The TTJ Awards is an annual event held in London for the timber industry, designed to recognise high standards of service in the trade by rewarding excellence.

Voting is strictly limited to one vote per TTJ subscriber. Your vote is guaranteed to be totally confidential and the information you give will not be revealed to any other party, not even to the organisers.

You may vote for any company trading in wood or wood products, based in the UK or Ireland.

Your six voting categories are:

  • Softwood Trader of the Year

  • Hardwood Trader of the Year

  • Panels Trader of the Year

  • Plywood Trader of the Year

  • General Trader of the Year

  • Small Timber Business of the Year (Defined as having a single branch or outlet)

The “Timber Trader of the Year” goes to the company receiving most votes in one or more of the above categories.

This list represents the main criteria by which you should judge each company in each of the categories. Consider who gives you the best service in these areas:

  • Market knowledge

  • New product information

  • Advertising and marketing support

  • Complaint handling

  • Well-trained staff

  • Prompt financial settlement

  • Environmental awareness

  • Competitive pricing

How to vote

There are two ways in which you can cast your vote. Both methods are simple and secure. The first is via our website and the second by telephone.

Via the internet

You can vote online immediately. Go to www.erbs.co.uk/awards/ttj and cast your vote now. Be sure to have your special PIN number ready. This is being sent to you by post. The site remains active for voting purposes throughout April.

Via the telephone

Also throughout April our telephone canvassers will be contacting TTJ subscribers. They will be asking you to vote by taking your nominations over the phone. For security reasons you cannot call us…we call you.

We will attempt to contact every TTJ subscriber in the UK. If you are unavailable when we call, we will leave a message, but we will not be able to call again. If this happens – or if for any reason you have not spoken to a canvasser by April 25 – we strongly recommend you vote via the website www.erbs.co.uk/awards/ttj

When you vote via the internet your name is automatically removed from the telephone canvass list. Voting online is quicker and easier and we recommend you use this method.

Some dos and don’ts

  • Only one vote per subscriber

  • No block voting allowed

  • No voting for your company or any company in the same group.

  • No voting for any of the sponsors

  • When voting include the location or the branch of the company you nominate. (Not the head office or billing address).

  • Be prepared for the phone call and have your nominations and pin number ready.

How will you know who’s won?

TTJ will publish a special Awards supplement with the September 6/13 issue, listing all the nominees. The winners will be announced at the Awards lunch at the Savoy Hotel in London on September 13. Coverage of the event will be published in the September 20/27 issue of TTJ.

This year’s sponsors?

  • UCM Timber plc is the overall “Gold Sponsor” of the TTJ Awards and sponsor of the Timber Trader of the Year.

  • Associated British Ports (ABP) sponsors the Softwood Trader of the Year

  • The American Hardwood Export Council sponsors the Hardwood Trader of the Year

  • Weyerhaeuser Europe Ltd sponsors the Panels Trader of the Year

  • Lord Forest Products Ltd sponsors the Plywood Trader of the Year

  • Osmose sponsors the Small Timber Business of the Year

  • General Trader of the Year – sponsor to be announced

Non voting awards

The Excellence in Marketing Award, sponsored by Combilift, and the Trainee of the Year Award, sponsored by SCA Timber (UK) Ltd, will be judged by an expert panel.

What is Electoral Reform Services?

Electoral Reform Services is the specialist balloting and related services wing of the Electoral Reform Society. From the beginning, the organisation has sought to raise the standards of probity and honesty involved with ballots and elections and it has built a reputation for integrity and impartiality that is recognised internationally.

Electoral Reform Services is the UK’s leading specialist in the management of ballots and elections. It is also the only organisation in its field to offer a complete range of fully integrated, technologically advanced facilities under one roof.

For more information about Electoral Reform Services visit their website: www.electoralreform.co.uk or ring 020 8365 8909 and ask for an information pack.