ROANOAKE, W.Va. – Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers, Inc. has set its Fall Conference from Sept. 28-30 at the Stonewall Resort in Roanoke, W.Va.
The event kicks off with a welcome reception that takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The business component starts the next day at 8:30 a.m. with three programs originally planned for the canceled summer conference in Asheville, N.C., this past July.
Representatives from the Appalachian Regional Commission, a regional economic development agency, will present “Growing Hardwood Jobs in Appalachia, “ which will focus on ways to assist work force training and market development in the Appalachian region. The discussion will include community college leaders eager to provide training in the field.
There will also be an update on Real American Hardwood Promotion, a program aimed at promoting domestic hardwoods to end users. Market research on this subject has been completed, and a plan will be underway in September for companies and associations to work together to promote this natural resource.
David Caldwell, of Hardwood Market Report, also will have an update on hardwood markets in 2020. This presentation will include a discussion with attendees on ways to assist in market development in the coming year and beyond.
A 2 p.m., the Appalachian Regional Commission will host a brainstorming session with select attendees to further discuss employee and market issues.
There also will be golf and sporting clay tournaments starting at 1 p.m. The golfing event will take place at the Palmer Course at Stonewall Resort. The Stonewall Sporting Clay course features 16 stations. Guns, ammo, targets and carts for the course will be provided.
There will also be a second reception and dinner starting at 6 p.m.
The AHMI Board of Trustees will meet Wednesday morning.
For those who wish to attend in person, room reservations must be made by Aug. 31. AHMI said the facility has extensive COVID-19 protocols in place that require both social distancing and the wearing of face masks.
For those that wish to attend virtually, AHMI also will offer online access to the 8:30 a.m.-12 noon Tuesday sessions via Zoom. Through Zoom, these sessions can be viewed as they are given from the Stonewall Conference Center.
For additional information, contact the AHMI office at 336-885-8315 or via email at tom@appalachianwood.org. Additional information is also available here.
