Pioneers group brings together industry ueterans

HE LUMBER business is one based on relationships.

Despite the advances in computers. the Internet and other technology. the process of buyin-e and selling lumber is still based on personal contact.

Over the years. those regular contacts can change. particularly after a job change or retirement. A nerv group. the Lumber Pioneers, rvas formed a year ago to help veteran rvood products industry professionals not only maintain these relationships. but document the rich history of companies and individuals rvho have shaped the industry.

The Lumber Pioneers completed its first full year in existence this past October by hosting its first annual meeting in Clackamas. Or.. drarving nearly 50 retired and active industry members and spouses. The inaugural meeting brought together industry professionals to socialize. share memories. and be_ein to chronicle the heritage of lumber manufacturing in the region. During the meeting. the Lumber Pioneers formally established the fraternal organization by electing board members.

Robert H. Hunt. retired WWPA president. rvas elected as chairman of the organization. Charles Shotts of Eugene. Or., rvas elected vice chairman. and Robert Courtney of Lake Osrvego. Or.. rvas named secretary/treasurer.

The Lumber Pioneers also established a board of directors to guide the new group. Those elected to the board include David Cutler. Nervport Beach. Ca.. retired publish- er of The Merchant Magazine; John Hampton, Portland, Or.; Alan Goudy, Portland; W.D. Hagenstein, Portland; Gordon King, Portland; Eugene Knokey, Anacortes, Wa.; John Schick, Lake Oswego, and Milt Schultz, Redding, Ca.

According to Lumber Pioneers president Hunt. the organization can serve an important role for the past and the future of the lumber industry. "As the years go by, we are starting to lose some of the shared history of the industry as key leaders and entrepreneurs in the lumber business pass away," Hunt explained. "We need to capture that history before it is lost to time and find ways to share that with the new generation working in the business today."

The Lumber Pioneers took the first step in capturing those experiences by publishing its first historical monograph. The monograph details the history of Pope & Talbot, Inc.'s Port Gamble sawmill, which was North America's oldest continuously operating sawmill. Hunt said the group will seek to publish a new monograph each year on mills and individuals that shaped the development of the industry in the West.

Hunt added that in the future, the Lumber Pioneers will work to establish a scholarship program for the children of those working in the western wood products industry.

To date, membership in the Lumber Pioneers totals nearly 100.

Membership is open to anyone involved in the lumber industry, including retailers. The group's next annual meeting will be held next October in the Portland area.

For more information about the Lumber Pioneers or for membershiP registration forms, visit www.wwpa. org/pioneers.htm or email the Lumber Pioneers at pioneers@wwpa.org.