MLA LINE
Lumber Industry News Express
Vol. 7, No. 15 – July 22, 2008
In this issue:
Plumbing & Electrical Seminar - Deadline Approaches
ProBuild Acquires Big Buck Building Centers
Weyerhaeuser to Shut Down Canadian Mill
Louisiana-Pacific Settles in OSB Suits
Menards Plans Further Missouri Stores
Reminder!
The federal minimum wage goes up to $6.55 per hour on July 24, 2008. The increases were enacted in 2007.
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HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR PLUMBING &
ELECTRICAL SEMINARS?
MLA will provide Bob Aiken’s
popular plumbing and electrical sales seminars in August. Scheduled for
August 21-22 in
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 1st – 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.
On Wednesday, June 11, the Financial Services Committee held a hearing to examine HR 6078, the “Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act.” The bill offers incentives to financial institutions and lenders who offer lower interest loans and other advantages to individuals who build or remodel their homes or businesses in such a way that greatly improves their energy efficiency.
The essence of this legislation and what it is intended to accomplish is not only supported by housing advocates, but also government leaders, developers, and the environmental community. There are, however, logistical issues with the bill that threaten its long-term success. Jerry Howard, CEO of the National Association of Homebuilders (NAHB), testified at the hearing and applauded the bill’s goal of making energy efficiency a priority without sacrificing affordability, but also pointed out the fact that energy efficiency does not necessarily equal energy savings.
Howard went on to outline specific principles that should be implemented into the bill, among them the understanding that the bill should not outline specific standards but rather outline more general principles that maintain a certain sense of flexibility as the green building industry continues to evolve. He also encouraged the committee to consider including incentives to developers and builders of affordable housing so as to help them to achieve or surpass the goals of green building. The GREEN Act is sponsored by Representative Perlmutter (D-CO) and has 27 cosponsors.
Source: NLBMDA Advocate, July 2008
The deadline to sign up for the 2008 Carolinas Mill Tour is August 1. Don’t miss this opportunity to travel to North and South Carolina with your peers and visit mills and building materials industries as well as local must-see attractions. The trip begins in Charlotte, North Carolina on Sunday, October 12 and ends in Charleston, South Carolina on Friday, October 17.
The cost of the tour includes: transportation in a comfortable and spacious coach bus, lodging with breakfasts, a welcome reception, industry tours, excursion tickets, bus refreshments, lunch at the Deerpark Restaurant at the Biltmore Estate and more.
For more information, contact Sally Means at 763-595-4058/800-896-5134 or email smeans@nlassn.org. Tour details and the registration form are also posted on NLA’s web site at www.nlassn.org.
Wall Calendar
Discounts until July 31
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.
August
21-22 – Plumbing and Electrical
Seminars –
August
25-26 – Plumbing and Electrical
Seminars –
October 1-4
– NLBMDA Industry
October
12-17 – 2008 Mill
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
Gas Prices Coalition Formed… NLBMDA has joined a large group of other associations in calling on Congress to take action to address rising fuel costs that further threaten the ability of lumber dealers to stay afloat in the face of our national housing crisis. The House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee voted June 11 against increasing access to abundant supplies of domestic energy by a vote of 9-6. The legislation by Rep. John Peterson (R-PA), HR 5656, would lift the ban on energy exploration in waters off U.S. shores. Rep. Peterson has filed a discharge petition, which requires 218 signatures in order to bypass the committee and bring the bill to the House floor for a vote. If you would like to contact your legislator regarding the discharge petition, visit www.BuildtheVote.org to find and contact your Representative.
Source: NLBMDA Advocate, July 2008
ProBuild Acquires Big Buck Building Centers… Denver-based ProBuild Holdings has announced the purchase of Big Buck Building Centers, a Racine, Wis.-based independent dealer with a combined lumberyard, truss plant and millwork facility. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Big Buck, located between Chicago and Milwaukee, represents a strategic move for ProBuild in two important markets, the company said. Big Buck was founded in 1929 by Garrett Veestra, and the dealer is a third-generation family owned business. The company serves primarily professional contractors, specializing in framing systems, including steel and wood trusses, engineered wood products and dimensional lumber; and millwork and trim packages, including eco-friendly water-based prefinishing.
ProBuild currently operates more than 550 lumber and building product distribution, manufacturing and assembly centers serving 41 U.S. states.
Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, July 9, 2008
Weyerhaeuser to Shut Down Canadian Mill…Weyerhaeuser Co. announced Tuesday it will be closing a mill in Alberta, Canada. The mill, which produced oriented strand board, was shut down in December 2007. The 130 employees of the mill have moved to other Weyerhaeuser operations or been laid off.
Weyerhaeuser said they will continue to operate a softwood sawmill in Drayton Valley.
Source: LBM Daily, July 9, 2008
Retailing... Rural retailers across the U.S. may be getting a boost from the slowing economy. For three decades, small-town retailers have suffered amid tough competition from big box competitors and malls that drew shoppers farther away. But some retailers in rural areas are now seeing a long-awaited boost as shoppers, clobbered by high gas prices, shop more locally.
Source: HCI Business Report, published by Home Center Institute, July 10, 2008
Louisiana-Pacific settles in OSB suits... Louisiana-Pacific has become the latest wood products company to settle in an ongoing series of oriented strand board class action litigation.
LP is the fifth company to come to a settlement in the antitrust case, filed in 2006, which alleges that OSB manufacturers began conspiring together in 2002 to artificially reduce the supply and inflate the prices of OSB.
Four of the defendants have reached settlements so far: Potlatch, Huber Engineered Woods, Ainsworth and Georgia-Pacific.
All the companies have denied the accusations as part of their settlements, including LP, which wrote in a statement that it came to the settlements “in order to limit the risks and costs associated with at least two lengthy jury trials.”
Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, July 16, 2008
Menards plans further Missouri stores... Menards plans to forge ahead with its second and third home improvement stores in the city of Columbia, Mo., according to local media reports.
According to the Columbian Missourian newspaper, Menards store project manager Donald Lairmore told the newspaper that construction is expected to begin on the Columbia big-box site by the end of July.
Menards entered the state of Missouri last year with its first location in St. Joseph, Mo., on the northwestern border of the state with Kansas.
Menards also recently announced plans to go forward with a further store in Sedalia, Mo. That 162,000-square-foot plan is slated to go under construction later this summer, according to the Sedalia Democrat newspaper. Sedalia is located in the west-central part of the state.
Both locations are expected to be open in 2009.
Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest, July 16, 2008
WORRIED ABOUT MEMORY LOSS?
Here are some everyday conditions guaranteed to cause forgetfulness:
Overload - If you are overwhelmed with details and tasks, you will probably forget stuff. After all, the more you have to learn and do, the more you have to forget.
Stress or depression - Memory fails us when we are distressed and distracted with worries. Even the need to remember causes stress.
Medications - Sleeping pills, sedatives and some blood pressure medicines can interfere with memory because they reduce alertness and concentration. Ask your provider for advice.
This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association’s recommended insurer.
MLA is proud to endorse….
“People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; never throw out anyone." – Audrey Hepburn
We're here to help. Until next time....
MLA Staff
816-561-5323
800-747-6529
The opinions, views, and interpretations expressed in this publication do not constitute legal advice. Questions and concerns regarding your company’s compliance with Federal or State regulations should be directed to the appropriate Federal or State agency.