EVENT RECAP

“SPEED DATING”-NAWLA STYLE: Every 10 minutes, Icebreaker Receptions spun attendees into a new small group, such as (left trio) Michael Godman, Brandon Desyatnik, and Bill Price, and (right) David Destiche, Brian Boyd, and Angela Hamilton.

NAWLA Leadership Summit a virtual success

North American Wholesale Lumber Association packed the maximum amount of education and networking into two days at its recent 2021 Leadership Summit: The Virtual Experience.

Among the highlights were a stirring keynote by John Kriesel, a Women in Lumber Panel, and a talk by three National Association of Home Builders experts on the housing market, in which they took aim at the supply shortages and record high prices of lumber. According to NAHB, over the last 11 months, the higher price of lumber has added more than $24,000 to the average cost of building a new home. The speakers suggested they would have to work with the government to find solutions and are “looking for new trade partners” abroad, such as Sweden, Finland, Austria and Germany.

The show also provided numerous ways members could network with their industry peers, whether by setting up oneon-one or small group meetings, live chatting with fellow attendees, or by “speed networking” during the popular Icebreaker Receptions.

As a bonus, registered attendees have access to recordings of all Leadership Summit virtual sessions through October 1, 2021.

NAWLA is targeting the fall to resume in-person national gatherings, including its Wood Basics Course Sept. 13-16 in Corvallis, Or.; Executive Management Institute Oct. 24-29 in Chicago, Il.; and NAWLA Traders Market Nov. 10-12 in Louisville, Ky.

The next Leadership Summit will be March 5-8, 2022, in Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

WOMEN IN LUMBER Panel featured (clockwise from top left) 2021 NAWLA chair Bethany Doss, Capital Lumber; Darcy Mercer, Olympic Industries; Donna Whitaker, Interfor; and Ashlee Cribb, Roseburg. M&A: Jeff McLendon, US Lumber; Anthony Muck, DMSi; and Sonya Wells, SRS Distribution, participated in a seminar on the spate of mergers and acquisitions.