Why Knot Turn To The NHLA Staff For Help?
Typically, I prefer to share experiences rather than tell you what to do. My experiences are simply there to offer perspective and, hopefully, give you something to relate to as I ask my “Why Knot?” question: Can NHLA help you?
We already have plenty of people telling us what we should be doing, and you certainly don’t need one more. Besides, how could I possibly know exactly what you or your business needs? Instead, I want to challenge you to identify those needs yourself and then take a closer look at NHLA to see where we might help.
I believe in God and go to church. I often turn to the Lord and the church for help. Why? Because God has guided me in the past, and I know He guided me here to Memphis, to NHLA, and to the hardwood industry.
I remember when I came to Memphis for my NHLA job interview. It was scheduled for Monday morning, so I flew in Saturday night to give myself a chance to drive around town and explore a bit. I had never been to Memphis before. That Sunday, the first thing I did was find the local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I needed to know whether I was going to like it here, and I figured church would be the best place to find out.
Since being here, I have also attended many other churches with friends, including the big Bellevue Baptist Church and the small Grace Tabernacle Church, which meets in a strip mall, to name a couple. I think we would all agree that the size of the building doesn’t matter. It’s about the people inside.
The same is true for NHLA. It isn’t really about the beautiful office building; it’s about the staff who work in it—people who are dedicated to working for NHLA and this industry. How do I know? Because they could all make more money working for businesses than they do for an association.
I talk with the staff all the time and ask them what they love best about their jobs. They have many answers, but somehow, they all come back to you. Helping the industry is what we love most.
Unfortunately, too many mills and concentration yards don’t take advantage of everything NHLA offers. NHLA has helped sawmills and concentration yards for generations by establishing the Rules and appointing a Chief Inspector to teach them. But many companies don’t follow the Rules anymore, and as a result, they may not think to turn to NHLA for help.
But NHLA does more than just the Rules. Our staff can help your business in many other ways, just as churches do more than simply teach the Ten Commandments. Churches provide community and service. They fellowship and share, and they help in any way they can. The same is true for NHLA.
If you turn to the NHLA staff for help, you’ll find that we have a strong network of relationships that can help your business grow on both the sales and purchasing sides. That is one reason the NHLA Convention is so important: it gives us a chance to maintain and strengthen those relationships. I hope we get to see you in Cleveland, and it will be great to see you next year in Cherokee, NC.
NHLA staff are also doing a lot to promote your business, both within the hardwood industry and to the design professional community, through our grants with the USFS and our partnership with the RAHC.
NHLA National Inspectors can help improve your production, too. We have conducted more than 80 yield studies to identify potential savings and show how log grading by USFS rules can make you more money than clear-sides grading. NHLA staff can also help you look at costs and compare them with others in the industry so you can identify areas to improve and remain competitive.
We can help you complete a Life Cycle Assessment to understand your full environmental footprint—something that can be important for government contracts and exports, as well as helping us tell the hardwood industry’s story.
NHLA staff do more than grading and networking; we serve you, and there is very little we wouldn’t do to help you. Just like church, the building is nice, but the people are nicer—and the Rules are important to follow.
All you have to do is ask.
Why knot turn to the NHLA staff for help?
