Vol. 3, No. 25– December 6, 2004

 

FEDERATED INSURANCE UPDATE

 At a recent meeting of the MLA Insurance Committee, Federated outlined its updates and changes to underwriting standards for lumber and building material dealers. Many of the changes will make it easier to do business with Federated and dealers who might have been unable to obtain a quotation on their insurance in the past will want to give Federated another look. 

Changes include: 

Quotes in 30 days – Whereas a 75-day window was needed in the past to generate an insurance quote, now your agent needs just 30 days or more. 

Truss Manufacturing Exclusion – In the past, dealers whose truss manufacturing exceeded 20 percent of total receipts could not obtain property/casualty coverage from Federated. That exclusion level has been raised to 35 percent.  

Other changes have also been made. If your insurance renews in the next 30 to 90 days, please call MLA at 800-747-6529 to have a Federated representative contact you for a competitive bid. 

 

MLA EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Train Employees … Serve Customers 

The Basic Materials Estimating School… This is a two-day school designed to teach participants the basic piece-by-piece estimating of building products usually sold in a full-service lumberyard/home center. Students learn the basics of blueprint reading, how to use the LT1 Guidebook for estimating that contains tables, checklists, construction illustrations and estimating reminders; and finally how to estimate a simple house plan piece-by-piece. 

Feb. 14-15 – Wichita, Kan.

Feb. 16-17 – Kansas City, Mo.

March 10-11 – Tulsa, Okla. 

Advanced Materials Estimating School… This advanced piece-by-piece estimating seminar is designed to assist the estimator or outside salesperson/estimator who already knows how to estimate but wants some shortcuts and instructions in multi-pitched roofs, including stick framing and finding wall lengths, floor area, and more complicated house layouts. Students receive the estimating guidebook as part of the class. 

Feb. 18 – Kansas City, Mo. 

Managing Outside Yard Operations… This course is for yard foremen and key personnel supervising the efficient operation of the “outside yard.” Seminar topics include: protecting profit dollars in the yard, customer service in the yard, pre-emptive management and equipment maintenance.  

Feb. 17 – Columbia, Mo.

Feb. 24 – Oklahoma City, Okla. 

Member Pricing: 

Basic Estimating - $425 per person

Advanced Estimating - $300 per person

Yard Foreman Seminar - $310 per person 

Early Bird Discounts available – see registration form for details. 

Complete information and registration forms are available upon request from MLA at 800-747-6529. Or, simply reply to this email with your fax number, and we’ll send complete information today! 

NLBMDA Training Without Travel Teleconferences

Learn More Than You Thought Possible Over the Phone! 

Don't miss out on the most cost-effective training available to dealers on OSHA compliance. The next NLBMDA teleconference is scheduled for December 15 at 1 p.m. EST on “Forklift Training - New Information and Triennial Evaluation.” 

The conference is conducted by a renowned expert on OSHA requirements for the building material industry and provides participants with a one-hour briefing, written materials, and a 30-minute Q&A session. Do all of this without leaving your facility. 

The registration form for the December 15 teleconference is available on the NLBMDA web site, or by calling MLA at 800-747-6529. 

For more information on the Training Without Travel Teleconference series and a listing of the monthly teleconferences scheduled in 2005 visit NLBMDA's new website at www.dealer.org or call T.J. Cantwell at 800-634-8645. 

LUMBER NEWS – QUICK GLIMPSES 

Bush and Martin to Discuss Softwood Lumber Dispute Tuesday… President Bush plans to meet with Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin on Tuesday, at which the 22-year long softwood lumber dispute is sure to be a hot topic.  

Trade between the US and Canada has grown over the last 16 years by 135%, to an estimated $391 billion. The growing protests over perceived unfairness of American anti-dumping laws indicate that the trade relationship is not always harmonious. 

Nonetheless, Richard Mills, a spokesman for U.S. trade representative Robert B. Zoellick, spoke optimistically about US-Canadian relations: "Overall our trade relationship with Canada is very good. We have disputes with one another. We handle them, and trade goes on."  

Source: LBM Daily, November 29, 2004 

NAFTA Decision Again Goes Against U.S. Department of Commerce's Duties on Canadian Softwood… On Wednesday, NAFTA's panel on countervailing duties told the U.S. Commerce Department to recalculate the duties they had imposed on Canadian softwood imports. The NAFTA panel determined that the duties were imposed arbitrarily and that the Commerce Department had provided insufficient proof that Canadian softwood companies received subsidies.  

This is the third decision given by NAFTA in favor of Canadian claims that the duties imposed are inappropriate, and the battle over these tariffs is only one in a 30-year history of lumber disputes between the U.S. and Canada. Consumers in the United States would benefit from lower lumber prices, while U.S. lumber companies and large landowners would not.  

Source: LBM Daily, December 2, 2004 

Lame-Duck Session… Congress is coming back for the lame-duck session. Finishing work on fiscal year 2005 appropriations bills is at the top of its agenda. In all likelihood, Congress will roll all the remaining appropriations bills into one, raise the debt limit, decide who will run the show next year and go home. It is also possible several other bills will move, if they could be passed by unanimous consent, a procedural shortcut. Those bills include codifying the established business relationship exemption to the ban on commercial faxes, establishing an asbestos trust fund to pay workers’ health claims, reforming medical liability and class action lawsuits and allowing reimportation of pharmaceuticals. The chances of any of this legislation being enacted are slim. 

Source: National Retail Hardware Association 

IRS Standard Mileage Rates Change… The Internal Revenue Service announced mileage rates for tax deductions in 2005. They are: 40.5 cents per mile for business miles, 14 cents for charitable activities, 15 cents for medical reasons and 15 cents for deductible moving expenses. The rates were announced in Revenue Procedure 2004-64 and will be published in the Dec. 6 Internal Revenue Bulletin 2004-49. 

BACK TALK 

Chances are you or some of your employees suffer from back pain. U. S. Department of Labor statistics say that 20 percent of workplace illness and injuries are due to back injuries. Employee back injuries are the most frequent cause of days away from work, and insurance claims costs amount to millions of dollars each year. 

While back problems may arise from acute injury or illness, many injuries develop over a long period and worsen as the body ages. Often, the cause is related to habits and behavior that can be changed to improve back health and prevent serious injuries. Increasing awareness of these factors can work wonders in decreasing the frequency of back injuries and illness. 

§         Posture – Good posture while standing, sitting, driving and sleeping can help align the spine and avoid undue stress on the back.

§         Lifting – Proper lifting techniques and awareness are especially important for employees whose jobs include heavy lifting.

§         Exercise – Strengthening muscles in the back, abdomen, and legs along with a regular exercise routine helps protect the back.

§         Healthy lifestyle – Managing stress, getting enough sleep and rest, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking helps maintain a healthy back.

Federated’s BackTalk^sm program is available at no charge to help you implement a back safety awareness program at your business. The kit includes posters, brochures, information and ideas to help you raise awareness among your employees and prevent back injuries. Call for your copy today. 

MLA is proud to endorse…. 

 

 

BLAIR COLLINGS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 

Each summer the Blair Colling’s Internship Program provides an opportunity for the child or grandchild of a member retail lumber and building material owner or employee to work at the NLBMDA headquarters for six weeks beginning in June. The information and application for the Internship is available from MLA by calling 800-747-6529.   

Applicants must be 17 years of age but not more than 24 years, on or before June 1 of the year of the internship. A stipend of $2,500 will be paid to the intern during the course of the internship to offset expenses.   

Through its summer intern program, NLBMDA attempts to give its interns exposure in a number of areas by attending industry-related coalition meetings, observing how the U. S. Congress works, writing issue summaries and conducting research pertinent to Congressional or Federal Agency issues. This a great opportunity for some young man or woman to experience the excitement of living and working in our Nation’s Capitol.   

Applications must be received by February 1, 2005 to be considered. For more information or to receive an application package, please contact Pat Skinner at 800-634-8645 or email her at pat@dealer.org. 

MEMBER NEWS 

Niel Crowson, President and CEO of E.C. Barton & Co., was elected to the Board of Directors of Do It Best Corporation at their annual meeting in October. 

In 1989, Crowson began employment with E.C. Barton as a District Manager. E.C. Barton Company is one of the leading building material companies in the Mid-South, founded in 1884 and headquartered in Jonesboro, Ark. He became CEO and President of the company in 1993. Under his leadership, the company has grown from 42 profit centers (located in six states) to 57 profit centers, located in seven states. Sales have increased from $64 million to $127 million.

 THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 

"There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children... one is roots, the other wings." – Stephen Covey