Vol. 5, No. 21 – October 9, 2006 

 

 

FALL FLING DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY

 

The “Fall Fling” is the Annual meeting of MLA members and is set for Thursday and Friday, November 2-3, 2006. Again this year, we’ll have a casual yet highly informative and educational event that will be well worth your time. We’ve also brought back the dine-around, so you can enjoy dinner on Thursday evening at one of the exciting Plaza restaurants, compliments of one of our sponsoring suppliers.

 

The educational focus will be “Business Succession Planning – Where will your company be in five or ten years?” Without a roadmap, you could end up anywhere. It’s never too early to plan the future of your business. Will you grow, expand, become agile and merge with a larger dealer? All these options can be good ones if it’s the future you’ve planned and want for you and your business. MLA has brought together a team of experts so you can examine your options.

 

There's no cost to register, but we do need to hear from you by October 13. Contact the MLA Office for a registration form or go to the web site at www.theMLA.com. Hotel reservations need to be made by Thursday, October 12, to be assured the special MLA rate.

 

“Each one reach one” MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN

 

There's still time to participate in the fall membership drive. Have you talked to anyone about MLA membership lately? The Mid-America Lumbermens Association (MLA) is sponsoring a membership contest to run from July 1 to October 31, 2006. The MLA Board unanimously approved plans to reward current members who recruit new members for the Association. 

 

All you have to do is talk with someone who isn't currently a member and recommend they join. We'll follow up and do the rest. The grand-prize winner will be awarded a trip to Las Vegas – all expenses paid – for recruiting the most new members for MLA. Cash prizes also will be awarded to the second and third place winners. Complete details are available from MLA at 800-747-6529.

 

Register Today for the Next NLBMDA Training without Travel Teleconference:

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LOCKOUT/TAGOUT

 

Thursday, October 19, 2006, 1:00 p.m. EST

 

In this teleconference you will learn all you need to know about lockout/tagout, the safety procedures and practices surrounding unexpected machinery startup and other hazardous energy emissions. This teleconference will explore all aspects of lockout/tagout, including what operations it applies to, what the differences between lockout and tagout are, and in what situations each is to be used. We will also cover what a Written Energy Control program is, and why your lumberyard should have one. Don't leave your lumberyard vulnerable to an OSHA lockout/tagout citation: register for this teleconference today!

 

For a registration form, go to: http://www.dealer.org/docs/Reg10-06.pdf. Simply complete the form and fax it back to NLBMDA at 202-547-7640.

 

 

 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

 

Pending Home Sales Index Shows Market Stabilizing… Pending home sales are up, indicating a stabilization is taking place in the housing market, according to the National Association of Realtors^®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, based on contracts signed in August, rose 4.3 percent to a level of 110.1 from a reading of 105.6 in July, but is 14.1 percent lower than August 2005.

 

David Lereah, NAR’s chief economist, said the rise in the index is a hopeful sign. “Our sense is that home sales may have reached a low in August – the Pending Home Sales Index shows home sales should be fairly stable over the next two months, although a minor decline is possible,” he said. “With fewer new listings coming on the market, we should be able to draw down the inventory supply early next year to the point where home prices will rise, but at a slower pace than historic norms.”

The index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed and the transaction has not closed, but the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.

 

Source: National Association of Realtors, October 2, 2006

 

NLBMDA Launches New Organization… NLBMDA has formed a new organization to offer market research, health and safety programs, and educational opportunities to pro dealers and their suppliers. Operating under the auspices of the trade association, the LBM Institute will have a separate budget and board of trustees. The organization plans to broaden its research into related areas such as the remodeling market or the building material supply chain. The commercial sector is another possibility.

 

Source: Brae Canlen, Home Channel News, October 2, 2006

 

Last Week in Washington… The Treasury Department released a broad strategy for shrinking the $345 billion gap between taxes owed and taxes collected. It includes objectives in four areas: unintentional errors and intentional evasion; specific areas of non-compliance; enforcement activities “with a commitment to customer service” and policies that “are sensitive to taxpayer rights” and maintain an “appropriate balance” between enforcement and taxpayer burden. According to Internal Revenue Service research, small businesses and self-employed individuals are responsible for a sizable share of uncollected taxes.

 

Source: North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA), October 2, 2006

 

Ranks of Employer-Sponsored Plans Shrinking… A Wall Street Journal report details how between 1996 and 2004 the number of private-sector employees enrolled in health plans at employers with at least 1,000 employees dropped from 87.7% to 81%.

 

The survey of 45,000 offices, plants and other employer sites also indicates that the most severe participation drop was among large retailers. Their share of workers electing employer-sponsored coverage dropped from 83.8% to 67.3% over the eight-year period.

 

Source: Employee Benefit News, October 2006

 

Effort to Revive Estate Tax Reform Fails to Get off the Ground…  Pro-business advocates on Capitol Hill have abandoned the attempt to pass a comprehensive Estate Tax reform package before Congress adjourns for the year. This came after several attempts by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) to attract the last three Democratic votes needed to invoke cloture to push an Estate Tax reform bill through the Senate.

Both chambers of Congress have been working together throughout the second half of the 109^th Congress to put together an estate tax package that would garner enough bipartisan support to pass the legislation through Congress. Such bipartisan incentives included the inclusion of language on timber capitol gains cuts, the opening of the Continental Shelf to oil and natural gas production, and a reduction of physician payments under Medicare.

Senator Frist and House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) are continuing their dedication to Estate Tax reform, and have vowed to bring this issue up again after Congress reconvenes after the November mid-term elections.

 

For more information on the estate tax and NLBMDA’s other government affairs initiatives please visit www.buildthevote.org.

 

Source: NLBMDA Advocate, October 2006

 

Ottawa Sets Oct. 12 as New Date for Implementing Softwood Deal with U.S…. The Canada-U.S. Softwood Lumber Agreement will come into force on Thursday after the two countries agreed to amendments that will sidestep diehard opposition within the Canadian lumber industry.

 

The deal was supposed to be implemented on Oct. 1 but a substantial number of lumber exporters refused to withdraw legal actions against the United States over punitive softwood duties, a key U.S. requirement for it to revoke the duties.

 

The U.S. had demanded that more than 30 separate court actions be terminated by the deadline, forcing Ottawa last Friday to delay implementation until no later than Nov. 1.

 

Source: The Canadian Press, October 6, 2006

 

ISFA Update… The Innocent Sellers Fairness Act (H.R. 5500), ISFA, has seen great success throughout the 109th Congress, gaining 22 bipartisan cosponsors, with many more legislators in both the House and Senate showing interest in joining. This could not have been done without the help of dealers like you; your contributions and letters have allowed NLBMDA to show your legislators how this common sense legislation protects both you and your business from predatory lawsuits. 

 

NLBMDA would like to thank all the dealers from across the country for joining the ISFA Team and for having helped make ISFA’s introduction such a success. Every little bit helps, be it a donation through NLBMDA’s Call to Action campaign, or a letter to your representatives. 

 

If you haven’t already done so and would like to find out how you can join the ISFA Team go to www.buildthevote.org or contact Laura Levitan at laura@dealer.org or at 800-634-8645. 

 

Source: NLBMDA Advocate, October 2006

 

Employee Identity Theft… The problem of identity theft continues to grow and the top source of identity fraud is from employee records. This can trigger lawsuits against the employer. One thing you can do immediately to protect your business is to stop using employee’s Social Security numbers as an employee ID number. Don’t print them on anything, including letters mailed to an employee or customer. Check your employee records. How safe are they? Are they locked away?  What about people who have access to them? Have you done a background check on them? More and more people go into job positions where they can gain access to private employee information with the sole purposes of using it illegally and for profit. Remember, if you don’t protect employees’ identities, it could come back and haunt you as a lawsuit.

 

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 website at www.boblosyk.com or call 1-800-995-0344.

 

It can and does happen…

MLA and Federated Target Specific Loss Areas

 

This article provided by Tom Koenig, Account Executive, courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company

 

Most of us are familiar with the 80/20 rule as it applies to business: 80 percent of our profits come from 20 percent of our business and 80 percent of our headaches come from 20 percent of our problems. And so it goes.

 

The same concept applies to the insurance industry. Most claims paid by insurers could have been prevented.

 

Auto liability and workers compensation claims continue to be a major area of concern in the building material dealer industry. The following list of claims from Federated Mutual Insurance Company illustrates a few examples of common losses occurring in your industry every day. These claims range from $20,000 to over $100,000.*

 

• Dealer’s driver rear-ended another vehicle

• Employee cut hand while trying to cut rebar

• Employee injured while unloading supplies at job site

• Employee hurt while lifting bags of concrete

• Railcar rolled and caught employee’s leg between rail car and truck

• Insured driver turned corner and struck a stopped truck

• Driver backed into another vehicle

• Employee sustained neck and shoulder injuries after auto accident

• Insured driver forced into other lane causing insured vehicle to roll and collide with another vehicle

 

Ask yourself if similar claims have happened or could happen at your business and more importantly, think about what you are doing to prevent them from happening in the future. Perhaps employees need more training or more frequent reminders to practice safe driving and lifting.

 

Federated and MLA work together to support association members, providing many resources that can help reduce common losses within your industry. This assistance includes safety articles in association publications, Federated risk consultants’ services, Designated Risk Manager Training seminars, and a wide range of safety materials. Contact your marketing representative or the association office for more information.

 

Unfortunately, accidents can and do happen but if you can reduce the frequency of problem claims at your business, you will likely increase your percentage of profits.

 

*Source: Building Materials Dealers Claims 2004-2005, Federated Mutual Insurance Company

 

This article is intended to provide general recommendations regarding risk prevention. It is not intended to include all steps or processes necessary to adequately protect you, your business or your customers. You should always consult your personal attorney and insurance professional for advice unique to you and your business.

 

©2006 Federated Mutual Insurance Company, All Rights Reserved

MLA is proud to endorse….

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY