Canadian Wood Council Member Associations, and each of their respective Canadian wood product manufacturer Members, are entitled to take advantage of following benefits:

REPUTATION BENEFITS

As a Premier manufacturer

• Your organization is featured on CWC's highly visited website and its many publications. North American design professionals and others within the construction industry are able to learn about your company's products and understand the importance of your organization.

• Visibility and affiliation with CWC’s professional awards programs. CWC leads several awards programs on a North American and provincial level. Your products are linked to these prestigious events that focus on innovative uses of premier wood products in construction.

• Visibility and affiliation with CWC amongst post-secondary engineering (and related disciplines) students. The Council provides technical presentations to numerous engineering, wood science and forestry students. These future specifiers and users of wood products are exposed, at an early age, to CWC’s premier manufacturers of Canadian wood products. Your products gain further visibility through the Council’s student competitions and a post-secondary scholarship fund, awarded in the memory of former CWC president Catherine Lalonde.

As a Progressive manufacturer

• Your exclusive use of the CWC logo and its ‘High Performance Wood Product’ label provides preference for your product. The label signifies to the North American construction industry, and its professionals, your commitment to your products’ performance through the CWC and AWC work. 

• You are affiliated and associated to all CWC efforts and actions related to positioning wood products as the most planet friendly building products.

• You are positioned as a preferred partner to the Canadian Home Builders Enviro Home Program. Through CWC’s partnership with CHBA your products are positioned at a preferred status for homes designed to high levels of energy efficiency and sustainability.

As an Innovative manufacturer

• You have the opportunity to market your company and your products as leading edge and innovative via the Council’s many communication tools. North American building professionals trust the Council for information on what is new and innovative about wood products.

• You have access to visibility and participation at CWC educational events. CWC attracts and promotes your products to thousands of design professionals at its Wood Solutions Fairs, conferences, and workshops.

YOUR MARKET ACCESS BENEFITS

• Building codes. Through affiliation with CWC and AWC programs, you gain assurance that building projects can use your lumber. You can personally work to ensure municipal, state, provincial and federal building codes accommodate your lumber, wood products and downstream construction.

• Design values. Through affiliation with CWC and AWC staff, you gain assurance that construction specifiers and regulators recognize the design value of your product. As a CWC Member, you have personal access to the Canadian, U.S. and international lumber market acceptance process including:
     o committees that supervise the development of lumber design values (ex. the Council’s Lumber Properties Committee) and;
     o engineering work required to ensure your lumber design values are recognized in codes and standards.

• Standards. You can participate in developing the standards for your wood products. Members have personal access to CWC and AWC staff– influencing many committees that develop Canada and US wood-related standards. Members gain a voice in Washington to preserve its US access.

• Industry research. You have access to committees such as the Council’s Fire & Structural Design Committee, and others in the US, that direct research funds toward your business objectives.

• Emerging issues. You gain access to market intelligence and product information related to emerging industry issues. Members don’t have to invest to gain the information they need on emerging issues – such as climate change and energy. 

• Technical support. As a CWC Member, you are exclusively permitted to submit product market access challenges to CWC technical staff to help resolve issues and open market acceptability.

• Technical field support. CWC, and its AWC partnership, can support you to prevent job stoppages. CWC and/or AWC are able to task field engineering representatives, on your behalf, to arrive onsite and defend your wood products’ use based on codes, standards and technical capabilities.

YOUR MARKETING BENEFITS

Product preference

• CWC publishes design tools & publications that feature its members’ proprietary products, such as the Tall Wall Workbook and its highly acclaimed Span Book. More than 6,000 Span Books are distributed annually to specifiers across North America. 

• Wood specifiers and decision makers refer to the CWC web site for product information. Members’ name and full contact information are featured on CWC website www.cwc.ca (over 500,000 visits/mo) with an active link to help increase hits to Member websites.

• Access to North America’s building professionals. CWC creates programs and initiatives that open doors for Members to reach North American building professionals. Members gain direct access to the Council’s 300,000+ mailing list of engineers, architects and builders.

• Marketing support. The Council’s expert staff are on hand to help you gain access to knowledge and tools to help enable you with the technical marketing of your product.

• Marketing opportunities
     o Members are entitled to submit product information to CWC’s online seminars, newsworthy articles to its Wood Design & Building quarterly magazine (36,000 NA distribution) and CWC’s bi-weekly e-news service (10,000 subscribers).
     o Members can capture additional visibility opportunities within CWC’s North American commercial construction initiative activities via its WoodWORKS! Program and other industry events (i.e. CWC’s annual booth presence during the National Association of Home Builders’ International Builders’ Show).

• Elite service status at CWC events. Members benefit from CWC’s position as the renowned leader and largest producer of educational wood-related events in North America. Members receive preferred treatment as an exhibitor, sponsor, and/or advertiser at any of its signature events.
  

YOUR DIRECT FINANCIAL BENEFITS

• Reduced costs. Members obtain top expertise at a fraction of the cost through CWC’s federation of Association business model. This is a critical benefit where CWC and AWC can impact over 66% of your company revenues. 

• New revenues. You can profit from CWC’s efforts to grow demand for wood in non-residential construction. The Council’s work has directed over ten million dollars to this effort in North America. An expanding Canadian and US WoodWORKS! team is accessible to help its CWC Members win opportunities to have their wood products selected in non-residential projects.

• Preferential pricing and sales referrals. You receive preferred pricing for publications, software and other design tools (10% or more depending on product). Members gain sales and information referrals via CWC’s popular email and 1-800 number for Technical/Help Desk support.

• Complimentary subscriptions and events. You remain current and informed via free subscriptions to CWC’s quarterly Wood Design & Building magazine and its bi-weekly e-news services. There are no registration fees for Members to participate at the Council’s AGM and SAGM.

YOUR POSITION-OF-INFLUENCE BENEFITSYOUR POSITION-OF-INFLUENCE BENEFITS

• Networking opportunities. CWC Members gain “no fee” access to influential organization including:
     o American Forest & Paper Association
     o American Wood Council
     o North American Wood Products Council
     o WoodWORKS! USA
     o WoodWORKS! BC, Alberta / Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec & Maritimes

These organizations are invaluable to forging new relationships, learning innovative business practices and developing strategic alliances.

• Industry regulations. CWC Member-only initiatives allows you to have unfettered access to governments and regulatory agencies. You can impact CWC advocacy programs and gain direct resources to issues of concern for your product.
  

YOUR EDUCATION BENEFITS

• Educational resources. As a Member, you have the privilege of retaining CWC technical staff to participate, educate and/or inform your clients or stakeholders about how to address critical issues and opportunities facing the wood industry.  

• Personalized educational programs.
     o CWC Members can request tailored educational programs related to wood products and construction for company staff.
     o As a Member, you are the first to know about CWC initiatives, and events that offer Continuing Education Units to your technical staff and your own Members. This benefit enables you to plan schedules and accreditation objectives well in advance.
     o Members receive exclusive access to industry reports, studies, research projects and more via the Members-only information section on CWC website (separate log-in entry) and its exclusive news service.

All CWC benefits enable Members to gain new networking channels of opportunities.

This exclusive access is invaluable to forging new relationships, learning innovative business practices and developing strategic alliances.

Interested in being a premier manufacturer of Canadian wood products? 

Contact:
Pauline Rochefort
President
Canadian Wood Council
Tel: 613-747-5544 
Email: prochefort@cwc.ca
www.cwc.ca