The Harraseeket Inn located in historic Freeport, Maine, hosted this year’s NELMA Fall Meeting with 130 members and guests in attendance. The traditional Golf Scramble opened the activities on the 22nd as 72 golfers hit the links at the Brunswick Golf Club on 
another perfect New England fall day. The Chairman’s Reception and Dinner ended Day 1’s activities that included the 2016 Golf Awards Program. Prize winners were: First Place Team – Gross Score (61): Jason and Chris Brochu (Pleasant River Lumber), Nate Davis (Philadelphia Insurance), and Paul Lennon (Davis & Towle Insurance). First Place Team – Net Score (52): Anthony Baroni (Sandy Neck Traders), Alan Orcutt (Irving Forest Products), Christian Smith and Brad Weller (MacPage LLC). Four holes on the course were designated as “Closest to the Pin” competitions with winners Eric McCoy (Seaboard International Forest Products), Chris Bagley (CES Inc.), Tim St. John (Wiener, Crowley & St. John Inc.), and Anthony Baroni (Sandy Neck Traders). The longest drive contest was won by Rebecca Lowell (R.E. Lowell Lumber) and Craig Woodbrey (Lovell Lumber). The final award was presented to Chris Brochu (Pleasant River Lumber) for winning the Putting Contest. The evening’s activities also included the recognition of Don Pendergast who will be retiring at the end of 2016 following a 21-year career with NELMA as an Inspector and more recently as Program Coordinator of the Association’s Lumber Inspection Program.
The business meetings on Day 2 began with a one-hour “Business Opportunities Session”. The two topics presented were “Creative Risk Management” by Melissa Nelson of AFLAC, and “Energy Procurement: Proactive Ways to Address an Essential Part of your Business”, by Leo Menard and Keith Albee of ENERNOC. The NELMA Board of Directors meeting convened following the opening business session with an update provided by Zoltan van Heyningen, Executive Director of the U.S. Lumber Coalition, on the continued negotiation efforts by the U.S. to develop a trade agreement with Canada and potential outcome post-October 13 and expiration of 1-year stand-down period. The Board of Directors reviewed a number of agenda items important to the Association during their meeting that included discussion and approval of the 2017 Budget, discussion and approval of the merger of NELMA and the Northern Softwood Lumber Bureau (NSLB), and a discussion of a revised Association Lumber Grading Policy. In addition, Bob Mai of Potlatch Corporation was elected to a first 3-year term on the Board of Directors.
NELMA would like to express its sincere thank you to all of our Fall Meeting sponsors for their generosity: Seaboard International (Eagle Level), Hancock Lumber (Birdie Level), Potlatch Corporation (Par Level), Irving Forest Products (Hats), USNR (Golf Carts), Davis & Towle Insurance and Philadelphia Insurance (NELMA Putting Contest), AFLAC ($5,000 Putting Contest), and Robbins Lumber (Golf Balls). Individual Hole Sponsors: The Softwood Buyer, Sandy Neck Traders, Green Light Forest Products, R.E. Lowell Lumber, P. DiPrizio Lumber, Madison Lumber Mill, H.E. Smith Company, and Eastern Insurance.
Photos from the events will be published in the next issue of the Softwood Buyer and the Building Products Digest.
The next meeting of the Association will be the NELMA Annual Convention, set for September 20-22, 2017 at the Newport Marriott in Newport, Rhode Island.
