Approaching its 100th anniversary, the Wood Products Manufacturers Association (WPMA) is proud of its past and, with new global developments affecting the industry, welcomes the future.

Wood Products Manufacturers Association
Turning & Shaping the IndustryApproaching its 100th anniversary, the Wood Products Manufacturers Association (WPMA) is proud of its past and, with new global developments affecting the industry, welcomes the future.
Renewable Energy Storage
A New Grid Throws New Light on our WorldWhen the sun stops shining and the winds don’t blow, how do you store energy?
New Technology in Robotics
Modern MachinesWith rising global demand for minerals and fossil fuels, evolving safety concerns, and the need to increase production and remain profitable, the resources sector is embracing Artificial Intelligence, Industry 4.0, and robotic solutions.
Vertex Resource Group
The Practical Side of Making the Planet a Better PlaceFrom modest beginnings 60 years ago, Vertex Resource Group is today one of Canada’s most respected environmental service businesses.
Health and Wellness in the Resource Sector
The Distant WorkerSince the start of COVID-19, countless articles written for the suddenly huge cohort of ‘remote workers’ have told us how to boost productivity, avoid distractions like the fridge or fifth cup of coffee, find a better desk and chair to slouch in, and overcome Zoom fatigue.
D.A. Building Systems Ltd.
Steel Structures Made to Work & Made to LastIn 1980, Doug Grenier and Del Allen founded D.A. Building Systems Ltd., and from the start the Alberta company was in demand from the oilfield sector. No one else was doing what they were doing: erecting steel structures, including compressor and electrical buildings.
Wise Water Use in Agriculture
Counting the DropsWith approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s fresh water consumed by the agricultural sector, exploding population growth, and increasing demand for food, the time for improving the efficiency of water usage is now.
Arizona Mining Association
Copper is King, and Here’s WhyThe 48th U.S. state, Arizona, got its state flag in 1917. This bold flag boasts a setting sun with 13 red and yellow rays – for America’s original 13 colonies –and a prominent copper-colored star, identifying Arizona as the greatest copper producer in the United States. And it still is.
Wise Waste Management Processes
Nothing WastedFrom food waste to old coffee pods to 100 billion-plus plastic water bottles annually in the U.S. – not to mention cardboard boxes and bubble wrap – we filled a planet with waste, compost, and recyclables. Then COVID-19 restrictions and online ordering made it even worse.
Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority
Good as Gold and Getting BetterBordered by Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and California, the State of Nevada is famed for everything from snowy peaks and desert valleys to Las Vegas glitz and being the world’s fourth-largest producer of gold. Now it’s time for North Nevada to add a lot more value. The Northeastern Nevada Regional Development Authority (NNRDA) was founded a...
MineConnect USA
Mastering Mining and Building BridgesIn just a few short years, MineConnect has become a formidable force in the Canadian mining industry. Now, in a stunning move, it is bringing its expertise to the highly developed and professional mining economy of northern Nevada, a win-win for the USA and its northern neighbour.
Jannatec Technologies
Safety MattersIn business, there are visionaries, and there are imitators. In the field of mining safety and communications, Jannatec Technologies remains at the forefront of innovative technology in products, systems, and services that improve both ease of operations and safety.
Gainsborough Waste
Always Moving ForwardWhile running Carl Construction and Carl Custom Homes about 30 years ago, Noble Carl saw that there was a growing need at building sites for building waste removal and disposal services. Other needs then presented themselves, each one an opportunity.
Growing the Role of Women in Natural Resources
Mind the GapFrom greater land holdings in developing nations to working in North America’s mining industry, much can be done to boost the role of women in natural resources. And the time to do it is now.
Canada's Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI)
Tapping into TalentAs we enter Year Two of the worst pandemic in a century, the news, fortunately, isn’t all doom and gloom. For too long, forestry has been largely regarded as dominated by white males but now, in a new dispensation, the Indigenous Forestry Initiative (IFI) is challenging that notion.
Firethorne Downhole Tools
Built Texas ToughTough industries demand reliable equipment, and few are as tough as the oil sector, especially in the Permian Basin where abundant deposits of crude oil and natural gas are tapped through thick layers of rock. This is where Firethorne Downhole Tools is most at home.
The Challenge of Aging Infrastructure
Let it FlowVital to the daily operations of all communities, infrastructure encompasses roads, telecommunications systems, power generation, transportation, water and sewers, and more – all of which affect health, the economy, and education.
Finding and Keeping a Skilled Workforce
Powered by PeopleFrom restaurants to the resources sector, industries worldwide are facing a shortage of workers. Every day, the news is full of stories about the “dire” need for servers, bartenders, cooks and skilled tradespeople, with many owners now willing to pay more than the going rate.
Xeos Technologies Inc.
Keeping in Touch from the Middle of the OceanIn 2004, Xeos Technologies Inc. was created “when three engineers left a great local engineering company to start an even greater one.”
The American Association of Drilling Engineers
Where Education is KeyFor over 40 years, the American Association of Drilling Engineers (AADE) has provided a valuable forum for sharing information about the oil and gas industry.
December 2022
PAST EDITIONS
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Schnell Industries, Inc.
Founded by Fred Dueck in 1994 in a rented 600-square-foot bay in Manitoba, Schnell Industries Inc., quickly found its footing in constructing and maintaining farm industry machinery.
New Age Oilfield Services
Since it was founded almost 20 years ago, Alberta-based New Age Oilfield Services Inc. has believed in doing things differently. A diversified oilfield services provider, New Age is not only a one-stop oilfield product and service provider, but a company committed to safety, quality, integrity, and sustainability.
Trojan Safety Services
Trojan Safety Services is an enduring family company that has provided occupational health, safety, and environmental services to companies in the oil and gas, mining, pulp and paper, forestry and construction industries in Western Canada for nearly 30 years.
Hightowers Petroleum Company
There have been some major developments since Hightowers Petroleum Company (HPC), a prominent gas and diesel wholesaler based in Middletown, Ohio, was profiled in April 2021 in Resource in Focus magazine. This leading, family-owned, African American business has expanded into new markets and has ambitions of becoming a billion-dollar company.
EVs in Resource Operations
Once thought of as something from the future, electric vehicles (EVs) are now here to stay. While rechargeable batteries are nothing new and can be found in everything from smartphones to handheld drills, vast improvements in technology have made rechargeable batteries lighter and smaller, yet with the strength to power mining trucks and other heavy stuff. Batteries that seemingly took forever to charge and with little operating time are yielding to batteries with much shorter charging times, longer-lasting charges, and better lifespans.
Is North America Next?
Natural gas shortages and skyrocketing electricity prices across much of Europe are forcing homeowners, local businesses, and major manufacturers to cut hours, reduce output, or go out of business entirely. How will North Americans handle blackouts and rising power prices?