• Sign up for Day 1 or Day 2 separately at $275 per day.

• Two-day workshop package - $445 for the first person from a member firm -- $425 each for additional personnel.

·         Sign up by January 25 – 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.

WASHINGTON UPDATE

New I-9 Form - A new version of the I-9 form was released Nov. 7 with an updated list of acceptable forms of employee identification. The list was revised in 1996, but new I-9 forms have just now become available to employers. The Department of Homeland Security will begin enforcing the new requirements in late December. [The new I-9 form is available by link from the MLA web site – www.TheMLA.com]

The new form instructs employers they may not accept a Certificate of U.S. Citizenship, a Certificate of Naturalization, an Alien Registration Receipt Card, an unexpired Reentry Permit and an unexpired Refugee Travel Document as proof of identity and work eligibility. Employers would be well advised to make sure they are not accepting these documents and begin using the updated I-9 forms immediately.

Got Refunds? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is still having trouble delivering refunds to taxpayers. The IRS said about $110 million in refunds to 115,478 taxpayers were returned as undeliverable. Amounts averaged about $953.

Source: North American Retail Hardware Association, ”Last Week in Washington,” November 26, 2007

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES

Fraud Situation Grows Worse for Business Creditors… Although it's widely known that fraud will take the path of least resistance, according to Gary Bares, director of fraud risk management company Verifraud, the situation for business creditors looking to clamp down on fraudulent business is getting tougher. "Unfortunately, we've seen an increase in sophistication," on the part of the perpetrators, Bares said in a recent NACM-sponsored teleconference entitled "Trends of Business Credit Fraud." Bares also noted that he expects this trend to continue.

"They're being bolder, more aggressive in general," he said. In his presentation, Bares mentioned that as the problem of fraud has received more attention from likely business targets, rather than disappearing, it has merely increased in efficiency and spread to other industries that were once considered at low-risk. "We're seeing more diversification from some of the main high-risk industries," said Bares. "We're seeing more six- and seven-figure losses for companies."

Bares also offered solutions to help prevent business credit fraud and noted that, aside from criminals becoming more sophisticated and efficient, companies, as well as law enforcement agencies, also play a role in preventing the successful elimination and prosecution of fraud.

Source: NACM E-news Weekly, November 20, 2007

Housing Permits Sink to 14-Year Low… Housing permits reached a new 14-year low in October as housing starts, enhanced by a surge in multi-family unit construction, made a modest jump according to a joint report from the Commerce Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Tuesday morning.

Total permits for October fell 6.6 percent to an annual pace of 1.18 million from 1.26 million in September. It's the lowest seasonally-adjusted number of permits in a single month since July 1993. Annually, the numbers are down nearly 25 percent. Single-family permits dropped 8 percent.

Source: Builder Business Online Update, November 19, 2007

U.S. Housing Starts Unexpectedly Climb in October … U.S. housing starts unexpectedly rose 3 percent in October – the biggest gain in eight months, the Commerce Department reported. The jump was attributed to increased activity in the condominium market, which offset the weakest construction of single-family homes since 1991.

Builders broke ground on 1.229 million homes last month. Construction of single-family homes dropped 7.3 percent, while multi-family home construction jumped 44 percent.

Source: Home Channel News, November 20, 2007

Evaluate Supervisor Too if Employees Aren’t Performing Well… Before letting go of an employee who appears to be losing his or her edge, take a look at the competency and leadership of the manager in charge, and the mood and atmosphere of the department in general. If there is a pattern of multiple employees not performing, it may be a sign that there is an inept leader at the helm. This article details six common traits of ineffective managers. Read entire article at:  CEO Strategist

Source: U.S. Chamber SmartBrief, November 21, 2007

National Forest Logging Could be Hampered… If lumber prices continue to drop, national forest logging will drop, according to forestry experts. Essentially, the forest service only has money to sell approximately 625 million board feet, which means that this fiscal year would see a drop of 65% in trust fund money from last year. The forest service blames the current housing decline as a major factor.

Source: LBM Daily, November 27, 2007

Wall Street Soars on Rate Cut Optimism… Wall Street soared Friday, resuming this week’s rally after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave investors more reason to believe further interest rate cuts are on the way. In a speech late Thursday, Bernanke said persistently tight credit conditions, the housing slump and high energy prices will probably create some “headwinds for the consumer in the months ahead.”

The Fed meets again on Dec. 11, and a rate cut could help reinvigorate the slowing economy. Evidence of a more reticent consumer came Thursday in the Commerce Department’s latest report, which shoed consumer spending rose a modest 0.2 percent in October, the slowest pace in four months.

Source: msnbc.com, November 30, 2007

Why New Hires Fail… According to a survey of 5,247 hiring managers by Leadership IQ, 26% of new hires fail because they can’t accept negative feedback about their job performance. Another 23% fail because they can’t handle their own emotions. In addition, 17% fail due to low motivation, 15% have the wrong temperament for the position, and 11% don’t have the necessary technical skills. Yet, we spend so much time during the interview trying to ascertain whether people have the technical skills, because it is easier to quantify. However those skills are not always a key predictor to success. You need to find more and better ways to determine a candidate’s emotional IQ, temperament and level of motivation. You need to discuss this during the interview and also with references.

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.

DO YOU HAVE A PLAN?

Recent events have likely raised questions among your employees about their duties if a disaster were to occur in your area. Help them understand your expectations and the procedures they should follow by asking yourself these questions:

·    Do you have a written disaster plan that is communicated to all employees?

·    Do you have a designated risk manager and a safety team who know how to react in various situations?

·    Do your employees understand their individual roles and priorities to help secure their work areas without endangering themselves?

·    Do they know what to do if evacuation is necessary?

·    Do you have alternative communication methods in case of a power outage?

·    Do you have a list of employees’ and vendors’ addresses and phone numbers stored away from the premises?

·    Do employees know how to report their whereabouts and account for themselves after an event?

·    Do you have a disaster recovery plan to minimize business interruption after an emergency?

·    Do you encourage employees to have personal disaster plans for their homes and families?

MLA is proud to endorse….