Vol. 7, No. 9 – April 28, 2008

 

BOB AIKEN SCHEDULED FOR AREA SEMINARS

 

MLA will provide Bob Aiken’s popular plumbing and electrical sales seminars in August. Scheduled for August 21-22 in St. Louis and August 25-26 in Wichita, Bob Aiken will help your employees better understand these important topics to boost your sales.

 

HOW TO SELL PLUMBING SUPPLIES

 

This seminar is designed to present product knowledge through a combination of classroom and hands-on training, as well as teaching selling skills to retail salespeople.  Both beginners and experienced store personnel will benefit greatly from Bob Aiken’s 35+ years of retail and plumbing experience.  This seminar is fast-paced, entertaining, interactive and informative.  Attendees will leave with a better understanding of electrical products and their uses, and be able to sell the correct plumbing items to consumers.

 

Topics covered include:

 

Ø    How a plumbing system works

Ø  Types of shock arrestors and why they are needed.

Ø  Valves-different types and their specific uses

Ø  Selling and repairing faucets

Ø  Different types of pipes and where you can use them- CPVC, PVC, Copper, PEX, PE, ABS and PB

Ø  Soldering

Ø  Installing a garbage disposal, dishwasher, air-gaps, ice-maker and under-sink drainage.

Ø  Water heaters

 

HOW TO SELL ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES

 

This seminar is designed to present product knowledge through a combination of classroom and hands-on training, as well as teaching selling skills to retail salespeople.  Both beginners and experienced store personnel will benefit greatly from Bob Aiken’s 35+ years of retail experience and electrical training.  This seminar is fast-paced, entertaining, interactive and informative.  Attendees will leave with a better understanding of electrical products and their uses, and be able to sell the correct electrical items to consumers.

 

Topics covered include:

 

Ø  How an electrical system works

Ø  The difference between 120 Volts and 240 Volts

Ø  Dryer and range wiring – 4 wire vs. 3 wire

Ø  Understanding electrical panels and grounding

Ø  Breaker types and uses – what can be used where

Ø  Fuses – types and uses

Ø  Cables, cords and uses.

Ø  Metal vs. plastic boxes, and how to select the right size and type.

Ø  Wiring a variety of residential circuits.

Ø  Understanding receptacles and switches, including GFCIs and AFCIs, Single-pole, double-pole, three-way switches.

 

Locations:

 

St. Louis area – Holiday Inn Select, 4341 Veteran’s Mem. Pkwy., St. Peters, Mo.

Wichita area – Holiday Inn Select, 549 S. Rock Rd., Wichita, Kan.

 

Registration fees:

 

Members: $350 for first person; $325 for each add’l from same company; $225 for Day 1 or Day 2 separately.

 

Nonmembers: $450 for first person; $425 for each add’l from same company; $325 for Day 1 or Day 2 separately.

 

Fees include lunch, breaks and handout materials.

 

Don’t Delay – Registration is limited to 28 at each location. Late sign-up fee: After August 1^st – add $50 per person surcharge.

 

Special room rates have been arranged at each location. Registration forms will be available on May 1^st. Call 800-747-6529 or visit our web site at www.themla.com.

 

 

 

SURVEY DEADLINE – MAY 2^ND

 

You run a profitable business, but there is room to grow. See firsthand how you stack up against your competition and learn how to grow your business by participating in the NLBMDA Cost of Doing Business Survey.

 

The Cost of Doing Business Survey will provide you with forecasted financial statements and cash flow analysis for key profit variables such as projected sales change, gross margin, inventory turns, salary and other expense changes based on last year’s performance. Participate in the survey and receive your individualized report and industry analysis for only $150.

 

To complete the survey, please contact Jim Enter at jim@aaroundtables.com to receive a password and security code to complete the survey. Survey Deadline:

May 2, 2008. Click here for more information.

 

 

 

SAVE THE DATE

 

May 1-2 - Missouri Swing-into-Spring Event

May 8 – Good Morning Credit – NACM MidAmerica, OKC (Click here to register)

June 13 - Kansas Sunflower Shootout

August 21-22 – Plumbing and Electrical Seminars – St. Louis

August 25-26 – Plumbing and Electrical Seminars – Wichita

October 1-4 – NLBMDA Industry Summit – Chantilly, Va.

Nov. 6-7 – MLA Fall Fling

 

Call the MLA Office – 800-747-6529 – for additional information or email: mail@themla.com

 

 

 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

 

Small Business Administration Turns Over PR Executive's Email, Says American Small Business League… The Small Business Administration (SBA) has agreed to turn over two years of correspondence from Mike Stamler, the agency's press office director, to the American Small Business League (ASBL).

 

The ASBL requested the information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The ASBL believes Stamler's correspondence will help to expose the SBA's long-standing public relations campaign to misrepresent the diversion of billions of dollars in federal small business contracts to Fortune 1000 firms. The SBA has consistently tried to deny the problem by describing it as "miscoding" and a "myth." Read more.

 

The ASBL was preparing to file suit against the SBA in federal district court in San Francisco when the agency finally decided to release the information. The SBA is charging the ASBL $2300 to provide the information.

 

Since 2003, a series of federal investigations found the SBA had inflated the Bush Administration's small business contracting statistics by including billions of dollars in awards to such firms as Rolls Royce, Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, Raytheon, Titan Industries, Lockheed Martin and British Aerospace and Engineering (BAE). Read more.

 

Source: NACM E-News Weekly Update, April 15, 2008

 

Weyerhaeuser Shuts Down Engineered Lumber Plant … Weyerhaeuser has announced it will close its Structurwood plant in Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, by early July. The facility, one of nine Weyerhaeuser units that manufacture oriented strand boards, had an annual production capacity of 550 million square feet.

 

The decision will affect 170 employees, according to the company. The Hudson Bay facility had already reduced it production, in the spring of 2007, because of reduced demand. The mill will now be mothballed, although Weyerhaeuser has not ruled out other strategic alternatives.

 

Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, April 16, 2008

 

Canfor Slashes Jobs, Production in an Effort to Survive the Downturn in Lumber Market… Vancouver-based forestry company Canfor announced Tuesday it is cutting production at a number of its mills, citing the significant drop in lumber markets.

 

The company will be forced to cut jobs as it drops shifts and reduces work weeks at both the Prince George and Clear Lake operations. This move will reduce Canfor's annual lumber production by 600 million board feet, or about 15 percent from 2007 production.

 

Source: LBM Daily, April 16, 2008

 

Housing construction falls sharply in March… The construction of new homes plunged in March to the lowest level in 17 years, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday.

Housing construction dropped by 11.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 947,000 units, a much bigger decline than economists had been forecasting.

 

Building permits also fell in March, signaling even more problems ahead for the beleaguered housing industry.

 

Source: ProSales Online, April 16, 2008

 

Senate Bill Would Give U.S. Home Builders Tax Relief… The U.S. Senate has approved a bill that would extend the "net operating loss carry-back rule" from two years to four in an effort to give some relief to struggling home builders. The rule allows companies to use profit losses from one year to offset income from the previous two years, making possible large tax rebates for the biggest home builders.

 

The House of Representatives is currently looking at a bill that does not contain the carry-back extension, and any legislation would first have to be reconciled between the two branches.

 

Source: LBM Daily, April 22, 2008

 

Existing Home Sales Slip in March… Existing-home sales edged down in March, remaining within a narrow range of sales activity that has persisted since last September, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

 

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the market is performing unevenly. “Though mortgage rates are at historically low levels, some borrowers are facing restrictive lending practices in declining markets,” he said. “At the same time, many buyers continue to bide their time with a large number of homes to choose from, while other potential buyers remain on the sidelines.”

 

Source: National Association of Realtors, April 22, 2008

 

Commerce Department: sales fell for building materials, furnishings … Retail sales in March rose 0.2 percent month-over-month, buoyed by strong sales at gas stations. But building materials and other related markets saw a drop in sales last month.

 

According to the Commerce Department report, sales of building materials fell 1.6 percent, and sales of home furnishings fell 0.3 percent. General retail stores, like Wal-Mart and Target, saw a combined 0.6 decline in March.

 

But year-over-year, overall retail sales increased 2 percent, again buoyed by higher gas prices. Building materials and home furnishings took the biggest hit when compared with last year, falling 6.9 percent and 7.1 percent respectively.

 

Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, April 23, 2008

 

Lawmakers Busy With Housing-Related Legislation… Capitol Hill has produced or is considering a veritable cornucopia of legislation this week:

 

In the U.S. Senate, the Banking Committee announced its intention to create a new position for oversight of mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

 

And in the U.S. House of Representatives, new legislation was enacted that provides local governments with money to buy foreclosed homes in the hopes that doing so will help preserve the upkeep of neighborhoods.

 

Also in the House of Representatives, new rules are being considered that would protect mortgagors from investor lawsuits in the event the mortgage companies decide to assist mortgagees by avoiding foreclosures on properties.

 

Source: LBM Daily, April 24, 2008

 

Reinsurance

 (We purchase insurance, too)

 

Numerous catastrophic events over the last few years have heightened awareness of the importance of carrying adequate amounts of insurance. But, have you ever wondered who protects the insurance companies that protect you?

 

Not unlike our clients, Federated purchases insurance (called “reinsurance”) to reduce our liability on individual risks and protect us from catastrophic losses. This allows us to insure larger property and liability risks on an individual and regional basis without fear that one loss or event would adversely affect our ability to pay claims.

 

Just like a traditional insurance policy, our reinsurance contracts have grants of coverage, exclusions, and premiums. The reinsurance contract conditions are tailored to support the size and type of clients Federated insures, as our clients’ operations determine the type of claims that would be incurred in the event of an individual or catastrophic loss.

 

Federated buys reinsurance on the same basis we recommend our clients buy insurance. Buy from someone you trust and with whom you have a long-term relationship. Buy to protect from catastrophic losses and choose as high a deductible as makes sense financially. And, review your program each year to be sure it meets your needs.

 

There are two basic types of reinsurance:

 

Treaty Reinsurance – The reinsurer agrees to assume a predetermined portion of specific types and excess amounts of losses within Federated’s entire book of business.

 

Facultative Reinsurance – The reinsurer assumes a portion of a specific insurance policy. The individual characteristics of our client’s property and/or operations are taken into consideration in determining reinsurance pricing and acceptance.

 

Why does reinsurance matter to you?

 

Federated’s relationships with reinsurers go beyond providing excess and catastrophic loss protection. Because of their broad networking capabilities, reinsurers are able to offer a wide array of support services including specialty coverage expertise, partnership in coverage, policy language assistance, development of new product lines or new markets, and counsel on catastrophic loss exposures.

 

You purchase commercial insurance to protect your business, but it also protects your customers and your employees. Federated works with reputable reinsurers who can provide the same quality coverage and service that our clients expect from us.

 

This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association’s recommended insurer.

MLA is proud to endorse….

 

 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

"Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." – Sign hanging in Albert Einstein's office at Princeton