Focus on Our Customers, Not Our Competition

We all enjoy sports because, even when you know you are overmatched, you still play the game—and every once in a while, you get a comeback. The hardwood industry is overmatched, but we are still in the game, and there is still time for a comeback.

I was reminded of this on a recent trip with my 14-year-old daughter, Lucy. We traveled to Atlanta for a high school lacrosse tournament, where her team faced opponents who were bigger, faster, and far more skilled. We knew they would likely lose every game. So why go? For the experience. For the opportunity to learn. For the chance to improve. And for the joy of playing.

In many ways, our industry faces the same challenges. Plastics, composites, and certain imports overmatch hardwood with more money, lower costs, and an easier path to win. But just like Lucy’s team, we still have to show up—because the forests, employees, communities, and customers who rely on us need us to keep fighting.

When you know you’re overmatched in sports, you return to fundamentals. Limiting mistakes keeps you competitive and gives you the chance to capitalize when the other side falters. So, what are the fundamentals for the hardwood industry?

On defense, our fundamentals are environmental stewardship, rural jobs, and being a vital part of our communities.

On offense, are carbon-footprint reduction, critical infrastructure protection, and improved human health.

These are powerful stories—stories that we must keep telling our customers and the broader audience. And limiting our mistakes means ensuring that every board or product we sell is of good quality and meets grade, giving our customers every opportunity to generate revenue.

The fact that anyone has ever purchased hardwood is why we exist. They chose hardwood when they could have chosen a hundred different substitutes. And while consumption has declined, it has not disappeared. We are still in the game. Some customers still prefer hardwood—and that alone is a point in the right direction.

Yet we often spend too much time talking about our competition: substitutes are cheaper, imports are surging, exports are hurting us. When you enter a game focused solely on the competition instead of your fundamentals, you start cutting corners, playing their game, and undermining your own position.

Every coach will tell you to play your game. Focus on your skills and abilities. Lean into what you do well. That doesn’t mean ignoring the competition—you have to study their plays and understand their weaknesses—but you don’t go head-to-head against their strengths. Instead, you elevate your own, especially where they align with your competitors’ shortcomings. And, like in any good game, you work to get the crowd on your side; you want them cheering for you, choosing North American hardwood.

Lucy took some hits in Atlanta. Her team was overmatched in every game. But it was a lesson in losing with dignity. She’ll be ready next year, and the year after that—and one day, she may get that sweet victory. Likewise, we will never eliminate substitute materials. But we can win games, serve our customers, and stay competitive. We may need to collaborate with policymakers to maintain a level play-ing field, but we must continue leaning on the fundamentals that make wood worth choosing.

In the end, hardwood wins only when our customers win—when they can sell their wood products over substitutes. If they make money, they will come back. If they lose money, they’ll disappear or move to alternatives.

So, focus on them. Focus on quality. Focus on helping our customers make money—not on chasing substitutes. Our fundamentals are sound. Our story is strong. But the one common ground we must support, above all else, is the consumer’s ability to be profitable. If they succeed, we win.

Dallin Brooks, NHLA Executive Director

dallin@nhla.com | 901-377-1818