Vol. 6, No. 1 – January 2, 2007 

 

 

 

 

MLA Offers Popular Estimating Workshops

 

MLA is pleased to announce that we have engaged Mike Butts, LBM Solutions, to provide our popular estimating training in 2007. Mike is one of the most recognized trainers in the lumber and building material industry. The training will be offered in Wichita, Kan. on Feb. 20-21 and in St. Louis, Mo. on March 6-7.

 

Day 1 leads participants through a typical blueprint format, scale and content. Students will develop an understanding of architectural symbols such as wood, concrete, insulation and electrical schedules, knee walls, wall sections and cantilevered joists. They’ll also learn about “specification and general notes” – their necessity, importance and how they relate to retail sales. In addition, the seminar teaches participants how to approach reading a blueprint to ensure thoroughness and accuracy when completing an estimate of materials.

 

Day 2 focuses on the skills necessary to calculate the framing lumber requirements of the complete shell of the house through comprehensive study of each construction item. Included in this is a review of contemporary “cut roofs” and their unique estimating requirements. Attendance at Day 1 is mandatory for attending Day 2 or the student must have proficiency at reading blueprints.

 

Mike Butts is the founder and President of LBM Solutions.  His abilities and experience have been called "unsurpassed by other consulting firms in the industry.”  His experience has been gained through extensive work in the field at "street level," implementing the programs and practices he teaches.

 

When/Where:

 

February 20-21 – Wichita at The Best Western Airport Inn & Conference Center

March 6-7 – St. Louis at the Embassy Suites Hotel St. Louis Airport

 

Member Pricing:

• Sign up for Day 1 or Day 2 separately at $225 per day.

• Two-day workshop package - $395 for the first person from a member firm -- $375 each for additional personnel.

• Sign up by February 1 – a $50 per person surcharge will be added for late registrants.

Nonmember pricing is available.

 

Complete information and registration forms are available upon request from MLA at 800-747-6529. Or, simply reply to this email and we’ll send complete information today! Information and a registration form also are available at www.themla.com.

 

Note: Attendance at Day 1 is mandatory for attending Day 2 unless person has proficiency at reading blueprints.

 

2007 BLAIR COLLINGS INTERNSHIP

 

NLBMDA is looking for qualified candidates for the 2007 Blair Collings Internship in Government Affairs. If you are a college student between 17 and 24, with an interest in both the legislative process and the lumber and building material industry, this is the ideal opportunity for you.

 

The Blair Collings intern will spend eight weeks in the summer at NLBMDA’s headquarters, in Washington, DC, where he or she will receive a hands-on education in government affairs. The intern will assist NLBMDA’s government affairs team in drafting issue papers, conducting legislative research, attending industry-related coalition meetings, monitoring legislation and note-taking at hearings of the U.S. Congress.

 

To apply for this exciting opportunity, download a copy of the Blair Collings Internship Application at www.dealer.org or contact Sarah Owen at 800-634-8645 or at sarah@dealer.org. Applications are due by February 1, 2007.

 

 

WHEN IN DOUBT, PRINT IT OUT

 

Even though the U.S. Labor Department has given its OK to electronic distribution of certain employee documents (such as benefit data), you’d still be wise to play it safe when it comes to notifying employees of policy changes: Stick to paper, not e-mail.

 

That’s especially important when notifying employees of policy changes involving key legal rights and obligations. In such cases, you should also require employees to sign a paper acknowledgement form.

 

Recent case: Roderick Campbell sued his employer for disability discrimination. But the company claimed Campbell wasn’t allowed to sue; he must arbitrate his dispute out of court. Why? The company had sent a lengthy e-mail months earlier to all employees outlining its new mandatory arbitration policy. That e-mail, the company argued, counted as a valid agreement.

 

Not so fast, the court said. Campbell claimed that he never saw that e-mail, so a district court let his case go to trial.

 

The court said that, in some cases, policy notifications sent via e-mail could be binding. But important policies in which employees surrender their rights should be held to a higher standard. (Campbell v. General Dynamics Government Systems Corp., No. 03-11848-NG)

 

Final point: If you do send less-vital policy info via e-mail, create a system to verify that messages are received and read.

 

Source: The HR Specialist, December 2006 (www.TheHRSpecialist.com)

 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

 

Lowe’s Goes Canadian… Lowe’s has confirmed that it will open its first Canadian store in Hamilton, Ontario, and revealed that it will be followed by openings in Brantford, South Brampton and Toronto.  The stores are expected to open in the second half of 2007 at a cost of 20.5 million Canadian dollars (US$18.5 million) each.

 

According to Doug Robinson, president of Lowe’s Canada, an additional nine locations have been approved through the company’s real estate committee process.

 

Source: Home Channel News, December 11, 2006

 

November Housing Starts Strong… Housing starts jumped 6.7 percent in November following an October that showed a sharp decline. The Commerce Department reported that permits, considered an indicator of builder confidence, fell 3 percent, however.

 

The annual pace of the November housing starts came in at 1.588 million units, up from October's 1.488 million units. Although this was good news for the industry, housing starts were still down 25.5 percent from this time last year.

 

Source: LBM Daily, December 20, 2006

 

Keep your company out of the courtroom… Stay on top of wage and hour records, internal compliance and maintain a strict and clear code regarding sexual harassment to avoid lawsuits and court battles, says veteran employment lawyer Margaret Hart Edwards.

 

"If you're not providing training, then you are not doing everything to avoid discrimination, so you'll get faulted before a jury. So you pretty much have to train," Edwards adds.

 

Source: U.S. Chamber of Commerce, SmartBrief, December 20, 2006

 

Return Policy… The way your store handles returns is still one way to make an impression on your customers. A survey from Newgistics Inc., a returns management solutions provider, says shoppers who find a retailer’s returns process inconvenient are not likely to shop there again. Ninety-three percent of adults said a convenient return policy is important when deciding where they will purchase a gift. Even when they shop online, 90 percent of adults said a convenient return policy is important in deciding where to shop. In addition, 89 percent of shoppers said a convenient return policy means they are likely to shop at that retailer again.

 

Source: HCI Business Report, Home Center Institute, December 21, 2006

 

New Home Sales Rise 3.4 Percent In November… The U.S. Commerce Department reported today that sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 3.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.05 million units in November.  Sales also were revised upward for the three previous months.

 

The latest number is up from October’s 1.01 million units and well above the recent low of 979,000 units that was recorded in July.

 

The inventory of new homes for sale fell for the fourth consecutive month in November to 545,000 units, which is equivalent to a 6.3-month supply at the current sales pace. This is the lowest inventory level since February and the lowest month’s supply since May.

 

Source: National Home Builders Association, December 27, 2006

 

November Existing-Home Sales Rise Again… Existing-home sales continued to recover last month following a rise in October, with the level of sales activity suggesting a turn in the market, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

 

Existing-home sales continued to recover last month following a rise in October, with the level of sales activity suggesting a turn in the market, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

 

National Association of Realtors, December 28, 2006

 

MEMBER NEWS

 

BlueLinx Names Interim CFO... BlueLinx Holdings Inc., a leading distributor of building products in North America, has announced that BlueLinx Senior Vice President Steve Skinner will serve as interim chief financial officer, effective January 1, 2007, until the company identifies its new chief financial officer. As previously announced, CFO David J. Morris left the company effective December 31, 2006.

 

Mr. Skinner joined BlueLinx in December 2005 as leader of the company's newly created office of strategy management, overseeing strategy and business development. In this role, he supervises financial planning and analysis, process improvement, project management, mergers and acquisitions, real estate operations, marketing and communications. Skinner is a former principal with McKinsey & Co., a management consulting firm, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.. Prior to joining BlueLinx, he was president and CEO of Peppers & Rogers, a firm focused on marketing, customer strategy and value creation.

 

Source: Prime Newswire, December 27, 2006

 

Unsuitable Driver—Now What?

 

Business owners unnecessarily put their businesses at risk when they allow unqualified drivers to operate company vehicles.

 

Federated encourages business owners to adequately screen and regularly evaluate drivers of company vehicles.  We require clients to establish their own written driver acceptability standards and evaluate drivers accordingly, both before they are hired and periodically during employment. 

 

Nevertheless, from time to time, a driver’s record fails to meet Federated’s own acceptability standards to such a degree that we must exclude the driver from the business auto policy. While necessary, this can put the business owner in a difficult position if the employee is an otherwise valuable contributor to the company’s bottom line. In these situations, our clients sometimes ask us for help in placing coverage for the unacceptable driver with another insurer.

 

Business owners unnecessarily put their businesses at risk when they allow unqualified drivers to operate company vehicles, whether insured by Federated or elsewhere. Unqualified drivers endanger themselves, the lives of other employees, and the public.  In addition, a company may lose business due to negative publicity that often accompanies accidents involving company vehicles.

 

Equally significant, under the doctrine of vicarious liability, business owners can be held liable for the actions of their drivers.  Practicing due diligence in screening employees can go a long way to minimize employer liability. Also, a business may be subject to punitive damages that cannot be covered by insurance in some states.

 

Removing an unacceptable driver from the road can be inconvenient and burdensome.  However, for most business owners it is a small price to pay with so much at stake.

 

 

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY