Spokane-based Timber Products Manufacturers Association is looking ahead to new challenges as it celebrates 100 years of serving its employer members in the timber industry. 

Adam Molenda, the association’s president, says TPM has worked to remain diligent in its efforts to evolve and meet its members’ needs. 

“TPM started with the intention of promoting fellowship between members and focusing on achieving common goals that benefited everyone,” he says. “Some things have been modernized, but that same goal of fellowship is why we’re here today.”

The nonprofit employer association has 15 employees and occupies a 3,200-square-foot building at 951 E. Third. Molenda says the building was constructed in 1970 from wood donated by its member companies. 

Established in 1916 as a loggers’ club, the association has about 225 members currently, with the majority of them being companies in the Pacific Northwest region, including Washington, Idaho, Montana, and Oregon. However, it also serves member companies in Alaska, Wyoming, South Dakota, California, and Michigan.

Molenda says that during the past five years, the association has seen a steady increase in membership and is expecting at least a 10 percent membership increase this year. 

“We measure our success through membership satisfaction,” he says. “We welcome their feedback because each member company is unique with different interests relating to the timber industry. The challenge is then to find valuable services that benefit all of our members.”

Jolene Skjothaug is the association’s office manager and also functions as its unofficial historic recordkeeper. She says that when TPM was first established, its members got together to protect member interests, including in areas such as taxation and logging industry conditions. 

“Back then it was a much scarier industry,” she says. “But as the industry changes, we’ve evolved with it to meet the needs of our members.” 

Currently she says, the association’s member services include employment law, environmental health and safety, human resources, governmental assistance, education, an employee assistance program, and health care benefit options.

According to Skjothaug, membership is open to all businesses and associations that have involvement in the timber and wood products industries, including growing or logging wood, manufacturing, storing, distribution or installation of wood or timber products, consulting, and advocating on behalf of or consulting for those industries. 

She says a more limited, associate membership also can be granted to businesses that aren’t directly engaged in the wood products industry but that work closely with it, such as accounting firms and other professional service providers. 

“When we first started, it was a challenge to serve all our members because we cover such a large geographic region,” she says. “But even as we’ve grown to serve members from new parts of the industry, technology has evolved to make it easier to stay in touch.”

Molenda says the association conducts a member satisfaction survey every other year, as well as holding quarterly meetings. Members are encouraged to attend meetings so they can share ideas, provide input on service offerings, and network with others in the timber industry. 

In addition to holding meetings, the association publishes a monthly newsletter that keeps member companies up to date with new rules and regulations, and covers timely topics regarding human resources, safety, and employment law.

“Right now, some of the issues our members are concerned with include recent wildfire activity, forest management, and safety,” Molenda says.

 “Forest management is a big focus, because we want to help groups to collaborate to keep forests healthy and still providing enough timber,” he says. “And safety is an ongoing concern with new laws members need help interpreting and complying with.”

Skjothaug says some of the things the association regularly assists its members with include preparing for Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspections, creating employee handbooks, providing education on workplace safety, and advising on issues relating to human resources. 

 “Each year, the association applies for grants that assist us in studying certain topics, and then help us provide education or training to our members,” she says. “We start with a needs assessment, write a grant proposal based on that, and if it’s approved we can then develop a training program that meets that criteria.”

In the past, Skjothaug says, the association has applied for and received OSHA Susan Harwood Training grants, as well as Safety and Health Investment Project grants administered through the Washington state Department of Labor and Industries.

Past training provided through those grants has allowed for study and education on topics such as combustible dust, logging and sawmill safety, procedures and training, shipping and transportation, and ergonomics. 

Skjothaug says two of the association’s recent training programs included hiring a third-party consultant to create interactive phone applications for its members to use. 

“We have two associated phone apps, one for combustible dust and one for ergonomics,” she says. “Members can use their smartphone to walk through their facility taking photos and creating a report on their findings.”

She says the apps have been useful particularly in training members to keep facilities clear of combustible dust, which can explode and cause fires. 

Molenda says most training programs are held at member facilities for convenience reasons.

“We have staff that are on the road to do trainings weekly,” he says. “That includes grants trainings, as well as OSHA and state mandated trainings.” 

Molenda says the association also has created a kind of subcommittee of its small business members who are part of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Timber Sale Set Aside Program, which it calls the Small Business Timber Coalition. 

He says the association works to advise those members on any upcomign legislative updates to the program. 

“The law says a portion of timber sales needs to be set aside for smaller businesses, as they can’t afford to pay as much as larger companies,” he says. “It helps to protect small businesses and some of our rural community members.”

In addition to its other service offerings, Molenda says the association awards scholarships to members and their families who wish to pursue higher education. 

“The scholarship is supported by proceeds from our annual golf outing that takes place in late June,” Molenda says. “Proceeds from the game go toward the scholarship fund, which usually amounts to two $500 scholarships each year, but can be more.” 

He says the association currently is accepting new scholarship applications.

Looking ahead, Molenda says the association has three goals: to continue to increase its membership, to gain insight into new services through upcoming satisfaction surveys and networking events, and to focus on new legislative issues that may arise in the wake of this month’s elections.

“Nationally, we’ll soon need to address forest management,” he says. “Everyone uses wood, and how we manage our forests affects recreation, logging, water, and wildlife. When managed properly, good things can happen, and we want forests to be around for generations.”