Karen Lacasse, self-proclaimed wood addict

Karen has been a passionate woodworker for over 25 years, (a woodworking teacher for 5 years in a re-habilitation center and self-employed for 20 years, as co- owner of Lacasse Fine Wood Products Inc.). She has imported and exported lumber from around the world through a number of internet sites, dealing in both lumber for wood crafters and wood that she fabricates in-house for railing components and stairs for the creative home renovator.

She insists that it has been a company benefit to pick the brains of some of the best woodworkers around the world, and learn with every wood-business interaction. She has found that the generosity of her customers seems to be a consistent characteristic of all woodworkers in general.

So this site is a tribute to those individuals and literally 1,000's of conversations over the last 25 years.

She sends a big thank you to all those that shared ... to the rest of you, enjoy .. contribute .. and evolve! Happy Woodworking!!

1.1 Community Involvement

Skills Canada:
Guest Speaker for Skills Canada "Women in Trades" promotion program.

Sudbury Board of Education:
Guest speaker for "Women in Non-Traditional Employment" career counseling.

Sudbury Regional Small Business Counseling Center
business mentor, guest speaker

Norcat Business Incubator
director

Sudbury and District Citizens Forestry Council: (LCC)
8 years as member of the board for Forestry Planning in the Sudbury District

Women-In-Trades Training Center
2 years as a director

Chamber of Commerce:
12 years on the board of Directors, 8 years as the Chamber Treasurer

1.1 EDUCATION

Industrial Woodworker:
1987: Certified by the Ontario Ministry of Apprenticeships and Training Branch

Trained a number of woodworking apprentices since that time, including two women.

MBA:
Completed Master's in Business Administration in 2006, after undergraduate education in engineering and computer programming.

1.2 BUSINESS

Lacasse Fine Wood Products: LacasseFineWoodProducts.com
This business started off as a custom furniture manufacturing operation, but after 5 years of struggling to earn sufficient $$'s to support a young family, both Karen and her husband Roger made the decision to move into millwork for the home renovation industry.

They invested heavily in moulding machinery and soon had a long list of high end builders and private individuals knocking on their door. When the opportunity presented itself to log 400 acres of land they investing in a portable sawmill and dry kilns and started manufacturing pine flooring, siding and trim to complement their exiting hardwood lines.

As the quality of logs available on the market deteriorated, they phased out the sawmill operation and spent more time sourcing green lumber gaining knowledge in custom kiln drying At their peak they were running 3 kilns, two of which where fueled by a sophisticated heating system that used chips from their milling operations as fuel.

In fact Lacasse Fine Wood Products was the first SMALL company in Ontario to recycle their wood waste for space and kiln heating.

A fire in the spring of 2006 destroyed their entire production facilities.

The business was once again shuffled and re-focused to make custom treads, trim and railings from domestic and exotic wood species in a much smaller space salvaged in the back of one of their warehouses.

Today karen's most prized possession is a new CNC Router.. a new "Toy" she insists ... to cut curved stair treads, custom register vents, fluted newel posts and of course for her own personal woodworking projects (maybe that was the REAL priority :) ).

The Wood Box: http://thewoodbox.com
An online retailer of wood for the wood hobbyist woodworker. She retails over 20 wood species from around the world although suggests that this business takes second fiddle to making the steps and railings. Soon the "online selling" side of this business will be moved to her retailing site at LacasseFineWoodProducts.com

1.3 AWARDS

2007 Influential Women's Business Export Award:

In addressing the audience she reminded all present that the internet lets small business act like a big business. If she can design, make and sell hardwood flooring and railings into the farthest corners of North American, and teach her customers how to install her products via email as the mode of communication, then anyone can... what others said was impossible, she suggests is possible, even if you're a little guy or gal:) (her current woodworking business Lacasse Fine Wood Products Inc. employs 6.

2005 Northern Ontario Small Business of the Year

2004 Sudbury's Entrepreneur of the Year

1997 Professional Business Women's Partnership Business Award