Plan to Attend 2008 Fall Fling

Cost of Doing Business Report Available

A Big MLA Thank-You

Save the Date

Comments Sought on LEED Certification

OSHA Proposes Changes to Increase Penalties for PPE Violations

Handling an Employee Arrest

July Existing-Home Sales Show Gain

Beetle Sightings Spur Action

New-Home Sales Rise 2.4 Percent in July

Plum Creek Timber Enters Joint Venture

OSHA's Amputation Program

Open for Business® Program

Today's Quote

The “Fall Fling” is the Annual meeting of MLA members. Thanks to members’ enthusiastic response, we are continuing this outstanding event and it keeps getting better. This year’s seminar on Friday, November 7, will be “Benchmarking for Excellence” – a  fact-filled half-day program presented by Mike Butts of LBM Solutions. This seminar will provide the independent lumberyard with the tools necessary to benchmark or “baseline” their entire operation.

Fresh off the presses, the 2008 Cost of Doing Business Report analyzes the factors responsible for the success of all-sized dealers in a comprehensive business model. The latest edition in the long-standing series has been compiled from the critical financial data of the 2007 fiscal year provided by direct dealers nationwide who participated in the confidential survey. For over a decade the NLBMDA Cost of Doing Business Report has been the definitive source for lumber dealers to gauge the success of their business with that of the rest of the industry

The price of the 2008 CODB Report is $225 for NLBMDA members and $375 for non-members. Click here for an order form, or visit www.dealer.org for more information.

Comments Sought on LEED Certification… A 30-day public comment period that started on Aug. 8 may have opened the door to wood certification programs and lumber dealers who claim they’ve been shut out of participating in the LEED green building rating system. The U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit organization that administers the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, has announced it is re-evaluating the way it awards credits for certified wood.

Comments are being solicited through the group’s Web site,  www.usgbc.org , until Sept. 7. Click here to read entire article.

Source: ProDealer Digest, www.homechannelnews.com, August 20, 2008

OSHA Proposes Changes to Increase Penalties for PPE Violations… On August 19, OSHA proposed amendments to its personal protective equipment (PPE) standards to make it unmistakably clear that each instance when an employee subject to a PPE or training requirement does not receive the required PPE or training may be considered a separate violation.   Usually when an employer commits multiple violations of a single standard or regulation, OSHA either groups the violations and proposes a single penalty, or cites and proposes a penalty for each discrete violation. Although ‘‘grouping’’ is the more common method, OSHA is proposing separate ‘‘per instance’’ penalties for violation of the PPE and training requirements in cases where the resulting heightened aggregate penalty is appropriate to deter “flagrant violators” and increase the impact of OSHA’s limited resources.  While OSHA states in the proposed rule that this action is merely a clarification, NLBMDA does believe OSHA should not be departing from the standard method of grouping violations and is concerned that this is merely an attempt to increase fines.  NLBMDA will be submitting comments on the proposed rule, which are due September 18.  A copy of the proposed rule can be found at:   http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=FEDERAL_REGISTER&p_id=21055.  Members with questions should contact Frank Moore at frank@dealer.org

Source: NLBMDA Bi-Weekly Update, August 21, 2008

Handling an Employee Arrest… When you learn an employee has been arrested, what is your first reaction? Probably disbelief – but do you jump to conclusions? Remember that an arrest does not mean they are guilty.  Here are some things to consider:  First, do not discuss this with anyone who is not involved. Keep your conversation limited to people who are in management positions. You could defame someone’s character and risk a defamation lawsuit. Second, seek advice from an attorney as to how to handle it.

Remember that employees have certain rights. Next, determine how serious the arrest is. An anti-war protest march is very different from breaking and entering. Finally, check and see if there are any contracts or agreements signed that prevent them from being immediately terminated. One more thing: if the person is found innocent, do your best to restore their reputation within the firm.

Source: Bob Losyk, MEd., M.B.A., C.S.P. is a Certified Speaking Professional, master trainer, author, and President & CEO of Innovative Training Solutions, a Greensboro, NC consulting firm.  For more information on Bob’s keynotes, seminars, best practices facilitation, panel discussion leader, and products, please visit his websites at www.boblosyk.com and www.getagriponstress.com or call 1-800-995-0344.

July Existing-Home Sales Show Gain… Existing-home sales rose in July to the highest level in five months, although sales have hovered in a relatively narrow range over the past 11 months, according to the National Association of Realtors^®.

Existing-home sales – including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – increased 3.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.00 million units in July from a downwardly revised level of 4.85 million in June, but are 13.2 percent lower than the 5.76 million-unit pace in July 2007.

Source: National Association of Realtors, August 25, 2008

Beetle Sightings Spur Action… Ohio and Connecticut are facing beetle infestations and are being forced to take action to preserve trees.

In Ohio, it's the emerald ash borer, which was found in Wayne County. Ash trees and hardwoods from Wayne County are not allowed to be moved to other non-quarantined parts of the state, a move which the Ohio Department of Agriculture hopes will stop the spread.

Furthermore, Connecticut confirmed that the existence of the Asian longhorn beetle in nearby Worcester, Mass. could spill over into the state, and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has put out an alert asking citizens to keep an eye out for them. The biggest concern of infestation would be through firewood.

Source: LBM Daily, August 25, 2008

New-Home Sales Rise 2.4 Percent in July… Sales of newly built single-family homes rose 2.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 515,000 units in July, the Commerce Department reported today. The report also indicated continuing contraction in the number of new-homes for sale as builders keep a tight rein on inventories to help restore better balance between market supply and demand.

“With 15 consecutive months of reductions in the number of new homes for sale, builders are clearly doing a good job of chipping away at their inventories,” noted Sandy Dunn, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Point Pleasant, W.Va. “Now that the government has also done its part by passing a much-needed housing stimulus package, we are looking forward to positive effects on new-home sales in the near future.”

Source: National Association of Home Builders, August 26, 2008

Plum Creek Timber Enters Joint Venture… Plum Creek Timber Company announced today it intends to form a joint venture with Oregon's The Campbell Group LLC, allowing the company to capture the value of 454,000 acres of timberlands in six states including Oklahoma, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, worth $783 million.

" The formation of this joint venture allows Plum Creek to immediately capture substantially all of the value of these timberlands and to maintain an ongoing interest in their continuing cash flow and potential for growth," Rick Holley, president and chief executive officer of Plum Creek, said today.

Source: LBM Daily, August 29, 2008

OSHA’s Amputation Program… September is the last month of OSHA’s fiscal year. Brittney, Inc. feels that OSHA will be processing several last-minute inspections, primarily involving their amputation program. If you have any of the following equipment at your facility, or on your job site, then you will qualify for their program:

Saws; shears; punches; presses; drills; brakes; planers; belt and pulley systems, etc.

These are just a few pieces of equipment OSHA will be concerned with for their amputation program. If you have any of this equipment, please contact Brittney, Inc. for more information: 866-248-8961 or 417-866-8686.

Source: Brittney, Inc. – Brittney is MLA’s endorsed provider of compliance services.

IF DISASTER STRIKES, WILL YOU BE OPEN FOR BUSINESS?

The ability of your business to deal with disasters is crucial not only to its future, but to the success of your community as well. How will your business react to the challenges that result from a tornado, fire, or flooding?

Federated Insurance is a member of the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), a national nonprofit group that works to reduce commercial and residential property losses associated with extreme weather events and natural disasters. As a result, many valuable resources relating to disaster and recovery planning are now available to MLA members and their employees at no cost.

One exciting new program available through Federated is Open for Business®. This program – which IBHS values at $2,000 per user – contains a variety of tools designed to help small business owners not only reduce their potential for loss should disaster strike, but also reopen quickly should they be forced to close. Open for Business® walks you through a 13-piece continuity plan to help identify and resume essential business functions, protect people and property, minimize downtime, and retain clients and customers following a disaster. This program is available both online and in a print version.

Another great tool is available on a site called Disaster Safety. This site is designed to help protect the homes and personal assets of business owners, friends, family, and employees by creating awareness of the likely perils that can occur in a specific region. This site includes a ZIP Code tool designed to concentrate the efforts of homeowners in preparing for specific perils such as floods, freezing weather, hail, high winds, wildfires, and tornados. Resources like best practices, assessments, guides, and checklists are all available to help protect your homes during a disaster.

Disasters of all types can threaten businesses and homes regardless of location. A community cannot survive a disaster unless businesses survive, and a business cannot survive unless its employees survive. Federated Insurance and IBHS offer you the peace of mind that these programs can improve the chances of avoiding costly repairs and increase the odds of staying in business should the worst happen.

To learn more, contact your Federated representative or visit www.federatedinsurance.com. Under Customer Links, select Open for Business® / Disaster Planning (businesses) or Disaster Safety (homes).

This article is intended to provide general recommendations regarding risk prevention. It is not intended to be legal advice or to include all steps or processes necessary to adequately protect you, your business or your customers. Please consult your personal attorney and insurance professional for advice unique to you and your business. © 2008 Federated Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.

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

 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

“It takes less time to do a thing right than it does to explain why you did it wrong.”   -- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow