The Cutting Edge™ - August 2003

Business Briefing

Bad Times Behind Us, By Art Raymond
In case you missed the news, the recession many in the wood products industry are still experiencing officially ended in November 2001. The National Bureau of Economic Research, the official arbiter of these things, claimed that our last recession, starting in March 2001, was one of the shortest in history…

Public Policy

Baby Boomers March Towards Medicare, By John Satagaj
I recently started taking my first (knock on wood) prescription drug for a sustained period of time. I am dealing with a common American affliction…Now multiply my experience by a factor of about 70 million. The answer is also the answer to the question why the debate over providing subsidies for prescription drugs for Medicare recipients is something we should all pay attention to…

WMMA Supports Section 301 Legal Case for Currency Manipulation
At their August 3rd, 2003 Board meeting, WMMA Directors unanimously approved being formally listed as supporting the Section 301 Legal Case for Currency Manipulation. The Board also approved a contribution of $3,000 to support this effort. Timetable and details are outlined…

September 29th – 30th NAM Product Liability Conference: Avoiding the Mistakes That Cost You in Court
“Product Liability: Avoiding the Mistakes That Cost You in Court” is a must-attend for in-house counsels, risk managers, senior managers and employees who make decisions that could get their companies into product-liability hot water. You should attend this Workshop because experts will spell out for you and your employees the realities of a product-liability case. The team approach to teaching promises to make this a unique and profitable learning experience….

September 25th – 26th Product Liability Prevention & Defense Workshop, Leesburg, VA
This informative PLP&D session will includes: Core curriculum presentation – basics for prevention & defense – “Customer documentation;” Court rulings update – recent jury verdicts; A focus on safety devices to include STI & Virtual OSHA Hazard analysis exercise – moderated by PLP&D attorneys, and more…

Product & Engineering Standards & Export Development

What’s in a Name…or a Mark?
Besides a sense of personal and professional ethics, what’s to stop you from using…marks if you are not enrolled in an official fumigation or heat treatment program? I could name a few things: trademark and copyright laws; Charges of counterfeiting government-owned international symbols; Costly lawsuits by trademark license holders; and possibly most important of all: Product loads destroyed by port authorities – and the customers you’ll lose as a result…

Sales Force Strengthening

September 11th -12th & October 23rd Forest Products Industry Seminars, Blacksburg, VA
Personal selling is the primary tool used in marketing most forest products. Yet, very few individual in the industry have professional sales training when starting their career. Those attending this shortcourse will learn the basics of personal selling, methods of identifying new customers…

October 20th – 21st Sales and Technician Educational Seminars through WMIA
Examine the pressures and challenges facing salespeople today, and examine skills for technicians to communicate effectively with internal and external customers at these WMIA-sponsored seminars…

Management News

WMMA Management Company, Fernley & Fernley, Strengthens Global Market Position
Fernley & Fernley, Inc. announces its strategic global partnership with GIC Management of Brussels, Belgium. The alliance provides Fernley & Fernley access to skilled and knowledgeable international association management staff in Brussels to serve the European Community…

What Your Dues Dollar Buys
Your membership in WMMA offers you so much, including access to: In-depth information on overseas woodworking equipment representatives; Market research on customer needs and international markets; Economic and benchmarking data; Export statistics; Analysis on legislative and regulatory issues plus a unified voice in Washington.

WMMA Staff Information Charles A. Granger President Peter Perez Vice President Jim Laster Treasurer Kenneth R. Hutton Executive Vice President Bill Norton Director of Marketing & Information Jean McCann Director of Committees & Editor, Cutting Edge Raylene Torres Director of Meetings Karen Boyle Member Services Coordinator G.A. Taylor Fernley Management Liaison John Satagaj & Kevin Horan Legislative Counsel 1010 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20001 (202) 639-8888 Harold Zassenhaus Export Director 7758 Wisconsin Ave., Suite 306 Bethesda, MD 20814 (301) 652-0693 Joseph Mc Hale Legal Counsel © 2003 by Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Philadelphia, PA. All rights reserved. This publication or any parts of it may not be reprodcued in any form without writeen permission from the publisher. For permission to reprint articles or to send correspondance, write to: WMMA®, 1900 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1498, Phone: (215) 564-3484. Fax: (215) 963-9785. E-mail: wmma@fernley.com. The opinion expressed in any articles by outside consultants are their own views and not necessarily those of the WMMA®.