President’s Message: Reasons to Celebrate

The Woodwork Career Alliance ended the first six months of 2022 by setting a new threshold of candidates entering our Passport credentialing program, a whopping 892 new enrollees. We also awarded a record 852 credentials to students and professional woodworkers during the first half of the year. I am hopeful this is a tread that will continue because the woodworking industry needs qualified workers more than ever.

Greg Heuer

On a personal note, it is with great pride that I announce that the WCA Board of Directors has bestowed greatly-deserved recognition to one of our founding executives, who was a major contributing author to the WCA Manufacturing Skill Standards. Our education fund is being named “The Greg Heuer EDUcation Scholarship Fund.” Greg is retiring from WCA at the end of this year and his expertise will be sorely missed. Please join me in thanking Greg for all the many things he has done for our industry!

The first donation to the newly named fund was a $1,000 check from Greg and his wife, Linda, in the name of Greg’s mentor, teacher, fellow woodworker and father, Al Heuer. The second donation of $1,500 we received was from the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association (WMIA) and Wood Manufacturers of America (WMMA) stemming from a fundraiser held during the Woodworking Industry Conference in May. Thank you Greg and Linda! Thank you WMIA and WMMA!

Speaking of fundraisers, the International Woodworking Fair is organizing a silent auction with net proceeds benefitting the WCA. Dozens of items, including helmets signed by NFL starts Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes, and a guitar signed by rock legend Mick Jagger, are on the auction block. If you’re going to IWF, be sure to stop by  booth C2123 to see all of the bid items. Even if you are not attending the show this year, you can still participate in the auction online at expobid.co.

Also at IWF next week, WCA Board Member Bruce Spitz and I will present a three-hour workshop, “Building a Training Program for Your Workers.” The program is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Lastly, I would like to invite all to stop by our IWF boooth #A10809. We enjoy this opportunity to engage in one-on-one discussions with wood products manufacturers about how the WCA can help you find employees and develop your own training programs.

SEE YOU THERE!!

Scott Nelson
President
Woodwork Career Alliance of North America
snelsonwca@gmail.com