Where lumber and wood products have been a way of life for generations, there is usually strong support for enhancing the wood industry. The Adirondack North Country region of New York State is no exception. However, in spite of an on-going regional development effort, employment in the region's wood products sectors has declined over the past decade.Rural areas around the country are using a number of economic development tools to support their wood-based industries. While the Internet appears to have great promise in that respect, its effectiveness in enhancing business assistance programs has not been systematically explored. In addition, most regional wood products Internet sites are information oriented, with limited focus on marketing and sales. Meanwhile, many small wood products companies take a "wait and see" attitude towards the Internet, especially in rural areas where Internet training and expertise are not as prevalent.The proposed program will identify how the Internet can best be applied to enhanced marketing and sales for wood products firms based in rural areas. The experimental approach will clarify those Internet-related business assistance activities that proved most useful to a diverse group of wood products companies located in the Adirondack North Country region.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research::Making optimal use of the Internet's marketing and sales potential will contribute to increased sales for rural, wood-based companies. The resulting increase in employment could reverse the stagnant or declining employment trend in the wood products sector in the Adirondack region and in other areas of the United States. The Internet site created during this program will remain in place after the project is completed, continuing to serve regional wood products businesses. The findings of the experiment will contribute to many rural economic development efforts throughout the country interested in using the Internet as an economic development tool.
