AHEC maintains high-resolution photo libraries of U.S. hardwoods applications from around the world. Members are free to use these photographs in their own press and promotional materials such as websites and sales brochures.
• U.S. Hardwood Public Relations Campaign: Reaching more than 28 million people in 24 countries, AHEC’s worldwide public relations campaigns target overseas specifiers, consumers, and importers, promoting U.S. hardwoods and hardwood products. Each year, more than 750 AHEC advertisements, press releases and feature articles highlighting the quality, variety and sustainability of the U.S. hardwood resource are published in newspapers, magazines and trade journals worldwide.
AHEC maintains offices in Japan, Europe, Dubai, China, and Mexico, in addition to our Sterling, Virginia headquarters. If you would like additional information on our overseas promotional programs for U.S. hardwoods, please contact Tripp Pryor at tpryor@ahec.org or by phone at (703) 435-2900. Detailed information can also be found on our websites at www.ahec.org and www.americanhardwood.org.
