Vol. 6, No. 23 – November 5, 2007

 

 

MLA FALL FLING A SUCCESS

 

An excellent speaker, good facility and a great audience added up to a successful Fall Fling on November 1-2 in Kansas City.

 

MLA thanks the members who attended for making the event worthwhile. These sponsors helped to make the event possible:

 

Federated Insurance (Presenting sponsor)

Hiab, Inc. (A Cargotec Company)

Mid-Am Building Supply, Inc.

Westfall GMC Truck

America Building Products

Blish-Mize Company

BlueLinx Corporation

Cedar Creek Wholesale, Inc.

The Monarch Cement Co.

 

Mark your calendar now for November 6-7, 2008, and plan to attend the next Fall Fling. It will be here before you know it!

 

MLA INSTALLS NEW OFFICERS & DIRECTORS

 

At the annual meeting of members on November 2, 2007, in Kansas City, MLA installed officers and directors for 2007-2008. The Association thanked David Hendrix for his outstanding leadership as president of MLA over the past year and welcomed Alan Clark, Hot Springs, Ark., as the new president. In addition, Harold Baalmann, Chairman NLBMDA, provided an update on our National Association.

 

MLA leaders for the coming year are:

 

President

Alan Clark

Clarks Bldg & Decorating Center

Hot Springs, Ark.

 

1^st Vice President

John Duncan

Schmidt Builders Supply, Inc.

Topeka, Kan.

 

2^nd Vice President

Gary Smith

Smith & Sons Building Center, Inc.

Anadarko, Okla.

 

3rd Vice President

Brad Isdell

Town & Country Building Supply

Higginsville, Mo.

 

Immediate Past President

Dave Hendrix

CHIC Lumber & Hardware

St. Peters, Mo.

 

NLBMDA Representative

Woodie Acord

Acord’s Home Center

Eureka Springs, Ark.

 

Secretary/Treasurer

Pat Thorne

Pat Thorne Lumber

Chillicothe, Mo.

 

Missouri/Arkansas Director

Bob Scruggs

Scruggs Lumber

Jefferson City, Mo.

 

Kansas/Oklahoma Director

Kevin Rasure

Rasure Lumber Do It Center

Goodland, Kan.

 

State Committee Rep. - KS

Alan Bontrager

Home Lumber & Hardware

Junction City, Kan.

 

State Committee Rep. - MO

Lowell Littrell

Bethany Building Center

Bethany, Mo.

 

State Cmte. Chairman - AR

Ken Blackmon

Ken’s Discount Bldg. Materials

El Dorado, Ark.

 

State Cmte. Chairman - OK

Rich Bass

Mill Creek Lumber & Supply Co.

Tulsa, Okla.

 

Associate Director

Jim Harvey

America Building Products

Jefferson City, Mo.

 

Associate Director

Clark Wiens

Cedar Creek Wholesale

Broken Arrow, Okla.

 

Associate Director

David Benner

BlueLinx Corp.

Englewood, Colo.

 

 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

 

New Report by Homebuilder Demonstrates Rising Interest in "Green" Homes… On Monday, McGraw-Hill Construction and NAHB provided highlights from a new report that chronicles the "green" home market. Among other things, the report found that market demand for green homes is expected to increase ten times over in the next five years. Green products used for remodeling are predicted to see a 40% increase, as well.

 

Source:  LBM Daily, October 23, 2007

 

Treasury Secretary Calls for Aggressive Action… Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. labeled the housing sector as the economy's top threat Tuesday morning, stating that "the longer housing prices remain stagnant or fall, the greater the penalty to our future economic growth." Paulson's remarks came during a speech at the Georgetown Law Center.

 

Source: Builder Business Update, October 23, 2007

 

Weyerhaeuser to shutter three iLevel plants … Federal Way, Wash.-based Weyerhaeuser will “indefinitely curtail” operations at three iLevel building products plants because of “slow customer demand.”

 

The curtailments include an oriented strand board (OSB) plant in Drayton Valley, Alberta; an OSB plant in Wawa, Ontario; and a laminated strand lumber plant in Deerwood, Minn. Work will halt at the plants before the end of the year, the company said.

Source: Home Channel News, ProDealer Digest – October 24, 2007

 

NAHB To Launch Its Green Building Program at 2008 IBS… The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) announced that it will launch the much-anticipated NAHB National Green Building Program Feb. 14 at the 2008 NAHB International Builders’ Show in Orlando. The program launch will be the highlight of a day of green-themed activities at the convention, which last year attracted more than 100,000 building industry professionals.

 

The national initiative will link dozens of successful state and local green building programs with a universal online certification tool, national registry of green homes and green builders, and a wealth of educational tools and resources for home builders and home buyers. To date, about 100,000 green homes have been built through programs run or supported by local building associations around the country. (See entire article at:  http://www.nahb.org/news_details.aspx?newsID=5542 )

 

Source: NAHB, October 23, 2007

 

New-Home Sales Rise 4.8 Percent In September… Sales of new single-family homes rose 4.8 percent in September, recovering a portion of the substantial ground they lost in the previous month, according to data released by the U.S. Commerce Department today. Sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 units following major downward revisions to figures for the previous three months.

 

The inventory of new homes for sale edged down for a sixth consecutive month in September to 523,000 units as builders have cut back on the pace of housing starts and aggressively stepped up sales incentives. This inventory overhang amounts to an 8.3-month supply at the current sales pace, still high on a historical basis but down from a 9-month supply in August.

 

Source: NAHB, October 25, 2007

 

BC: Interfor/Weyerhaeuser Deal Crumbles… International Forest Products (Interfor) had been working on a deal to buy Weyerhaeuser's Kamloops sawmill, but pulled out on Wednesday. Interfor cited the declining U.S. housing industry as a key concern, noting that the lumber business in British Columbia has "materially changed" because of it.

 

Source: LBM Daily, November 1, 2007

 

 

 

NLBMDA Releases Delivery & Fleet Safety Program

Industry-specific training package helps ‘protect LBM people, product, property’

 

The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association and LBM Institute have completed production of Delivery & Fleet Safety, the only load transportation training program specific to the lumber and building material industry.  The latest, and much anticipated, LBMI project designed to protect people, product and property at lumberyards nationwide has already fulfilled a number of pre-orders and is now ready for regular purchase.

 

Since truck deliveries are one of the most costly safety issues in the LBM industry, the Delivery & Fleet Safety training video and accompanying workbook take drivers through the process of loading, securing and transporting building materials safely from the yard to the job site.  Created with the consultation of multiple LBM dealers across the country, the program covers regulations pertinent to LBM drivers on topics from building loads and branding strapping to surveying delivery sites for problem areas and unloading.

 

The video also provides information on acquiring a Commercial Driver’s License and maintaining rules governed by the Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration – two agencies with which NLBMDA continues to foster good working relationships.  The full Delivery & Fleet Safety program includes the training video on VHS and DVD, one trainer’s guide, 10 operator training workbooks and program completion certificates and one full-color poster outlining the program’s concepts.

 

The video begins by showing footage of a trucking accident on a busy stretch of highway in the Washington, D.C., suburbs that occurred due to an improperly secured load.  As the truck entered an overpass, the load shifted and then tumbled over the road’s guardrail, where it struck an automobile below and killed its driver.  That accident is just one example of the 5,500 lumber industry-related, large trucking accidents a year, according to a 2006 FMCSA report – and it’s indicative of every driver’s need for proper safety training.

 

To help dealers train their employees to be a more safe, productive and efficient workforce, a Delivery & Fleet Safety order form can be downloaded at www.dealer.org or interested parties can call NLBMDA and the LBM Institute at 800-634-8645.  The full program is $199 for NLBMDA members and $349 for non-members.

 

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ARE YOU DRIVING AWAY TALENT?

 

It is [important] to make your company look terrific and maintain good will during the interview process – no matter what. People talk about you and your organization after they leave, especially if they are not treated with dignity and respect.

 

Unfortunately many interviewers are turning off candidates by downright rude and dumb behavior. They are becoming their own worst obstacle. This is verified by a new study from Development Dimensions International and Monster.com. They found that two-thirds of job seekers stated that the interviewer’s behavior influences their decision to take the job or decline it. Some of the negative interviewer behaviors that respondents identified included showing up late or unprepared, acting as if they had little time to talk, withholding information, asking stressful questions, and asking questions unrelated to the job skills.

 

The lessons are: show up on time, don’t allow interruptions, be prepared with a good list of questions – depending on the job description, treat people with dignity and respect, don’t ask questions to stress people out (all the research shows it proves nothing when it comes to job behavior), and give them the information they need to make a proper decision (at the end of the interview). Then let them know what happens next. This last part is very important. They want to know if there is another interview and testing, and when they will be notified. Walk them out the door and thank them for coming in. Good will begets more employees applying for positions.

 

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.

 

 

Deadly Sin #5

 

In a recent seminar, Keeping the Family Business in the Family, Jim Leighty, Ph.D., noted author and Federated’s Director of Business Planning, discussed 10 Deadly Sins to avoid when designing an exit strategy for a family-owned business.

 

According to Leighty, “Deadly Sin Number 5” is Confusing Equality with Fairness.

 

When first asked about their estate planning wishes, a couple may often say, “We want to treat all of our kids fairly – we don’t want any fighting after we’re gone. That’s why we’re leaving our (company) stock to all three kids.”

 

But a little later in the conversation, they may likely say, “No matter what, our child who is active in the business should control the business.

 

Sometimes, treating everyone “equally” can be very unfair. Stock ownership by heirs who are inactive in the business denies majority control to the successor responsible for the survival and success of the business.

 

Initially, many couples think that fairness means splitting assets equally among the children. After consideration, they understand that what they really want is equality in value for each child, not necessarily equality in assets.

 

Once their goal is clarified, they can work with a legal specialist to plan the proper mix of assets and values.

 

To create an exceptional exit strategy, Leighty recommends that all business interests be left to family members who are active in the business and will make it prosper. But, make sure your funding plans allow for all children to receive an equal value – then, everyone receives a fair share.

 

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

MLA is proud to endorse….

 

 

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 

"I have never seen a monument erected to a pessimist." -- Paul Harvey