BPD

Bun-ontc Pnooucr; Drcesr

Senting lumber St,building products retaile"s 8t, usholesale distributors

JULY 2OO4

Producers bullish on EWP

Monufocturers optimistic growth will continue for gluloms, l-ioists ond LVL.

High co$ of fuel ond lumber coupled with tight supply of roil con presenls problems opportunities for tronslooders.

Deole/s extlene lnqkeover

Door showroom highlights S.D. remodeling.

IUluch odo qbout noiling

Corrosion ond the new pressure treolments.

Get

0biectively evoluote your key finonciol metrics-ond the penon in chorge of them

Compefitive

Boltimore deoler fhrives by punuing multi-fomily housing ond other profitoble niches.

Building Products Diqtst

reproduced in any manner without Mitten permission.

(Sistet publication The Merchant Magazine seves the West)

PUBLISHER Alan Oakes (ajoakes@aol.com)

PUBLISHER EMERITUS David Cutler EDITOR David Koenig (dkoenig@building-products.com)

ASSOC]ATE EDITOR Lisa Maresca (lmaresca@building-producls.com)

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Chuck Casey (ccasey@building-products.com)

ADMINISTRATION DIRECTOR/ SECRETARY Marie Oakes (mfpoakes@aol.com)

CIRCULATION HeatherKelly (hkelly@building-products.com)

How to Advertise

Contacl our advertising otfices lor ratesl SOUTH, MIDWEST & WEST: Chuck Casey, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660. Phone (949) 852n990 Fax 949-8520231 E-mail ccasey@building-products.com

NORTHEAST: Paul Mummolo, 404 Princeton Ave., Bric*, N.J. 08724, Phone (732) 899-8102 F ax 732-899-27 58 E-mail pmummolo@aol.com

INTERNET ADS: Alan Oakes, www.buildingproducls.com. Phone(949)852-1990 Fax949852-0231 E-mail ajoakes@aol.com.

How to Subscribe

Call Heather at (949) 852-1990 or send a check for lhe lollowing amount to Building Products Digest, 4500 Campus Drive, Suite 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872:

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FOREIGN per year paid in advance in US funds):

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Dumblc Sood CoNtruction Starts 0ith T(hrology.

About the Cover

The front cover is a paid advertisement, this month sponsored by Osmose.

OsnoseffiM.tu

ALAN OAKES publ i sher ajoakes@aol.com

Before and after: makeover

I must say I enjoy watching a number of the new reality shows centered on makeovers. You know the ones giving you a new face, body, clothes all in the space of an hour on television-it beats going to the gym. Or the one that does a complete makeover of your house by sending in an army of workers and completely rebuilding and refurnishing your house in a week-they obviously do not use the contractors that I do!

My all-time favorite is What Not To Wear, BBC International version. This is the program where they make you go into a room with a 360" view so you can see what you look like from all angles. It is interesting to see the reactions when the people look at themselves from the back and not just the front, as they do when looking in their own mirrors.

But if you think about it as an individual or from a business perspective, we all need a makeover or update at some timepoint. We need to see not only what is obvious in front of our faces, but what is going on above, below, and behind us. Even the obvious is not always so obvious. Indeed, not all of us are lucky enough to find someone to tell us how we should look, dress, feel, live; we have to rely on our own instincts. The same is true in business. While we may often not be able to afford a consultant, recognizing that a regular review of what we are doing is necessary is half the battle. The best time to do a makeover is actually when times are at their best, as they maybe at this time. there is purpose and worth to each and every life."

Our businesses do not need to be in a mess or even in trouble for us to keep thinking about what we are doing and why. A makeover need not be about revamping everything we do, but might be about a specific aspect of our business. For example, in a high growth situation, one part of the business (e.g., technology) may not be keeping up. We all need at some point to re-evaluate where we are, what's working, what's not and how to fix it in the short, medium and long term. I have seen businesses completely crippled or almost destroyed because they did not recognize cause and symptoms.

Often companies want growth, growth and more growth, but do not budget for the right number of people or capital expenditures necessary. These companies fall over their own egos. Introspection does not come easy, and managers may feel it is a personal attack on them to have an outside review of their department's performance and contribution, especially in front of their peers. Too often, you spend so much time concentrating on one part of the business, or just putting out fires, that you forget and neglect other facets and the long-term needs ofthe business.

Your business might need just a tweak, or you might learn that it needs far more. Half the battle is actually doing something. If you cannot be objective, seek outside help. In one of my c.e.o. positions, I was made under duress to have a business coach by the board. Initially, I was far from thrilled about this intrusion, but what he made me do was challenge myself on every decision I made, that each decision was going to move the company forward.

One ofthe secrets of successful change, I found, is to do pigeon steps. Too often, companies go charging in, without the internal capacity to initiate and manage change. Six months later, chaos reigns and the finger pointing starts.

A regular check-up and makeover is healthy. A 360' view-while sometimes uncomfortable-allows us to see reality. Now any ideas how to get rid of this gut?