President’s Message: WIC Silent Auction Strikes a Chord for WCA

The iconic Hotel Coronado was the scene of some spirited bidding during the 2023 Woodworking Industry Conference (WIC).

A ukulele hand crafted by Jim Laster of Newman Machine Company fetched $3,010 to benefit WCA during the silent auction organized by the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America and the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association. Jim has not only demonstrated tremendous support for WCA at this year’s and past WICs, his company is one of our Gold Sponsors.

The same can be said for Joe Hammock, winning bidder of the prized ukulele. Friulmac also is a long-time Gold Sponsor of the WCA.

Joe Hammock, left, was the winning bidder for the ukelele made by Jim Laster, right. Hammock gifted the guitar to Eric Boose, center, and his family, long-time friends and owners of RT Machine. 

Additional funds were raised for the WCA via a Casino Night during the WIC.

Rest assured the sponsorship money that we received will be well spent. In addition to supporting high school and postsecondary woodworking programs, some of it is being used to help defray the cost of eight woodworking instructors to attend the upcoming AWFS Fair in Las Vegas. This is a great opportunity for them to see the latest technologies and supplies, network with industry representatives, and attend workshops and seminars.

The seven instructors include:

• Mark Smith, Reed-Custer High School – Braidwood, IL
• Jeff Krabbenhoft, Lewis Central High School – Council Bluffs, IA
• Lizzy Conley, Madison College – Madison, WI
• Carl Grunewald, Kettle Moraine High School – Wales, WI
• Mike Davis, Serrano High School – Phelan, CA
• Jon Heithold, East High School – Lincoln, NE
• Brad Bagnall, Bowness High School – Calgary, AB, Canada
• Keith Deese, West Henderson High School, Hendersonville, NC

Speaking about the AWFS Fair, representatives of the Woodwork Career Alliance Board of Directors, and several WCA EDUcation members will conduct numerous educational sessions over the first three days of the show.

I will once again team up with Bruce Spitz to present a three-hour workshop, “Building a Training Program for Your Workers,” 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 25. Greg Larson, vice president of the WCA, will present “Teaching and Evaluating the Wood Industry’s Skill Standards,” from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, July 27.

You can learn more about all of the WCA-related sessions here.

Finally, I’m elated to report that we are well on to establishing a new annual record for our Passport credentialling program. We have already added more than 950 new candidates since Jan. 1 compared to the 1,400+ that we recorded during all of 2022!

Be sure to stop by and see us at booth 1377 to learn more about the benefits of becoming a WCA EDUcation member, MANufacturing member or sponsor. If you are already a member, let us know what we might do to improve the products and services that we offer.

I look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas.

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