Prosales articles from October 2005

Prosales archives from October 2005

Unsung heroes: those who reach out to provide assistance to help the individuals and businesses impacted by Hurricane Katrina are the role models that we need to recognize and follow.(Editor's Notes)
October 1, 2005... While it's too early to determine the full extent of Hurricane Katrina's long-term impact on the building industry, materials costs, and the overall economy, it's clear that the immense toll it has taken on the people who live and work in...

True value.(Returns)(Letter to the Editor)
October 1, 2005... I enjoyed reading Mike Butts' recent article ("Adding Value" August 2005, page 40). Since Bill Lee has stopped publishing "People and Profits" it is comforting to find someone like Mike writing articles that are near and dear to our industry....

Calendar.(Returns)(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... Western Building Material Association Annual Convention and Showcase / Nov. 2-4 /Seattle / Contact: 360.943.3054; VvWW.wbma.or2,... Lumber Association of California and Nevada Annual Convention / Nov. 3-5 / Reno, Nevada / Contact:...

Don't miss the dealer opportunities at the International Builders' Show!(Returns)(Calendar)
October 1, 2005... The 2006 International Builders' Show will be held Jan. 11-14 in Orlando, Fla. Once again, PROSALES, the official show publication for dealers and distributors, and the NAHB are offering dealers plenty of reasons to attend. Here are a few...

Correction.(Returns)(Correction Notice)
October 1, 2005... In "E-Commerce Evolution" (July 2005, page 71), we incorrectly reported that "several" yards license Spruce Computer Systems' business management software. In fact, 500 yards license Spruce's business management systems, according to the...

Boom or bust? Will the housing bubble burst or won't it? One thing is certain: everyone has an opinion.(ProWatch)
October 1, 2005... The median price of a home on Long Island, N.Y., rose by 13 percent in June to $429,000. That same month, Newsday reported, the number of unsold homes on the island increased 22 percent to 19,120 units. Therein lies one of many contradictions...

NLBMDA and FMCSA sign safety deal.(ProWatch)
October 1, 2005... On July 28 the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Under the partnership, the NLBMDA, which represents more...

B&B sheet metal.(Editor's Product Pick)
October 1, 2005... The Americraft copper gutter system requires no soldering of end caps and gutter connections, making installation easier, faster, and safer, says the company. In many cases, the fascia hangers can be installed on the gutters on the ground and...

The Contractor Yard acquires Northlake.(Yard Notables)
October 1, 2005... Charlotte, N.C.--based supplier The Contractor Yard announced the acquisition of Troutman, N.C.--based Northlake Lumber Co. According to CEO Ben Phillips in a recent company statement, the acquisition expands The Contractor Yard's service area...

Stock acquires J.C. Baldridge.(Yard Notables)
October 1, 2005... Raleigh, N.C.--based Stock Building Supply announced its purchase of Albuquerque, N.M.-based J.C. Baldridge Lumber, Stock's first New Mexico operation. According to a company statement, between 2000 and 2004 New Mexico single-family housing...

BMHC acquires The Campbell Cos.(Yard Notables)
October 1, 2005... San Francisco--based Building Materials Holding Corp. (BMHC) announced on Aug. 31 that its subsidiary, BMC Construction, has completed its purchase of The Campbell Cos., which provides concrete and plumbing services to production builders in...

Rugg Lumber acquires Street Lumber.(Yard Notables)
October 1, 2005... Greenfield, Mass.--based Rugg HomeTown Lumber & Hardware has acquired Street Lumber. After working with Street for several years through a co-op, Rugg acquired the dealer--which has yards in Granby and Ware, Mass.--to expand its customer base...

New hires at do it best.(Yard Notables)
October 1, 2005... Fort Wayne, Ind.--based Do it Best Corp. announced the recent hire of three new employees. Dan Wasvick joined the co-op as its INCOM Distributor Supply's industrial project leader. Wasvick's responsibilities include assisting member-owners with...

Weather Shield.
October 1, 2005... Medford, Wis.-based window and door manufacturer Weather Shield celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The company commemorated the occasion with a hand-crafted, wood-and-glass American flag measuring 17 feet 10 inches by 13 feet 6 inches...

Louisville, Ky.-based nail manufacturer Great Northern announced the purchase of Carencro, La.-based preformed vinyl corners and EZ-Corners inventor Ribco.
October 1, 2005... Louisville, Ky.-based nail manufacturer Great Northern announced the purchase of Carencro, La.-based preformed vinyl corners and EZ-Corners inventor Ribco. Owned by Nova Group Investments, the purchase expands Great Northern into the vinyl...

Southern Pine Council.
October 1, 2005... New Orleans-based Southern Pine Council will commemorate its 90th anniversary at its annual meeting in November. Since 1915, Southern Pine has represented manufacturers from 11 states; its members produce about 55 percent of the Southern pine...

P>Americus, Ga.-based Habitat for Humanity completed its 200,000th house in August in Knoxville, Tenn.
October 1, 2005... Americus, Ga.-based Habitat for Humanity completed its 200,000th house in August in Knoxville, Tenn. The organization says that while it took 24 years to build the first 100,000 homes, the second 100,000 have been built in the last five years....

Boise Building Materials Distribution.
October 1, 2005... Boise, Idaho-based Boise Building Materials Distribution will open a new distribution center in Lathrop, Calif. The 30-acre site with 150,000-square-foot building, which will service Northern California and northern Nevada markets, will be...

The National Building Museum will award the Washington, D.C-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with the Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology at an event on Oct. 24.
October 1, 2005... The National Building Museum will award the Washington, D.C-based U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) with the Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology at an event on Oct. 24. The Turner prize recognizes invention,...

Marvin Windows and Doors Showcase at Millwork Masters, ltd.(INTEGRITY CELEBRATES ITS RED DIAMOND ACHIEVERS)(Advertisement)
October 1, 2005... Integrity[R] The Anchor Of New England Dealer As a dealer serving a wide swath of northern New England, Peter Brnger has a diverse clientele. His business, Marvin Windows and Doors Showcase at Millwork Masters, located in Keene, NH, serves...

NLBMDA welcomes new chair, Kevin Hancock.(NLBMDA Briefings)
October 1, 2005... At the 2005 NLBMDA/ProSales Industry Summit, NLBMDA welcomed its 2005-2006 Board of Directors chair, Kevin Hancock. Hancock is CEO of Hancock Lumber in Casco, Maine. He has been an active member of NLBMDA and the LBM industry for many years,...

And the winners are ...(NLBMDA Briefings)
October 1, 2005... NLBMDA announces recipients of its first annual safety awards If your company invests time, money, and resources into improving safety in the workplace, then you are already well aware of the large return on investment in terms of morale,...

NLBMDA advocacy corner.(NLBMDA Briefings)
October 1, 2005... This August, President George W. Bush signed into law major NLBMDA-supported legislation funding federal highway and other surface transportation projects. NLBMDA successfully lobbied Congress to have a provision removed from the Transportation...

Under cover: if you have an installed sales program, make sure you also have proper insurance and workers' compensation coverage.(New Dimensions)
October 1, 2005... One topic that often arises during any discussion of installed sales is insurance coverage: How much does your company need, what types should you have, and how do you control it? Complicating this issue is whether you use in-house installers...

Hiring freeze: how much time could we save if our help-wanted ads said what we really wanted?(Firing Line)
October 1, 2005... There is a message from the boss saved on my voice-mail. I listened to it once about a week ago and it filled me with such dark terror that I just couldn't face the message's implications. Lucky for me, the boss is on vacation. I dumped it...

Staying inbounds: if you define the type of business model your company will follow, both your salespeople and your customers will know the rules of the game.(Sell Sheet)
October 1, 2005... Your salesperson comes to you with yet another special request. He has a potential new customer that promises to purchase all his millwork materials from you over the next 12 months--if you can accommodate some "special needs." The builder...

The local connection: as big builders expand across the country, they need suppliers that can deliver consistent market-to-market products and service. Pro dealers fit that bill locally, and some are tapping into builders' regional needs. But at what cost?(Cover Story)
October 1, 2005... Ask pro dealers about how builders buy from them, and most respond that purchasing decisions are made, by and large, locally. "Builders are organized pretty much the same way we are, and their divisions still have a lot of say in what gets...

People power: 2005 NLBMDA Excellence in Human Resources Award winners, Indiana's Limeberry Lumber and Lumberplus, recognize that success hinges not only on your people, but on how you leverage the power and personalities of those people.
October 1, 2005... For Limeberry Lumber and Lumberplus, success means going beyond the popular industry motto of being "about the people." Extraordinary growth has sent these two Indiana pro dealers, the winners of the 2005 National Lumber and Building Material...

New beginnings: when it comes to corporate culture, Limeberry Lumber has found that it's not always just what you offer, but how you offer it, that brings spirited employees into the fold and bolsters the growth opportunities for veterans.(People Power)
October 1, 2005... When you ask Susan Karcher to talk about her job at Limeberry Lumber, she doesn't immediately tell you about the things she does as a counter salesperson--working a cash register, stocking retail shelves, filing, and administrative...

The professionals: poised for growth and looking to expand its executive team, the owners of Lumberplus didn't even think they needed an HR manager--then Bob Marion walked in the door.(People Power)
October 1, 2005... Just three years ago, the father-and-son ownership team of Joseph K. Beckman and Joseph W. Beckman scoffed at the idea that they needed a human resources manager for Lumberplus, their Crown Point, Ind.--based company that does business as Home...

Small differences: custom builders and remodeling contractors both look like small-volume players, but supplying and servicing them both--or at all--requires an understanding of their differences.(Market Matters)
October 1, 2005... Mark Scott has been on both sides of the fence. Through the 1980s, the owner of Mark IV Builders in Bethesda, Md., built custom spec homes; for most of the past 15 years, his focus has been high-end residential remodeling. And though he...

A cut above: optimizing saws can help maximize lumber, if you're up to the challenge.(Product Monitor)
October 1, 2005... If you run a component manufacturing shop, you've probably heard some talk lately about optimizing saws--computerized linear saws that automate the component-cutting process. The saws excel at maximizing the use of each board of lumber and...

Hold tight.(Product Monitor)
October 1, 2005... Some of the newest fasteners and connectors on the market are engineered for better performance in a variety of materials, including popular wood alternatives like PVC and composite trims, while other new introductions help solve common...

Elk Corp.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
October 1, 2005... Featuring a wood-shake appearance, Domain Ashford random-cut roofing shingles create a more natural looking roofline with their thick profile and varying exposures ranging from 4 7/16 inches to 8 7/8 inches, the maker says. A unique application...

Stylescape Products.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
October 1, 2005... Stylescape columns are molded from lightweight polystyrene and are coated with an impact-resistant polyurethane. Mounted over a standard 4x4 post, the columns come in three styles, along with five cap options. Internal raceways for electrical...

TimberTech.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
October 1, 2005... Constructed of solid extruded vinyl, the TimberTech DrySpace drainage system is designed to keep water from draining into the space below second-story decks, turning previously limited-use space into a dry outdoor living area. The system...

Fletcher Wood Solutions.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
October 1, 2005... Available in trimboards, fascia, siding, and exterior moldings, Armourwood is manufactured from finger-jointed radiata pine and pressure-treated with a penetrating biocide preservative to resist rot and termites. The non-corrosive preservative...

Pine Hall Brick.(Hot Finds: Exterior Products)
October 1, 2005... Pine Hall Brick Designed to complement the manufacturer's popular Rumbled paver, the Old World series of facing brick is fired and then tumbled to create the look of reclaimed brick with rounded edges and rough, uneven surface textures. Old...

Taking the lead: whether they rely on charisma, an astute sense of business management, or entrepreneurial vision, the great leaders of business all share a day-in, day-out commitment to the success of their teams.(Viewpoint)
October 1, 2005... Looking back at school, I don't recall learning much about leadership. Apart from some presidents and generals in history class and the Curies and Einsteins in first period science, leadership was not something scheduled into the lesson plans....