WASHINGTON (News release) -- Bart Bender, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Interfor is the newly elected Chair of the Board for WoodWorks--Wood Products Council. Bender will serve a two-year term beginning in 2021. WoodWorks welcomes Keith O'Rear, Senior Vice President of Wood Products at Weyerhaeuser to the Board as the company's new representative.
"We are honored to welcome Bart Bender as the new WoodWorks Chair and Keith O'Rear as the new Weyerhaeuser Board representative," said Jennifer Cover, President and CEO of WoodWorks. "Bart has more than two decades of experience in the wood products industry and a keen eye for building value through quality offerings. Keith has been with Weyerhaeuser since 1989, holding a succession of leadership positions before joining the company's senior management team in 2018. We look forward to their insights as WoodWorks continues to support the evolving needs of the design and construction community."
A non-profit staffed with architects, structural engineers, and construction experts, WoodWorks helps developers and design/constructions teams successfully use wood in commercial and multi-family buildings--including mass timber, light wood-frame, and hybrid projects. Its Board is strategically balanced to lead a well-rounded program, with members from large and small companies reflecting lumber, engineered wood, and panel manufacturers, the private sector and government, different parts of the United States and Canada, and WoodWorks' core audience of design and building professionals.
Board members who will continue in their roles through 2021 include:
- Ryan Flom, Chief Marketing Officer, Softwood Lumber Board
- Chris McIver, Vice President Sales and Marketing, West Fraser Timber Co (representing Forestry Innovation Investment)
- Joe Patton, Vice President and General Manager Wood Products, The Westervelt Company
- John Beers III, Vice President Sales - Structural Panels, Georgia Pacific Corporation
- Tom Chung, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, Leers Weinzapfel Associates
- Tanya Luthi, PE, Vice President, Structures, Entuitive
- Jeff Morrow, Independent (formerly with Lendlease)
WoodWorks extends its grateful appreciation to its outgoing Chair, Chris McIver, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at West Fraser, who will continue to serve on the Board, and outgoing Board member Shannon Hughes, Sales Director, Lumber at Weyerhaeuser.
