Friday, 01 August 2003
EarthSource
Partner Profile - In the Business of Supplying and Educating
EarthSource, a wholesale distributor that is a division of Plywood And Lumber Sales Inc. located in Oakland, CA, received a chain-of-custody (COC) certification from SmartWood, a program of the Rainforest Alliance, in 1997.
EarthSource initially decided to seek COC certification because “it was just the right thing to do," according to Marion Hunt of EarthSource. As an eco-friendly company, they had been importing a heavy volume of certified wood anyway. Seeking their own certification just made sense, allowing them to extend their commitment to environmental and social causes to their customers.
They quickly realized that a large part of this commitment meant educating their customers about FSC and what certification means, and why purchasing FSC-certified products is a wise choice. EarthSource has even gone so far as to require that all of their sales staff take a course from Larry Percivalle, EarthSource Sales Manager, about certified wood and how to teach customers about it.
Part of this education process also involves making presentations to architects and designers, particularly those who may become involved in LEED design projects. LEED is a green-building rating system of the U.S. Green Building Council in which credit can be earned for the use of FSC-certified wood in newly constructed commercial buildings.
When EarthSource began, it was just a small piece of the larger company Plywood And Lumber Sales, Inc. EarthSource purchased the inventory from another COC operation, and stored it in a small warehouse at a separate facility. Now, with a sales volume last year of $1.52 million in FSC-certified products (about 7% of their total sales volume), EarthSource is celebrating the grand opening of their new warehouse in Oakland, which is being shared with Plywood And Lumber Sales, Inc.
This merger is helping to create overall awareness among existing customers who are not yet purchasing certified products. Because it is under one roof, and because they are able to sell certified products without a price premium, it has become very easy for EarthSource to educate customers on the idea of FSC certification. Percivalle indicates that the lack of a price premium, “allows us to take this one extra step out of the decision making process for our customers."
EarthSource specializes in being a stocking distributor, carrying a large volume of FSC-certified lumber and plywood, along with some flooring materials. They primarily carry products in maple, cherry and mahogany. They are in a continual process of building their inventory, to give their customers the widest variety and largest volumes possible with relatively little lead-time. In addition to Oakland, they have warehouses in Emeryville, San Jose and San Francisco, CA, and Royalton, VT, allowing them to supply product anywhere in the U.S.
For more info, please visit www.earthsourcewood.com.