“We were pleased to welcome 77 individuals to the MSR Workshop in Salt Lake City this past April,” reports MSRLPC President George Hamilton of Canfor Southern Pine. “It was wonderful to be together again with a great group of industry members – from MSR producers, to wholesalers, to users of the product.” [For all photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.]
First-time workshop attendees Adam Beck and Eric Cain of Drexel Building Supply in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, agree. “First and foremost, the biggest benefit was to meet face to face with others in the industry,” says Beck. “We were excited to be able to travel again after COIVD, and our push to make the trip was reinforced when we arrived and got to start networking. Live conversations are always a huge win for us, and I feel confident that if we attend in the future we’ll be able to grow the connections we made.”
“We buy through a lot of the mills that attend the workshop and wanted to meet them,” explains Cain. “Component manufacturing is relatively new to Drexel, so it was good to talk to people from across the country and get a broader viewpoint. Face-to-face interaction goes a long way toward establishing relationships that make it possible to pick up the phone and talk to the right people.”
“If you’re a consumer of MSR, then it’s very valuable to be a part of this workshop,” says Porter Clark, owner of Hiwassee Builders Supply Inc. in Athens, Tennessee. “I learned more within the first hour than I had in ten years of MSR purchasing. It really helped me connect the dots about the grade.”
Another newcomer to the workshop, Clark says he believes that it is in his best interest to know the mills, and it’s in the mills’ best interest to know who consumes their product. “The workshop is a great opportunity to get together to foster the relationships in this segment of the market,” he explains. “I really enjoyed the ability to network with the people that have a very large influence in their respective companies with regard to MSR sales. Very rarely do you get to meet those people, and it’s extremely rare that they are all in the same room.”
Veteran workshop attendee Dan Uskoski of Metriguard agrees. “This is the best small group of people in this particular industry that I know,” he says, highlighting another advantage of this focused, intimate event. “There was plenty of opportunity to network and socialize. People feel comfortable discussing a broad range of topics, because it doesn’t feel like you’re ‘in public.’”
“The best feature of the workshop is the industry knowledge, having all the ‘right people’ in the room,” says Greg Martin of Vaagen/Wildwood Trading Group. The robust line-up of educational sessions conveyed much of that knowledge, as speakers from across the supply chain covered everything from the technical aspects of MSR production, to strategies for lumber use, to perspectives on how the economy and COVID have and will affect the lumber industry.
“The sessions were all uniquely informative and beneficial,” says Beck. “The workshop seemed to be set up to cover MSR in its fullness – from production through use and logistics – as well as why it’s the product of choice. They covered all aspects in full. My only suggestion for next year? More of the same!”
“I would encourage other component manufacturers to attend next year’s workshop because it is an opportunity to gain a better understanding of MSR and how it can be used,” explains Clark. “That makes you a more responsible customer because you know how to maximize its use in the design of your product.”
“Unless they can say they have their business running perfectly, I believe there’s something any CM can take back from the workshop to improve their business,” says Beck. “I know our business will be better because we attended.”
In addition to educational sessions, the group also toured Burton Lumber’s Salt Lake City lumberyard, which is home to their corporate offices and main distribution center. Read more about the benefits of workshop tours in our March 2022 article, Workshop Tour Adds Layer of Unique Learning for All.