Appalachian lumber buyers and sellers learned about new opportunities for federal grant assistance and consumer promotions at the recent 2023 meeting of the Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club (ALC).
The ALC held its reception and meeting at the Crown Plaza in Asheville, NC. Tom Inman of Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., spoke about a grant writing webinar and assistance available from the association and provided an update on the Real American Hardwood campaign.
AHMI has contracted with Innovative Funding Partners (IFP) to provide a webinar on how to apply for U.S. Department of Agriculture Wood Innovations Grants. The session was Oct. 11 and explained the process, what types of projects qualify and methods to make certain the application is accepted.
IFP will also provide assistance going forward in review of applications that AHMI members complete or will be responsible for the entire process. Both of these services are fee-based and AHMI members receive a discounted rate.
Applications for the Wood Innovations Grants must be completed by March 2024. More than $43 million was distributed in 2023.
Inman also provided an update on the consumer promotion by the Real American Hardwood Coalition. The group has purchased advertising for July-December 2023 on Magnolia Network, Discovery+, Hulu, Google and Meta to promote Hardwood products.
The partnerships will:
•Reach 43 million households
•Have tagged tune-ins with billboards
•Sponsor programs in Q4 + promotional tags
•Have “Meet the Makers” short stories & promotional tags
•Show interactive BrightLine video ad unit across connected devices
There is also sponsorship on web platforms that will offer:
•31 million ad impressions across social, search, and video media
•Clicks through to RealAmericanHardwood.com
•Social engagements
To learn more about either program, please visit www.appalachianhardwood.org and www.realamericanhardwood.com.
