Distributor sticks to certified products

IaTERTIFIED Wood Products. Inc.

\-ris a new kind of forest products distributor, one that blends a focus on the customer's bottom line with a deep concern for the betterment of our world's forests. Based in Minnetonka. Mn., CWP has been an FSC chain-ofcustody certificate holder since 2000.

"What we do," said CWP president Dan Haugen, "is take the pain out of sourcing FSC-certified forest products. We help you do the right thing, for the forest and for your bottom line."

CWP deals exclusively in FSC-certified products, and works with clients to ensure compatibility with the "certified wood credit" and "locally harvested and manufactured" credits of the LEED green building rating system. The company stocks for immediate delivery a wide variety of products, including framing lumber from Collins Cos., Warm Springs Forest Products and Tembec, plywood from Roseburg Forest Products, particleboard. and hardwood lumber and millwork. However. because project needs can vary greatly, CWP makes every effort to source and deliver nearly any FSC-certified product, no matter how unusual.

"In the forest products business, it is no longer enough to offer only the highest quality products, fair prices, and careful service," Haugen said. "Being responsible in everything one does. from the forest to a finished building, must be a vital consideration in everything that we do, for the sake of the planet. CWP has risen to this new challenge; our mission is to make life easy for designers and general contractors who need cost effective and environmentally responsible forest products."

One example is the Visitor Center of the Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Dakota County, Mn. CWP supplied framing lumber, sheathing, and all of the millwork for the project. Though the project originally called for white hard maple millwork in the Center's interior, Haugen proved to the project's designers that character-grade white birch, harvested from nearby Aitkin County's certified forests and milled locally, would best suit the project's conservation efforts while, at the same time. be more cost-effective.

Though CWP is a relatively new venture, the company has already made its mark on more than a dozen commercial building projects around the country. In its largest project to date, CWP supplied the Richard J. Lacks, Sr. Cancer Center in Grand Rapids, Mi., with fire-treated lumber and plywood, lumber, cherry veneers (over wheatboard) for interior paneling, and cherry millwork. Other large projects include supplying the Hartley Nature Center, Duluth, Mn., with framing lumber, sheathing, and interior ash millwork, as well as plywood and particleboard for its cabinets and other casegoods.

Current projects that CWP is working on are the Vermont Law School, South Royalton, Vt., which recently received 2.5 truckloads of framing Iumber and plywood, and the Arthur Blank Foundation Office. Atlanta Ga.. which recently received two truckloads of plywood and one truckload of lumber. fF YOU haven't already noticed. Ibuilding green has gone way beyond the fringe. The question isn't whether green building has gone

CWP has also had success in markets where demand for FSC-certified products is high, but supply has not been widely available. For example, CWP has supplied projects in New York City, New Jersey and Staten Island, and is currently supplying products for a residential building project in the Washington, D.C. area.

Haugen brings quite a bit of talent to bear on his challenging business endeavor. A 1977 graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Natural Resources, Haugen owned and operated Haugen Lumber & Manufacturing, a supplier and manufacturer of semi-finished forest products, for 25 years. After selling his business in 2000, he founded CWP to ensure that the values in which he most believed-responsibility that is market competitive in every imaginable way-remained a vital part of the forest products industry.

Getting Your Feet Green

. Ifyou're feeling gun shy, start out slow. Find a product where you can get guarantees from your supplier that they will get the products on your shelves when your customers need them.

Be deliberate about greeneducating your staff while initiating strong merchandising and signage programs. Track it. Changes will happen-depending on how your salespeople talk to customers.

' Customer research. Before you jump in, talk t0 your customers. Whether it's a d-i-yer or a blue chip builder, ask them if they would buy a certain green product from you. Ask them how much more money they'd be willing to spend for the product.

. Reach out to potential customers through a local green building program. That's where potential buyers are. Programs like Bay Area Build It Green (www.buildgreen.org) have an extensive database of green building materials they offer to the public and their professional members. Such programs give you access to your buyers and exposure to customers who want to buy your products.