EXPO 2025: Fine Tune Your Strategy. That was the agenda for the 38th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO from August 6-8, 2025, at the Music City Center in Nashville, and early feedback shows exhibitors and attendees alike were able to successfully collaborate to drive their operations forward.
“The Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) hosting the Forest Products EXPO in Nashville for a second time continued to far surpass our expectations,” said Eric Gee, SFPA’s executive director. “Seeing and talking with so many members of the forest products industry was truly energizing. I’m beyond proud of our exhibiting companies, whose creativity and hard work transformed the exhibit hall into an outstanding hub of innovation, connection, and opportunity.”
The final floorplan topped out at 243 exhibiting companies, a record number of exhibitors since 2000, representing 185 product categories spread over 61,440 square feet of machinery, innovation, and solutions to meet with nearly 1,000 attendees. EXPO 2025 also welcomed 60 first-time exhibitors.
Early survey responses from attendees were positive, with many lauding the location and Music City Center, the opportunities for networking with industry colleagues and meeting new vendors, and the variety of exhibits.
“Forest Products EXPO is a specialized trade show, and while attendance may have been down in 2025 after a near-record-breaking show in 2023 because of various economic conditions, it continues to attract the highest-quality decision-makers from sawmills throughout North America,” Gee said. “More than one-third of attendees at EXPO 2025 serve in a president and/or owner capacity, representing nearly 100 sawmills.”
Since 1950, Forest Products EXPO has provided a place for both hardwood and softwood sawmillers to gather, celebrate new technology, network, and learn about the industry’s latest machinery and equipment. And as the industry and workplace evolve, so does EXPO, Gee said.
“The SFPA and EXPO teams are always soliciting and reviewing feedback from exhibitors and attendees to ensure Forest Products remains the premier forest products industry event and that it provides plentiful opportunities for growth among that industry.”
The three-day tradeshow provided attendees with solutions for nearly every stage of manufacturing. From raw material handling to crane operations; metal detection and scanning technologies; log optimization; lumber drying, grading, sorting, packaging, and distribution; and engineering and AI solutions.
Onsite Activities at EXPO 2025
SFPA announced the 2024 John Edgar Rhodes Sawmill Safety Excellence Awards during the Sawmill Safety Awards & Summit, sponsored by SFPA associate member and EXPO 2025 exhibitor GAPCO, on Thursday, August 7. For the fourth year in a row, at least seven mills received Sawmill Safety Awards with zero incidents among them. Click here to learn more about the 2024 recipients.
EXPO 2025 was also the location for the inaugural SFPA Safety Summit, moderated by Dale Bracken with National Assessment, who is a management consultant and former consumer products division manager with the world’s largest pulp and paper maker.
Bracken led a conversation with 2024 Safety Awards recipients Vince Almond of Almond Brothers Lumber Co., Stephen Peskar of Weyerhaeuser, and Johnny Sauls of West Fraser. Topics covered all things safety, from discussing each mill’s safety culture, how they approach safety training and address safety issues to tactical strategies that helped them and their teams achieve zero incidents.
“In an industry where worker safety is paramount, achieving a record with no reportable incidents is truly remarkable,” Gee said.
“To be able to bring these safety leaders together to share expertise and help other mills improve safety cultures is an amazing opportunity for SFPA to deliver on its mission of being better, together so that all mills, members or not, can learn from each other and grow with safety at the forefront.”
Another first in 2025 was the SFPA Women’s Leadership Summit, held Thursday, August 7.
“We all know leadership has looked a certain way for a long time. But the truth is, we’re changing that with events such as the Women’s Leadership Summit,” Gee said. “We’re not waiting around for change. By showcasing successful women leaders, we’re not just clapping for achievements — we’re lighting the way for others to follow. We’re creating space for mentorship, for connection, and for the kind of career growth that breaks down old barriers.
Donna Whitaker, former vice president with Interfor and former board chair with SFPA, served as moderator as Dr. Heidi Adams, associate professor and Frank Merritt Endowed Professor of Forestry at Louisiana Tech University; Heidi Danbrook, sales manager with Gilbert, an SFPA associate member and EXPO 2025 exhibitor; and Kim Drew APR, president of Drew Public Relations discussed mentorship, education, and advancing women in the forest products industry, sales and marketing excellence strategies, and strategic communications and public relations, respectively.
“This amazing panel didn’t just discuss theory,” Gee said. “They shared real-world strategies – what they’ve lived and experienced out there – and gave attendees inspiration, empowerment, and practical tools to lead with confidence.”
SFPA will post recordings of the Safety and Women’s Leadership Summits in the coming weeks on the association’s YouTube channel, which you can access by clicking here.
What’s Next?
Stay tuned to SFPAexpo.com for future host city and dates to be announced in the coming weeks. Booth sales for the 39th Forest Products Machinery & Equipment EXPO are scheduled to open in June 2026, while registration is scheduled to open in March 2027.
EXPO 2025 By the Numbers
SFPA has conducted a thorough audit of the registration report and found the following:
- Attendees
- 1,041 registered
- 957 confirmed
- Exhibitors
- 243 exhibiting companies
- 1,059 exhibitor personnel
- 61,440 square feet of displays
- International Component
- 300 international attendees and exhibitors
- 18 countries represented
- Attendee Demographics
- Key Category
- 70% – Manufacturing/Processing
- 19% – Non-Exhibiting: Equipment Manufacturing/Dealer/Distributor
- 10% – Forestry/Logging/Harvesting
- 1% – Academia/Student
- Job Title
- 33% – Company Officer/Owner
- 22% – Marketing/Sales
- 14% – Engineering/Operations
- 10% – General manager
- 7% – Purchasing/Maintenance
- 6% – Production manager
- 3% – Superintendent/Foreman
- 1% – Research and development
- 2% – Student
- Key Category
