Read More Articles by Bill Esler

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Bill Esler
ConfSenior Editor

Bill wrote for WoodworkingNetwork.com, FDMC and Closets & Organized Storage magazines. 

Bill's background includes more than 10 years in print manufacturing management, followed by more than 30 years in business reporting on industrial manufacturing in the forest products industries, including printing and packaging at American Printer (Features Editor) and Graphic Arts Monthly (Editor in Chief) magazines; and in secondary wood manufacturing for WoodworkingNetwork.com.

Bill was deeply involved with the launches of the Woodworking Network Leadership Forum, and the 40 Under 40 Awards programs. He currently reports on technology and business trends and develops conference programs.

In addition to his work as a journalist, Bill supports efforts to expand and improve educational opportunities in the manufacturing sectors, including 10 years on the Print & Graphics Scholarship Foundation; six years with the U.S. WoodLinks; and currently on the Woodwork Career Alliance Education Committee. He is also supports the Greater West Town Training Partnership Woodworking Program, which has trained more than 950 adults for industrial wood manufacturing careers. 

Bill volunteers for Foinse Research Station, a biological field station staddling the border of Ireland and Northern Ireland, one of more than 200 members of the Organization of Biological Field Stations.

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Management

4 Things to Watch: Payroll, Lumber & Panel Hikes, Biofuel, and What Happened To....

Four things to watch: Pay rates will be pressured upward, as firms add benefits, base pay rises at retailers, and White House executive orders mandate increases. With 215,000 new jobs added in July, expect more competition for workers. Also on the watch: upward pressure on lumber and panel prices by housing's recovery, and now, with the EPA plan mandating CO2 reductions, U.S. utilities could follow Europe's elad and burn CO2 neutral wood chips - competing with MDF, plywood and OSB for raw material.
By Bill Esler, August 9, 2015 | 11:25 am CDT
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Management

HS Green Cabinets Diversifies Into Pine and Cedar Bee Hives

"As a professional woodworker in the cabinet and moulding business, I have had the pleasure of working with my hands in the wood industry for about 30 years," says HS Green, owner of H.S. Green Construction & Cabinets in Deep Gap, NC. "In 2014 while touring a bee shop, one of my high school classmates said to me, 'If I had your equipment and knowledge I would make my own wooden ware.'"
By Bill Esler, August 7, 2015 | 2:11 pm CDT
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Panel Supply

World's Tallest Timber Building Now Under Construction; To Rise 10 Stories

Cross laminated timbers are being used in mass quantities for the tallest wood building so far: a 121-unit, 10-story apartment complex in London. Architects Waugh Thistleton, CLT and engineers Ramboll say the most exciting aspect of the project is its sheer size and its completion thousands of cubic meters of concrete. It will save 2,400 tons of carbon, compared to an equivalent block with a concrete frame.
By Bill Esler, August 7, 2015 | 11:35 am CDT
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Hafele Relaunched Website Shows Off Closets, Cabinets Hardware

Months in development, Hafele has relaunched its website to better show off its major cateogies of hardware, LED lighting, and its expanded offerings in services. Featuring an easily navigable directory of products, the website also presents Hafele solutions group by business segment application: residential, commercial, and its services.
By Bill Esler, August 6, 2015 | 3:31 pm CDT