About Us

“To give real service you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – D.Adams

The Way It Should Be

We founded Alpinewëst Resources with one goal in mind:

To provide all of our customers a high-quality, smart, and dependable business connection with respectable relationships.

Our passion for honesty and excellence has driven us from the beginning, and continues to drive us into the future. We know that every relationship counts, and we strive to make our service experience as rewarding as possible.

Alpinewëst Resources is an international women and minority owned wholesale trading company that provides reliable, expert service in the forest products, seconds and surplus, manufacturing, and building materials industries. Relying on a proven track record of integrity, hard work, and creativity, along with over twenty five years of experience with trusted industry knowledge, helping bring suppliers and customers together.

We strive to provide a work environment for our employees where coming to work isn’t just a job, but a place where one can succeed and be part of.

A place where traders have the support and confidence to trade to the best of their abilities, with no limitations.

We are also proud to provide a platform for inclusivity and diversity within the building materials industry and our company.

It is our belief that a successful business must have an environment of open communication, recognition and team work, surrounded by honest and hard working women and men that want to be a part of a vision, always leading together to new and greater accomplishments.

Empowering our employees to make responsible decisions, and achieve personal goals, will breed lasting prosperity for our company and clients.

We build unique relationships that rely

on trust and loyalty...

Therefore, we share with our clients a strong ethical business model that only brings forward quality service.

It is about the journey, not the destination.

Alpinewëst Resources is focused to provide services to the building materials industry that are formed from the root up, by connecting and strengthening new and existing relationships, that will defy time and ever changing environments.

Our goal is to become an innovative industry leader in the wholesale of forest products and building materials by providing suppliers with take away power to move products in a timely manner and customers the ability to secure product and navigate markets with a trusted partner.

There is no business that is too small for us, and no big idea we can't achieve together!

If everyone is moving forward together, then

Success takes care of itself...

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Our Team

Our team is an incredible source of information, inspiration, and dedication to everything Alpinewëst Resources stands for. We not only embrace inclusivity and diversity, we also foster an international business landscape where individuals from all backgrounds are valued, bringing their unique perspectives and ideas to enhance our global reach and success. We’re so happy to work in something that we all love and respect so much, and invite you to learn more about us below.

Contact

Taissa Achcar-Winkels - COO / President

Taissa is a 4th generation Latina born and raised in Brazil and Venezuela. She moved to Minnesota where she received a Masters in Architecture and Minor in Construction Management and Urbanism from the University of Minnesota. She has over 25 years of experience in the Design-Build industry, owning ID.AW Designs, an Architectural and Design firm for over 10 years in Minneapolis, where she and her team remodeled and built many residential designs and additions.

In 2020, Taissa decided alongside her husband Ray to start a new venture and to shift to her next career phase from working as a designer into joining the wholesale building materials industry. She began as Alpinewëst's COO, Logistics Coordinator and HR Manager, and after a successful and rapid growth since inception, Taissa continues as COO, leading the company's expansion with a strategic focus on innovative marketing, dynamic branding, and sustainable business growth that embraces both domestic and international markets. Taissa is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish languages, and welcomes conversation on three languages!

Feel free to contact Taissa at taissa@alpinewestresources.com

m: 952-250-9645

w: 503-828-1951

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Ray Achcar-Winkels - CEO

Ray's experience in the Forest Products industry spans over 25 years, from his early beginnings at the local lumber yard to the forefront of the ever expanding and changing world of wholesale trading and distribution.

Ray's vision for Alpinewëst Resources is to continue to be a leader in the Forest Product Industry, while using his skills and experiences as an Executive trader, and as a Manager and Director to implement and achieve strategic short- and long-term company goals, as well as successful financial performances. He relies on his strong and positive professional relations for developing new business plans and operations, and strengthening existing ones, while still assessing markets and strong new prospects. Ray graduated from the University of MN with a B.S. in Forest Products Marketing.

Ray looks forward to building and growing Alpinewëst Resources Inc. as a place, a platform, and an opportunity to welcome traders that have enthusiasm, knowledge, leadership, and want to keep developing their career within the Forest Product industry. Most importantly, Ray strongly believes that Alpinewëst's opportunity to succeed will come from the traders ability to thrive, both, individually and within a true Team environment.

Feel free to contact Ray at ray@alpinewestresources.com

m: 952-250-7413

w: 503-897-1842

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Fred Roehm - CFO

Fred is an experienced entrepreneur with more than 20 years of business management and corporate finance experience. Prior to joining Alpinewëst Resources, Fred was president of Apexx Investments, a private investment company where he acquired, grew and sold several companies.

He has completed venture capital financing, private debt placements, initial public offerings, and many corporate acquisitions and sales. He completed his MBA in finance at Portland State University and has a BS in Physics with minors in mathematics and computer science from Montana State University.

Feel free to contact Fred Roehm at fredr@alpinewestresources.com

c: 503-799-2428

w: 503-406-1521

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Liz Smythe - Controller & Accounting / CPA

Liz Smythe is a seasoned CPA and accomplished accountant with over a decade of diverse experience in both public accounting and corporate finance, in both United States and Canada.

Name: Alpinewëst Resources, Inc.
Address: Portland, OR, 97034, US
Telephone: 503-850-4475

A graduate of Boise State University with a Degree in Accounting, Liz began her career at a Big 4 firm as well as a regional firm as an auditor working with a variety of clients to ensure compliance and accuracy in financial reporting.

Transitioning from public accounting, Liz took on the role of Controller at a leading building materials wholesale company managing financial operations and providing strategic insights that contributed to the company’s growth and efficiency.

Liz is a proud former Division I Athlete, Women's Volleyball, embracing qualities she learned from sports such as dedication, discipline, and teamwork and carrying them into her career. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and dog as well as mountain biking and skiing.

Feel free to contact Liz Smythe at lizs@alpinewestresources.com

m: 208-949-7252

w: 503-850-4475

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Eric Paulson - Sales

Eric’s experience with building products started in his youth, growing up on job sites with a father and grandfather that were journeyman carpenters and general contractors. Eric’s own entrepreneurial path started in Oregon in 2000, with the founding of his own landscape supply company. He frequently travelled to Asia to independently source products for clients while his staff managed the store in Portland, OR. Eric phased out of the landscape business as his consulting work demands grew and began working with building materials.

Since 2012 Eric has worked with Nike and Daimler/Mercedes providing global supply chain analysis.

Other projects included utilizing his sales and marketing experience to support tech and product start-ups.

For the past 2 years he has focused specifically on sales and marketing in the Forest Products industry.

Eric enjoys the strong team that Alpinewëst has to offer and the endless opportunities.

Eric graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, WA with a BS is Exercise Science and with minors in sports medicine and coaching.

Feel free to contact Eric at ericp@alpinewestresources.com

m: 503-318-3996

w: 503-850-4475

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Todd Benton - Sales

Todd picked up the phone and sold his first load of building materials in 1995 in Beaumont, Texas. Construction jobs in his youth, love of carpentry, and sales on the road built a foundation for success in the building materials industry.

Over the past 25 years, as the handset became a headset and we began opening emails instead of envelopes, Todd has been steadfast in his belief that the job is about knowing the product and listening to customer needs. The best trade is one in which buyer and seller both feel successful.

Todd graduated from Lamar University with a BBA in Marketing.

Feel free to contact Todd at toddb@alpinewestresources.com

m: 409-767-6266

w: 503-850-4475

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Kirt Heap - Sales

Kirt is a unique individual to the Forest Product Industry having graduated from the University of Wyoming with his B.S. in Criminal Justice. After working as a Correctional Officer at Wyoming State Penitentiary he moved back to Washington to be closer to his friends and family and took a job as a lumber trader since criminal justice jobs were on a hiring freeze.

As a trader for the last 9 years his splash in the industry can be felt around North America. He was able to achieve the rank of Executive Trader with a large forest product company in a short amount of time, help manage and support the sales of several large contracts while building long and meaningful relationships with both suppliers and customers.

The most important thing to Kirt is his family. He’s worked very hard for every company and every job he’s ever had while doing the same for his customers. He does this for his family and for the families of his employers and customers. It’s important that everyone makes money in this industry and Kirt has helped everyone make a lot of money while sticking to his Criminal Justice roots of being fair in processes, being transparent in actions, providing opportunity for voice, and being impartial in decision making.

Working with Kirt will get you the very best an individual has to give.

Feel free to contact Kirt at kirth@alpinewestresources.com

m: 425-315-3492

w: 503-850-4475

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Dan Rice - Sales

Dan is a firm believer that success in this industry begins with listening to customers and providing high quality service through transparency, consistency, and availability. He graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Finance and entered the Forest Products industry in 2016.

By focusing on the customer, he achieved the prestigious rank of Executive Trader with a large forest products company in under 3 years and has consistently been a Top 3 rep since 2018. Dan has also demonstrated a talent for developing numerous diverse supply channels in building materials and establishing new customer relationships.
In his free time Dan enjoys working out, watching sports, and being around good company. Nothing better than being around people you care about, kicking back a bit and just having a good time.

Feel free to contact Dan at danr@alpinewestresources.com

m: 425-736-8493

w: 503-850-4475

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Sam Abrams - Sales

If you traveled deep into the Northwestern Washington woods and caught a glimpse of a tall hairy figure shuffling between the ferns and firs in search of berries, you’d be forgiven if you thought it was Sasquatch or a bear before finding out it was Sam Abrams. As the product of an artist and a banker, Sam journeyed through life working in kitchens, deli counters, a parking lot fish stand and many other occupations that revolve around local and organic food before pursuing a career in business.

In 2009, he ventured into the lumber market armed with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Idaho. Although knowing the “4 P’s of Marketing” and how to analyze the results of a focus group were important in theory, that knowledge didn’t compare to building trust and delivering service to customers needing material to maintain and grow their businesses. Being an extension of a business is an important part of what being a building materials professional is for Sam.

In addition to being your business partner, Sam balances work with his family and friends. He enjoys time with his wife, 2 sons and 2 labradoodles in and around nature. His hobbies include making random crafts with his mother and sons, gardening with his wife and biking and running. If you are in the market for a product or want to discuss the market, music, podcasts… the meaning of life, then reach out to Sam Abrams.

Feel free to contact Sam at sama@alpinewestresources.com

m: 503-964-4594

w: 503-850-4475

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Mike Weisner - Sales

With a formidable 8 years in the lumber trading arena, Mike Weisner stands tall, both figuratively and literally. Not only is he renowned as an accomplished lumber broker, but he also proudly holds the title of the 'tallest man in the office'. This impressive stature isn’t just a physical trait – Mike once showcased his athletic prowess as a Division I Basketball player for the University of Montana.

Despite his towering presence, those who know Mike will vouch for his soft-spoken demeanor. But don't be fooled, his wit is sharp and often catches people off-guard with its unexpected humor.

Outside of work Mike satisfies his competitive itch by playing pickleball, golf, and officiating high school basketball games. His greatest joy is spending time with his wife and their daughter.

Feel free to contact Mike at mikew@alpinewestresources.com.

m: 509-280-2472

w: 503-850-4475

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Adeel Muqtadir - Sales

Adeel Muqtadir is a seasoned professional with over 8 years of diverse experience in the industry, ranging from distribution to mill sales. Based in Sarnia, Ontario, Adeel has established himself as a trusted expert in the field.

With an unwavering belief in the importance of customer service, Adeel's work reflects his commitment to delivering quality and value. Whether it's optimizing distribution networks or facilitating successful mill sales, he consistently prioritizes the satisfaction of those he serves.

His hobbies include cars, motorcycles, working out and making a mean Texas style BBQ. Besides wood related products, Adeel is an expert in briskets and biceps!

Feel free to contact Adeel at Adeelm@alpinewestresources.com.

m: 416-951-2067

w: 503-850-4475

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Terry Upgaard - Sales

Terry's info - Coming soon!

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Michael Jensen - Logistics Manager

Mike’s experience in logistics stems all the way back to his early childhood where he would help wash equipment for his fathers trucking company. While achieving a bachelors in Supply Chain Management with a Project Management emphasis, at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, he entered back into the transportation industry as a professional via a logistics internship.

After graduating with honors Mike took a position with the company he interned for; One of the largest flatbed companies in the country, where he was an award winning Carrier Sales Specialist. Mike also has had his hand in procurement, planning, cost savings and process improvements as a Supply Chain Management Co-op with an industry leading high-end kitchen appliance manufacturing company.

Mike enjoys the outdoors, live music and hanging out with his friends and family. When he's not at his desk he's likely at the gym, in the woods or on the golf course.

Feel free to contact Mike at M ichaelj@alpinewestresources.com.

m: 608-678-0577

w: 503-850-4475

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Our dedicated team members are available to help with all of your needs.

Let us know how we can help!

Our Market

The Forest Products and Building Materials industries can be considered one of North America’s oldest and a cornerstone of the American economy. With ever changing markets, suppliers, and products, our customers are in constant need of a partner that can help them navigate these tricky environments to help them find success. Likewise, we provide creative solutions for manufacturers to move products, develop new markets, and provide take away power as their business grows.

We strive to create win-win solutions on all sides of the transaction.

Alpinewëst’s target markets within the Forest Products and Building Materials industry include retail yards, manufacturing facilities, construction, cut plants, and manufactured housing. We are a great source for seconds and surplus, overstock, overruns, blemish, as well as insurance claims.

Our markets have been cultivated for over 25 years, and we provide expert knowledge, experience and understanding in every facet of the building materials industry.