The WMIA was founded in 1978 by seven visionaries who wanted to make the North American woodworking industry more productive and globally competitive. The founding members of the WMIA were Edwin Bass (Holz Machinery Corp.), Richard Byrnes, Sr. (Richard T. Byrnes Co.), Alvin Corenblum (Woodworking Machinery Imports), Roger Criau (Danckaert Woodworking Machinery Co.), Edward Joel (Allwood Machinery, formally Amersaag), Peter Kleinschmidt (Stiles Machinery Co.) and Bert Lewyn (Lewyn Machinery).

In 1980, these leaders organized and launched the World Woodworking Expo, a trade show created to showcase its members and their imported woodworking machinery. In 1982, that show was consolidated into the International Woodworking Fair (IWF), now the premier woodworking industry event in North America. WMIA co-sponsors and co-owns IWF in conjunction with the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America (WMMA) and the American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA).

Past Presidents

Richard Byrnes 1978-1982	Roger Criau 1982-1984	Robert Perez 1984-1986	Peter Kleinschmidt 1986-1988
Ingrid Volk 1988-1990	George Force 1990-1993	John Derda 1993-1995	Richard Bass 1995-1997
Riccardo Azzoni 1997-1999	Rand Robinson 1999-2001	Heinz Schmidt 2001-2003	Scott Twichell 2003-2005
Giordano Checchi 2005-2007	Tom Reisert 2007-2009	David Rothwell 2009-2011