We are a full-service…

We are a full-service woodworking millwork production facility located in southern Ontario. I have been in the industry for over 30 years and had not been able to find the proper resources or community to help us excel in our industry.

There are many resources available to other manufacturing sectors and we (the wood sector) are always in the margins, if mentioned at all. This means we in the wood industry are left to attempt to extrapolate in order to utilize any resources found from the small business sector in order to move forward.

I joined a wood cluster (some think of it as an ecosystem) called the Bluewater Wood Alliance (BWA for short). They have given our company resources and support to raise the level professionalism and competitiveness required to survive and thrive in this industry. The value of gathering like-minded industry professionals on a regular basis has proven influential, this goes beyond networking and simple meet and greets. The BWA cluster approach combined with the openness of its members offers potential growth and encouragement in areas of our small businesses that would have been impossible without it.

The BWA cluster has offered our company focused training and support that would not have been available to a single small business. My employees have garnered specific training in their field of wood manufacturing as well as my management team.

I highly recommend the Ministry could make sure to help support the cluster and what they do, I think this would be a substantial benefit for our company, and for that matter the wood industry as a whole