Prosales articles from June 2006

Prosales archives from June 2006

Holding on: employee retention is now a top priority in the LBM industry.(Editor's Notes)
June 1, 2006... When you hire new employees, how do you keep them from walking out the door after you have invested time and money in the hiring and training processes? Many human resources (HR) managers in the LBM industry currently grapple with this issue,...

Calendar.(Returns)(Calendar)
June 1, 2006... Florida Building Material Association Summer Conference / June 15-17 / Boca Raton, Fla. / Contact: 352,383,0366; www.fbma.ors... PC BC / June 20-23 / San Francisco / Contact: 800.956. 7469; www.pcbc.com... NLBMDA Training Without Travel...

It's not too late to enter this year's Excellence Awards!(Returns)
June 1, 2006... There's still time to submit your entry for the 2006 PROSALES Excellence Awards. The fifth-annual PROSALES Excellence Awards, which honor excellence in construction supply, are the perfect opportunity to showcase your company's efforts and...

Correction.(Returns)(Correction notice)
June 1, 2006... In "Buying Time" (April 2006, page 62), we provided the incorrect title for Mac Hines of Edward Hines Lumber. Mac Hines' correct title is vice president of sales. PROSALES regrets the error.

On the defensive: training is the key to driver safety, say pro dealers who often tie drivers' bonuses into their records for avoiding accidents and injuries on the road or at the jobsite.(ProWatch)
June 1, 2006... Last August, as it wrapped up its fiscal year, Stock Building Supply decided to standardize some of its safety procedures as part of an ongoing effort to homogenize some of its chain-wide operating guidelines. That effort included customizing...

Summer's hottest sequel: Rosako Safety and NLBMDA team up with Home Lumber of New Haven for the filming of the Delivery and Fleet Safety video training program.(ProWatch)
June 1, 2006... It's an unwritten Hollywood rule: Every blockbuster demands a sequel. This summer, as your kids drag you off to Mission: Impossible III, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and X-Men: The Last Stand, Ron Koons, president of Middletown,...

Progressive push: with the go-ahead to act as a vendor for Orgill's buying-group members, software provider Progressive Solutions has a plus-sized opportunity to expand its pro dealer customer base.(ProWatch: Tech Trends)
June 1, 2006... Kirk Mills needed a way to get his head around his businesses. With an engineered wood shop, a steel company, a millworks firm, and an installed sales business running out of a single yard in Buckner, Ky., keeping products, shipments, and...

Baldwin and Kwikset.(Editor's Product Pick)
June 1, 2006... Select Baldwin entry handlesets/ locksets are now available with sister-company Kwikset's K-keyway, rather than Baldwin's standard C-keyway. The K-keyway allows builders to install a Baldwin entry-set on a home's front door and use...

Stock makes acquisitions.(Yard Notables)
June 1, 2006... Raleigh, N.C.-based Stock Building Supply announced April 24 it has acquired Indianapolis-based Davis Homes Wholesale, the sole supplier of roof trusses, wall panels, door assemblies, framing lumber, windows, subflooring, trim, roofing, and...

Builders FirstSource to acquire Freeport Lumber, Freeport Truss.(Yard Notables)
June 1, 2006... Builders FirstSource has entered a definitive agreement to acquire Freeport Truss Co. and Freeport Lumber Co. for approximately $27 million, the Dallas-based supplier announced April 26. Freeport, a truss manufacturer and LBM distributor in the...

John H. Myers to build Truss Plant.(Yard Notables)
June 1, 2006... York, Pa.-based Myers Engineered Systems, a division of pro dealer John H. Myers & Son, announced plans to build a 30,000-square-foot roof truss and floor truss manufacturing plant near Dillsburg, Pa. "By combining our retail expertise with...

Northwestern Lumber Association names president.(Yard Notables)
June 1, 2006... The Northwestern Lumber Association has appointed Paula Siewert as its new president, replacing 17-year president Gary Smith. Siewert has worked in several areas of the organization over the past 21 years, according to an announcement,...

Babin Building Solutions opens showroom.(Yard Notables)
June 1, 2006... Bedford Heights, Ohio-based building products provider Babin Building Solutions announced the opening of a 2,850-square-foot showroom and design center in Green, Ohio. The facility features a range of products, including Merillat and Armstrong...

Marietta, Ga.-based building material supplier Robert Bowden received the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Company of the Year Award from the Southeastern Employee Stock Ownership Association.
June 1, 2006... Marietta, Ga.-based building material supplier Robert Bowden received the Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) Company of the Year Award from the Southeastern Employee Stock Ownership Association. The award honors companies that represent the...

Mark Dodd has joined Olympia, Wash.-based Lumbermens as merchandise manager.
June 1, 2006... Mark Dodd has joined Olympia, Wash.-based Lumbermens as merchandise manager. Dodd, who has 28 years of building material experience, will develop and manage the pro dealer's building material purchasing programs.

Minneapolis-based Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. announced the name change of its Hopkins, Minn., yard Justus Lumber--a location the dealer acquired in 2001--to Scherer Bros.
June 1, 2006... Minneapolis-based Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. announced the name change of its Hopkins, Minn., yard Justus Lumber--a location the dealer acquired in 2001--to Scherer Bros. The company also announced it will open a new and expanded window and door...

Stamford, Conn.-based paper, packaging, and forest products firm International Paper signed a definitive agreement to sell 275,000 acres of Adirondack forestland to Hanover, N.H.-based Lyme Timber Co. for $137 million.
June 1, 2006... Stamford, Conn.-based paper, packaging, and forest products firm International Paper signed a definitive agreement to sell 275,000 acres of Adirondack forestland to Hanover, N.H.-based Lyme Timber Co. for $137 million. International Paper's...

Orgill.
June 1, 2006... Memphis, Tenn.-based buying group Orgill reported sales of more than $1 billion for the year ended March 31, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported, the first independent to reach that mark.

AZEK Trimboards.
June 1, 2006... Moosic, Pa.-based cellular PVC trim manufacturer AZEK Trimboards has appointed Aaron Elliott to vice president of sales. Elliott previously served 11 years at Elk Building Products.

Kleer Lumber.
June 1, 2006... Westfield, Mass.-based cellular PVC trim manufacturer Kleer Lumber has appointed Christopher White as vice president of sales; White previously served as a regional sales manager for Trex Co.

Toyota.
June 1, 2006... Toyota has appointed Kosaku Yamada as managing director of Toyota Industries Corp. where he will oversee design, development, and manufacturing processes of Toyota lift trucks. Yamada's career at Toyota includes serving as chief engineer over...

Charlotte, N.C.-based commercial trade credit services provider BlueTarp Financial was named Supplier of the Year by the Southern Building Material Association (SBMA), recognizing the company's involvement in and service to SBMA and NLBMDA as well as overall business success.
June 1, 2006... Charlotte, N.C.-based commercial trade credit services provider BlueTarp Financial was named Supplier of the Year by the Southern Building Material Association (SBMA), recognizing the company's involvement in and service to SBMA and NLBMDA as...

A new study conducted by the Louisiana State University Forest Products Development Center concludes that during 2004 the treated wood industry, which was transitioning to new preservatives, posted record sales of $4.9 billion, an increase of 25 percent over eight years.
June 1, 2006... A new study conducted by the Louisiana State University Forest Products Development Center concludes that during 2004 the treated wood industry, which was transitioning to new preservatives, posted record sales of $4.9 billion, an increase of...

Passion play: a day in the life of a dealer lobbyist at the 2006 NLBMDA Legislative Conference.(NLBMDA Briefings)
June 1, 2006... The day's meetings had gone well and excitement filled the Reagan Rotunda with a palpable air only passion for a common cause can arouse. One of the highlights of any National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA)...

Taking control: find the time--and the tools--to track and analyze dedicated financials for your installed sales operation.(New Dimensions)
June 1, 2006... During the recent Installed Sales Summit in Cincinnati, I discovered something that blew my mind. There, at a conference with an attendee list that read like a who's who of the PROSALES 100, I discovered that there are still a number of dealers...

So the saying goes: which comes first? The advertising or the sales?(Firing Line)
June 1, 2006... "We aren't selling any," Pete told us. "Why not?" the owner asked. "We aren't advertising," Pete said. "Why aren't we advertising?" the owner asked me. "No budget," I answered. "Why not?" "No sales." "Good...

High-tech HR: leveraging learning management system technologies as part of a cohesive performance management effort can result in real-world increases to productivity and returns on the investment in personnel.(Dispatch)
June 1, 2006... Human capital is the single largest expense for most organizations, yet many companies have not viewed it as a means to achieve greater business goals by making that human capital more productive. Fortunately, many of today's executives and...

Higher standards for HR: love your employees? Make sure you have HR procedures in place to prove it to them.(Outlook)
June 1, 2006... I believe that the standard for excellence is rising in all areas of the building material supply business, and human resources is no exception. I am often asked, "How is your company at human resources?" In the past, my answer typically...

Time well spent: measure and improve your sales performance by calculating the true value of your time.(Sell Sheet)
June 1, 2006... You've heard hundreds of times the old adage that "time is money." But how much money? That is the question too many salespeople leave unanswered. To truly measure your performance, improve your efficiencies, and increase the bottom line, you...

Perfect match: five steps to building and maintaining a quality employee gene pool. Plus, profiles of dealers and a builder making human resources a successful element of their growth curves.(Interview)
June 1, 2006... At 6 a.m. Monday morning, your cell phone rings. It's your dispatcher informing you that two of your best drivers have quit. But he tells you he has two potential replacements already lined up. When you ask him about their qualifications, he...

Hiring for growth: in the increasingly competitive world of building materials and construction, here's how 84 Lumber, Tindell's, and David Weekley Homes attract and retain good employees.(Perfect Match)
June 1, 2006... In January 2005 Blake Wagster was driving home from law school at Stetson University in Deland, Fla., when he saw a "Now Hiring" banner waving in front of an 84 Lumber store. With prior experience as a yard hand, and needing money to support...

Hiring for keeps.(Perfect Match)
June 1, 2006... Since he began working at Tindell's 13 years ago, Tim Bryant has held almost every front-line job imaginable at the five-yard, Knoxville, Tenn.-based independent dealer. Starting out as a yard hand, he quickly began driving for the company...

Hiring for families.(Perfect Match)
June 1, 2006... Before Mike Brezina was offered a job at David Weekley Homes, CEO John Johnson showed up at his doorstep to make sure Brezina's wife and kids knew what Dad was getting into. Working as vice president of human resources at the 1,500-employee...

Standing tall: already on a strong growth path, Kuiken Bros. takes a leap into stand-alone showrooms as part of an effort to innovate while continuing to offer top-shelf contractor services.(ProFile)
June 1, 2006... When you think of the wealthiest counties in the United States, counties in the state of New Jersey probably do not come to mind. You probably envision a traditional blue-blood breeding ground like Nassau County, N.Y., or Marin County, Calif.,...

Agenda at a glance.(Calendar)
June 1, 2006... THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26 1:00 - 5:00 pm Artistic Backgrounds Tour 6:00 - 8:00 pm Welcome Reception FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27 7:00 am - 1:00 pm Registration 8:00 - 9:30 am Keynote Breakfast: ...

Multiple challenges: as multifamily housing's decade-long run of stability continues, builders in the industry still face compliance obstacles that present additional opportunities for dealers.(Market Matters)
June 1, 2006... To develop the nearly 8,000 affordable and subsidized multifamily units he has under construction in 27 states, Robert Greer, president of Michaels Development in Marlton, N.J., must jump through what seems like an endless number of hoops to...

Smooth transitions: transitional cabinetry walks the line between modern minimalism and traditional details.(Product Monitor)
June 1, 2006... Slick, high-gloss finishes and slab doors may be the "it" look for urban loft-dwellers, but for most homeowners, modern/ contemporary cabinetry styles can feel too spare and cold. Conversely, heavily ornamented traditional cabinetry with lots...

Decorative elements.(Product Monitor)
June 1, 2006... Several manufacturers have recently introduced products in man-made materials that deliver low maintenance, simpler installation, and good looks with a nod to traditional styles. Meanwhile, new wood millwork introductions offer the natural...

CPI Plastics Group.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
June 1, 2006... A CPI Plastics Group Made from 100 percent plastic with a wood-grain finish and realistic texture, Eon Fencing comes in fade-resistant cedar and redwood colors and will not split, rot, or flake, according to the manufacturer. Eon Fencing panels...

Owens Corning.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
June 1, 2006... B Owens Corning The Cultured Stone Monticello Trim Collection comprises base and trim moldings, water tables and sills, window and door trim stones, chair rail moldings, and keystones for exterior and interior trim applications. In combination...

Tamko Building Products.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
June 1, 2006... C Tamko Building Products Scalloped and diamond-shaped shingles have been added to the Lamarite Slate composite shingle line. Available in a 12-inch-wide format and featuring the look of natural slate, the scalloped and diamond shingles are...

Amsco Windows.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
June 1, 2006... D Amsco Windows The Renaissance Series sliding glass door is constructed of a composite material that combines the appearance of wood with the low maintenance of vinyl along with energy efficiency. Adjustable tandem steel rollers make operation...

CertainTeed.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
June 1, 2006... E CertainTeed The Landmark Premium line of high-definition asphalt shingles is now available in an array of improved colors that are deeper, more vibrant, and higher in contrast, according to the manufacturer. The palette of earth tones...

Street cred: the quality of delivery vehicles and drivers is your first face forward in contractor customer service.(Viewpoint)
June 1, 2006... Nothing says business success quite as effectively as a private corporate jet. Whether it's a Learjet or a Gulf stream, a Hawker or a Citation, the combination of a lucrative price tag and ticket-less travel emphasizes the adages that time is...