Prosales articles from May 2006

Prosales archives from May 2006

Keeping the pace: there's no time like the present to plan your company's pursuit for a competitive edge in a rapidly changing pro dealer environment.(Editor's Notes)
May 1, 2006... On April 4, San Bernardino, Calif.-based Home Lumber was acquired by Raleigh, KC-based Stock Building Supply, becoming the sixth pro dealer since Jan. 1 to disappear via acquisition from this year's PROSALES 100, our annual ranking and survey...

Calendar.(Returns)(Calendar)
May 1, 2006... Do it Best May Market/May 20-23 / Indianapolis / Contact: 260,748.5316; www.doitbest.com... Building Systems Councils Plant Tour / May 21-23 / Appleton, Wis. / Contact NAHB: 800.368. 5242; www, nahb.org... NLBMDA Training Without Travel...

Steady pace: remodeling expenditures may have softened in late 2005, but industry watchers expect continued, steady growth in this increasingly popular pro dealer customer base.(Pro Watch)
May 1, 2006... Pro dealers whose companies cater to remodelers and replacement contractors can't be blamed if they're a bit confused about what direction this sector might be headed in 2006. Recent market data provided conflicting clues about just how strong...

I on the Future: Wayerhaeuser unveils "iLevel," a consolidated market and brand strategy aimed at increasing flexibility and decreasing costs in the supply channel.(ProWatch)
May 1, 2006... At its annual stockholder's meeting on April 20, Federal Way, Wash.-based forest products giant Weyerhaeuser publicly unveiled "iLevel," a new market and branding strategy that integrates five existing divisions representing the bulk of the...

Eye on the prize: having conquered retail home improvement, The Home Depot sets its sights on professional and commercial customers.(ProWatch)
May 1, 2006... The Home Depot's booth at the International Builders' Show (IBS) in January was packed with visitors and buzzing with activity as the world's largest home improvement retailer showcased its vendors and services. It also used the event to...

Battle plan: 84 Lumber announces a pullout of rural markets and begins a massive hiring programs as part of a three-year strategic plan to hit $10 billion in sales.(ProWatch)
May 1, 2006... Citing inconsistent performance and low return on investment, 84 Lumber announced April 4 that it will pull out of the majority of its rural markets as part of an overall strategic plan to hit $10 billion in sales by the end of 2009. A total of...

Picking up speed; Green goes mainstream at the 2006 Green Building Conference.(ProWatch)
May 1, 2006... If you still think green building isn't something you need to be thinking about, consider this: in St. Louis, Belcher Homes is selling lots for some of its green-designed houses before due diligence is even completed; in New Mexico, the...

Measuring up: where do your skills fall on the leadership yardstick?(ProWatch)
May 1, 2006... Everything we do an our industry measured. From designing lumber racks to on-time deliveries and back orders, LBM suppliers live or die by how well we measure our performance. Yet perhaps the most important criterion for success is one we...

Protecto wrap.(Editor's Product Pick)
May 1, 2006... The 9-inch BT25XL peel-and-stick sealing tape was developed in response to ASTM standard E 2112 requiring a minimum 9-inch-wide flashing at fenestrations. The 20-mil poyethylene-backed rubberized adhesive membrane self-seals around fasteners...

Stock acquires Home Lumber.(Yard Notables)
May 1, 2006... Raleigh. N.C.-based Stock Building Supply, the nation's largest pro dealer, announced April 4 that it will acquire San Bernardino. Calif.-based Home Lumber Co. Home Lumber operates three locations San Bernardino, Bishop, Calif., and Yerington....

TW Perry to open new location.(Yard Notables)
May 1, 2006... Gaithersburg, Md.-based TW Perry announced the addition of its fifth location, a yard in Linthicum, Md., that will service Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties, expected to open this summer. The location spans 6.2 acres and will include a...

In late March, National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) lobbyist Colleen Rocha Levine, along with other members of the American Consumers for Affordable Homes alliance, met with Canadian ambassador to the United States Michael Wilson for his first briefing from U.S. lumber consumers on the issue of softwood lumber trade.
May 1, 2006... In late March, National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) lobbyist Colleen Rocha Levine, along with other members of the American Consumers for Affordable Homes alliance, met with Canadian ambassador to the United States...

Huttig Building Products.
May 1, 2006... St. Louis-based millwork, building materials, and wood products distributor Huttig Building Products appointed Timothy M. Rutzen to regional vice president-Midwest.

Big hearts, great ideas: dealers around the country lend a hand to hurricane victims.(NLBMDA Briefings)
May 1, 2006... May marks the nine-month point since Hurricane Katrina made its devastating impact on the Gulf Coast, its people, and their communities. The storm has had a massive effect on the region's economy and impacted more than 90,000 square...

NLBMDA introduces BuildtheVote.org.(NLBMDA Briefings)
May 1, 2006... NLBMDA is proud to announce the launch of BuildtheVote.org! Created in partnership with the BIPAC Prosperity Project, a program to educate and motivate employees to participate in campaigns and elections, this new advocacy action center...

NLBMDA growing green building resources.(NLBMDA Briefings)
May 1, 2006... With the increased interest in all things "green"--green building that is--NLBMDA has built a Web based clearinghouse of information to help dealers navigate green building issues. The information will help dealers learn more about green...

Light my fire: rekindling the passion within.(New Dimensions)
May 1, 2006... The word passion denotes a powerful, intense emotion, likened to fervor, zeal, or fire. This intensity and commitment often can be seen played out in the faces and actions of many members of our industry. Unfortunately, I realized recently...

On the run: when it comes to sales, you're either running in circles or racing for the finish line.(Firing Line)
May 1, 2006... "Sales is not a sprint, it's a marathon." Sure it's a cliche, but coming to the end of the winter slowdown, I was thinking it was pretty true. I had a lot of prospective business, but none of it would close soon--if any of it closed for me...

Raise your voice: by speaking out, framing the issues, and even introducing legislation to their representatives, dealers can support the efforts of NLBMDA and its federated associations in gaining an industry foothold on Capitol Hill.(Dispatch)
May 1, 2006... A fellow Illinois lumber dealer and veteran of legislative action, Dan Welty of Jones-Berry Lumber, taught me early on about the importance of visiting your legislators. Over a Guinness at the Dubliner, an Irish pub near the Capitol building...

Leading edge: homeowners don't have to be a nuisance--if you seize the opportunity.(Sell Sheet)
May 1, 2006... The next time homeowners walk into your showroom, rather than grumble under your breath, take a moment to consider that they may provide a powerful way to help you build relationships and enhance customer loyalty--with your builder clients....

New era: consolidation, increasing builder service demands, and big box incursion collide to force changes in the competitive climate and corporate makeup of residential construction supply.(Cover story)
May 1, 2006... Our annual ranking of the top 100 residential construction suppliers in the country by pro sales and the next 25 companies on the bubble reveal that a lot of changes are sweeping the industry. The top 10 dealers and distributors are...

Value-added vanguards: dealers large and small continue to embrace product manufacturing and installation as key competitive strategies in the quest for sales growth.(The ProSales 100)(Company overview)
May 1, 2006... After dealing building materials for 50 years, it may seem strange that Eighty Four, Pa.-based 84 Lumber has spent most of its existence without a focus on single-family production builders. Founded by company co-owner Joe Hardy in 1956 as a...

System checks: slowly but smartly, the ProSales 100 continue to invest in technologies that facilitate services, increase efficiencies, and offer more computing power to their customers.(The ProSales 100)
May 1, 2006... Like many pro suppliers, Washington, N.J.-based Warren Lumber & Millwork wasn't the quickest company in the world to grab developing information technology (IT) over the past decade and leverage it into the business of building materials...

Progress report: women are becoming more visible throughout the ranks of pro dealers, but as an industry that still has a male-dominated image, it often falls short in its recruitment and training.
May 1, 2006... When Denise Gabriel entered the retail lumber business in the early-1980s, most builders' attitudes toward dealers' female employees were "almost impossible," she recalls. Gabriel, who currently manages inside sales and customer service for...

Mainstream green: green building guidelines are proliferating across the country, providing dealers with a menu of products and materials in demand by an increasing number of pro and consumer customers.(Market Matters)
May 1, 2006... If custom builder J.D. Holt represented a critical mass of your customer base, your inventory would likely be quite different than it is fight now. Though you'd still stock lumber and panels, windows and doors, siding, millwork, house-wrap,...

Playing it cool: cool roofing for homes is very slowly gaining momentum.(Product Monitor: Roofing Vinyl Siding Hot Finds/Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... In the next several years, energy codes across the nation may start to incorporate reflective--or "cool"--roofing requirements for low-slope-roof commercial buildings to help reduce energy consumption, according to industry experts, and a...

Expanding options.(Product Monitor)
May 1, 2006... Vinyl siding manufacturers continue to expand their lines of foam-backed siding profiles and their collections of fade-resistant dark colors. More lines with traditional wood-style profiles like board-and-batten and scalloped shakes also...

A Henkel Consumer Adhesives.(Hot Finds: Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... A Henkel Consumer Adhesives OSI Green Series caulks, sealants, and adhesives combine performance with environmentally friendly formulations, the manufacturer says. OSI Green Series SA-167 siliconized acrylic latex caulk, for example, is...

B Grace Construction Products.(Hot Finds: Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... B Grace Construction Products Composed of a rubberized asphalt adhesive backed by a cross-laminate polyethylene layer, Grace Roof Detail Membrane conforms tightly to common roof details like valleys, rake edges, chimneys, skylights, and...

C Arch Wood Protection.(Hot Finds: Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... C Arch Wood Protection Applied to OSB, PSL, LVL, or wood I-beams at the factory, lumberyard, or mill, the water-based FrameGuard coating protects against mold and wood-destroying organisms that cause deterioration, discoloration, and odor. The...

D WoodSmart Solutions.(Hot Finds: Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... D WoodSmart Solutions Bluwood lumber and components are treated at the factory in a two-part process called Perfect Barrier with chemicals that provide water repellency, vapor-permeability, and resistance to mold, mildew, and wood-ingesting...

E Quikrete.(Hot Finds: Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... E Quikrete Veneer Stone Mortar is a blend of contractor-grade portland cement, hydrated lime, masonry sand, and other ingredients formulated for a range of applications, including mortar joints, as a bonding coat for stone cladding, and as a...

A Mapei.(Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... A Mapei Designed as an underlayment for ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone tiles, Mapelath synthetic lath offers several advantages over wire lath, according to the manufacturer. Mapelath comes in rolls rather than sheets, is lighter weight...

B Fortifiber Building Systems Group.(Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... B Fortifiber Building Systems Group WeatherSmart housewrap combines a high-strength, non-woven polymeric substrate and a monolithic, non-perforated coating of "smart" polymers to deliver balanced moisture control in any weather condition...

A Johns Manville.(Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... A Johns Manville Designed to decrease air infiltration and control moisture, Gorilla Wrap non-woven polymeric housewrap is nor] perforated to reduce the potential for bulk water penetration and is translucent to allow installers to see framing,...

B Dap.(Construction Materials)
May 1, 2006... B DAP Featuring the manufacturer's DryDex dry time indicator, Premium Lightweight Joint Compound goes on pink but dries white to eliminate guesswork. The formula, which weighs 25 percent less than conventional joint compounds, is de-aired...

Making it work: to keep the business clutter to a minimum, keep in touch with the team and delegate responsibility.(Viewpoint)
May 1, 2006... Like most people who enjoy their work, are at least moderately successful at it, and have some years under their belt, I've got a daily routine. At 7 a.m. I flick on the computer in my home office. As it boots up, I make some coffee, then come...