Machine Stress Rated Lumber Producers Council

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MSR Annual Workshop

April 17-19, 2024 | Charlotte, NC


Begun in 1995, the MSR Workshop brings together members of the entire lumber supply chain, from production and grading to sales and distribution to end users, and offers a unique opportunity for participants to directly network and gain a broader perspective on the MSR market and opportunities for growth.

Read more about the Workshop as well as how this unique event has been a valuable experience for many over the past 20+ years:

Save the date and check back for more details and registration information as it becomes available.


Rates and Registration

Early-Bird (Deadline: 3/15/24)

  • $675 Member
  • $750 Non-Member

Standard

  • $725 Member
  • $780 Non-Member

Not a member yet? Join Today!

Register

Photo of the Charlotte Skyline.

“The sessions are all uniquely informative and beneficial. The Workshop is set up to cover MSR in its fullness — from production through use and logistics — as well as why it’s the product of choice. They covered all aspects in full.”

–Adam Beck, Drexel Building Supply


Hotel Information

Fairfield Inn & Suites Charlotte Uptown
201 S. McDowell Street
Charlotte, NC 28204

Book Your Room

Hotel Deadline: April 3, 2024


Schedule

Wednesday, 4/17

Thursday, 4/18

Friday, 4/19

  • Educational Sessions
  • Roundtable
Photo of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Charlotte Uptown.

“This is the best small group of people in this particular industry that I know. There is plenty of opportunity to network and socialize. People feel comfortable discussing a broad range of topics, because it doesn’t feel like you’re ‘in public’.”

–Dan Uskoski, Metriguard


2024 Workshop Sessions

Analyzing Trends in the 2023 MSR Production Survey

Speaker: Crystal Gauvin, Forest Economic Advisors, LLC

Take a deep dive into the most recent MSR Production Survey with FEA’s Crystal Gauvin. Since the MSR Lumber Producers Council (MSRLPC) began tracking data in 1994, this annual production survey has become a valuable tool for both monitoring the progress of the industry in North America and promoting the use of MSR lumber worldwide.

FEA Senior Economist Crystal Gauvin has worked in the industry since 2008, previously specializing in forecasting housing, PB/MDF, and engineered lumber markets across North America. She is the primary author of FEA’s Lumber Market Status & Trends newsletter and is responsible for FEA’s Sawmill Profiles.

At the Crossroads of MSR Lumber and Mass Timber

Speaker: Russ Vaagen, Vaagen Timbers

Gain a better understanding of where MSR Lumber and mass timber intersect, with a specific look at where the glulam industry and engineered wood products that use MSR lumber went down separate paths. Russ Vaagen will explain how the Europeans use E ratings to provide grades of glulams and how North America is still using visual grades to produce the same products from 30 to 40 years ago. Russ will also give an overview of the current mass timber market and what is developing for the future.

Born and raised in Colville, WA, Russ Vaagen is CEO of Vaagen Timbers. He holds degrees in Human Resources and Business Management from Washington State University and has extensive experience in the forest products industry. After college, he served Vaagen Brothers Lumber in a variety of areas including sales, marketing, and operations, before becoming Vice President of the company in 2004. He founded Vaagen Timbers in 2017 to produce state-of-the-art Mass Timber products for projects all over the U.S. and even projects in Europe. Russ has spent countless hours working on forest collaboration to thin and restore overstocked forest stands. He believes strongly that mass timber provides the best value and exposure to how we can restore our forests and build low carbon footprint buildings in the future.

Automation and Opportunities in Component Manufacturing

Panelists: Mike Momb, Hansen Pole Buildings • Ross Harter, Drexel Building Supply • Sean Kelly, Automated Building Products

Three experienced structural building component manufacturers present a closer look at the positive results of ongoing advancements in manufacturing automation. The group will discuss how new technologies and improved processes invite continued collaboration in the supply chain and new opportunities for the use of MSR Lumber.

Mike Momb is Technical Director for Hansen Pole Buildings in Browns Valley, MN. He has owned or managed wood truss plants for over two decades and has been involved in designing, providing and/or building roughly 20,000 post frame buildings in all 50 states, Mexico, and Canada. Mike served five terms on MSRLPC’s Board of Directors, authored more than 2300 articles on post-frame buildings, coauthored two books, and is a contributing writer for several industry publications.

Ross Harter is General Manager of Drexel Building Supply’s brand new truss manufacturing facility in Wrightstown, WI. He has more than 20 years of experience in the industry, specializing primarily in offsite construction and component manufacturing. During his career, Ross made a point to get hands-on experience in almost every department of a truss plant to gain frontline knowledge of processes in order to make improvements for the team.

Sean Kelly joined Automated Products Inc. (API) in Marshfield, WI, as Executive Vice President in 2015, and is responsible for putting the automation in Automated. In December 2018, his industry vision and commitment to service led him to become Owner and President of API. A United States Veteran, Sean brings more than 31 years of building product and automation experience to the company. He drives a customer-first strategy in an employee-centered company with more than 150 team members committed to revolutionizing the manufacturing world of construction materials.

Growing Timber for MSR

Speaker: Jesse Moore, Charles Ingram Lumber Company

An opportunity to see the forest for the trees, this session will introduce how the art and science of silviculture affects solid wood strength. In addition to a brief history of forest management, Jesse Moore will explain how plant spacing, fertilization and herbicide applications, and thinning methods are all important to growing timber that is well suited to become MSR lumber.

Jesse Moore was born and raised in Florence County, South Carolina, where he began working for Charles Ingram Lumber Company during his summer breaks from college. In 1996, he graduated from Clemson University with a BS in Forest Resource Management and began his full-time tenure with the company. Since that time, he has managed land and overseen wood procurement for Ingram, and became their Lumber Production Manager in 2018. He is married, has three children, and enjoys family, music, anything outdoors, and work.

MSR and MEL: A Testing Primer

Speaker: Linda Brown, Southern Pine Inspection Bureau

Linda Brown will provide attendees with a valuable overview of how machine graded lumber is produced with special emphasis on the testing that is performed by producing mills. A great session for those still learning about machine graded lumber, she will cover how it is produced as well as the similarities and differences between it and visually graded lumber. The session will include videos of lumber being tested.

Linda Brown has been the engineer at Southern Pine Inspection Bureau for more than 20 years and currently works in their Lumber Division. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and a master’s degree from Virginia Tech.

North American Timber Outlook

Speaker: Crystal Gauvin, Forest Economic Advisors, LLC

Join FEA’s Crystal Gauvin to explore timber supply in North America and get FEA’s near-term forecast for log pricing. She will take a look at which regions are facing the greatest constraints to softwood log supply, where the market is seeing the largest shifts in log demand, and how the record-breaking wildfire season affected logging and mill operation in Canada.

FEA Senior Economist Crystal Gauvin has worked in the industry since 2008, previously specializing in forecasting housing, PB/MDF, and engineered lumber markets across North America. She is the primary author of FEA’s Lumber Market Status & Trends newsletter and is responsible for FEA’s Sawmill Profiles.

Workshop Roundtable: Recapping the Relevant

Moderator: Dan Uskoski, Metriguard Technologies, Inc.

Wrap up this year’s event with a lively discussion on the most important topics covered at the Workshop. This session is a great way to assimilate all of the valuable content from other sessions as well as participate in conversations on other significant issues affecting the industry.

With almost 40 years of experience in the industry, Dan Uskoski is Product and Projects Manager for Metriguard Technologies based in Pullman, Washington. Dan has been an active member of MSRLPC for more than three decades and served as the organization’s president from 2009 to 2013.


Cancellation Policy: Cancel by March 15, 2024 to receive a registration refund (less a $75 non-refundable processing fee). No refunds will be issued for registrations cancelled after March 15.

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2024 MSR Lumber Producers Council.

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