New Website and Directory Promotes Wood Products Industry

Wooden vessels created by Hawai‘i Island woodturner Timothy Shafto. PC: DLNR/Dan Dennison.

The Hawai‘i Wood Utilization Team (HWUT) has launched a new website and search directory designed to inform and connect both business people and consumers to the state’s wood industry.

Developed by Hawai‘i Forest Industry Association (HFIA), the Hawai‘i Wood Products Directory lists hundreds of companies doing wood-related business including woodworkers, furniture and cabinet makers, forest owners, millwork manufacturers, architects, retail stores, consultants and contractors.

“This directory is a valuable resource for Hawai‘i’s governments, businesses and people in the forest products industry,” said Michael Tam, CEO of Martin & MacArthur and an HFIA board member. “It connects buyers and sellers of a variety of wood products and services.”

The directory was created to raise awareness around wood-related products and services in Hawai‘i, strengthen the industry by facilitating and promoting the use of wood (both domestic and imported), connecting market players, and encouraging development and support of existing businesses. The directory also helps entrepreneurs and architects find suppliers and partners for commercializing their product, and provides information about the industry.

Companies that are not listed in the directory are encouraged to sign up by creating a free profile. Businesses listed in the directory are notified when wood-related opportunities statewide become available like timber sales and requests for proposals by the state, HFIA and others.

“Through HWUT’s multiple-association membership directory, both consumers and cross-genre members will have tremendous access to the broader scope of resources within and surrounding our industry,” said John Heideman, president of the Hawai‘i Lumber Products Association (HLPA), a member organization of HWUT. “HLPA has been dedicated to the promotion and education of wood and lumber use since 2004 and we look forward to a long-term relationship with HWUT and their members providing us all the ability to reach across different genres of our industry to better serve our community.”

HWUT is made up of a diverse group of experts working to expand the wood products market in Hawai‘i through cross-sector projects. Its members work in forestry, architecture, design, engineering, wood products, construction, finance, marketing, research and Hawaiian cultural practices.

Other HWUT projects currently under way include a partnership with the Albizia Project to design and build an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) prototype and design an education center on Kaua‘i that will utilize locally-grown wood resources.

“We want to inspire and educate the design and construction industry with innovative and traditional applications for building with wood,” said Joseph Valenti, HWUT director. “These demonstrations aim to inform the community of the opportunities and advantages of utilizing our forest resources.”