Editor:
I wish to respond to the letter by Hans Penner (Coast Reporter, March 2) insinuating that Ken Sneddon is not involved in value-added.
That is patently false, although I suspect it is because of a lack of knowledge on Penner's part.
Sneddon plays a key and unheralded role in the value-added sector on the Coast. Several years ago, he built an industrial structure for value-added businesses in Port Mellon when no other industrial site was available. In addition, he has facilitated access to specialized logs and has connected people looking for wood to be used in value-added with those who have it.
And he is not alone. Terminal Forest Products and Coastland regularly make available individual logs to local woodworkers. Terminal has done so for years and played a key role in working with West Coast Log Homes while that small business was establishing itself. Small custom-cut sawmills can contact most of the dryland sorts on the Sunshine Coast and ask that they be alerted if the unique logs they need for high-value products come available.
While Sneddon may not actually make the furniture and musical instruments so highly regarded as apex value-added products, make no mistake, his objective is aligned with many others, including forest sector critics, who want to extract as much value from our forest resource to benefit our community.
The solution to enhancing value-added on the Sunshine Coast won't come by blaming others. It'll come from hard work and collaboration. And I would encourage any who have a desire to see enhanced wood businesses on the Coast to get in touch and start working together.
Peter Moonen
Roberts Creek
