Vol. 3, No. 17 – August 16, 2004

 SHEATHING FIRES STILL OCCURRING

We received an email from Southern Building Materials Association a few days ago informing us of another fire related to intermediate fiberboard sheathing. (See MLA Line – May 21, 2004 edition.) Their member wrote: “Thought I would let you know about Sunday Night. I got a call from Russ's daughter Stacy about 7 pm. Her friend had just driven past the lumberyard and called her to tell her a warehouse was on FIRE and the yard was full of fire trucks and police cars. I hopped in the car and took off to the store. I had Pam with me and I told her on the way there I bet it was the sheathing we had stored outside but in front of the warehouse. When I got to the yard there were 3 fire trucks and 1 ladder truck, 3 or 4 police cars & news cameras. Fortunately my hunch was right and it has the sheathing that had just come in on Friday. We received no property damage and only lost 7 units of sheathing. I am glad that we have been storing the sheathing outside. Thought I would let you know and thanks for the e-mails you have been sending this year alerting us of the problem.” 

If you’re not in the habit of storing this material outside and away from other combustibles, it would be a good idea to start. Apparently, there are still fire hazards associated with the product when first shipped from the manufacturer. If you have any questions, call MLA at 800-747-6529. 

Our thanks to SBMA for continuing to share this information. 

YOUR NOMINATIONS, PLEASE… 

MLA President Mason McIntire has appointed a nominating committee to accept recommendations of members to serve on the MLA Board of Directors. Watch your mail for complete information and a form to complete to nominate yourself or another member to serve.  

Positions to be filled are: 

            Second Vice President

            Third Vice President

            At-large Director for Missouri and Arkansas

            At-large Director for Kansas and Oklahoma 

All nominees to the open positions must be active retail members in good standing with the Association. 

The MLA Board of Directors meets twice a year in a location selected by the president. Typically, the spring meeting is held in May in Kansas City, and the fall meeting is held in conjunction with the Annual meeting. Interim meetings, as necessary, are usually teleconferences. The Board of Directors is responsible for setting policies for the Association. 

If you’d like to nominate someone immediately, you may do so by calling any member of the Nominating Committee by September 10: 

Jeff Dunn, Nominating Committee Chairman, Mill Creek Lumber & Supply Co., Tulsa, OK; Phone: 918-747-2000; Fax: 918-747-1325 

Ron Caldwell, Caldwell Lumber Co., Inc., Wynne, AR; Phone: 870-238-7558; Fax: 870-238-2311 

Dave Hendrix, CHIC Lumber & Hardware, St. Peters, MO; Phone: 636-441-4200; Fax: 636-970-3716 

Kevin Rasure, Rasure Lumber Do It Center, Goodland, KS; Phone: 785-899-7149; Fax: 785-890-2077 

If you would like to be more involved in the affairs and direction of MLA, consider serving on the Board of Directors. We would welcome your participation! 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR 

Note these important dates and events on your calendar and make plans to attend. Details will be forthcoming: 

September 23-25 – NLBMDA Industry Summit, The Breakers, Palm Beach, Florida. A complete brochure is available from MLA – just hit reply to request. Hotel reservation deadline is August 31. 

November 18-19 – MLA Fall Fling, Chateau on the Lake, Branson, Mo. Plans are nearly complete. You’ll learn important concepts at a half-day seminar, enjoy deluxe accommodations and catch up on important industry issues. And, that’s just for starters. You’ll get more information as it develops. 

2005 Education Programs – Dates are set for MLA’s most popular education programs. Mark your calendar and start planning for these sessions. Registration forms will be available this fall. 

Feb. 14-15 – Basic Estimating, Wichita, Kan. 

Feb. 16-17 – Basic Estimating, Kansas City, Mo. 

Feb. 17 – Yard Foreman School, Columbia, Mo. 

Feb. 18 – Advanced Estimating, Kansas City, Mo. 

Feb. 24 – Yard Foreman School, Oklahoma City, Okla. 

March 10-11 – Basic Estimating, Tulsa, Okla. 

If you need this training and none of these dates or locations are convenient, please notify Olivia at MLA to discuss the possibility of scheduling another session. We appreciate your input. 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES 

Overtime Rules… Because Congress left without resolving issues about new DOL regulations, the overtime rules will go into effect on Aug. 23. In addition to new rules on white-collar exemptions, the changes raised the salary threshold for mandatory overtime pay to $455 a week or $23,660 a year. That change is not being challenged in the legislation. Net result: Employers are faced with uncertainty when it comes to which employees could be exempted from overtime. Information about the overtime rules is at www.dol.gov/fairpay. 

Source: Washington Report, August 2004, published by National Retail Hardware Association. 

The End of the Float?… The new Check 21 law takes effect Oct. 28. It allows banks and other financial institutions to move checks electronically rather than transport paper checks between banks. 

This could have major implications for businesses that rely on float in managing their account balances. In theory, moving checks electronically could cut the time it takes for a check to clear from several days to a few hours. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, banks are developing new services for small businesses as a result of this new law. One such service is remote deposit, a means by which a retailer could scan checks in the store for immediate deposit. These new services would not come free. If nothing else, there would be the cost of acquiring the equipment to take advantage of them from an office or home. 

We would suggest that you contact your banker to see what implications this new law may have for your business.  

Source: Washington Report, August 2004, published by National Retail Hardware Association. 

Law Enforcement Intervenes in Tongass, AK & Eureka, CA… Wednesday evening, forest activists planning to protest logging in Humboldt County, CA were distracted by several logging trucks that happened to be heading their way. Activists attempted to stop the logging trucks by standing in their way and climbing atop the trucks. Shortly thereafter, the activists were arrested.  

Meanwhile up the coast in the Tongass region of Alaska, law enforcement decided to assist the Forest Service in removing activists protesting the Tongass logging plan. While activists' belongings, food & safety equipment were removed from the area, so far no arrests have been made.  

Source: LBM Daily, August 6, 2004 

The Temperate Forest Foundation is pleased to announce the successful completion of the 2004 Lake States Teachers' Tour, which was based in Grand Rapids, Minn. They had 35 teachers from five states and the weather was perfect. This was their fifth Lakes States Teachers' Tour following two tours in Wisconsin and two in Michigan. This tour will repeat in August of 2005. The Foundation has completed 33 tours since the inception of the program in 1994.  Get your requests in very early if you expect to send teachers on the 2005 Lake States Teachers' Tour.  

Source: Temperate Forest Foundation, August 9, 2004 

World Trade Organization Rules on Softwood Tariff… The WTO ruled Wednesday on appeals by both the Canadian and US governments. While most Canadian news sources, including the Canadian government, are reporting a big win for the Canadians, many US news sources are spinning the decision as a positive outcome for the US.  

While the WTO panel ruled that the methods used to calculate anti-dumping duties by the US Department of Commerce violate trade agreements, they supported the tariffs imposed by the US on imports of Canadian softwood lumber.  

Source: LBM Daily, August 12, 2004 

Hurricane Charley Causes Great Damage and High Sales… Traditionally, hurricanes mean not only a period of evacuation, but of rebuilding. Sales of lumber and plywood go up steeply just prior to a hurricane's washing ashore, and last week's Hurricane Charley was no different.  

Home improvement chains such as Home Depot and Lowe's report high sales of building materials, in line with what typically occurs before a hurricane hits. Both of the retailers have storm distribution systems established in order to replenish supplies as demands rise.  

Source: LBM Daily, August 16, 2004 

Review of Asbestos X-Rays Gives a Different Picture  

The Wall Street Journal (Wednesday, August 4, 2004)

By Kathryn Kranhold 

Independent consultants interpreting chest radiographs of individuals exposed to asbestos found significantly fewer serious cases than physicians hired by plaintiff lawyers to examine the same individuals' films, according to a study. 

The study, to be published today in the scientific journal Academic Radiology, states that six radiologists and pulmonologists who reinterpreted chest X-rays initially screened by plaintiff lawyers' readers "failed to confirm the conclusions in the majority of the cases." 

The study's consultants reread each of 492 reports and found possible exposure to asbestos on a significant level in only 4.5% of the cases. The plaintiffs' physicians found that 95.9% of the chest X-rays were positive for parenchymal abnormalities, a sign of asbestos exposure. 

Co-author Dr. Joseph Gitlin, a public-health physician who researches medical imaging at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, said "differences between two honest well-trained experts often occur but the differences are rarely large." In this study, he said, "the magnitude of difference in the interpretation is far beyond" the normal range. He declined to speculate on what caused the vast differences. 

Chest X-rays are at the heart of thousands of asbestos lawsuits. Individuals who claim occupational injury from asbestos must show a certain degree of exposure on chest X-rays to get compensation. 

The films used in the study were evidence in litigation on behalf of individuals exposed to asbestos. The consultants hired to conduct a second reading of the X-ray films weren't told the source of the films or that they had been used in litigation, according to the authors. 

Source: Texans for Lawsuit Reform, August 7, 2004 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” -- Lou Holtz