Woodworking Network at WIC: Wicked Fun

Vance's Woodworking Network VP and publisher Laurel Didier was treated to a surprise celebration at WIC 2012. The nod to Vance's 75 years in wood industry publishing was a note of thanks from conference planners for Didier and her staff's efforts spreading the word on the Wood Industry Conference, moderating a distributor panel and live online woodworker plant tours via Skype, and helping along with other sponsors and runners to generate $5,000 in contributions through two WoodLINKS education fundraisers.    Almost 170 wood industry machinery and supply firm registrants gathered in Delray Beach, FL May 2-4 to network, celebrate and honor industry achievement.

Wood Industry Conference members are doing better and doing good, and the team from Woodworking Network - publisher Laurel Didier, sales and marketing manager Renee Stritar, and yours truly - were thrilled to join in the activities at WIC 2012.

Also at WIC were popular Woodworking Network bloggists and columnists Dave Grulke - on hand as executive director of the Cabinet Makers Association - and Rick Hill, in his role as WoodLINKS USA executive director.

WoodLINKS USA, the woodworking industry educational initiative, scored big during WIC 2012, with two events sponsored by Woodworking Network. A Wednesday evening "silent" auction turned rowdy and vocal, driven by the balmy ocean weather, and bidding was loud and competitive under the deft calls of Black Brothers' Frank Kolbisek and WoodLINKS Rick Hill. By the time the sand settled more than $1,500 had been raised on the sale of custom wood items.

That was just a warm up: Friday morning WoodLINKS scored again with a 5K Walk-Run fundraiser, this co-sponsored by Woodworking Network, C.R. Onsrud, Weinig Holz-Her, My HR Director, and AIA Limousine. This win-win saw 37 pledging participants up at dawn for the beach run. By the time they reached the runners' breakfast stand more than $3,000 had been raise for WoodLINKS USA. The good folks at WIC 2012 rounded the numbers from the two events to an even $5,000 contribution to WoodLINKS. Good going!

Following its first two days of committee meetings, WIC 2012 kicked into high gear on opening day Thursday, with business sessions and awards events.

Laurel Didier moderated a free-wheeling Distributor Forum that morning, featuring Joe Strouse from Hermance Machine Co., Jim Scarlett from Scarlett Machinery, Paul Vella of Atlantic Plywood, and Bill Delaney of Distributor Service, Inc.

Thursday afternoon Woodworking Network joined the social media landscape as your author, Bill Esler moderated a Skype virtual wood plant tour with (clockwise from upper right in photo):