We all know that there have been a lot of Hardwood mills that have shut down over the past year. I ran my own Hardwood business once, and I shut it down. You may remember it. I worked with Jartek based in Finland, promoting thermal modification. I helped build several systems, including Superior Thermowood of Minnesota. But it was just after the financial crisis, and things were bad. I put my money where my mouth was, bought my own thermal modification kiln, and started processing wood. I built a 5,000-bf kiln on the property of a softwood remanufacturing yard in Abbotsford, BC. I did Thermal Modification Services (TMS) and bought and thermally modified wood. I ran a lot of samples and did some high-profile projects and research, but I could not keep my capacity full. I had to manually sticker everything and hired UBC Wood Product Processing Co-op students to help. I enjoyed working on my computer, making calls, then going out and doing the manual labor of sticking and desticking.
I ran my business for almost four years but walked away in 2012. As an early adopter of thermal modification, I knew the market as a UBC student in the early 2000s. The market was slow and primarily startups, of which I became one. I joined NHLA, attended conventions, and exhibited in Vancouver and Nashville. However, my business could not survive on promises and unpaid bills for TMS. I needed to make changes but didn’t have the capital to do it; then, the bank froze my line of credit. Soon, I was out of cash flow and mortgaged to the hilt. I walked away with almost a million dollars in debt. It took me ten years, but I paid my debts and never had to declare bankruptcy.
I tell this story to say that I know your pain. Being an NHLA member cannot save your business, but I know it can help. NHLA helped me back in 2010 and kept me going for a few more years. I built critical relationships that benefited me both while in business and after I closed my business. NHLA gave me the exposure that I needed to build my business. I never used its production and inspection services, but I should have. You should, too.
If you think you know better than the NHLA, I challenge you to prove it. Call NHLA and have our team come and do a yield analysis, provide quality control checks, improve your statistical process control, and teach you how to get better value from your logs using the USFS rules over the clear sides log rules. Have your staff take a course or host in-house training and learn how the NHLA KD certification can complement or replace your phytosanitary certificates to save you money. Build relationships at NHLA events or get exposure with NHLA advertising. You won’t know what we can do for you until you ask, but you will be surprised at what we are willing to do for those who ask.
The NHLA is making the changes it needs to stay relevant. You should, too. The changes we are making will help your business down the line, but it will take time. However, our services can help you make the changes your business needs to grow and stabilize in this challenging time. Trust me—I have done it, and trust me, we can help you.
Believe me when I say that in 10 years, you will no longer be selling pallet cants; you will be processing every board and maximizing it for value. You will have yield/appearance grades and structural grades. You will have heavy timbers, ties, pallet boards, and byproducts. You can start to maximize your value today. I get it. Not everyone will pay for it, but soon those who have the manual labor will be providing value added services for those who do not. Why Knot make the changes your business needs to make. Call the NHLA Today.
