The 13th Annual Dimension Graders Competition was held Saturday, June 13, hosted by Stratton Lumber Company in Stratton, Maine. NELMA introduced its new tournament-style format for the 2015 individual competition that also incorporated the top 4 individual seeds determined by past performance over the past 12 years. A “Consolation Round” was added to the program which provided each participant the opportunity to grade sample boards twice, versus the one-and-done previous format. This year’s competition included 18 graders representing 3 of NELMA’s dimension mills, all vying for the top 8 individual cash awards totaling $500.
Taking first place after successfully winning 4 rounds of competition was Tim Gravelle of Pleasant River Lumber. Three of the four semi-finalists were from Fontaine, with Gilbert Provencal taking 2nd place, Dominique Plourde (2014 Individual Winner) in 3rd Place, and Maurice Goyette finishing in 4th position. Rounding out the Top 8: (5) Reuben Campbell of Stratton Lumber, (6) Jamie Hobbs of Stratton Lumber, (7) Tom Wellington of Pleasant River Lumber, and (8) Greg Silver of Stratton Lumber. The Consolation Bracket Winner was Donnie Beedy of Stratton Lumber who made his way through 3 additional rounds of lumber grading for the win.
A change-up in determining the overall Mill Team Champion was also implemented with each mill participating in the competition required to grade 10 additional SPF boards as a team with no time limit. Given the choice of grading as a full team or choosing representatives, a variety of strategies was utilized by each mill. Taking top team honors was Stratton Lumber, the mill’s 3rd year in a row to own the Bronze Hammer Trophy.
To view the complete Championship and Consolation Bracket, click here.
Congratulations to all the participants in the 2015 Competition for a job well done. The comradery of meeting together as a profession in a relaxed, fun atmosphere while continuing to hone one’s grading skills makes this event a win-win for all participants. NELMA would like to extend a very special thank you to Stratton Lumber for their wonderful hospitality as this year’s host mill.
Scroll below to view photos from the competition:
- From Stratton Lumber: Jamie Hobbs (6th Place), Reuben Campbell (5th Place), and Greg Silver (8th Place)
- From Fontaine Lumber: 2nd Place-Gilbert Provencal, 3rd Place-Dominique Plourde, and 4th Place-Maurice Goyette
- Stratton Lumber – 1st Place Mill Team with Bronze Hammer Trophy
