TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group
TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group

Our Story

The Wood Innovation Group - TWIG (est. 2012 as Outside the Box Meetup Group - OTB) is a network and community supported by the Wood First Program through Forestry Innovation Investment (FII). Additionally TWIG is made possible through its partnership with CAWP and contributions from companies and individuals working in British Columbia.

As OTB, we hosted over 50 meetups with 35 special guests presenting on a range of wood-based topics. Our events took place over 10 venues across the city. This led to the formation, ideation and realization of numerous products, partnerships, services and businesses that are in operation today - Including TWIG, which was rebranded in December 2020 and an evolution of OTB.  

Since starting TWIG we have hosted 30+ events, in person and online and developed new programs and collaborations to support innovators in BC. The role TWIG plays within the industry is that we are a hub that facilitates numerous connections across the industry, and helps people find pathways forward with the projects they are developing. With our programs we help people develop new innovation, and through our events we are strengthening connections within the industry and building a network that people can access for resources. 

TWIG is the only organization in BC that focuses entirely on the process of innovation as it applies to wood products. Innovation at TWIG defined not by the qualities of the what's being developed, but through the way in which people and resources are connected to produce an outcome. Its a product of a process that explores relationships between materials, processes, services, systems and a desired application. TWIG is all about connections, creativity, collaboration and design and we are dedicated to a higher value and lower ecological impact future for the future of our wood products industry. 

TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group

Organizing Members

TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group

Patrick Christie
Organizer
Daly Co / Space

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TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group

Jason Chiu
Co-Organizer
CAWP

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TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group

Chris Chan
Advisor - Industry
Rangate / Alpine / CutterShare / Soukup

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TWIG | The Wood Innovation Group

Neil Godin
Advisor - Marketing and Buiness
Neil Godin International

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Patrick is an independent contractor, entrepreneur and artist doing work primarily under Daly Co. Design with a foundation of Industrial Design from Emily Carr University. He has been with TWIG since the beginning, seeking connections after school stepped into the organizer role in 2017. Wood is his creative medium, and specifically wood from BC as he sees the impact it can have on a social, environmental and cultural level.

He practices process that create new connections within material, organizations, industry and people to create projects that are circular in their economy. His work can be found across the city of Vancouver and he works out of Space - an ecosystem of shared spaces he is the founder of in East Vancouver offering creators and innovators space to work.

Chris is a co-operator of a a cluster of solid-wood processing and offsite construction equipment businesses. Rangate, Alpine Workshops, CutterShare, and Soukup America are all businesses servicing the U.S. and across Canada with daily operation from East Vancouver.

Chris and team have enjoyed and benefited from the local communities, knowledge, conversations, arts, and the love of wood. Outside the Box, now TWIG, provides vital human connections where we live and work. It is similar to the tree roots in a forest, where a community can strive and grow healthier through sharing experiences and taking actions together. Let us spark a new conversation!

Neil is a business consultant, trainer and coach based in Vancouver. In a career that spans more than 35 years, he has worked with companies and organizations of all sizes and kinds, and in recent years has focused on the value added wood products industry. He loves wood and enjoys working with people “who make (beautiful) things out of wood, before they sell it.”

He was an early member and co-organizer with Outside The Box, and is excited about its metamorphosis into TWIG. While he (apparently) lacked talent in woodworking (his Grade Seven carpentry teacher said he would pass him only if he promised not to return the following year), he went on to design and construct many pieces of furniture for his homes.

Jason is the Managing Director at the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing.  He is one of the founders and organizers of the TWIG (Outside the Box) groups.  The meetup groups was formed to inspire and educate industrial designers to incorporate wood as natural and sustainable building material, and to connect the designers to manufacturers with capabilities to assist with production. 

He has worked in the wood products industry for over 20 years primarily focused on process improvement initiatives in larger scale manufacturing. He brings his knowledge and expertise of the industry to assist designers and start-ups with product development and manufacturing solutions.

Credits

TWIG is possible through funding from the Forestry Innovation Investment's Wood First Programs & the UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP)—a training, education and technical services organization that promotes the growth and development of value-added manufacturing with wood.

In Memory of Art Paul & Judson Beaumont and the many other pioneers and innovators in BC who have made significant contributions to our industry.

bcfii.ca
CAWP