Global Buyers Mission 2013 – September 5-7, 2013

WHISTLER, BC – At the 10th annual Global Buyers Mission in Whistler, British Columbia, SPF Precut Lumber prominently exhibited and promoted Canadian softwood lumber exports to international buyers from all over the world. Throughout the event, SPF Precut Lumber had the opportunity to meet with new and existing customers, long-standing suppliers, and other important stakeholders. The SPF Precut Lumber team consisted of President Muhammad Amir, Fareed Amir, Mo Amir, and Lillian Chan. As it was the largest Global Buyers Mission to date, including international buyers from 23 countries around the world, SPF Precut Lumber – as a leader of BC softwood lumber exports – was well-positioned to promote BC forestry products.

In fact, SPF Precut Lumber President, Muhammad Amir, was featured on the Global TV News Hour speaking about the importance of the event for the company.

A BC Wood initiative, the Global Buyers Mission is a three-day, invitation-only networking / educational forum and tradeshow event developed to bring together qualified international buyers of wood products from around the world, with Canadian manufacturers and exporters of wood products. As a high-profile exhibitor for many years, SPF Precut Lumber takes great pride in leveraging its strong global reputation to promote Canadian forestry products overseas at this annual event.

North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce
Summer Soiree – July 17, 2013

NORTH VANCOUVER, BC – As a long-standing and active member in the local business community, SPF Precut Lumber was recognized for its twenty-year anniversary with the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce at the annual Summer Soiree held by the Chamber. SPF Precut Lumber President, Muhammad Amir, was on-hand to accept the milestone recognition and celebrate the valued partnership.

This year, the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce Summer Soiree was held at the “Peak of Vancouver” Grouse Mountain, which has hosted notable business and political events for nearly 100 years, including dignitaries such as Sir Winston Churchill in 1929.

The North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization comprised of businesses, professionals, residents, and other community groups working together to ensure a healthy economic and socio-economic base to benefit the entire community.

Pacific Prince Investments Inc (which now operates under the tradename of SPF Precut Lumber) was originally founded in North Vancouver in 1990 by the husband-and-wife team of Muhammad Amir and the late Shaheen Zafar. SPF Precut Lumber is proud to be a North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce member since 1993.

TiE Young Entrepreneurs 2013 Global Business Plan Competition – June 15-16, 2013

FAIRFAX, VA, USA – As a mentor for the TiE Vancouver’s Young Entrepreneur (TYE) Program, SPF Precut Lumber’s Mo Amir accompanied TYE Vancouver’s winning team – Care4Mankind – as a coach to Fairfax, Vermont, USA to compete in the global finals of the TiE Young Entrepreneurs 2013 Global Business Plan Competition at George Mason University. Competing against 15 other teams from across the globe, including cities in the USA, UK, and India, Care4Mankind would go onto win the competition – and the $10,000 grand prize – marking TYE Vancouver Chapter’s second straight championship win at the global competition.

Care4Mankind is comprised of quadruplets Maxine, Michael, Michelle, and Monique (age 16), and their younger sister Celine (age 15). Winning TYE Vancouver’s regional finals with a business proposal for an innovative, painless, and affordable alternative to diabetic monitoring, Care4Mankind had spent over six months crafting their business plan and presentation to perfection before reaching the global finals. Their business proposal has already generated investor interest from across the globe through TiE’s global network.
The competition, however, proved so stiff that the five esteemed judges deemed the top championship prize to be a tie between TYE Vancouver (Care4Mankind) and TYE Chennai (Prathipad Health Care), who had to raise money within their local chapter in order to afford the trip to the global finals.

Joining Mo Amir as TYE Vancouver coaches were Rattan Bagga, Co-Chair of TYE Vancouver and CEO of New World Natural Foods Inc. and Vik Khanna, President of TiE Vancouver and Senior Vice-President / COO of Faronics Corporation.

The TiE Young Entrpreneur (TYE) Program is a one-of-a-kind entrepreneur program focused on empowering teenage youth with leadership skills and business basics. The powerful curriculum delivers the essentials of business management in a simple manner by lecturers who are business leaders themselves. The insight into the world of entrepreneurship that high-school students receive over the course of the program give them a sense of preparedness that will be invaluable for their future success in the business world.

TYE is one of the programs under TiE, a not-for-profit global organization with a mission to foster and support entrepreneurship. TiE was born spontaneously when a handful of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with roots in the Indian subcontinent met by chance in 1992, conceiving the idea of an organization that would bring together business leaders for the purpose of networking.

TiE is represented through chapters all over the world, including in the United States, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, and Austria. In total, TiE has 56 chapters in 13 countries with over 11,000 professional members. TiE Vancouver is TiE’s first Canadian chapter.

Care4Mankind (Michael, Maxine, Michelle, Monique, and Celine) pose with their coaches, Vik Khanna, Rattan Bagga, and Mo Amir after winning the TiE Young Entrepreneurs 2013 Global Business Plan Competition.

Care4Mankind pitches their business plan for Kaya Life – an innovative, painless, and affordable alternative to diabetic monitoring.

Care4Mankind demonstrates the Kaya Life eco-system during their business proposal.

Care4Mankind (TYE Vancouver) and Prathipad Heath Care (TYE Chennai) tied for first place after a tough competition with 14 other teams.

Schweighofer Prize 2013 – June 4, 2013

VIENNA, AUSTRIA - SPF Precut Lumber President, Muhammad Amir, was honoured to have been invited to the Schweighofer Prize 2013 event, hosted by The Schweighofer Group, a family-owned Austrian-based international holding primarily focused on the forest industry. In its sixth bi-annual year, the Schweighofer Prize awards visionary people with innovate ideas, technologies, products, and services that serve to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of forest management and wood utilization in Europe. The Schweighofer Prize is endowed with total prize money of € 300,000 before taxes, divided into one Main Prize and several Innovation Prizes. A weeklong celebration, including tours and functions for attendees, the major gala itself was held at the Vienna City Hall (Rathaus) on June 4, 2013.

Attended by prominent members of the European business and academic community, in addition to high-ranking Austrian politicians, the Schweighofer Prize 2011 gala was highlighted by keynote speakers Austrian Federal Ministers DI Niki Berlakovich (Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management) and Rudolf Hundstorfer (Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection), as well as Dr. Andreas Mailath-Pokorny (Viennese Municipal Councillor for Culture). The exclusive invitees included approximately 600 guests from 35 countries to attend this high-profile event. Always with grace and excitement, Schweighofer Group CEO, Gerald Schweighofer, was an excellent host of the Schweighofer Prize 2013.

The Schweighofer family has been engaged in business for more than 360 years with a long-standing tradition in forestry and agriculture, in addition to being a pioneer in biomass for energy and a major real estate developer in Europe. Notably, the family’s Schweighofer Foundation is strongly committed to charity projects in Romania and Austria.

SPF Precut Lumber is proud to call such a successful, innovative, and charitable organization as The Schweighofer Group its strategic partner in business.

Mr. Muhammad Amir and Mr. Gerald Schweighofer
at the Schweighofer Prize 2013.

The Schweighofer Group team hosts guests at one of the celebrations leading up to the Schweighofer Prize 2013.

8th Annual Dubai Wood Show – April 9-11, 2013

DUBAI, UAE – Fresh off the heels of organizing and hosting the Introduction to Canadian Lumber Grading Seminar – the first-ever Canadian lumber grading seminar to be held in the Gulf region – SPF Precut Lumber exhibited at the 2013 Dubai International Wood & Wood Machinery Show, the regional landmark event for wood trade and investment at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre in the United Arab Emirates.

Engineer Essa Al Haj Al Maidour, President of the Society of Engineers UAE inaugurated the show, as many foreign dignitaries from Cameroon, Congo, and Germany attended the opening ceremony.

As an international ambassador of Canadian softwood lumber, SPF Precut Lumber enjoys a 53% majority market share of British Columbia lumber shipped to the Middle East. Its prominent presence and non-stop foot-traffic through its exhibition site was certainly indicative of SPF Precut Lumber’s market leadership.

As regular exhibitors at the Dubai Wood Show, SPF Precut Lumber was proud to be a part of the biggest installment of the trade show to date. This year, the Dubai Wood Show hosted more than 550 global exhibitors from 40 countries, featuring international pavilions hosted by the United States, Canada, Germany, France, China, Malaysia, Cameroon, and Congo. To mark the occasion, SPF Precut Lumber also exhibited at its biggest, stand-alone space to date.

SPF Precut Lumber President, Muhammad Amir, and Sales Manager for Asia-Pacific, Fareed Amir, represented SPF Precut Lumber with a prominent presence. Stuart Sing, General Manager of Canadian Mill Services Association, also made himself available during the tradeshow, as follow-up to SPF Precut Lumber’s grading seminar the day prior.

As one of the best branded, most reputable, and highly outstanding exporters of Canadian softwood products to 20 countries around the world, the Dubai Wood Show gave SPF Precut Lumber the opportunity to meet with much of its diverse customer base in the Middle East, while also developing new relationships. In addition, SPF Precut Lumber was proud to market Sinclar Group and Boise Cascade – two of its key strategic partners – at this high-profile exhibition.

Demonstrating its market leadership on the eve of the Dubai Wood Show, SPF Precut Lumber organized and hosted the first Canadian lumber grading seminar (An Introduction to Canadian Lumber Grading Seminar) ever held in the Gulf region, at the Hotel Ramada Dubai, featuring speakers from Canada’s Consulate and Trade Commission for the UAE, Western Forest Products, and Canadian Mill Services Association. The seminar attracted media attention in Canada and throughout the Gulf and was hailed as a great success by its attendees.

As SPF Precut Lumber continues to create new market space for Canadian wood product exports to the Middle East, it looks forward to the continued development of the Dubai Wood Show for years to come.

An Introduction to Canadian Softwood Lumber Grading Seminar presented by SPF Precut Lumber –
April 8, 2013

DUBAI, UAE – As an international ambassador of Canadian softwood lumber, it is no wonder that SPF Precut Lumber enjoys a majority (53%) market share of British Columbia lumber shipped to the Middle East. On Monday, April 8, 2013 - the eve of the Dubai Wood Show 2013 - SPF Precut Lumber demonstrated its market leadership by organizing and hosting the first Canadian lumber grading seminar ever held in the Gulf region, at the Hotel Ramada Dubai.

This Introduction to Canadian Lumber Grading Seminar attracted over 55 attendees representing major lumber importers from all over the Gulf Region and Indian Subcontinent, who congregated to Dubai for the Dubai Wood Show 2013 running from April 9 to 11, 2013.

Attendees praised the seminar as an “eye-opening education to improve their bottom line by empowering them to make better lumber purchasing decisions” (Khaleej Times). As Dubai’s construction industry booms with a growing slate of new projects, the demand for a reliable lumber source becomes increasingly important – a rising trend throughout the Middle East.

Muhammad Amir, President of SPF Precut Lumber, opened the seminar summarizing key trends in the global lumber market with emphasis on an increasingly supply-driven market.

The Honourable Michael Wooff, Canada’s Consul and Senior Trade Commissioner for the UAE, welcomed attendees and praised SPF Precut Lumber’s commitment to growing the Gulf market with trade partnerships. Brad Flitton, Commodity Sales Manager of Western Forest Products (WFP) also spoke on the global lumber market, while emphasizing WFP’s appreciation of growing Middle East business through SPF Precut Lumber.

Stuart Sing, General Manager of Canadian Mill Services Association, covered Canadian softwood lumber grading basics in a two-hour crash-course, which attendees found extremely educational and very entertaining. Mr. Sing covered theoretical and practical components of lumber grading for #2&BTR, #3, and Economy Grades. His straight-forward and interactive style was highly regarded by attendees, who now boast technical knowledge of Canadian lumber terminology and grading standards.

SPF Precut Lumber is a family founded, family-owned and family-operated Canadian lumber exporter founded in 1990, with an annual export of 200-million boardfeet to 20 countries worldwide.

Muhammad Amir (President, SPF Precut Lumber), Brad Flitton (Commodity Sales Manager, Western Forest Products), Michael Wooff (Senior Trade Commissioner for UAE, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada), and Fareed Amir (Sales Manager, SPF Precut Lumber).

Muhammad Amir, SPF Precut Lumber hosts the first-ever lumber grading seminar in the Middle East.

Brad Flitton gives his overview of the global lumber market.

SPF Precut Lumber President Muhammad Amir identifies the major trend of the lumber market.

Stuart Sing delivers a crash-course in lumber grading

Stuart Sing, Muhammad Amir, and Brad Flitton answer audience questions.

TiE Young Entrepreneurs Venture Challenge –
April 6, 2013

VANCOUVER, BC – Identified as the “Dragon’s Den for high school students” (CBC Radio), the TiE Young Entrepreneurs’ (TYE) Venture Challenge is the culmination of an intense 8-month program fostering entrepreneurship amongst young adults (aged 15-18). After a primer in business fundamentals (finance, marketing, distribution, etc.), teams of 4-5 students develop a business plan and presentation with the guidance of a business-savvy mentor. The teams compete against each other in a regional final, judged by esteemed business personalities in the Vancouver business community. The winning team from the regional challenge then secures the opportunity to represent TYE Vancouver in the TYE Global Business Plan Competition, where over 25 student teams representing their respective cities from all over the world, compete for a US$ 25,000 grand prize.

This year, SPF Precut Lumber’s Mo Amir was proud to be selected as a mentor for one of the TYE Vancouver groups, Jabiru, consisting of high school students Amar Dhari, Anthony Hsu, Janette Li, and Jennifer Xi. After months of revisions and practice, all of the student teams gathered at Simon Fraser University’s Goldcorp Centre for Arts in Downtown Vancouver on April 6, 2013 for the regional competition to bid for the right to represent TYE Vancouver on the global stage.

Jabiru delivered an excellent presentation with a proposal for innovative rainwater systems which was praised as “starting off the competition with a bang” by one of the judges, Darrell Kopke, Principal of Institute B, a Vancouver-based incubator and business accelerator firm.

TYE is one of the programs under TiE. TiE-Vancouver is a not-for-profit BC organization with a mission to foster and support entrepreneurship. TiE as a concept was born spontaneously when a handful of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs with roots in the Indian subcontinent met by chance in 1992, conceiving the idea of an organization that would bring together high achievers for the purpose of networking.

TiE-Vancouver shares the values and philosophy of the Global TiE organization represented all around the world including the United States, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, and Austria. In total, TiE has 56 chapters in 13 countries, with over 11,000 professional members. TiE-Vancouver is TiE’s first Canadian chapter.

Jabiru’s Amar Dhari, Anthony Hsu, Janette Li, and Jennifer Xi proudly stand with their mentor, SPF Precut Lumber’s Mo Amir.

Janette Li concludes Jabiru’s excellent business proposal.

Anthony Hsu refers to statistics when answering the judge’s questions.

All the students of the TYE program stand together.

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