Show of Force Apprenticeship Update Fun, Games & Money Getting the most out of your show exhibit. at our Live Auction, March 15th, CITO is continuing to work on behalf Tradex, Abbotsford. have attended countless trade shows over Rof BC log builders to complete the Log I the years for a wide range of industries, Builder Program and is now in the writing he AGM & Conference this year will be including building supplies, financial services, stage of Learning Materials for the student Tsubstantially different from previous years. public utilities, and technology. apprentices in school training sessions. And so will our Live Auction—our major fundraiser. No matter the industry, it’s all too common “By registering your workers, to see boring displays, ineffective offers, and Our coordination with the Log Home, switch-off people in the booths. Here’s a you receive distinction in the Timber Frame & Country Living Show at gameplan for getting more out of your world-wide marketplace of Abbotsford’s Tradex gives us an opportunity to exhibit at the Massive Wood Symposium selling your handcrafted log significantly magnify the marketing function of and the BC Log Home Timber Frame & homes as being built by Certified the Auction. Our ability to enjoy our traditional Country Living Show, March 14-16th. Builders. No other log building technical and social functions with friends and fellow practitioners will be enhanced by our market has this opportunity.” Before the Show new chance to utilize the trade show clients Pre-show Promotion can make the Registration of Apprentices remains at 61 as marketing contacts. There is also very difference between a good show and a great with only 11 Log Builder Employers having worthwhile value in our participation with the one. You should notify all of your best registered their workers. To make this program Architects and Engineers who will attend the customers and prospects that you will be at the a success, employers need to identify workers Massive Wood Symposium planned for the show and invite them to your booth. Research whom they wish to participate in the program same program the day before the Auction. has shown that, on average, an invitation to and get them registered. The changes planned for the Auction— prospects sent before the show can increase The BC Log Builder Apprenticeship normally held after the Gala Dinner—are booth traffic by one-third. Send something perhaps the greatest deviation from our historic different to the prospects that do not know event. Traditionally, our Auction has been an you—be unique, create a hook, reward them “Therefore, we propose to for coming to you. Know your audience. Get a detailed return 50% of the net sales breakdown of who attended last year’s show. of the auctioned items to the Are they senior level, mid-level, salespeople? firm or individual who supplies Staff your booth accordingly. them and the balance to our Design different levels of promotional Association.” materials. Not everyone who comes to your booth will be a prospect and it makes no sense internal fun- and fund-raising evening, using to give an expensive folder of materials and/or member support to gather Association monies. samples to someone whom you do not qualify This year we want to take full advantage of as a prospect. the opportunity to market our products and Determine your sales and marketing goals products of related suppliers and artisans to in advance. What specifically do you want the much larger group of trade show attendees. Show Continued on p. 7 Apprenticeship Continued on p. 14 Auction Continued on p.14. Your best marketing opportunity this year is March 14, 15, 16 in Abbotsford è at the Massive Wood Symposium and the ç BC Log Home, Timber Frame & Country Living Show. See Page 9. Table of Contents: BC Log & Timber Building P.1 —Show of Force. Industry Association (LTBI) —Apprenticeship Update. —Fun, Games & Money. Executive: P.2 —President’s Message. President: Walter Bramsleven Vice President: Dan Coulter P.3 —10 Reasons to Exhibit. Secretary: James Fountain —Logs on the Lauberhorn. Treasurer: Peter Bakker P.4 —Report: No Housing Upturn until 2010. P.5 —Shorthanded in the Yard? Board of Directors: P.9 —Draft Program for March 14, 15, and 16th. Anna Bramsleven P.10 —It’s Time to Stop Falling Down on the Job. Matthew Leck Christoph Friedlos P.11 —Associate Suppliers. Art Paul P.12 —Keeping Your Web Untangled. Peter Sperlich P.13 —Canadian Economy Helping ILBA Members. Committee Chairs: President’s Message 2010 Olympics, Walter Bramsleven: [email protected] s some of you may know, this is my last President’s message for my term as that after having Aserved for two years, it is time to move on and have some fresh legs in this position. It has Fibre Acquisition, Art Paul: been a rewarding and interesting experience to say the least and I have come to know many [email protected] members within our Association personally and professionally. It has also opened my eyes to the breadth of the industry in BC as well as some of its history, which is very rich indeed. AGM/ Marketing, Peter Sperlich: Visits through almost every corner of our expansive province has shown me that the log and [email protected] timber building industry is very much alive and vibrant in almost every small community. Our sharing of technology and information is second to none in industry associations and I leave Health & Safety, co-chaired by “Now, we are faced with a decline in our market, which we should Brian Lloyd: [email protected] view as an opportunity rather than with fear.“ Peter Sperlich: [email protected] feeling that we truly have the finest craftsman in the world living and working here. Our industry faces some serious challenges in the immediate and distant future. With a 24.8% BC-LTBI decline in the US housing market in 2007 and with diminishing fiber resources, we must work PO Box 35036 together to ensure the stability and longevity of our industry. It had faded into obscurity prior Victoria BC to the Depression era but fortunately was revived by the new pioneers of our province in mid- V8T 5G2 century. We have experienced slow and steady growth until the mid-90s and then saw a quantum leap in demand of our products through the late 90’s until this past year. It seemed everywhere www.bcltbi.com one travelled, there was another log or timber builder popping up out of a field somewhere. Now, we are faced with a decline in our market, which we should view as an opportunity rather than Administration, Colin Williams: with fear. It gives us time to reflect on how we have run our businesses in the past and try to [email protected]. improve on our product and productivity. 250-592-9004. On that note, I bid you adieu. Thank you all for allowing me the privilege of representing Fax: 250-592-9048 this fine industry as your President and I look forward to meeting many of you during my travels through the province of BC and beyond. —Regards, Walter Bramsleven, LTBI President ■ Confirmed 2008 Sponsors At press time we have: CBR Products Sansin Corporation RCM CAD Design Drafting Ltd. Do you have a story to tell or Dietrich’s North America information to pass on to our members and readers? Please contact Colin Baron Insurance Williams. We are interested in stories The Tool Place of your experiences in logbuilding, Makita Canada announcements, and classifieds. Please support our industry partners. 10 REASONS to Exhibit Logs on the Lauberhorn at the High Altitude Setup in the Swiss Alps. BC LOG HOME, TIMBER FRAME & s owner of Sunset Log Homes Ltd., I journey to Europe. COUNTRY LIVING SHOW Ahave been working as a logbuilder since The owners of the Startbar are Mrs. Arian March 14-16, 2008 – Tradex, Abbotsford 1997, and have spent most of those years in Cova and Mr. Benny Scheibner. Mr. Cova Alpine Europe. We (I, and my Swiss partner had been a man with vision; he was the articipation gives you the chance to market company) built a few commercial structures driving force to make the Jungfrau Region Pdirectly to a captive audience who are in those years, but by far the most exciting a UNESCO Site. Through his connections looking for new homes, products and services. and challenging was a 36 X 24’ cabin called he got permission to build a ski bar on the It’s a rare opportunity to have your target the “Startbar” on top of the Lauberhorn at Lauberhorn. Unfortunately he never saw the market come to you. Take advantage of this 7550 feet (2300m) in the Bernese Upperland bar open, as he passed away before starting. situation to sell your product and services to of the Swiss Alps. As far as I know, it is the But with the support of Benny, Arian was thousands of buyers in just a few days. highest log structure able to set up a steel in the Alps. It’s called container which The benefits of exhibiting at the Show are: the Startbar because served drinks in the 1) Sell direct to thousands of qualified buyers it is at the start of the first years. But they 2) Generate immediate and ongoing sales Lauberhorn World Cup wanted a permanent 3) Strengthen brand awareness Ski Race, the longest structure, and logs 4) Create leads for future business on the World Cup made perfect sense, 5) Promote/launch new products or service circuit. fitting perfectly into a 6) Keep in touch with new industry The Lauberhorn region with a 600-year developments borders a UNESCO tradition of building in 7) Establish new distributors World Heritage Region, wood.