In a Tightening Market, Connection is Your Advantage

We need to be honest about where we are.

NHLA’s motto is “Grow & Stabilize” the hardwood industry. In today’s environment, a more accurate reflection might be “Survive + Stabilize.”

That shift is not a failure. It is a recognition of reality and a reminder of why membership matters now more than ever.

The Reality We're Navigating Together

The latest economic data confirms what many in the hardwood industry are experiencing firsthand. Manufacturing output is still growing, but only slightly. At the same time, producer prices have risen 3.4 percent over the past year, with sharp increases in goods and fuel costs. Diesel alone jumped 13.9 percent in a single month, directly impacting logging, transportation, and production expenses.

Housing, one of our most important demand drivers, is showing only modest improvement. With mortgage rates expected to stay elevated, that growth remains uncertain.

Put simply, costs are rising, demand is uneven, and margins are tightening.

This is not a moment any one business or any one segment of the industry can navigate alone.

What Stability Requires Now

Stability does not come from standing still. It comes from align-ment, shared knowledge, and collective effort.

That is where NHLA membership becomes essential, not as a pas-sive affiliation, but as an active network.

Membership connects you to:

• Advocacy when external pressures increase

• Education and insights to help you adapt

• A professional community navigating the same realities

But its greatest value is often less formal.

As Robinson Lumber’s Court Robinson explains:

“Invest in the relationships... The grading knowledge and industry resources are valuable, but the peer connections are what make the organization so great.”

Those connections are where the real value grows over time. Robinson notes that many of their most important conversations happened outside formal sessions, in hallways and over dinner with peers who understood the same challenges.

“That kind of network takes time to build, but it starts with show-ing up and being present.”

Hardwood Industry Membership as a Seat at the Table

For long-standing members, NHLA has never been just an association. It is a place to engage, contribute, and help shape the industry.

Jordan McIlvain of Alan McIlvain Company describes membership as more than affiliation:

“We see it as more than a membership... we view it as our seat at the table with other industry leaders.”

That perspective reflects a broader truth. In a complex and changing market, staying informed and connected is critical to making sound business decisions.

McIlvain also emphasizes the value NHLA provides across the industry:

“They are consistently promoting, educating, training, and improv-ing our industry, from grading and lumber knowledge to telling the story of hardwoods.”

The Value You Get Is the Value You Build

One of the clearest patterns among century members is this:

Hardwood Industry Membership is not passive. It requires participation.

There are direct benefits, including education, grading expertise, and resources that support daily operations. But the deeper value comes from engagement.

As McIlvain puts it:

“There are direct value-add programs… but there is more a member can get out of NHLA by putting in some time and participating.”

Events, whether conventions, meetings, or webinars, create opportunities to exchange insights and stay connected to the current state of the industry.

And when it comes to advice for newer members, the message is simple:

“Be active as much as you can… from webinars and local meetings all the way to conventions and joining the board.”

Expanding Demand Is a Shared Effort

One of the most important questions facing the hardwood industry today is simple:

Where does future demand come from?

Efforts are already underway.

Through initiatives like the Real American Hardwood Coalition, the industry is strengthening connections with the architecture and design community. At the same time, research continues to explore new applications for hardwood, expanding its relevance beyond traditional markets.

These are long-term strategies. They require coordination, consistency, and participation across the industry.

And they are most effective when supported by an engaged membership base.

The Role of NHLA Moving Forward

The industry will continue to evolve. The challenges ahead will require more collaboration, not less.

Robinson Lumber sees that need clearly:

“The challenges ahead will require independent hardwood companies to work together more, not less.”

NHLA’s role as a connector, bringing together people, standards, and shared purpose, becomes more important over time.

“The next generation... will need peers they can trust, a community that holds itself to a standard, and an organization that keeps them connected.”

For companies like Robinson Lumber, that continuity is part of why they have remained members for more than a century and why they expect to continue.

A Stronger Industry Through Connection

The hardwood industry has always been built on relationships.

Between mills, manufacturers, suppliers, and the people who keep everything moving forward.

NHLA membership strengthens those connections. It ensures that:

• Your business is represented

• Your challenges are understood

• Your voice helps shape what comes next

In times like these, connection is not optional.

It is what allows an industry to remain steady while everything around it shifts.

Looking Ahead

We are in a moment that requires both realism and resolve.

“Survive + Stabilize” is not the end goal. It is the phase that allows us to move forward with intention.

NHLA is here to support that process. The strength of that support comes from membership.

Not as an obligation. Not as a transaction.

But as a shared commitment to the future of the hardwood industry.

Because no matter how much the market changes, our ability to move forward depends on staying connected and aligned.

by Brennah Hutchison, Hardwood Industry Liaison & Content Director