World of Wood addresses market growth

Continuing its mission to increase demand for globally sourced wood products from sustainably managed forests, the International Wood Products Association held its 62nd World of Wood Convention, March 14-16, in New Orleans.

The event attracted nearly 300 attendees from 27 countries, including importers, U.S. manufacturers, wholesalers, offshore and service suppliers, as well as non-governmental organizations and government partners.

“This was a truly successful and informative event for anyone with a stake in the global wood market,” IWPA executive director Cindy Squires said in a statement. “The complexity of legal and regulatory developments continues to grow, and World of Wood is the best venue to get the latest intelligence on the issues affecting our industry and network with colleagues.”

Highlights included an in-depth discussion on financial and economic trends led by economist Win Thin, global head of emerging markets strategy at Brown Brothers Harriman.

Mary Kelly, author of “Master Your World: Executive Leadership Strategies and 15 Ways to Grow Your Business in any Economy”, led a discussion on leadership, productivity, communication and business growth.

IWPA immediate past president JoAnn Gillebaard Keller of Holland Southwest International passed a symbolic gavel to new incoming president Caroline McIlvain of J. Gibson McIlvain Co.

Alan Futscher of CDC Distributors Inc.; Gregg Wilkinson of Clarke Veneers & Plywood, and John Barber of Benchmark International were welcomed as new board members.

The 2019 World of Wood is scheduled for Apr. 3-5, 2019, in Tucson, Ariz. For more, visit www.iwpawood.org.