Prosales articles from April 2004

Prosales archives from April 2004

Positive change: working together, the NLBMDA and ProSales will strive to strengthen LBM industry resources.(Editor's Notes)
April 1, 2004... If you are willing to embrace change, you are destined to travel many different business paths during your career. As a dealer, that can mean anything from developing new manufacturing capabilities to finding new customer bases. But regardless...

Industry voice: by partnering with ProSales, the NLBMDA will broaden its communication nationwide.(NLBMDA Update)
April 1, 2004... This month ProSales, which is already widely read by our 8,000 member companies, becomes the magazine that represents the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association. This partnership will benefit all of us: It gives our...

The Reader report: the 2003 ProSales Reader Profile mirrors the top concerns and future business strategies of the industry.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... Increasing gross margins and profitability and improving customer service are the issues that continue to rank first and foremost on the minds of pro suppliers, while the hubbub surrounding installed sales may be fading from a roar to a rumble,...

Tech trends: from GPS to POS, Nextel's suite of dealer-friendly wireless applications is streamlining dispatch, outside sales, and delivery.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... On any given day, Placerville, Calif.-based Delta Drywall has 20 "patch men" field service workers on the road selling, delivering, installing, and maintaining drywall at production builder jobsites in and around Sacramento, Calif. Like most...

Copper OK for use with treated lumber.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... In the January story "Over and Out" (page 20), we relayed information that indicated that the new treated lumber products, ACQ and copper azole, should not be used in contact with copper-based metals. Since then we have learned that the...

ProSales honors 2003 Excellence Awards winners.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... At a special breakfast during the 2004 International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, PROSALES honored the five dealer winners and three honorable mention winners of the 2003 Excellence Awards. Pictured: Top row, left to right: Louis Kaitz and...

Honsador appoints new officers.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... Kapolei, Hawaii-based Honsador Lumber has named five executives to the position of assistant vice president. Alan C. Matsumoto, a 15-year veteran of the company, will serve as assistant vice president and controller. Daniel R. Von Allmen, named...

Strober acquires 26 Lowe's Contractor Yards.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... On February 2, The Strober Organization completed an acquisition of 26 Contractor Yard locations from Lowe's. The commodity-focused facilities include locations in nine Eastern states, adding to Strober's current slate of 45 yards in six...

Endura Products.(Editor's Product Pick)
April 1, 2004... What's the point of hanging a beautiful composite, vinyl, or fiberglass door on a wood frame that may start weathering within months? Endura's two-piece Prefinished Frame is a durable, low-maintenance solution to this problem. Its thick PVC...

Lumbermens acquires San Lorenzo.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... Olympia, Wash.-based Lumbermens announced in January that it has acquired San Lorenzo Lumber Co., based in Santa Cruz, Calif. San Lorenzo stores, which will retain the San Lorenzo name, began operating as part of Lumbermens on March 1. San...

NLBMDA urges softwood quota resistance.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... The NLBMDA is asking Canadian officials to resist quota agreements with the United States that would create an export tax on softwood lumber shipped to U.S. customers. Don DeGroot, an NLBMDA board member and president of R.E. Sweeney Lumber Co....

Save the date.(Pro Watch)(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... * Lumbermen's Association of Texas Convention & Buying Show/April 15-18/San Antonio Convention Center, San Antonio. Contact: 512.472.1194; www.lat.org * AHMA Hardware Show/April 18-20/McCormick Place, Chicago. Contact: 800.723.9895;...

Do it Best launches RetailStart.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... Designed to provide Do it Best members with assistance and incentives to open new stores or purchase/convert existing stores, the RetailStart! program helps members add new locations through market and site analysis, demographic research,...

Builders FirstSource to open new Florida facility.(Pro Watch)
April 1, 2004... Builders FirstSource is building a new facility in St. Lucie County, Fla., that is scheduled to open this summer. The 23-acre facility, which will include 125,000 square feet under roof, will open as a distribution center and rebar fabrication...

Wiseman-Hughes Homes of Chicago.
April 1, 2004... Wiseman-Hughes Homes of Chicago selected Scott Deem, a windows sales specialist for Elgin, III.-based Seigle's, as its "Foreman of the Year" for 2003. Deem was recognized for his work managing supply and installation of windows for four...

TW Perry.
April 1, 2004... TW Perry was named Azek's National Dealer of the Year. The trimboard manufacturer honored the Gaithersburg, Md.-based dealer for its marketing efforts with the product, including promotion and education through training programs, and effective...

Keith Brown Building Materials.
April 1, 2004... Tough decisions are paying off at Keith Brown Building Materials, where the company announced it produced year-end net profit for the first time in three years. After facing a decline 14 months ago due to a soft market, under-capitalization...

LP.
April 1, 2004... LP, the Portland, Ore. based manufacturer of building materials, will begin construction on an OSB mill in Fort St. John, British Columbia, this summer as part of a joint venture with Richmond, British Columbia-based Slocan Forest Products.

Certain Teed.
April 1, 2004... Valley Forge, Pa.-based manufacturer CertainTeed announced that it will open a 229,000-square-foot plant for vinyl windows and patio doors in West Sacramento, Calif., this summer.

Terranova Forest Products.
April 1, 2004... ... George Mac Connell was recently named president and CEO of Terranova Forest Products, a Charleston, S.C.-based manufacturer and supplier of FSC-certified solid pine interior doors and finger-joint pine and MDF molding. Mac Connell served 27...

Tendura.
April 1, 2004... Tendura, the Troy, Ala.-based manufacturer of TenduraPlank composite porch flooring, sponsored a "Porch-A-Thon" during this year's International Builders' Show, a creative fundraising effort for Habitat for Humanity in which the company donated...

Get on board: the NLBMDA and its federated associations can put you in touch with the industry's sharpest minds.(NLBMDA Briefings)
April 1, 2004... As the current chairman of the NLBMDA, I've been on the road a lot since last October, when I assumed the post, visiting our different federated associations and their members. During the course of my travels, I have had the opportunity to meet...

In balance: as your installed sales program grows, long-term success depends on adequate staffing.(New Dimensions)
April 1, 2004... During a recent installed sales roundtable I was facilitating, one of the participants, who worked for a large, pro-oriented dealer installing for both contractors and homeowners, made this comment: "If I don't change something soon, our...

Price check: know the customer's spending allowance before you work up the sale.(Firing Line)
April 1, 2004... The first time it happened, it was funny. A builder customer called to schedule an appointment in our showroom for one of his clients. "They need cabinets," was all the builder told us. The project was a new addition to a home in a modest...

Winds of change: change is inevitable in the construction supply industry, but don't let puffed-up predictions and trends blow your company off course.(Sales Shorts)
April 1, 2004... Ever since I went into management, I have been put on a mushroom diet: kept in the dark and fed dirt. I find myself hanging out at the water cooler just to hear the rumors. The latest word is that a few "Mega Builders" are going to take...

Sales 101: if you approach prospecting as a disciplined science, you will learn how to work smarter, not harder.(Sell Sheet)
April 1, 2004... Too many people believe that selling is an art form, an inherited talent to schmooze with people. It is true that some selling skills are "art;" however, many others are pure "science." When you can recognize the difference, you quickly...

Think big act local: the clout of the nation's largest builders continues to grow across the country, and according to the recent Big Builder Study, pro dealers looking to supply them must be willing to act as a central liaison with manufacturers and provide critical support at the local level.(Cover Story)
April 1, 2004... Like many large and growing home builders, Technical Olympic wants to order products from fewer suppliers to lower its costs and streamline its supply chain management. Over the past two years, this Hollywood, Fla.-based builder, which closed...

The next level: large home builders are demanding consistent service from suppliers, but as they expand into new markets and states, pro dealers say that stepping up to comply is now more complicated than ever.
April 1, 2004... When The Strober Organization, the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based pro dealer, agreed to acquire 26 Contractor Yards from Lowe's in mid-November 2003, its primary objective was to extend its distribution network into the Southeastern United States to...

Exclusive rights: with a dependable track record of consistent, on-time scheduling and material ordering, Centex Homes is forging partnerships with suppliers that have the mettle to commit to exclusive regional deals.(Profile)
April 1, 2004... In the big builders' emerging world of single-source supply deals, Wade Hooker is uniquely qualified to comment on both the theory and practicality of funneling 100 percent of purchasing through a sole source. While home building executives and...

Legend has it: don't let myths about large-production builders keep you from a potentially profitable revenue source.(Market Matters)
April 1, 2004... When independent lumber dealers seek out Frank Chambers for advice about supplying production/tract builders, their first question usually is how can they avoid getting beat up on price. "The perception is that big builders will hold their feet...

On board: gypsum manufacturers step up efforts to provide mold- and abuse-resistant drywall solutions.(Product Monitor)
April 1, 2004... The uproar surrounding mold may have quieted down recently, but industry experts are still focusing on it as one of the most important issues facing home building today. Many builders are actively seeking solutions to the mold problem in both...

On top of the world.(Product Monitor)
April 1, 2004... Manufacturers continue to improve their roofing lines by introducing products that boast enhanced features, such as higher wind resistance and wider nailing areas; provide a better architectural appearance; are treated to resist insects; and...

Marvin windows and doors.(Hot Finds)
April 1, 2004... Featuring 3-inch stiles and rails, a pultruded fiberglass sill, and a top-hung screen, the Marvin Sliding Patio Door is available with wood or extruded aluminum-clad exteriors. Clear pine interiors come ready to paint or stain. The Sliding...

Weather shield windows & doors.(Hot Finds)
April 1, 2004... The maker has revamped its entry door systems to feature all-in-one sidelight/door units with a continuous head and sill, new composite sills with internal weep systems, a Low-E2 glass option, and fixed sweeps. Doors are available in textured...

Therma-Tru.(Hot Finds)
April 1, 2004... Constructed of pultruded fiberglass with tempered Low-E glass and double weather stripping, the Slim-Line Patio Door System has a DP-50 performance rating. The patio doors are available in one-, two-, three-, and four-panel configurations and...

Jeld-Wen.(Curve Appeal)
April 1, 2004... The IWP Aurora Collection knotty alder door is designed to complement rustic architectural styles. Available in several finishes, including caramel, cashmere, sable, and sequoia, the composite doors feature a wood grain and knots. Decorative...

Masonite.(Hot Finds)
April 1, 2004... The Barrington fiberglass door collection features the maker's variable-depth hardwood-grained texture and detailed raised moldings, as well as an energy efficient core. The doors come glazed with a proprietary collection of Specialty...

New recruits: your next big shot at improving revenue and breaking down buyer resistance is just one great sales rep away--if you're ready to hire her.(View From Replacement Contractor)
April 1, 2004... My older sister had a saying when we were growing up that she used often when I made any minor adolescent achievements: "Anything you can do, I can do better." Usually, she'd follow up the claim by proving it--whether it was winning a board...