Prosales articles from July 2006

Prosales archives from July 2006

Follow the leaders: look to companies that consistently increase revenues and profits for common traits that can help you develop a growth strategy.(Editor's Notes)
July 1, 2006... Considering that the housing market has lost some of its red-hot sizzle this year, now is a wise time to evaluate your sustainable growth potential and focus on plans for the future. Making the decision to evaluate your business is easy....

Calendar.(Returns)(Calendar)
July 1, 2006... Southern Building Material Association Summer Conference / Aug. 3--6 / Virginia Beach, Va. / Contact: 704.376.1503: www.southernbuilder.org... Florida Building Material Association Convention and Gulf Atlantic Building Product Expo / Aug....

Custom capabilities: Edward Hines Lumber uses the high-end custom millwork plant it acquired in 2003 to target custom builders, while boosting sales of traditional materials along the way.(ProWatch)
July 1, 2006... Before Edward Hines Lumber Co. acquired Muench Woodworking in May 2003, the Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based independent dealer had to two-step any high-end custom millwork that its 60 percent custom home builder customer base asked for or risk losing...

Roll of the dice: Bison Building Materials is leveraging EWP to make inroads into the Las Vegas market as part of a grander westward expansion for the Texas-based pro dealer.(ProWatch)
July 1, 2006... Running east-to-west for approximately 16 miles at the northern end of the Las Vegas metro area, Craig Road caps off the development that begins with the famed Strip downtown and sprawls outward to where the subdivisions meet the sand. Driving...

Heart of change: change is inevitable. Fearing change doesn't have to be.(ProWatch)
July 1, 2006... "Change" is a dirty word for some people. But love it or hate it, change is here to stay, and every LBM owner and manager must be effective at leading their teams through both small and large changes. How do most managers manage change?...

Making the grade: David Weekley's supplier rating system touches all parts of the supply chain.(ProWatch)
July 1, 2006... Bill Justus has heard a lot about improving the supply chain--enough to know that it's easier said than done. "The real challenge is to take the conceptual to the practical," he says. "How do you get there?" Justus, in fact, has figured...

Honsador acquires Aloha Lumber.(Yard Notables)
July 1, 2006... Kapolei, Hawaii--based Honsador Holding LLC announced May 8 that it has acquired four-unit Aloha Lumber of Kapaa on the island of Kauai. "This acquisition improves our ability to support professional builders and developers with expanded...

Andersen to acquire Silver Line.(Yard Notables)
July 1, 2006... As reported on PROSALES' Web site May 25, leading window and door manufacturer Andersen Corp. announced May 24 it will acquire North Brunswick, N.J.--based vinyl window and patio door manufacturer Silver Line Building Products Corp. The...

Deacom.(Editor's Product Pick)
July 1, 2006... Deacom Developed for the building component industry, the Deacom System now integrates engineering software into its accounting and enterprise resource system, allowing the manufacturing software to be the point of main control for all aspects...

Lanoga acquires Delta Truss.(Prowatch: Yard Notables)
July 1, 2006... Redmond, Wash.--based Lanoga Corp. announced May 12 its purchase of Delta Truss, a privately owned truss manufacturing company with plants in Cadillac and Saginaw, Mich. According to the announcement, the acquisition will add approximately $25...

Wolf completes succession plan.(Prowatch: Yard Notables)
July 1, 2006... York, Pa.--based The Wolf Organization, parent company of Wolf Distributing Co. and The Lumber Yard, announced that it has completed its succession planning process begun in 2004, transferring leadership and ownership to members of the...

ENAP.
July 1, 2006... On May 10 LBM co-op ENAP celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters on Hudson Valley Avenue in New Windsor, N.Y., with more than 300 guests. The new 20,000-square-foot facility offers ample room for individual and team work as the...

Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA).
July 1, 2006... The Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA) announced the hiring of Garry Polmateer to IT manager/database administrator. He will manage the NRLA computer system and membership database. NRLA also has hired Sarah Svensson as an accounting...

Grainger.
July 1, 2006... Lake Forest, III.--based facilities maintenance supplier Grainger continues its market expansion program with relocations and new locations in the Washington, D.C., area. The multi-year, multi-market expansion program, which has already been...

Builders FirstSource.
July 1, 2006... Dallas-based Builders FirstSource CFO Charles Horn presented at the JPMorgan Basics & Industrials Conference June 6. An archived Web cast of the presentation is available on BFS' Web site, www.bldr.com. (PROSALES' parent company, Hanley Wood,...

British Columbia-based forest products and building material industry software provider Progressive Solutions will acquire Federal Way, Wash.--based ODS Software, a provider of supply chain management software for LBM wholesale distributors.
July 1, 2006... British Columbia-based forest products and building material industry software provider Progressive Solutions will acquire Federal Way, Wash.--based ODS Software, a provider of supply chain management software for LBM wholesale distributors....

Owens Corning.
July 1, 2006... Toledo, Ohio--based manufacturer Owens Corning announced it has reached an agreement with creditors that will allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy this year. The company filed for bankruptcy in October 2000 after facing...

National economic update: quarterly market forecast: consumers uncertain about the future.(House Calls)
July 1, 2006... A fluctuating housing market, sky-high oil prices, rising inflation, and concerns over the labor market and earnings growth are all potential factors in the drop in Consumer Confidence in May. Released monthly by the Conference Board, the...

Market spotlight: California.(House Calls)
July 1, 2006... What happens in California's substantial housing market traditionally has been a helpful indicator of where the housing market is headed nationally. The volume figures alone are sufficient to recognize the significance of this state, with more...

Take a teacher to the woods: forest foundation's teachers' tours educate teachers, carry over to classrooms.(NLBMDA Briefings)
July 1, 2006... Ray Skowronski, or "Mr. S," as he is known to his students, teaches biology and life sciences to juniors and seniors at Catoctin High School in Thurmont, Md. One day last fall he began his class with his usual PowerPoint presentation, but...

Innocent sellers fairness act introduced in congress: legislation would protect retailers victimized by predatory lawsuits.(NLBMDA Briefings)
July 1, 2006... NLBMDA, with the combined strength of our state and regional building material associations, has launched an all-out effort to provide liability protection for our 8,000 dealer members. On May 25 the Innocent Sellers Fairness Act (ISFA) (H.R....

Digging deep: stop a downward sales spiral by taking a hard internal look at employees' attitudes and complacency.(New Dimensions)
July 1, 2006... The phrase "Go ugly early" isn't just a reminder of an ex-girlfriend of mine from years back. It's a phrase I heard recently at an executive conference that really resonated with me. The speaker was explaining his company's theory on hiring...

In the know: there are always more prospects to be found.(Firing Line)
July 1, 2006... "You don't know the Hendricksons?" I asked, sipping my coffee from my regular coffee shop. "No," said William, the Contractor Who Came From Nowhere. "Did you used to work with Heritage Construction?" I tried. "Never heard of...

Time in motion: manufacturing productivity can zoom if you apply clear time standards to the measurement of otherwise static efficiency metrics.(Dispatch)
July 1, 2006... Having trouble getting the most out of your component shop employees? Think there is room for improvement when it comes to efficiencies and productivity output at your shop? If you answer yes to either of these questions, you are not alone. As...

Quality time: to show your salespeople the true value of making sales appointments, teach them to measure the quality vs. quantity of their efforts.(Sell Sheet)
July 1, 2006... Of the many aspects of sales performance that a manager must evaluate, perhaps none is more difficult to measure than "time management." Seemingly identical performances by salespeople often can yield very different results, and many managers...

A knack for all trades: with the launch of SelectBuild, BMHC revamps itself as a construction services juggernaut, and takes its vision of wholehouse construction to a whole new level.(ProFile)
July 1, 2006... When Building Materials Holding Corp. (BMHC) CEO Robert Mellor flew to Phoenix in 1997 to meet with Knipp Bros. Industries president Larry Knipp, whose firm dominated Phoenix's high-volume framing market, BMHC's future hung in the balance. Just...

Out of the shadows: as the debate over undocumented workers heats up, pro dealers take a closer look at whom they use for installation services.
July 1, 2006... Williams Bros. Lumber spells out in contracts with the subcontractors it hires to install products for builders or homeowners that the subcontractor must use labor that is either native-born or is in the country legally. But Jon Parker, general...

Upstream upheaval: a variety of dynamics are changing the face of two-step distribution toward more strategic partnerships with dealers that foster mutual market success.(Market Matters)(Company overview)
July 1, 2006... If you want a glimpse into the future of two-step distribution, one place to look is Building Material Distributors (BMD). Operating out of Galt, Calif., with 1,200 or so dealers across the West among a half-dozen channels, from building...

The great wide open: multi-panel doors are becoming more standardized and more accessible.(Product Monitor)
July 1, 2006... Homeowners' desire for greater flexibility between indoor and outdoor spaces is driving demand for larger window and door openings that allow for unobstructed views and access to the outdoors, a trend that is spurring the expansion of the...

Cozy and quiet.(Product Monitor)
July 1, 2006... A variety of new insulation products, from batts to boards to loose-fill, provide a combination of thermal efficiency and sound abatement, allowing builders and contractors to create more efficient and quieter interior environments. ...

BQE Software.(Hot Finds: IT Solutions)
July 1, 2006... A BQE Software Billquick 2006 time and billing software has been updated with more than 100 new reports and invoice templates. Scaled for up to 50 users, BillQuick 2006 puts project staffing, budgeting, and forecasting into the project...

Progressive Solutions.(Hot Finds: IT Solutions)
July 1, 2006... B Progressive Solutions bisTrack business software for LBM distributors and pro dealers now features Web Track, a secure Web interface that allows customers and other trading partners to enter orders, check inventory, and verify their account's...

GiveMePower Corp.(Hot Finds: IT Solutions)
July 1, 2006... C GiveMePower Corp. The PowerCAD SiteMaster 2 laser-based building surveying and information management software can run on NEC Solutions' Panel-i 6 mobile and wireless computing terminal, which connects to back-office systems. Users can...

Project-a-Phone.(Hot Finds: IT Solutions)
July 1, 2006... D Project-a-Phone Allowing users to display and project mobile phone screen images and video to a PC monitor or other screen, the Project-a-Phone system offers a solution for mobile sales presentations and demonstrations. The system clamps onto...

Xplore Technologies.(Hot Finds: IT Solutions)
July 1, 2006... E Xplore Technologies Designed for both stylus-input and finger-touch input, the iX104C2DV tablet PC features an integrated auto-sensing technology that allows users to automatically switch between the two without having to manually toggle. The...

Signs of the times: a bit of grassroots creativity matched with superior product knowledge and services has independents gaining ground on volume-minded competitors.(Viewpoint)
July 1, 2006... With approximately 3,000 residents, news has always spread rather quickly in Woodstock, Vt. Credit a tightly knit Northeastern community, a popular local newspaper, and Woodstock Home and Hardware, where for several years owner Larry Perry has...