Softwood Export Council

Softwood Export Council President Recruitment

Position Announcement
The Softwood Export Council (SEC) seeks a new President with the position available July 15, 2018. SEC is a non-profit organization with the mission of promoting the expansion of US export markets for primary and secondary softwood products manufacturers. The President serves as the chief executive and financial officer of SEC and, subject to the Board, supervises and manages day-to-day business and affairs. The President is the public face and representative of the SEC to domestic and international cooperators, partners and government representatives. The President is appointed annually by the Board of Directors.
The position can be managed remotely from anywhere within the United States.
The primary duties of the President are as follows.
Financial: Working with the Secretary-Treasurer, the President ensures that all ongoing financial requirements are planned and carried out. In this capacity, the President is responsible for:

Daily financial operations
Annual budget and revenue forecasts
Monthly accounting review for income and expenses
Oversight and accounting of international program spending through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) cooperator programs by SEC members
Annual audits as required by FAS and the SEC board

FAS Program: The President is responsible for SEC’s direct and continued involvement with the FAS cooperators program. This program provides the funding for international activities for the US softwood industry and serves as the primary funding source for SEC’s international activities. The President is responsible for:

Providing the annual Unified Export Strategy and funding request to FAS
Providing FAS approved program accounting for all member activities
Meeting all legal requirements involved with receiving US government funding grants
Providing member-individual allocation funding from FAS program awards
Providing SEC members with packaged international activities to support their own membership

Foreign Country Market Development: Assist foreign countries to develop agricultural systems necessary to meet the fiber needs for its domestic consumption.

Create softwood lumber education programs for viable trade partners
Analyze any potential trade barriers both tariff and non-tariff and communicate to importers/exporters
Develop relationships with the major decision makers, influencers of markets whether private, public or government agencies
Develop strategies for each specific market based on local cultural, political and economic observations
Strengthen and enhance trade linkages between eligible countries and forest products exports between the United States and global markets
Serve on the International Trade Advisory Committee B 7 (committee that provides advice and information to the United State Trade Representatives regarding issues on trade barriers and non-trade policy)
Create PR program for all existing and potential trade partners
Develop a brand for SEC
Manage multiple international marketing projects for China, Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Mexico and Latin/South America
Program management for trade related activities
Determine tradeshow activities
Identify candidates for in-bound trade missions
Identify PR partners
Global staff management

Board governance and membership management: develop strategies specific to the membership organization.

Create a linkage between members and the SEC/FAS initiatives
Lead semi-annual Board of Director meetings
Serve as a liaison between federal and state trade organizations and industry representatives

Additional duties of the President can be found in the SEC Bylaws available via the SEC Web site: http://www.softwood.org/uploads/7/1/0/6/71061057/sec_bylaws.pdf.
Based on the duties of the position, required and preferred qualifications are listed below.
Required Qualifications:

High proficiency with written and spoken English
Experience managing small business/organization finances
International marketing experience
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word and accounting software

Preferred Qualifications:

Proficiency in language(s) in addition to English
Familiarity with the forest products industry
Supervisory experience
Experience with managing trade missions, trade show exhibits, and educational seminars
Experience working with member-based organizations/associations
Experience with managing Federally funded programs

As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, the Softwood Export Council does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities, whether carried out by the Softwood Export Council directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which the Softwood Export Council arranges to carry out its programs and activities. For further information about this policy, contact: Dacia Foster at +1-503-620-5946.
Your application should include a cover letter that carefully explains how your experience/skills meet the required and preferred qualifications for the position as well as a resume that includes contact information for four professional references. Send your applications electronically to Don DeVisser (ddevisser@wclib.org) on or before midnight June 22, 2018.

SEC Reverse Trade Missions Create Opportunities for Growth

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In the final months of 2017, SEC hosted two groups of incoming delegates from Mexico and Thailand. The Mexican representatives visited Seattle before attending the NAWLA Traders Market in Chicago, and shortly thereafter we hosted the Thai group in Portland for a comprehensive tour of the softwood industry in Oregon & Washington. While appealing to different markets, both of these missions focused on innovation at the mill and in construction, highlighting sustainability, efficiency, and the symbiotic relationship of these two properties.

Thailand delegates gift First Tech Credit Union builders with symbol of friendship

These tours are at the heart of SEC's mission: to build relationships through more personal outreach. Hosting delegates is a strategic way to get importers from different markets to begin thinking about American softwoods, first because of the connection we've built, and finally because of the quality of our wood and the examples we have illustrated by examining creative end-uses. In demonstrating how and why the U.S. consumes wood, we join others to our cause, as our sites speak for themselves: wood is transformed for visitors into an exciting material that brings light and warmth into corporate spaces, character into homes, and carries enormous long-term benefits for the health of our planet.

Mexico Group outside the Bullitt Center after touring the building

To prepare these inbound missions, our itineraries are carefully crafted to exhibit a holistic system that allows a burgeoning market to understand the advantages of American softwoods, and what it would take to replicate our best-practices. Our itinerary for the Thais is a great example: it included tours of a forest, multiple mills, a CLT exhibition, and construction sites that exemplified the possibilities of mass timber, while also demonstrating the opportunities for efficiency in construction that wood can provide. Likewise, our Mexican delegates visited finished sites where mass timber meets sustainability in public and corporate spaces. The seminars we arrange are supplementary, offering an opportunity to delve deeper and ask questions about what the visiting groups have seen. This technical training privileges structural lumber and construction sectors: when you teach people how to build with wood, they buy wood. And, of course, we include networking opportunities for our members, and exposure to our industry.

There are upcoming inbound missions planned for 2018 that will use these same systems-based tenets. A delegation from China in January will focus on mass timber engineering systems, while an incoming Pakistani group in July will focus on sourcing. Ensuring our programs meet the needs of the markets they're designed to inform is crucial, as these are countries in different stages of development. Pakistan is an early-market distribution area, while China has the infrastructure to handle mass timber and will be excited about the opportunities U.S. softwood can bring their growing skyline.

If you have any suggestions for outreach or program-building, please let us know. You can contact Di Nguyen with comments and questions about inbound missions.

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Edifica Presentations

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Early this November, a group of SEC representatives attended the Edifica Exposition in Santiago, Chile to promote U.S. Softwoods. Both Iain MacDonald and David Stallcop both presented on the main stage of this event on behalf of SEC, and their talks centered on the inventive new ways wood is being used, and the far reaching implications of these modernizations. Below, Enrique Escobar introduces the speakers:

In his presentation, Iain MacDonald addresses the ways in which we are learning to build taller, focusing largely on CLT. He points out the benefits of building tall wood structures, both economic, in building time and labor needs, as well as environmental, as wood construction allows for carbon sequestration and is a natural, renewable resource. Iain also addresses the learning curves inevitable in new wood building methods, and offers solutions to many of those concerns with the research Tallwood Institute has completed.

Below, David Stallcop introduces a series of new products coming into the wood market, explaining the new, exciting wood products born often out of necessity. David discusses the origin of blue stain panelling, reclaimed wood from pallets, printing on wood with stain, and touches on multiple examples of prefabricated housing. In this lecture, David celebrates the energy of innovation as the driving force behind the future of the wood products industry.

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SEC Hosts Educational Grading Seminar in Malaysia

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After successfully completing Emerging Market Program assessments for several South East Asian countries in 2016 (members can read these reports here), SEC is moving forward into Phase II. Phase II programs are allocated for grading and educational seminars in their country's respective locations, or in the United States. Over the next two years, SEC will work with OSU & CINTRAFOR to schedule grading & educational seminars in South East Asia. The first of these seminars will take place in Malaysia this fall.

Panels & Furniture Asia is promoting the seminars locally, as part of a larger Malaysia Technical Assistant Program, organized by SEC in conjunction with the Malaysian Wood Industries Association:

Visitors can expect compelling talks touching on the grading of U.S. softwoods as well as get up close and personal with influential presenters from OWIC such as Scott Leavengood, director of OWIC; Chris Knowles, associate professor in Forest Products Marketing in the Department of Wood Science and Engineering at OSU; Eric Hansen, professor of Forest Products Marketing and Interim Department Head of Wood Science and Engineering at OSU; and Jeff Morrel, professor in Wood Science and Engineering at OSU with a specialisation in deterioration of wood and its prevention through preservative treatments

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Update on Funding Status

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In late July, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and approved its version of the Fiscal Year 2018 Agriculture Appropriations bill. As approved by the committee, the legislation allows funding for MAP and FMD at their full authorized annual levels of $200 million and $34.5 million respectively, as authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Thanks to all who stepped forward over the past weeks in support of both programs. At this time, it's uncertain when the bill will be considered by the Senate. The House Appropriations Committee included these levels of funding when it approved its version (H.R. 3268) of the legislation last week, and it's also uncertain when the House will consider H.R. 3268.

However, it's important to keep reminding your House members and Senators of the importance of both MAP and FMD to U.S. agriculture. Additional information about the programs can be found on the new website (www.agexportscount.org).

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Trump's Proposed Budget Cuts to Eliminate SEC

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Update:
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On Tuesday, President Trump's administration released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2018. Among the budget cuts is a 21% reduction in funding for USDA's discretionary programs, which includes the elimination of FAS's Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program. These programs are the cornerstone of Softwood Export Council and it's cooperators; without these programs we cease to exist.

Trump’s long-term budget proposes $230 billion in cuts to farm bill funding spanning 10 years, eliminating $235 million in annual funding for foreign marketing programs.

Softwood Export Council is proudly non-partisan: we serve the U.S. lumber industry by marketing American-grown, American-made forest products around the globe. We are dedicated to growing the reach of U.S. lumber and introducing our members to new, burgeoning markets in places like Vietnam and Pakistan, where our influence establishes mutually-beneficial trade partnerships. Most importantly, our funding allows us to do what a single company would find immensely difficult to accomplish on their own, and we are well-equipped with representatives stationed in China, Japan, the UK, and Mexico, as well as partnering associations world-wide, to tackle international trade barriers and seek out new opportunities for U.S. exports.

If these activities are vital to you, we urge you to call your representative and voice your concern over the loss of our programs. Please advocate for us, as our future is in jeopardy:

Call your local representative. All members of Congress can be reached through the US Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121. Your personal phone call is the most impactful way to show your support.
Write a message. Using your zip code, you'll be able to find your representative online at house.gov and submit an email via online contact form. You can also find and contact your senators by going to www.senate.gov.
Submit a success story. Our online form collects examples of how SEC programs benefit our members and are submitted to Congress, demonstrating our value.

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Rose Research Report Available; Success Stories Needed

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Rose Research has released its annual Global Evaluation Report, which is now available for download to SEC members. The report allows American Softwoods to better understand the attitudes, perceptions and behavioral practices among importers, architects/designers, specifiers, manufacturers, etc. in the global market based on 1,538 surveys administered in 2016.

The report offers feedback each year on the constraints facing the industry, and identifies opportunities for growth in public opinion that are crucial to consider when building SEC strategy. The information collected through this project is benchmarked, and has helped identify the perceived strengths and weaknesses of U.S. softwood products since the program was launched in late 2012—a total of 4,833 surveys have been completed and analyzed since that time.

One of many graphs accessible in the Rose Research Report

This year, in addition to the report's annual findings, research shows that American Softwoods cooperators continue to make positive strides in addressing constraints, improving perceptions and incorporating the report's recommendations for message promotion.

While research demonstrates SEC's effectiveness, we still require testimonials from our members in order to justify our funding. USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) needs success stories when they meet with your elected officials. FAS has told us that their budget is under increased pressure, and therefore success stories are more important than ever. We are looking for a paragraph that includes how you benefited (in jobs saved or added, sales, etc.) with numerical details preferred but not required, as well as the benefiting location(s) so that the story may be targeted to members of Congress in that state and/or district. You can submit a success story here.

None of this information will be given to other members, and your information will only be seen by SEC staff, FAS, and Congressmen who request justification from FAS for our programs. Thank you for support of our programs.

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Cochran Program Assists in Reverse Missions

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In 2016, SEC partnered with the Cochran Fellowship Program to host groups from Egypt, Pakistan, & Peru, utilizing other FAS funds outside our core MAP and FMD programs. The Cochran Fellowship Program provides short-term training opportunities to agricultural professionals from middle income countries, emerging markets, & emerging democracies.

Cochran fellows come to the United States, generally for 2-3 weeks, to work with U.S. universities, government agencies and private companies. They receive hands-on training to enhance their technical knowledge and skills in areas related to agricultural trade, agribusiness development, management, policy and marketing.

Bob Lewis gives the Pakistan group a tour of Columbia Vista mill

Of these three groups, Pakistan is currently the largest market and the best immediate opportunity for U.S. softwood products. Pakistani demand for wood products has increased significantly in recent years, reaching 370,000 cubic meters in 2015. U.S. exports to this market are strong, reaching record levels and growing at an average annual rate of 47%. Pakistan has become the seventh largest market for U.S. softwoods and has set themselves up to be a major distributor in the Middle East region.

The Peru group's itinerary

Cochran’s assistance in Peru was also invaluable, and with their financial assistance SEC prepared the most extensive educational programming to date, equipping the ten Peruvian representatives with knowledge about U.S. domestic and international lumber standards and codes: their development, testing, and compliance. Participants also attended the Greenbuild International Conference, with options for multiple seminars and walking tours centered around safety and sustainability. The technical information offered during this Cochran program allowed the Peruvians the knowledge to advocate for U.S. softwoods within their home country, potentially opening Peru’s building codes to include U.S. structural grades.

If your association is interested in hosting delegates from a specific emerging market, please let SEC know, as we have the ability to request market partnerships from Cochran administrators.

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Joint Meeting Illuminates Potential in Mexico Market

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SEC & IMEXFOR members mingle at meeting reception in San Miguel de Allende

SEC’s board meeting this February took place in Mexico and included a joint meeting with Mexico’s National Association of Importers & Exporters of Forest Products (IMEXFOR). Mexico has been a market of growing potential for the last five years: while SEC has spent relatively little on promotions in this country, the exports to this market now exceed Japan, one of SEC’s most active programs.

Organizing this conference in conjunction with our board meeting allowed members to network and share expertise with the Mexico industry; through our joint meeting SEC has been able to investigate long term opportunities for U.S. softwoods in lumber and value-added building materials, meanwhile developing relationships with importers as potential partners and promoters of U.S. softwoods.

Beginning with an overview of Mexico’s major statistics delivered by Julio Maldanado of Mexico City’s Agricultural Trade Office, the meeting also included an overview of Mexico’s wood import market from Everado Martinez Salazar, and a look at the latest trends in Mexico’s academic sector. This collaboration with IMEXFOR was particularly eye-opening in detailing the international competition present in the Mexico market, as well as opportunities and obstacles for U.S. softwood products. Feedback from IMEXFOR members is included below:

Don Devisser overviews the Western U.S. Species

Gerardo Madrigal joins Everardo Salazar in his presentation

Mexico is the world’s 14th largest landmass, sharing a 1,860 mile border with the U.S. that contains 63 crossings. Each year, Mexico’s need for wood increases, with most of the lumber entering Mexico from the U.S. used for furniture manufacturing and packaging material. There are few examples of softwoods in construction, including OSB roofing supported by inexpensive steel beams. IMEXFOR’s representatives advised members to find a niche in order to introduce lumber to construction—perhaps low-income housing would be the best way to enter the structural market.

According to IMEXFOR members, the Mexican market doesn’t feel comfortable with the U.S.’s inability to accommodate exchange rates. Price is a well-documented obstacle in the Mexican market, as the peso fell 49% against the U.S. dollar within the past 5 years—and at an even faster rate in 2016. However, Chile and Brazil are said to discount 5% to adjust for exchange rates, and Mexico is negotiating an elimination of vat taxes of Brazilian imports.

Perhaps one of the biggest hindrances to trade is a misunderstanding of U.S. dimensions—for instance when ordering U.S.
2 x 4s, Mexican importers become frustrated when they discover the true dimensions are 1.5 x 3.5. IMEXFOR members explained that they can get what they ask for with other countries, and Chile is more flexible customizing for Mexico’s need (25mm x 6, 8, and 10” rough). Mexican importers also struggle to find U.S. lumber that isn’t kiln dried.

Although Mexico imports from Chile and Brazil for softwood lumber due to market communications, language and culture, importers prefer U.S. supply because of its quality and reliability. Proximity is another perk: shared railways mean fast, inexpensive shipping. Additionally, it’s much easier for Mexican importers to obtain credit with the U.S., and IMEXFOR members particularly appreciated that American exporters do what they say they will, and shipments always arrive at the agreed upon time.

Continued engagement with IMEXFOR is crucial to maintaining our relationships, fostering greater collaboration, and creating more opportunities to do business within the Mexican market. More information on Mexico can be found through our membership-accessible Statistics & Reports downloads.

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China Updates Disinsection Requirements for Zika Virus

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Zika Virus

China has taken steps to stop the spread of the Zika virus. The Foreign Agricultural Service has learned that AQSIQ (General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of People’s Republic of China) will only require disinfection certification from products in the U.S. originating or loading from Florida.

Please find more details in FAS' Update on China's Zika Disinsection Requirements for U.S. Exports. This information is subject to change as the Zika situation develops.

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As a recipient of Federal financial assistance, the Softwood Export Council does not exclude, deny benefits to, or otherwise discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, or age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits under any of its programs and activities, whether carried out by the Softwood Export Council directly or through a contractor or any other entity with which the Softwood Export Council arranges to carry out its programs and activities. For further information about this policy, contact: Dacia Foster, 503-620-5946.

SEC is committed to providing equal access to all programs, activities and materials. Persons with disabilities who require special accommodation or alternative means for communication of information (e.g., Braille, large print, sign language translation) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD), or the SEC offices.

Expanding Export Markets for U.S. Softwood Products