Vol. 4, No. 6 – March 14, 2005 

NLBMDA Member Participates in Press Conference on Capitol Hill  

Brad and Howard Eiffert, owners of Boone County Lumber in Columbia, Mo., and members of MLA, participated in a press conference on Capitol Hill on February 17, 2005. As part of the introduction of the Hulshof-Cramer Death Tax Repeal Permanency Act of 2005 (H.R. 8), the Eifferts were asked to tell how their family business has been and will be affected by the Death Tax, if not repealed.

Brad explained, "On a daily basis I compete with the two largest building material retailers in the nation. Remaining competitive requires high service levels and excellent staff and equipment. The so-called "wealth" that the Death Tax would be calculated on we call the tools we use to be competitive...our trucks, forklifts, buildings, land and inventory." Brad went on to say that this issue does not only affect his family, but the 40 plus families that Boone County Lumber employs.

The permanent repeal of the "death tax" is a top priority for NLBMDA. Supporting H.R. 8 will be one of several topics NLBMDA will discuss with their representatives at the 2005 Legislative Conference. NLBMDA would like to thank Brad and Howard for taking an active role in this issue and for their willingness to share their personal experiences. If you would like to be more involved with this issue or other NLBMDA legislative priorities contact Colleen Levine at colleen@dealer.org or 800-634-8645.  

 PLAN NOW FOR GOLF TOURNAMENTS 

It’s not too early to start planning for the MLA spring golf tournaments. Easily the most popular and well attended industry events in each state, MLA is always glad to facilitate these two enjoyable networking opportunities for the building material communities in Kansas and Missouri. Here are the details: 

Missouri “Swing into Spring” – Osage National Golf Course, Lake Ozark, Mo. – May 6, 2005 – The Missouri Lumber Dealers Activity Committee (MLDAC) has planned their popular golf tournament in conjunction with the Master Angler Bass Tournament on May 5. The headquarter hotel will be the Port Arrowhead Resort (formerly the Holiday Inn Sun Spree Resort).  

Kansas Sunflower Shootout XVI – Rolling Meadows Golf Course, Junction City, Kan. – June 10, 2005 – The Kansas Social Activities Committee has selected the Rolling Meadows Golf Course for their annual tournament. The headquarter hotel is the new Marriott Courtyard Inn, also in Junction City.  

If you need additional information on sponsorship or registration, contact MLA at 800-747-6529. 

DISCLAIMER LANGUAGE 

Consider adding disclaimer language to all sales tickets and invoices. MLA’s attorneys recommend this statement: “All warranties, if any, made with respect to this sale are those warranties made by the Manufacturer. Dealer makes no warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.” 

FORMAL RETURN TO WORK POLICY CAN BENEFIT YOUR BUSINESS 

Employees are the lifeblood of your business. To retain good employees and reduce training costs, it’s important that you provide for them. So when an employee suffers a job-related injury, it’s in your best interest and theirs to have a formal Return-To-Work policy that encourages and enables a quicker return to active participation in your business. When an employee feels productive at work and at home, it decreases their length of illness. That’s why a pro-active approach to return to work saves you money and increases your business’s profitability. 

Here are several ways employees can be productive without the complete resumption of their pre-injury or illness duties: 

Limited Duty Assignments: 

Train other employees;

Do inventory checks;

Tag inventory;

General housekeeping;

Office filing and sorting.

 One-handed Duty Assignments: 

Restocking supplies;

Painting;

Chop saw scrap;

Clean-up Break Room;

Sort parts and inventory. 

Source: NLBMDA Risk Management Newsletter, February 2005. 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES 

GBI Acquires Marketing Rights To Green Globes…To increase the “green” options available to commercial builders, the Green Building Initiative (GBI) recently acquired the marketing rights to Green Globes – a web-based assessment protocol, rating system and guide for integrating environmentally friendly design into commercial structures.

Like other commercial standards, Green Globes is rigorous and provides significant environmental benefits. Its web-based format makes it easy for the entire design team to use. It also costs significantly less than other available options.

Derived from the UK’s BREAM/Green Leaf suite of environmental assessment tools, Green Globes has achieved significant market penetration in Canada, where it is used by the federal government, the Building Owners and Managers Association of Toronto and many top developers and property management firms. In the past 18 months, 120 buildings have completed Green Globes assessment and received third-party certification. 

Source: GBI News, published by the Wood Promotion Network, March 1, 2005. 

Hope Lumber Buys Leeds… An Oklahoma-based company has bought Leeds Building Products, which has facilities in Macon. Hope Lumber and Supply Co. of Tulsa, Okla., announced the acquisition of Leeds, which operates 10 facilities in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. Leeds has one other Georgia facility in Albany. The terms of the purchase were not disclosed, but officials say no jobs will be lost. 

Source: Linda S. Morris, Staff Writer, Macon Telegraph, Macon, Ga., March 5, 2005.

 Canada Sends US Proposal on Softwoods… Canada-U.S. relations were a hot topic in Wednesday's news. U.S. news sources were primarily calling for a “thaw,” while Canadian news articles discussed strategies for retaliation or resolution. The softwood lumber trade issues, as well as beef trade and defense initiatives, shared the political spotlight this week.

 On Wednesday, Canada sent a proposal to the U.S. in an effort to restart discussions on the softwood lumber trade dispute. The proposal calls for the U.S. to revoke all anti-dumping duties on softwood lumber imports.  

Source: LBM Daily, March 10, 2005 

Reaction to Softwood Proposal… While the U.S. government is currently reviewing Canada's proposal for a softwood lumber agreement, reactions from U.S. government and lumber industry officials was positive.  

Jim Peterson, the Canadian Trade Minister, said the proposal has the backing of all 10 Canadian provinces.  

Thursday, the U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports called for a suspension of all litigation on both sides to “permit the parties to focus their best efforts on reaching a consensual resolution.”

Meanwhile, talk of rising tensions between Americans and Canadians pervaded news reports.

 Source: LBM Daily, March 11, 2005 

Life Expectancy Up… Life expectancy for Americans has reached an all-time high – 77.6 years in 2003, up from 77.3 years in 2002, according to mortality statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The agency’s report, Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2003, also found that the gap between male and female life expectancy closed from 5.4 years to 5.3 years, continuing a narrowing trend since the peak gap of 7.8 years in 1979. The report is based on data recorded from 93% of state death certificates issued in 2003. Go to: www.cdc.gov/nchs. 

Source: Milliman Monthly Benefit News and Developments, March 2005 

FEDERATED ANNOUNCES SAFETY AWARENESS PROGRAM ON DISTRACTED DRIVING 

Eating…drinking…talking on a cell phone…adjusting electronic devices…Most of us have performed one or more of these activities while behind the wheel. Distracted driving is a growing public safety issue that costs business owners millions of dollars each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), driver distraction is a factor in up to half of all vehicle crashes and is a cause in up to 30 percent of fatal crashes. 

To raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving, Federated Mutual Insurance Company developed a comprehensive safety program, which will be distributed to all of its business clients throughout 2005. 

The program includes a video DVD, “Distracted Driving – At What Cost,” and a packet of material containing a brochure, questionnaire, sample driving policy, employee pledge form and more. It has everything you need to conduct an impressive employee safety meeting and to use for new employee orientations. Request forms are included to order additional copies of the video and materials. 

You can help reduce claims and the associated costs of distracted driving at your business by setting high standards for driving company vehicles. You can also perform a valuable public service by increasing awareness of distracted driving among employees, family members, friends, and in the community.

 Federated marketing representatives will provide a copy of the program to insured members during their annual Risk Control Review ^SM meeting. Your Association encourages you to take advantage of this valuable risk management program.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”  – Colin Powell