Plumbing & Electrical Seminar - Deadline Approaches

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Senate Approves Housing Aid Legislation

Creditors to Take Majority Control of Ainsworth Lumber

AMT Changes

Eco-Label for Lumber Moves Forward

Lessons from the Geese

Employee Training Pays

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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. Here are the training 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.

If you haven’t signed up, think about it now. August will be here before you know it! And once the class fills up, we can’t take any more students.

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 were included in the newsletter mailed last week. Call 800-747-6529 or visit our web site at www.themla.com for more information.

If you provide wall calendars to your customers, now is the time to order for 2009. Available in many popular designs, including planners and full-year view, you’ll find one to suit your market. Call Shirley at MLA for details.

Senate Approves Housing Aid Legislation… Tuesday the Senate voted 83-9 to approve the Housing Rescue Bill, which would create a $300 billion fund to aid up to 400,000 homeowners refinance their mortgages.

The White House opposes the bill, saying "The most significant concern that we have with the bill is that it would provide for $4 billion to states to purchase already foreclosed homes, and our concern is that that just helps the banks, that doesn't help the consumers."

The main Republican author of the housing package, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, said he anticipates some of the spending measures in the bill will be cut before presentation to the President.

Source: LBM Daily, June 25, 2008

Creditors to Take Majority Control of Ainsworth Lumber… Vancouver-based oriented strand board producer Ainsworth Lumber, facing financial difficulty because of tumult in the U.S. housing market, has announced a plan to allow creditors to take over 96 percent of the company.

The recapitalization plan is pending the approval of shareholders and Canadian courts. Under the plan, members of the founding Ainsworth family will lose their controlling interest, according to the Edmonton (British Columbia) Journal. The Ainsworth family members most recently controlled 58 percent of company shares and have been prominent in the company’s management. That will change under the new arrangement, with the new owners of the company being the bondholders who will own 96 percent of newly issued stock.

As part of the plan, $823.5 million in debt will be converted to equity in the company and $150 million in new bonds. A further $200 million in bonds will be issued to fund recapitalization costs and operating expenses.

Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, June 25, 2008

AMT Changes… The House passed legislation to patch the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for 2008. It would increase exemptions to $46,200 for individuals and $69,950 for couples. It is fully offset, a provision that will likely slow its progress through the Senate. Offsets include a requirement that banks and other financial institutions report to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) payments to retailers for credit and debit card sales. Despite concerns from banks and retailers, it seems to be a popular offset – the Senate is using it in the housing relief bill it is trying to pass. At some point something will have to be changed; it can’t be used in both bills.

Source: Last Week in Washington, published by North American Retail Hardware Association, June 30, 2008

Eco-Label for Lumber Moves Forward… The LBM Institute, the educational and research arm of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA), will hold a public hearing on July 16 to discuss its proposal for an eco-labeling program for softwood lumber. The certification system would be similar to the grade stamps now administered by the American Lumber Standards Committee (ALSC) and the Department of Commerce.

The purpose of the forum, to be held at the Kansas City Marriott in Kansas City, Mo., is to solicit input from industry stakeholders. The NLBMDA is also gathering comments via an online survey, which can be accessed at the association’s Web site, www.dealer.org.

Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, July 1, 2008

LESSONS FROM THE GEESE

FACT:  As each bird flaps its wings, it creates an “uplift” for the following bird.  By flying in a “V” formation, the whole flock adds 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

LESSON:  People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

FACT:  Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone.  It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the “lifting power” of the bird immediately in front.

LESSON:  If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those who are headed where we want to go.

FACT:  When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies at the point position.

LESSON:  It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership – people, as with geese, are interdependent upon each other.

FACT:  The geese in formation honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

LESSON:  We need to make sure our “honking” from behind is encouraging, not something less helpful.

FACT:  When a goose gets sick or wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation to follow him down to help and protect him.  They stay with him until he is either able to fly again or dies.  They then launch out on their own with another formation or catch up with their flock.

LESSON:  If we have as much sense as the geese, we will stand by each other.

Author: Angeles Arrien

Employee training pays

Have you ever met a business owner who doesn’t want to be profitable and provide a safe work environment? Have you ever met an employee who doesn’t want to be appreciated, fairly compensated, and to work without injury? Accidents reduce business profits through direct and hidden costs, and they decrease employee morale. Yet accidents happen and people continue to get hurt.

Experience tells us that proper training for employees is essential in reducing injuries and illnesses in the work place. Simply training employees in how to perform their jobs safely can prevent many workplace injuries. Training provides the knowledge and motivation to interrupt the events that often lead to injuries.

Hiring, training, orientation

Injury prevention begins with an effective hiring program to assure you hire qualified people who will become assets to your business. Organizations that accurately assess the demands of the job are in a better position to select qualified people and to develop effective training methods for specific tasks.

Orientation and training should cover the job expectations and instructions to perform the job safely, and should be documented. In developing orientation and training programs, consider your people, the work environment, and the equipment used in your operations. Focus on tasks that most frequently lead to injuries. The more frequently incidents occur, the higher the chance of experiencing a serious injury.

Here is a checklist that can be used to evaluate your training program and its effectiveness.

• Does training cover general workplace safety practices?

• Are specific instructions included on controlling hazards unique to the individual job assignment?

• Does training occur on a regular basis?

• Is training provided when new tools, equipment, systems or processes are introduced?

• Are training sessions documented for each employee?

• Are training records retained?

• Are managers and supervisors held accountable for training new employees?

• Are employees held accountable for applying the training techniques and working safely?

Since most people spend almost a third of their lives at work, the workplace should be a safe place. With safety training you can provide a more secure environment for your employees and reap the benefits of higher productivity, profits, and employee loyalty.

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

 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“It's not the will to win that matters – everyone has that. It's the will to prepare to win that matters most.”

                                                                                               —Bear Bryant