Building Products Digest - December 2009

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Building Products Digest

DECEMBER 09

INDUSTRY NEWS & MONEY-MAKING STRATEGIES FOR LUMBER & BUILDING MATERIAL DEALERS & DISTRIBUTORS

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Special Features 8 FEATURE STORY SALES STRATEGIES FOR A NEW YEAR

10 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT LAMINATED WOOD DECKING

11 MANAGEMENT TIPS MAKE YOUR FLEET MORE EFFICIENT

12 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE FOOTBALL VET TACKLES LBM

18 SPECIAL INSERT PULL OUT YOUR 2010 DELUXE INDUSTRY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

26 PHOTO RECAP DECKEXPO 2009

28 PHOTO RECAP NAWLA TRADERS MARKET

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Building Products Digest

In Every Issue 6 TOTALLY RANDOM 14 FAMILY BUSINESS 16 OLSEN ON SALES 18 TALK BACK 19 MOVERS & SHAKERS 21 NEW PRODUCTS 24 GREEN RETAILING 25 IN MEMORIAM 32 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE 33 DATE BOOK 34 IDEA FILE 34 ADVERTISERS INDEX

Building Products Digest December 2009

December 2009

Volume 28 Number 10

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TOTALLY Random

By Alan Oakes

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Happy Holidays—here’s hoping IRST, AS WE ALL KNOW,

it has been a difficult year. But as rough as it has been, I would like to continue our tradition of helping others less fortunate than ourselves.

Personally, these past two years have been difficult for my family health-wise, with three immediate members learning that they had cancer within a two-week spell.

Unfortunately, my sister-in-law succumbed recently after a great fight, and I have been touched by the many similar stories of people I speak to during the year. It seems there is not a family untouched by cancer of some type, and that is why I have chosen this year a very famous cancer survivor—Lance Armstrong—whose foundation focuses on cancer prevention, access to screening and care, helping cancer patients deal with their emotional concerns, providing financial assistance, and giving answers and assistance on a one-on-one basis to deal with the difficult choices to be made. You can support the Lance Armstrong Foundation by running your business card in the January issue (see page 32 for details). In past years, we have donated between $4,000 and $6,000 to a worthy cause. Your help this year will again be appreciated.

Now is it me, or has it seemed like a long year? I just re-read my last column and feel that in the spirit of the season I need to end the year with something more positive. So thinking… still thinking! Well, let’s try another approach. To recap, I suspect there are few companies that are happy with their results in 2009. Many feel fortunate to still have the lights on and the phones occasionally ringing. And this, I think, is the good news. If you have lasted this long, then it is likely you have already taken the right steps to keep operating through what might be a third tough winter.

The companies I have the most doubt about are those with deep credit lines that are coming up for renewal. One successful company told me of a stressful and accusatory visit they had recently with their banker—despite having never defaulted, being way below their maximum line of credit, and experiencing tremendous success over the last years. Having dealt in previous lives with fair-weather bankers, it is always interesting how those bankers who told you over free lunches how much they valued your business and the partnership, and how they were with you in good times and bad times, cannot get out of the relationship fast enough when the going gets tough!

Shhh—don’t mention the words “lumber and building materials.” That sends them into a real tizzy!

Clearly there is no immediate sign on the horizon of a change in market conditions.

Yet, most economists are sticking to mid to late 2010 for an uptick. In our industry, the general betting is on 2012 before we see new single-family starts hitting the one million mark again. Here at BPD, we can see the first signs of positioning for the upturn. It will be interesting to see the winners and losers over time.

For real improvement in the economy, we have to get corporate America hiring again, get people back to work, cut foreclosures, and create greater confidence. We must also slash wasteful government spending. We are a ways from those goals today.

Yet, I am grateful that I work in this industry. I enjoy meeting thousands of you— our readers—during the year. I am thankful that we have the support to have been able to bring our publications to you for over 87 years in the West and 27 years in the East. I cannot say thank you enough to our advertisers and our estimated 60,000+ readers, for your loyalty and the thousands of friendships gained. We will continue to support the industry, providing the industry’s most up-to-date news, as well as stories found nowhere else to help you find ways to bounce back with new products and new ideas.

From our family and all of us at BPD, we wish you and your families the very best of the season. Here’s hoping for a better 2010. Keep strong. Cheers!

Alan Oakes Publisher ajoakes@aol.com

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Building Products Digest December 2009

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A publication of Cutler Publishing

4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan Oakes ajoakes@aol.com Publisher Emeritus David Cutler Editor David Koenig dkoenig@building-products.com Associate Editor Karen Debats kdebats@building-products.com Contributing Editors Carla Waldemar, James Olsen, Jay Tompt Advertising Sales Manager Chuck Casey ccasey@building-products.com Administration Director/Secretary Marie Oakes mfpoakes@aol.com Circulation Manager Heather Kelly hkelly@building-products.com

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SOUTH, MIDWEST & WEST Chuck Casey Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ccasey@building-products.com NORTHEAST Paul Mummolo 404 Princeton Ave., Brick, N.J. 08724 Phone (732) 899-8102 Fax 732-899-2758 mummolop@comcast.net ONLINE Alan Oakes www.building-products.com Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ajoakes@aol.com.

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BUILDING PRODUCTS DIGEST is published monthly at 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872, (949) 852-1990, Fax 949-852-0231, www.buildingproducts.com, by Cutler Publishing, Inc. (a California Corporation). It is an independently owned publication for building products retailers and wholesale distributors in 37 states East of the Rockies. Copyright®2009 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Cover and entire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. All Rights Reserved. BPD reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it.

FEATURE Story

By Sean Ryan

How to stimulate LBM sales in 2010

The New Normal I

to say that LBM dealers and distributors are operating on limited budgets and resources.

In trying to keep operations steady, employees may not have time to think about sales systems, tools, measurement or new potential sales channels.

And, because they are going full tilt, there may not be an ongoing analysis of what’s working as far as the processes and/or activities that are truly bringing in sales.

A great analogy in our industry is that you wouldn’t design a home without a blueprint. And you wouldn’t build that home without a foundation.

Think of your business like a remodeler or architect would: your customers have to re-evaluate new codes, investigate new tools and materials, and change design preferences according to the times. You can be the architect of a whole new sales dynamic.

Now more than ever, it is important to measure every aspect of the sales cycle, such as leads, phone calls, and appointments. These activities can be combined with new tactics, such as having inside sales make outbound calls, email campaigns, and webinars—all leading to a more productive and efficient sales force. The goal should be to have outside salespeople in front of qualified prospects as much as possible.

You can execute a comprehensive sales system to make this happen. If you think about what sets LBM channels apart from retail, there is more emphasis on relationship selling, field support and training (both offered from manufacturers), and sales pullT MAY BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT

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through. This makes regular channel communications and feedback inherently important to the sales process. In addition, to sell the endless array of LBM products in today’s climate, training is crucial. Take advantage of manufacturer training not only for product knowledge, but to build relationships.

If you and your team are working the same way you were three years ago, that’s a red flag that the sales process should be re-evaluated. And, if you feel like a hamster on a wheel, working full steam ahead without commensurate results, that’s very telling as well. Take time to step back and ask your team for agreement on who you are as a company, who your ideal customer is, and how you can reach them better and more consistently.

This strategic facilitation is really a self examination that may not cost anything. But a few tweaks and tactics from within may have long-lasting, powerful results. If you can’t say there are four or five things you’re doing differently to respond to changing times, then you are flagged!

Here are some key questions to ask about your business: What is missing in your sales arsenal? Where are the gaps? Are leads and sales activities disappearing into a sales and measurement system or being lost in the mayhem of daily activity? Are you using all of the resources and tools at your disposal within your organization? Is your sales force in front of qualified prospects as much as you would like?

Why not? And, most importantly, are you telling your ideal customers what makes you special? These are marching orders your entire organization needs to know to stay focused and on the same page.

As an example, an innovative home plans design firm we recently worked

Red Flags that Signal Sales Gaps

Building Products Digest December 2009

with used a day and a half of strategic facilitation to get their sales force in complete unity. They were able to dig into their true “unique selling proposition” as well as generate a creative strategy and tactics to go after their ideal customer.

As the light bulb moments began to fire up, areas of improvement and five or six no-cost tactics were created.

They agreed upon who they are, which focused on their passion for design, and assigned some much-needed tasks on the spot. These simple tactics may include modifying the company’s website, developing webinars or targeted mailings, creating vendor programs, or getting manufacturers to partner with you.

Sales measurement tells you what is working and what is not. Don’t rely exclusively on assumptions and the experience of your sales people to shape your sales efforts. Capture, measure, and analyze the facts to make sure you truly know the strengths and weaknesses of your sales program. How often are you contacting each prospect and client? Does the amount of contact with a client increase sales?

The good news is there are a number of customer relationship management systems on the market that can be purchased beginning at just a few hundred dollars. One example is salesforce.com, but you can find one that works for you. Most CRM systems come with reporting and measurement tools right out of the box.

The combination of measuring every aspect of the sales process with adding new tactics and strategies will lead to a more productive and efficient sales force. It is difficult to argue with the goal of having your outside salespeople in front of qualified prospects as much as possible.

One way to help make this happen is with the strategic use of your inside

Measurement System = Leverage

Building-Products.com

sales force. Utilizing an inside sales force in conjunction with your outside sales force has multiple positives for your company and your clients. First of all, you are able to leverage time and activities for maximum productivity. An inside salesperson can set phone appointments for your outside salesperson, who is typically a higherpaid employee who should spend time on the higher value activities that they were hired to do.

Secondly, you are able to provide more touch points with your clients and prospective clients. Quite simply, multiple people have the ability to be in contact more frequently than just one outside salesperson.

And finally, your customers will identify more with your company than just with the individual outside salesperson. When a customer is familiar with multiple people in your organization, it will be harder for an outside salesperson to take that contact with them if they ever join another firm.

After working so hard to bring in customers, you will ensure their retention even with personnel changes.

Don’t be intimidated by the process—consider it a wake up call for the entire staff. You could be sitting on a gold mine that could manifest along with the changing times. Try to maximize resources by switching staff around. For example, assign valueadded, sales process activities to someone in customer service. You could have them make 10 prospecting calls a day to support your outside sales efforts. Optimize your “people” resources. Be sure your top sellers are not wasting time prospecting or doing administrative tasks. Outsource things that are not economical for your staff to do, like technology, web development, or marketing. The tactics may be low-cost, but yield high returns.

How to Look Within

You may feel that there are additional markets for your products, if only you had the time and the resources to identify them. Jim Diffenderfer, president, Accent Truss/ Timber, a Greenville, S.C., provider of heavy timber accents and components, envisioned his products expanding to the outdoor products market, to be utilized by deck building franchises. By branching out into an entirely new channel, his business is expanding to national distribution and increasing

sales.

With our help and contacts, Accent Truss was able to get in front of outdoor products installers to take the business from regional to national.

The owner simply didn’t have the time or contacts to get there. This is a case where outsourcing sales assistance made perfect sense. Now Accent is getting custom jobs all over the country. According to Diffenderfer, “We’re on track to exceed last year’s sales.”

In a down economy, there can be many disconnects between distributors and manufacturers. By using a method of strategic facilitation, these mishaps can be nipped in the bud by bringing together management and sales staffs to hammer out an agreed upon strategy between the manufacturer and distributor.

For manufacturers that offer co-op funds, it’s a smart way to spend some of those funds, rather than trying to fit in an extra golf outing. Or, make it a golf outing and strategic brainstorming meeting! This eliminates the elephant in the room and gets you and the manufacturer on the same page.

Some manufacturers already do this with regular advisory board meetings made up of distributors. This is a sound suggestion for any supplier you’ve had troublesome communications with. When expectations on both sides are fully understood, you end up with the same marching orders to execute a go-forward strategy.

Channel Partner Relationships

Yes, examining your current methods and measuring sales are more than worth the time. It will actually save you time in the long-run, since you can focus more on what is working and who is making it work. Remember these tenets: • Live in the new normal—doing more of what you’ve done in the past does not improve sales • Determine who you are—mission and goals • Realize that improvement means change • Measure sales in a systematic way • Never make assumptions of what works Your business, especially in a tough economy, should always be evolving to keep you ahead of the curve. No one wants to have to play catch up when things turn around.

Remember, your selling environment has dramatically changed, which means you may have to toss old ideas and tactics out the window. And, your new set of sales tactics do not have to be costly, but simply results-oriented.

As long as you and your staff are open to change, the sky’s the limit for your sales potential.

Is It Worth the Time?

– Sean Ryan is president of Global Link Solutions. GLS’s goal is to help all levels of the LBM channel sell more building products, by providing sales strategy and sales execution services. He can be reached at (866) 813-8264 or sryan@ globallinksolutions.com.

New Channels, New Audiences

Building-Products.com

SALES TIPS: Sean Ryan (right), president of Global Link Solutions, discusses channel opportunities with Jeff Lewin, outside sales rep for Parksite Inc., North Brunswick, N.J. December 2009 Building Products Digest

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PRODUCT Spotlight Engineered Wood: Laminated Roof Decking

Photo by Disdero Lumber

Laminated wood roof decking energizes slow lumber market

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MAJOR REDO of the Redmond Airport incorporated laminated roof decking, finished on site.

OME RETAILERS WHO ARE discouraged with the slow pace of lumber and plywood sales are now emphasizing laminated roof decking as a unique product that offers warm aesthetics, availability and economy by combining a finished ceiling and a structural roof.

According to producer Filler King, Homedale, Id., lam decking “creates the elegance of exposed wood while also providing a load supporting deck for snow or other roof loads. Spans may be up to 24 feet.”

Rob Witzel, of EWP distributor R.E.W. Supply, Ltd., St. Paul, Mn., reports relatively strong demand for the products in his market area, including recent construction of a large office building add-on and roofs for educational facilities.

Miller Lumber Co., Bend, Or., has built a reputation as a major source for laminated decking. According to Charley Miller, the company’s product

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of choice (Lock-Deck manufactured

by Disdero Lumber, Clackamas, Or.) “has virtually no waste, and it makes an attractive appearance every time it is used.”

In most applications, the lam decking is supported by glulam timber framing.

Most of the lam decking sold by Miller Lumber goes into commercial projects, including the new airport currently under construction in Redmond, Or. Miller says the key to steady laminated decking sales is to get the product specified by owners, contractors, and architects.

The structurally engineered product consists of two to five kiln-dried lumber laminations, bonded together with exterior adhesive to form glued-laminated decking.

Random length and long length (fingerjointed) T&G lam decking, plus a variety of face patterns, textures and finishes, broaden design possibilities.

Building Products Digest December 2009

According to Disdero’s Gunnar Brinck, “In addition to the Redmond airport project, we have also bid on Lock-Deck jobs at the Portland, Me., Jetport; Bozeman, Mt., airport, and another job in Virginia. I suspect these are moving forward with Federal stimulus money marked for infrastructure improvements and ‘shovel-ready’ projects.”

The decking is used for ceilings and roofs as well as balconies, mezzanines and floors. It provides elegant designs and “cathedral ceilings” for homes, churches, offices and other structures.

Miller reports that his company promotes Lock-Deck to architects and other specifiers with personal calls, samples, Disdero literature, and tours of completed jobs.

Producers utilize western red cedar, hemlock, ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, southern yellow pine, Alaskan yellow cedar, Port Orford cedar, incense cedar, and Idaho white pine.

Lam Deck Producers Disdero Lumber Clackamas, Or. www.lockdeck.com Filler King Co. Homedale, Id. www.fillerking.com

Laminated Timbers, Inc. London, Ky. www.laminatedtimbers.com

Timberweld Manufacturing Billings, Mt. www.timberweld.com

Unadilla Laminated Products Unadilla, N.Y. www.unalam.com Unit Structures Magnolia, Ar. www.unitstructures.com

MANAGEMENT Tips

Give your forklifts a run for the money

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their weight? Regular, daily maintenance and proper operator training can help ensure that these workhorses keep performing in your yard and warehouse—and workers aren’t injured.

“We know the expense our customers can incur when there is equipment downtime,” said Kevin Krakora, director of product services for Mitsubishi Forklift Trucks. “By implementing just a few simple, proactive measures in day-to-day operations, companies will help improve productivity and help keep equipment running efficiently.”

Krakora said that the following items should be on every company’s checklist: Tires: Replace worn or chunked tires that cause jarring impacts to the wheel, axle components, load and operator. Use the proper tires for max-

All photos by Mitsubishi

RE YOUR FORKLIFTS PULLING

imum performance in demanding applications.

Forks: Operating the forklift truck with worn tires can also cause premature wear to the bottom of the forks. It can also jeopardize the forklift’s ability to lift and create an unsafe working environment.

Transmission: Costly damage to the transmission can occur when operators ride the inching pedal, which should only be used when approaching a rack or when the brakes are applied while revving the engine (allowing the hydraulics to work at full speed). The brake pedal should be used for regular stopping when hydraulics are not in use.

Impact Damage: Assigning equipment to an operator can help track damage and who’s causing it.

Installing an impact monitor, vehicle speed limiter, or keyless access system are options can also help reduce

REGULAR maintenance improves productivity and equipment performance, while lowering costs.

Building-Products.com

FORKLIFT SAFETY programs remind operators of safe use and correct maintenance.

impact damage.

Training: All operators should be properly trained on how to perform the required daily inspections and properly operate the equipment.

According to safety consultant Thomas Fife, forklifts are one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment in a yard—at least 100 people in the U.S. die in every year in forklift accidents. He advises clients that the following four steps can help prevent forklift injuries: driver training and certification, a company policy requiring forklift drivers to wear seat belts, regular maintenance of the equipment, and a safety inspection at the beginning of each shift.

Refresher training is also important, especially after an accident or near-miss incident in the workplace.

This training should include formal instruction, practical training, an evaluation of the effectiveness of that training, and evaluation of the operator’s performance in the workplace.

December 2009 Building Products Digest

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COMPETITIVE Intelligence

By Carla Waldemar

Scoring in the Lumber Bowl

SOONER THE BETTER: Rough-and-tumble collegiate football career helped prepare Mike Skinner for the competitive lumber industry.

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IKE SKINNER KNOWS a thing or two about nailing the competition. Mike grew up in Tahlequah, Ok., where football was big and Mike was big on football. His prowess on the high-school team won him a football scholarship to the University of Oklahoma, where he held a starting position on the offense line, sending his team, the Sooners, on to win two Big 12 championships as well as invitations to the Orange, Cotton and Rose Bowl playoffs.

So when Lowe’s let it be known they, too, were on the offense, sending its scouts to build a big box just two blocks away from his father’s store, Tahlequah Lumber, Mike traded his helmet for a hard hat of another sort and led the remodel that not only kept Tahlequah Lumber in the game but positioned it as a winner.

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Returning after college to the home team—the yard his grandfather had purchased 60 years ago when just a college kid, himself—by 2003, Mike lusted for another victory. He spearheaded the push for renovation. “I wanted to show the community that, just because Lowe’s was coming to town, we were not going to fold up and quit,” he asserts. “We decided to remodel, to step up to the plate and compete.” He loved not only the yard but the whole idea of working closely with his family—his father, mother and uncle were onboard, as well as a sister and brother-in-law—and he wasn’t about to let them down.

It worked. “Competition only makes you better,” Mike is convinced. “It acts as a wake-up call. We cashed in on the excitement.” Sales at Tahlequah have shot up since the big box opened.”

By going into overtime, Tahlequah was able to flaunt its new makeover three weeks before Lowe’s opened, stunning folks with a completely revamped exterior and the addition of 8,000 sq. ft. of new retail space in what was once a storeroom. “We added lighting and lost the old racetrack design, moving every gondola two or three times,” he laughs in retrospect.

New lines were added, too, including items like paint and appliances, to draw the all-important decision-makers of town: women. A newly added design center scored a hit with the ladies, too. In all, stock increased by 12,000 SKU s, including many new items needed by home remodelers— both the core base of contractors (Tahlequah’s accounts were 75% pro) and new do-it-yourselfers, whom the staff of 70 were prepared to walk through projects, from fixing a toilet

Building Products Digest December 2009

to adding a deck.

And if these homeowners felt the project was too big or burdensome to handle, voilà: installers at the ready for jobs such as insulation, and an onstaff cadre of handymen, including a plumber, carpenter and garage overhead-door expert, eager and able to tackle anything from ceiling tiles to toilets.

A profitable rental department— launched when Mike’s grandfather got tired of folks forever borrowing his ladder and started charging a fee—now stocks everything from power tools to Bobcats and front-end loaders, ready to help out. And, thanks to a fleet of trucks (“Too many! And too much insurance!” mock-moans Mike, who cannot give them up, of course), contractors are well-served with speed delivery, to the tune of 35 or 40 runs a day. “We don’t force them to have to think way-far out,” professes Mike. “They can call our guys’ cell phones on Friday night or early Monday morning. It’s all about relationships. In fact, they come in on Mondays to compare how they spent their weekends. They socialize together.”

Tahlequah, a town of 22,000 about an hour from Tulsa, didn’t have a huge stock of custom homes sitting empty when the recession rolled around. Consequently it hasn’t been hit as hard as the rest of the nation.

Nonetheless, the irony of a recent victory doesn’t go unnoticed by Mike.

For years he’d pushed and pushed his parents to open a second location. “I was the instigator; we finally decided to move ahead when the right location might come along. My sister and brother-in-law had just joined the company, very capable people, so at last it seemed a good fit.”

Building-Products.com

FRESH LOOK: Skinner is proud of the splashy new paint center, a major component of an expansive redesign.

So they signed the papers on a little yard in Pryor, 45 miles away—just as the recession announced its presence.

This time, the remodel required was even more extensive. “We scraped up carpet, laid new tiles. Put in a new computer system. Moved the [supply your own adjective] gondolas five or six times. Doubled the amount of lighting, added 15,000 new products’—everything from paint to appliances, in what was now 25,000 sq. ft. of retail, including a new design center. “And it’s doing well,” Mike is pleased, and relieved, to add. “Sales were up 10% the first full year,” an increase of $1 million.

That increase is credited, in part, to increased profit-tuning. “I’m a stickler for margins,” Mike declares. “It’s a big driving force. I don’t want to leave money on the table.

We’re not the lowest-price, but we offer service and quality, and I really feel that that’s what counts with most people. We’ll really help you out with a product. For instance, if you have a problem with a power tool, we’ll take care of it—no need to call an 800 number.”

Speaking of power tools, Tahlequah recently hosted a series of Friday night events for a women’s group that wanted to learn how to use the darned things—and drove in-store traffic to new heights along the way.

Building-Products.com

Mike’s team of employees isn’t a bunch of benchwarmers; they’re in there, giving their all. “It’s a close-knit group, like family,” he maintains. In fact, four couples have married after meeting in the staff room. Credit is due to his management style, which, he claims, he learned on the football field. “I was part of a college team with a new coach who got everyone on the same page. We worked for the common good—no individual attitudes or personalities. That,” he says, “is how I learned to be a leader.”

He married just over a year ago, but his sister beat him down the aisle and has added a toddler to the family mix. “She runs into our meetings and steals the show,” beams her proud uncle.

“She’s already adding to the business!”

Better start planning a third location.

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net

December 2009 Building Products Digest

13

FAMILY Business

By Amy Schuman

Learning to manage dilemmas that can’t be solved

I

NEVITABLY, EVERY FAMILY BUSINESS

faces heart-wrenching, impossible

choices—choosing between the needs of the business and the needs of the

family, choosing between shareholder liquidity and shareholder investment, or choosing between a focus on profitability and a focus on legacy. Each example presents a choice between two “right” answers that appear to be in direct conflict.

In such cases, called “polarities,” wise families refuse to choose one option to the exclusion of the other.

They recognize that the complexity of the issue at hand won’t be addressed by one solution. Instead, they seek ways to incorporate both options.

Problems—whether or not to build a new facility, who to hire for an open position, or how much to budget for a new vehicle—can be solved. A choice may be difficult but can—and must— be made. In contrast, polarities present two apparent opposites that can only be managed, not solved. This occurs because both sides of a polarity are highly desirable and in fact necessary.

Choosing one option over another is always a bad idea.

Families in business together encounter this dynamic everywhere they turn, and their ability to harness the power of polarities is essential to their success. Polarities often feel wrenching because there is no “right” choice. No selection is clearly, indubitably, and unmistakably superior.

However, as you seek to tap the power of both options, the feeling of frustration is replaced by a wonderful sense of possibility. Now, rather than being limited to one “correct” choice, you are free to select both “correct”

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Building Products Digest December 2009

Building-Products.com

choices. When tapped as an interdependent pair, polarities are sources of energy and opportunity. Though neither is superior to the other, together they provide a superior response.

Recurring polarities may feel frustrating or even dangerous. When the family is divided in its response, it can feel as though there is a serious threat to family unity and business continuity. But what if we took a completely different approach to these tricky issues? Rather than seeking to solve them with one right answer, we could shift our framework and, instead, seek to manage them as naturally occurring tensions that have no solution. And, rather than feeling frustrated and threatened by these tensions, we could appreciate them as powerful sources of exceptional performance and quality of life. In fact, these polarities are gifts, and learning to manage them is central to the development of healthy families, sound businesses, and vital communities.

Many business-owning families intuitively manage polarities with great skill. But other families often feel inadequate when faced with stubborn, recurring dilemmas that can’t be neatly resolved. These families often wonder, “Why aren’t we strong or smart enough to make a decision?” Or they worry about the threat represented by a lack of family agreement.

However, once they understand these issues as dynamics to be managed rather than problems to be solved, they can feel a tremendous sense of relief. They acknowledge the necessity to find a way to do both over time. For example, they will need to respond to short-term needs and consider long-term implications. They will need to make decisions based upon emotion and reason. They will serve the needs of the family and of the business. By refusing to choose between two necessary and desirable options, these families are demonstrating their wisdom and understanding.

The research is clear. Companies and leaders that manage polarities well outperform those that don’t. The most effective, harmonious families are those that successfully tap the power of both elements of natural polarities.

– Amy M. Schuman is a principal of the Family Business Consulting Group, Marietta, Ga.; (800) 551-0633. Reach her at schuman@efamilybusiness.com.

Reprinted with permission from The Family Business Advisor, a copyrighted publication of Family Enterprise Publishers. No portion of this article may be reproduced without permission of Family Enterprise Publishers.

Building-Products.com

December 2009 Building Products Digest

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OLSEN On Sales

By James Olsen

The “Turn of the Year” conversation

M

ANY OF US DO NOT KNOW how much the account base we are currently working can produce for us. Coming into a new year is a natural time to look at our account base with a more detached eye than normal, to see if we are calling on the right kind of accounts to reach our goals.

We begin our “Turn of the Year” conversation by thanking the customer for any or all of the business we have done over the last year.

“Jason, I wanted to thank you for all the 2x4 you bought from me last year. I was going over the records; we have done five cars and 10 trucks over the last 12 months.”

After that, we ask the customer about their total purchases of that product.

“Jason, out of curiosity, how much 2x4 did you buy total last year?”

Assuming we didn’t get all the business, after the customer gives us the total we ask, “What will it take for me to get more of your business in 2010?”

Often sellers will tell me, “He spreads it around; I’m not going to get it all.” (Not with this attitude we won’t!) If we don’t ask for all of it, someone else will. Or they will say, “I know how much he uses.” Even better to ask a question we know the answer to.

The point is to get the customer to talk about all the possible (not probable) things they can and should buy from us. Often our customers have us in a box—“I buy all my 2x4 from Jason, my OSB from Tommy, etc.” The turn of the year is a good time to break up (limiting) prejudices our customers may have about us. We go through the items our customers are buying from us and the products they can (should) buy from us.

Often customers will sidestep: • “I really couldn’t tell you how much we use.”

• “A hell of a lot less than before, I can tell you that.”

• “It varies”

16

Building Products Digest December 2009

• “I just buy the stuff; I don’t know exactly how much we use.”

We must recognize these statements for what they are: sidesteps. Here are some responses that will get around these sidesteps: • “Are you in front of your computer? Can we take a quick look at it?”

• “How much did you buy last month?”

• “You must have a general idea. Can you give me a ballpark?”

• “Can we set up a time to go over this?”

Preparation is key. If we are not ready for sidesteps, they will derail us. When we are prepared, these false objections fall away quickly.

Once we have thoroughly (it may take more than one conversation) gone over all inventory items, we talk about the coming year.

“Jason, I appreciate you taking the time to go through this with me. I am going to redouble my efforts to keep the best deals we have on all of these products in front of you.

Am I contacting you in the right way? “ When we have finished this process with all of our accounts, we can begin to look at our coming year and decide who we will keep, who we will stop calling, and who we will spend more time with.

Many of us are working account bases that, even if we got all of the business, would not be enough to support us!

Time is money, and all we have as salespeople is our time. The biggest leak in most of our boats is spending time (money) with accounts that will not buy or cannot buy enough from us to be a good use of our time.

Remember, working non-buying or too-small accounts is robbing us from the time we need to find more accounts like the ones that are buying from us. In addition to time, they drain the energy we need to generate profitable business.

We can have the “Turn of the Year” conversation with our accounts any time of year (I suggest every 90 days we re-evaluate our account base), but with 2010 around the corner, now is a very good time.

James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503) 544-3572 james@ reality-salestraining.com

Building-Products.com

Rex Rescues Columbus

Rex Lumber LLC, Graceville, Fl., has acquired the assets of Columbus Lumber Co., Brookhaven, Ms. The 145-acre milling and treating complex is the first venture outside of north Florida for Rex, which also operates North Florida Woodlands, North Florida Lumber, and a wood treating plant.

“We are extremely fortunate the company has been purchased and will hopefully be back in full production at some point,” said former co-owner Doug Boykin, now a Rex employee.

“Considering the current market, the facility could have stayed idle for quite some time.”

Boykin’s former partner, Jeff Grierson, resigned just before the bank sold the sawmill to Rex.

New Chain Takes Over Stock Yards in Connecticut, New York, Wisconsin

Stock Building Supply has completed the sale of its remaining yards in Connecticut, New York, and Wisconsin to a pair of equity firms.

Yards in East Haven and Newtown, Ct., have reverted to the name East Haven Builders Supply under Antonio Rossano, who sold them to Stock in 2005. The seven yards in Wisconsin (Green Bay, Appleton, La Crosse, Windsor, Marinette, Sussex and Plover) now operate as Wisconsin Building Supply under Bill Imig. Greg Gaskell leads the New York locations (Richmondville, Sidney, two in Schenectady) as Bellevue Builders Supply.

A new holding company, US LBM

Holdings, Green Bay, Wi., has been formed to oversee the three divisions, headed by former Stock executive L.T. Gibson as president and c.e.o.

The investors will also use US LBM to acquire additional pro lumberyards.

Building Industry Partners, Dallas, Tx., a private equity firm focused on the LBM industry, had originally intended to take over all of Stock’s yards in the three states (see Sept., p.

21), but changed its mind on the two other facilities in Connecticut, three in New York, and six in Wisconsin that Stock had closed earlier in the year.

To complete the deal, which closed Oct. 30, BIP partnered with Gibson and BlackEagle Partners, a private equity firm focused on turnarounds.

The three subsidiaries’ operations managers are also equity partners in their businesses.

Vinyl Fencing Plant Revived

The owner of Digger Specialties, Bremen, In., has restarted the former Outdoor Technologies vinyl fencing and railing facility in Macon, Ms., as Exterior Profiles Corp.

The plant was closed in October 2008 by bankrupt Jancor Cos., which sold it to ProVia Door, Sugarcreek, Ok., along with vinyl siding plants Heartland Building Products, Booneville, Ms., and Infinite Building Products, Olive Branch, Ms. ProVia restarted only Heartland Siding.

ProVia has now resold the fencing plant to Loren Graber, who will operate Digger and Exterior Profiles as separate firms, with distinct brands, management, products and marketing.

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Landry Lumber Co. P.O. Box 522, Mansura, LA 71350 A Division of Call Joe Elder (800) 467-8018 Fax 318-964-5276

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or Richard Landry (318) 442-0453 Fax 318-443-2108

DEALER Briefs

Stock Building Supply is consolidating its three Pennsylvania operations into one location in Paradise, Pa. The 36-acre complex includes components, millwork and lumber. The facilities to be closed by the end of the year are in Paradise and Kinzers.

Home Builders Supply Co., Greenville, N.C., has taken over the former Stock yard in Wilson, N.C. (Glenn Blackwell, general mgr.).

Norvell & Wallace Lumber,

Nashville, Tn., closed after 129 years.

Grossman’s Bargain Outlet

signed a 10-year lease to move its Schenectady, N.Y., store to a 25,000sq. ft. former Sears Hardware — twice the size of its current quarters.

Fox Home Center is closing its 27-year-old store in Frankfort, Il., and consolidating operations at its recently remodeled showroom and drive-thru lumberyard in Alsip, Il. Fox will vacate Frankfort by year’s end and sell its 3.5 acres to the city.

Ralph A. Esty & Sons, Groveland, N.H., has closed after 92 years.

Riverhead Building Supply, Shirley, N.Y., completed its acquisition of JT’s Lumber, Middletown and N. Kingstown, R.I. (see Oct., p. 20).

The yards will keep the JT’s name.

Two Signature Spaces design centers will change to Perimeters Showrooms.

Riverhead also recently opened a 6th Perimeters in Queens, N.Y. Gazaway Lumber, Paragould, Ar., had a pickup truck plow through a wall and into its paint department. No one was injured in the Nov. 8 incident, despite heavy damage to floors, fixtures and merchandise.

Childress True Value Hardware, Lubbock, Tx, is liquidating, with

the retirement of the owners.

Any inventory not sold by the time the doors close Dec. 23 will be auctioned off or sold on eBay. A hardware store has stood on the spot for more than 90 years, the last 50 as Childress.

Trish Sutter and Michelle Kennedy are opening the 6,000-sq. ft. Four

Branches Green Building Center in Greensboro, N.C. December 2009 Building Products Digest

17

TALK Back Send comments on any article to dkoenig@building-products.com or Editor, BPD, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660

GETTING BACK TO WORK…

Very insightful article (“Time to Get America Back to Work,” Nov., p. 6). Regarding your admonition that “we must rethink how we are going to become competitive and devise programs that support our nation’s strengths through innovation and entrepreneurships:” I am a supporter of the Fair Tax. After its enactment, Americans would take home their whole paycheck, free of federal withholding of income, Social Security, and Medicare payroll taxes. This increase of “take home” pay will serve as a permanent economic stimulus. Putting the naysayers aside, the elimination of these payroll taxes will dramatically increase most Americans’ paychecks.

For the self-employed (including myself), the effect of eliminating these payroll taxes can be far more dramatic.

The self-employed pay a full 15.3% of wages up to $100,000 of annual earnings toward FICA and Medicare taxes. Income taxes are paid quarterly. Elimination of FICA and quarterly tax payments will mean a very dramatic increase in funds available for the self-employed.

When Bill Archer (R-Tx.) was chairman of the House Ways & Committee, he quoted an informal survey of 500 international companies located in Europe and Japan. These companies were asked, “What would you do in your longterm planning if the U.S. eliminated all taxes on capital and labor and taxed only personal consumption?” Eighty percent (400 out of 500) said they would build their next plant in America. The remaining 20% said that they would relocate their business to America altogether.

It’s estimated that $11 trillion has moved out of our economy because of our bogus, antiquated tax system.

Visit www.fairtax.org. If you really want to transfer power from the inept bureaucrats who control this country, then get on board.

Jim Bolton Coastal Building Sales Homosassa, Fl. jimbolton@tampabay.rr.com

… OR GET OUT OF THE WAY

As a materials supplier to the Florida homeowner and contractor market, we are constantly hearing from our customers how long the building departments are taking to issue permits, as well as the DEP and Corps of Engineers.

I don’t know what it’s like in other states, but it would seem to me that in this economy, building officials and community leaders would be pushing to issue permits to keep the economy stimulated. It also keeps contractors from having to lay workers off when they cannot move from job to job, which in turn keeps the unemployment numbers down. Help!

Season’s Greetings from your friends at

P.O. Box 522, Mansura, La. 71350 • FAX 318-964-5276

(318) 964-2196 * (800) 467-8018 www.elderwoodpreserving.com • E-mail: jelder@elderwoodpreserving.com

18

Building Products Digest December 2009

Pete Myers Fort Pierce Reload PT Sales Fort Pierce, Fl. fortpiercereload@bellsouth.net

Potlatch Selling Short Lines

Potlatch Land & Lumber agreed to sell the Warren & Saline River Railroad Co. and the Prescott & Northwestern Railroad Co. to Pinsly Railroad Co. Potlatch is the only active shipper on WSR, a five-mile line in Warren, Ar. Pinsly’s Arkansas Midland Railroad Co. leases and operates a line that connects with WSR in Warren. PNW operates a five-mile line for switching operations in Prescott, Ar. The deal should be finalized by year’s end.

pull out and use this 2010 Deluxe Industry Calendar, packed with hundreds of LBM events

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MOVERS & Shakers Mark L. Spargo has been promoted to v.p. of Snavely Forest Products, Pittsburgh, Pa. Scott B. Wetherell, ex-Culpepper Wood Preservers, now oversees the fence division of FLW Wood Products, Princeton, N.J. Frank Renner, ex-BlueLinx, is new to sales at Tri-State Forest Products, Perrysburg, Oh. George Luttrell Varnell and Brian McKee are now in sales at Stringfellow Lumber, Birmingham, Al. Charles Patterson, ex-Robbins Wholesale, is now with Empire Wholesale Lumber, Tampa, Fl. Larry Birmingham is specializing in structural panel products at Talon Forest Group’s new sales office in Milford, N.H. Mike Altendorf has been named v.p. of information technology for Do it Best Corp., Fort Wayne, In., succeeding Kay Williams, who has retired after 31 years. Tim Miller is now v.p. of marketing, replacing Bill Zielke, who is retiring after 12 years.

Rob Easley has been named chief operating officer of Westlake Hardware, Lenexa, Ks. Peter Kesser, ex-Dow Roofing Systems, has been named senior v.p.operations for Rmax, Dallas, Tx. Thomas J. Manenti has come out of retirement to rejoin MiTek Inc., Chesterfield, Mo., as president and chief operating officer.

Rob Scoble was promoted to executive v.p. and chief operating officer at Hyde Tools, Southbridge, Ma. Richard Lavin, group president, Caterpillar, has been elected to the board of USG Corp., Chicago, Il.

Building-Products.com

DEALER Briefs

F. Nicholas Grasberger, executive v.p., Armstrong Building Products, Lancaster, Pa., is leaving the company after five years. David Cookson, senior v.p., ABP Go-toMarket, will provide interim leadership for ABP Americas.

Tom Rubright and Bill Trimble, William S. Trimble Co., Clinton, Tn., and Hal Breliant, LaForce Hardware, Green Bay, Wi., were presented awards of excellence from Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association.

Steven Spradlin, president, Capital Structures, Fort Smith, Ar., was elected president of the Structural Building Components Association.

Michael E. Case, The Westervelt Co., Tuscaloosa, Al., and Galen E. Weaber, Weaber, Inc., Lebanon, Pa., have been elected to the board of the American Forest & Paper Association, Washington, D.C. Gwen Hill, Hill’s Ace Hardware & Lumber Center, Winder, Ga., received the local Chamber of Commerce’s first Woman of the Year award.

Jerry Meis, Lenoch & Cilek Ace Hardware, Iowa City, Ia., was elected 3rd v.p. for the North American Retail Hardware Assn.

Isabelita “Lita” Abele, president and c.e.o., U.S. Lumber Inc., Woodbury Heights, N.J., was selected by the Filipina Women’s Network as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. Bea Merry is organizing the annual holiday party at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., report owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

Allied Building Products has opened exterior products branches in Bridgeport and South Windsor, Ct. Both facilities were formerly occupied

by C&S Building Products.

Fleeger’s Pro Hardware , Toledo, Oh., is down to a single location with the late November closure of its original 63-year-old store in Sylvania Township, Oh.

Lennep’s Hardware , Moss Point, Ms., has closed its 64-year-old hardware store with the retirement of owner Gary Lennep. Its lumberyard shut down nearly four years ago.

Bob’s Ace Hardware, Rockford, Il., is liquidating after more than 60 years, with the coming retirement of president Steve Westlund.

Tillman’s True Value, Dexter, Me., is adding a location in Hermon, Me., targeting a May 1 grand opening.

Potter’s Ace Hardware closed its 18-year-old store in Oak Ridge, Tn., and transferred remaining merchandise to the chain’s 18 other locations.

True Value Hardware, Lexington, Ky., is closing this month due to the economy, according to Randy and Angie Veatch, owners since 2005.

Home Depot broke ground on a 657,000-sq. ft. distribution center on 70 acres in Westfield, Ma. The “rapid response center” will replace a smaller facility when it opens in July or August.

Pulaski Chase Cooperative

remodeled its store in Pulaski, Wi., converting from True Value to Ace.

December 2009 Building Products Digest

19

Former Cox Owner Back In Business

Linton Tibbetts, former owner of Florida’s Cox Lumber, has launched Tibbetts Lumber, starting from two of the 28 yards he sold three years ago to Home Depot.

The locations in St. Augustine and Land O’ Lakes were among those that closed in 2008 after ProBuild had bought them from HD Supply. Long-time Cox employees will lead the chain, including president Juan Quesada, St. Augustine mgr. Joe Shetler, and Land O’Lakes mgr. Arlen Tillis.

Tibbetts also owns shuttered facilities in Apollo Beach, Crystal River, Gainesville, Haines City, Ocala, and Palm Bay that could be re-opened once the market improves.

House-Hasson Picks Up Moore-Handley

House-Hasson Hardware Co., Knoxville, Tn., has purchased the assets of bankrupt Moore-Handley, Pelham, Al., reportedly making House-Hasson the largest independent, regional distributor in the U.S. During an Oct. 2 bankruptcy auction, House-Hasson outbid Bostwick-Braun, Toledo, Oh., which earlier had been negotiating to buy the assets directly (see Oct., p. 17).

The acquisition expands House-Hasson’s reach to Arkansas, Mississippi and Florida. “We picked up some outstanding sales reps and outstanding [dealer] customers,” said c.e.o. Don Hasson.

House-Hasson also partnered with Blish-Mize Co., Atchison, Ks., to buy Hardware House Products Co., the private-label subsidiary of Moore-Handley. Renamed Hardware House LLC, it will continue operating from Moore-Handley’s DC in Pelham, offering private-label locks, faucets, ceiling fans, lighting and vanities. Lines will be added in builder’s and cabinet hardware.

SUPPLIER Briefs

Roy O. Martin, Alexandria, La., is accelerating hiring for the expansion of its Chopin, La., plywood plant, to accommodate workers at International Paper's Pineville, La., mill, slated for closure in mid-December. The $10-million expansion should add 40-50 jobs by its spring completion.

Shuqualak Lumber Co., Shuqualak, Ms., has restart-

ed on a limited basis.

North Pacific, Portland, Or., signed a letter of intent to be acquired by Atlas Holdings LLC, Greenwich, Ct. The deal, expected to close in January, includes all of North Pacific’s operating businesses.

Hankins Lumber ceased production at its sawmill and planer in Grenada, Ms., in early November due to market conditions. Sales and shipping continue. The company hopes to resume production in March.

Georgia-Pacific has idled its Whiteville, N.C., lumber and plywood mill for no longer than six months.

Anthony Forest Products Co., El Dorado, Ar., has sold 91,360 acres of pine timberland and related cutting rights to Molpus Woodlands Group , Jackson, Ms., for $173.15 million.

Under the deal, Molpus will maintain the lands’ SFI certification and supply logs on a long-term basis to Anthony mills in Urbana, Ar.; Atlanta, Tx., and Plain Dealing, La. The mostly mature timberlands, in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas, include a mix of species and product classes.

Fortune Brands is merging its Fypon urethane millwork unit into its Therma-Tru Door business.

The Fypon brand will be retained, and distribution, fabrication and customer service operations will remain at its Archbold, Oh., facility. Corporate personnel will be integrated within or transfer to Therma-Tru’s offices in Maumee, Oh., or manufacturing plant in Butler, In., by spring.

Masonite will shutter its Mohawk in South Bend, In., by the end of January.

Flush Door plant

RAS Industries, Charleroi, Pa., is consolidating LifeTime Poly-Millwork products under its Focal Point brand name.

Also by January 1, all business functions will be consolidated between the two brands. Existing sales reps will continue.

Panolam Industries, Shelton, Ct., initiated a voluntary prepackaged Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding.

New South held a ribbon cutting to celebrate a $7-million modernization of its SYP mill in Darlington County, S.C.

Boise Building Materials, Baltimore, Md., is distributing Fiberon decking, railing and fencing in NE Virginia, NE West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and SW Pennsylvania.

Universal Forest Products Western Division now distributes Titan Wood’s Accoya modified wood in the U.S/

DriTac Flooring Products has moved to new corporate Hq. and adhesive manufacturing facility in Clifton, N.J. Nortek, Inc., Providence, R.I., filed to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

20

Building Products Digest December 2009

Building-Products.com

NEW Products

Sizing Software

Forte sizing software from iLevel enables users to evaluate alternatives for joists, flush and drop beams, sloped roof members, and wall headers.

The free software performs load calculations and identifies framing solutions for specific building conditions and geometry.

A flexible Job Tree allows users to organize multiple member calculations in a single file.

iLEVEL.COM/FORTE

Building-Products.com

Composite Posts

Warm Springs Composite Products offers laminated posts as an economical alternative to solid wood posts.

Up to 10� wide and 10’long, the posts have a MDF core that is flat-laminated with high-quality veneers using no-added formaldehyde adhesives.

They can be used in staircases, built-in cabinetry, and other interior woodworking applications.

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December 2009 Building Products Digest

21

Affordable Composite Decking

A.E.R.T.’s MoistureShield has designed its new Vantage collection of wood-composite decking to balance performance and cost.

Manufactured with a minimum of 30% post-consumer recycled content and 60% pre-consumer recycled content, the deck boards are reversible, with an embossed with a wood grain on both sides.

Available in eight different colors, the boards can be grooved or non-grooved to accommodate hidden fastening systems.

MOISTURESHIELD.COM (866) 729-2378

22

Building Products Digest December 2009

Steering Options

Raymond’s 8000 Series pallet trucks now include a power steering option.

The PowerSteer option is designed to provide consistent, responsive steering that increases operator comfort over the course of a work shift.

The device also has no wearable parts or brushes for reduced maintenance, more runtime per battery charge, and enhanced response to operator commands.

RAYMOND.COM (800) 235-7200

Building-Products.com

Drywall Carts

Pro-Lite drywall carts from Jescraft were designed to be heavy duty, but light in weight.

Offered are 16 different models in three widths (20”, 24”, and 28”), with three types of wraparound bumpers and decks of either steel plate or replaceable, impact-resistant polyethylene.

Each model has high-performance casters for maneuverability on all types of surfaces.

JESCRAFT.COM (800) 524-1142

More in Fiber Cement

Nichiha has added two new sizes of fiber cement panels.

Both the stucco and grooved 8”-on-center panels are 5/16” thick and 4’ wide, in varying lengths. They are made using the same process a NichiBoard lap siding, in which texture is applied with heat and pressure.

NICHIHA.COM (866) 424-4421

Building-Products.com

December 2009 Building Products Digest

23

GREEN Retailing

By Jay Tompt

Community insulation

W

and the cold winter months around the corner, I continue to be fascinated with insulation. Not the rebate-earning, energyefficient, recycled-denim kind your customers will love you for, but the economic kind that will sustain your business through the lean times and propel the inevitable upturn to come.

There’s little doubt that energy efficiency and green building will define the shape of this industry for decades to come, so it makes sense for every LBM dealer to bone up on these issues, stock and promote the products, train the staff, etc. But creating sustainable “economic insulation” requires deep community collaboration.

There are good examples of multi-generational, familyowned dealers that are well-placed in their communities, have staved off the “big boxes” and done well, even in hard times. These are good models, but the reality is that these examples are getting harder to find and even harder to replicate. Two organizations, BALLE (the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies) and AMIBA (the American Independent Business Alliance), are focused on helping local businesses thrive, creating new models.

In the Rockies just outside of Denver, Co., sits Big Horn Building Materials, a big local supplier for the surrounding mountain towns and resorts. Founder Don Sather has been a big proponent of energy efficiency and green building, walking his talk—the store is fitted with solar panels and is involved with a local non profit studying the feasibility of wind power in the community. He was also one of the ITH THE ECONOMY STILL IN DOLDRUMS

24

Building Products Digest December 2009

founding member of Summit Independent Business Alliance, (SIBA), an AMIBA affiliate.

“A few years ago, our community successfully fought off a new big-box chain and that really opened my eyes,” Don told me. “One of the most important things about being involved in a local network is getting closer to local officials and educating them about the economic benefits of supporting locally owned business versus national chains.”

Strong relationships with other local businesses and SIBA’s shop local campaigns have kept his business doing well, despite a weak overall economy, he added.

Woodland Building Supply, a nine-year-old dealer in Philadelphia, Pa., is another interesting model. Larry Reese, president and co-founder, was determined to make Woodland a destination for green building, stocking a wide selection of products and recently opening a green showroom. “We’ve always focused on the triple bot(Continued on next page)

Jay Tompt Managing Partner Wm. Verde & Associates (415) 321-0848 info@williamverde.com

Building-Products.com

IN Memoriam

Charles Colucci, 95, retired owner and founder of Colucci Lumber, Malaga, N.J., died Oct. 22 in Vineland, N.J. He launched the company in 1945 with his late wife, Philamena. They retired in 1974.

Thomas LaBarbera, 89, retired yard manager for Ross Lumber, Monroe, N.Y., died Oct. 21 in Goshen, N.Y.

John F. Munsterman, 99, the first forester hired for Roy O. Martin Lumber, Alexandria, La., died Nov. 5 in Alexandria.

After earning a degree in forestry from Louisiana State University, he worked for Roy O. Martin from 1945 to 1985. He was also active in the Louisiana Forestry Association.

Stanley, Black & Decker Unite

The Stanley Works agreed to a $4.5-billion, all stock merger with Black & Decker Corp. to create Stanley Black & Decker, an $8.4 billion global industrial leader.

Founded in 1843, Stanley owns Stanley Tools, FatMax, Bostitch, Facom, Proto, Mac Tools, Sonitrol, Stanley Security Solutions, Best and Vidmar. B&D, with roots back to 1910, owns Black & Decker, DeWalt, Emhart Teknologies, Porter-Cable, Kwikset, Baldwin and Price Pfister.

Under the deal, Black & Decker shareholders will receive a fixed ratio of 1.275 shares of Stanley common stock for each of their B&D shares.

Upon closing, expected in the first half of 2010, Stanley shareholders will own approximately 50.5% of the equity of the combined company. The nine members of the current Stanley board will be joined by six new directors from B&D’s board.

John Lundgren, chairman and c.e.o. of Stanley, will be president and c.e.o. of the combined company. Nolan Archibald, chairman, president and c.e.o. of Black & Decker, will serve as executive chairman for three years.

Stanley’s James Loree and Donald Allan Jr. will continue as, respectively, executive v.p./chief operating officer and senior v.p./c.f.o.

Stanley’s base in New Britain, Ct., will remain corporate headquarters, with Black & Decker’s office in Towson, Md., becoming the Power Tools headquarters.

Building-Products.com

Community Insulation (Continued from previous page)

tom line and building relationships with local green builders,” Reese said.

His firm joined Greater Philadelphia Sustainable Business Network, a BALLE affiliate, about a year ago.

Reese said, “It seemed like the natural thing to do. We’ve developed many more strong relationships with local builders, developers, and vendors and, to be honest, they’ve kept our business really busy over the last year.”

Paula Burke of Burke’s Hardware, a family-owned dealer with a 72-year

TRIM

FASCIA

history in Raleigh, N.C., told me a similar story. They recently joined their local network, Shop Local Raleigh, and were imediately impressed with the results.

“We participated in a Shop Local TV ad, and even though we’ve been in the communty for a long time, it was amazing how many people came into the store who’d never heard of us before!” she said.

They were motivated to join the network in part by the down economy, but mostly, she said, “because it was just the right thing to do, to support your community.”

SIDING

NATURE’S DESIGN TECHNOLOGY’S A SSURANCE www.lifespanoutdoor.com

Based in Annapolis, MD, Fletcher Wood Solutions® is the largest manufacturer of defect-free, appearance grade radiata pine products in New Zealand. Distributing our clear boards, mouldings, LIFESPAN® treated wood, and lumber to the North American market through our proven and completely integrated supply chain, Fletcher Wood Solutions® maintains direct access to one of the largest FSC certified® pine plantation forests in the world.

1.866.FSC .WO O D December 2009 Building Products Digest

25

DECK EXPO Photos by BPD

DECK EXPO rolled into Indianapolis, In., Oct. 28-30: [1] David Badilla, Vern Vincent, Keith Weathers. [2] Joe Holt, Pete Staal. [3] Bob Edwards, Chris Shaddy, Jeff Richards. [4] Brian Orchard, Phil Lail. [5] Jamie Kreiser, Len Kasperski. [6] Mary Grohman, Marty Fajerman. [7] Scott Jefus, Brent Gwatney, Dan Neal. [8] Joel Cone. [9]

26

Building Products Digest December 2009

Todd Andrews, Dustin Schroeder, Brett McCutcheon, Jerry Koontz. [10] Kenneth Rouse, Jack Nagy. [11] Reid Borgman, Harold Pinkston. [12] Chris Johnson, Jack Krass.

(More photos on next page)

Building-Products.com

DECK EXPO Photos by BPD

MORE DECK EXPO (continued from previous page): [1] Jay & Sue Savignac. [2] Scott Bender, Reed Huyette, Bill Beard, Brad Beard.

[3] Penny Harris, Alan Oakes, Carolyn Huckabay. [4] Bob King, Scott Cathcart, Kaylynn Poplawski, Paul Young. [5] Bill Tucker, Glenn Eberle. [6] Richard Kleiner. [7] Building-Products.com

Jeff Adams, Dick Mayoh, Bill Toedtemeier. [8] Alex Hines, Beth Wright, Rebecca Bartley, Sam Harris. [9] Eric Sigmon, Jim Boyd. [10] Arden Fuller, John Green. [11] Rachelle Shendow, Brian Kincaid. [12] Michele Skyles, Jim Miller. [13] John Long, Andy Stephens, Walter Kuzmiw. [14] Dean Miller, Ron Long.

December 2009 Building Products Digest

27

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by BPD

NORTH AMERICAN Wholesale Lumber Association drew more than 1,100 industry professionals to its annual NAWLA Traders Market Nov. 5-7 in Chicago, Il. With 462 wholesalers, 467 manufacturers, and 135 service affiliates, attendance was down 20% from 2008. [1] David Stallcop, Mike Mordell. [2] Rex Scott, Tom Taylor. [3] Jack Chase, John Barber. [4] Denny Huston, Janie & Buck Hutchison. [5] Tina Breen. [6] Gary Weinstein, Jonathon LaPointe. [7] Gregg Riley, Mark Palmer. [8] Carl Henoch, Anellina Marrelli. [9] Brad Hatley, Leslie Southwick, Lee Greene. [10] Joe Patton,

28

Building Products Digest December 2009

Suzanne Hearn, Mel Lundberg, Digges Morgan. [11] James Danielson, Dave Durst, Jud Dehart, Chris Selzer. [12] Jim Robbins, Trish Roche, Tonia Tibbets, Doug Chiasson. [13] Tom Walthousen, Leah Covington, Chuck Casey. [14] Marc Pratt, Shelley Spencer. [15] Doug Calvert, Rachel Dennis, Steve Killgore, Brian Oberg. [16] Jeff Hardy, Tom Lister, Win Smith. [17] Jacquie Hess, Terry Neal. [18] Dan Paige, Rick Blomquist, David Tripp. [19] Chris & Allia Schofer, Dirk & Sandy Kunze. [20] Gary Bernstein, Jack Dalton. [21] Anna Andvik, Travis Jungers. (More photos on next three pages) Building-Products.com

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by BPD

“THE FUTURE BEGINS HERE” was the theme of the recent NAWLA Traders Market (continued from previous page). [1] John Lindsey, Zack Brannock, Tom Mende, Gary Fallin. [2] Romel Bezerra, Mel Lundberg, Niklas Karlson, Olga Haymes. [3] Kris Owen, Steve Firko. [4] Greg Smith, Jack Delaney. [5] Tom Merkert, Will Whittaker. [6] Jerry Huber, Angie & Dennis Wong. [7] Ryan Morrison, Jason Knepper, Dusty Hammack. [8] Mike Redwine, Calvin Biddix. [9] Chen Chiu, David Goulet. [10] Dan Fox, Dave Barnes. [11] Sheldon Howell, P.J. Arling, Building-Products.com

Bob Bretz, Ron Holek. [12] Abby Mann, Pete Schiffers, Eric Kjode, Bart Bender. [13] Todd Wright. [14] Steve Hollingworth, Sam Sanregret, Pat Colgan, Scott Gaskin.

[15] Jim Tittle, John Smart, Matt Pedrone, Bernie Nugent, Vincent Micale. [16] Raymond Luther, Don Dye, Rick Ingram. [17] Michael Tichenor, Richard Champagne, Jim Hassenstab. [18] Richie Paci, Joshua Kaye. [19] Bill Griffith. [20] Eric Sigmon, Brian Orchard.

(More photos on next two pages) December 2009 Building Products Digest

29

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by BPD

MORE NAWLA (continued from previous two pages): [1] John Branstetter, Jim Warren. [2] Tom & Diane Franklin, Danny Osborne. [3] George Young, Ray Miller, Loyd Bobo. [4] Craig Hyatt, Tom Gramlich, Kevin Brennan. [5] Kim Pohl, Lisa Martin. [6] Kevin Hynes, Jack Bowen, Matt Duprey. [7] Jim Scharnhorst, Wade Wheeler, Alan Shearer. [8] Russ Kimbell, Donna Allen, Chris Webb, Chris Brooke. [9] Hunter McShan, Mark Junkins. [10] Bill Schaffer, Chuck Klopp. [11] Jim Olson, Dillon Forbes,

30

Building Products Digest December 2009

Eric Tuson. [12] Cyndee Johnson, Lee Jimerson, Aly Kingsley, Chris Bailey. [13] Patrick Hanulak, Ken Barry, David Jetters, Craig Combs, Jon Westmaas. [14] Mark Ritz, Andreja Kutnar, Natalie Macias, Steve Boyd. [15] Stephen Jones, Nicholas Drouin, Hans Fischer, Phillip Jackson. [16] Grant Vaughn, Bobby Crowley. [17] Paul Zartman, Ryan Furtado, Stewart Clark. [18] Rick Kapres, John Pace.

(More photos on next page) Building-Products.com

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by BPD

GLULAM GALS with BPD publisher (continued): [1] Robin Gardner, Savana York, Rachel Dennis, Alan Oakes, Amy McCabe, Cindi Hengstler. [2] Mark Tucker, Ed List, David Tucker. [3] Bob Berch, Marty Thomson, Tim Thorison, Mark McLean. [4] Win Smith, Susan Fitzsimmons. [5] Seamus O’Reilly, Monica Smith, Amy Baker, Craig Sichling. [6] Paul Erickson, Racy Florence, Mark Carlson. [7] Cam McRitchie, Paul Lennon, Rob Doerfler. [8] Lloyd Pullen, David Bernstein. [9] Mirco Walther. [10] Ken Laughlin, John Davis.

[11] Jon Anderson, Monique Bauer. [12] Phil Schumock, Robert Colbert. [13] Building-Products.com

Mark Westlake, Denise Robinson. [14] Dick Gukeisen, Steven Sprenger.

[15] Gary Zauner, Ken Tennefoss, Richard Haskell Jr., Trish Roche, Trisha Aubin, Dan Blenk. [16] Connie Baker, Lori Byrd, Kelly Matthews, Bobby Byrd. [17] Jeff Herscovitz, Cliff Thompson. [18] John Junod, Bob Edwards.

[19] Jason Bolstad, Monte Jensen, Tim Elbers. [20] Marty Hawkins, JeanMarc Dubois. [21] Greg Hexberg, Doug Willis. [22] John Branstetter, Jim Warren. [23] Jim Gillis, Jeff Norman, Gary Arthur. [24] David Heldoorn, Laurie Creech. [25] Greg Carter, Cindi Hengsletter, Michael Kirkelie.

December 2009 Building Products Digest

31

CLASSIFIED Marketplace Rates: $1.20 per word (25 word min.). Phone number counts as 1 word, address as 6. Centered copy or headline, $9 per line. Border, $9. Private box, $15. Column inch rate: $55 if art furnished “camera-ready” (advertiser sets the type), $65 if we set the type.

Send ad to Fax 949-852-0231 or dkoenig@ building-products.com. For more info, call (949) 852-1990. Make checks payable to Cutler Publishing. Deadline: 18th of previous month.

To reply to ads with private box numbers, send correspondence to box number shown, c/o BPD. Names of advertisers using a box number cannot be released.

HELP WANTED

SALES REPRESENTATIVES WANTED: Expanding leader in the decking supply industry is seeking experienced lumber sales representatives in the Northeast and Midwest. The right candidates must be computer literate and have good written and verbal communication skills. Earning potential will be predicated on the candidates’ skill and experience. Take advantage of this excellent opportunity to expand your income potential while working with a financially strong and well positioned company by sending your resume to dkoenig@building-products.com or to Box 108, c/o BPD, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660.

LUMBER TRADER We are a wholesale lumber company looking for an experienced trader. Any species. No restrictions on mills or customers. No relocation. 60% split for trader. Call John at Lakeside Lumber at (623) 566-7100 or email lakesidelumber@cox.net.

WANTED TO BUY

WANTED: LUMBERYARDS FOR SALE. We have a growing list of clients asking for yards to purchase. We are business brokers as well as financial advisors to the lumber & building material industry. We will prepare a marketing package that will create enthusiasm internally and externally. Contact Philip Arsenault of American Business Consulting at (508) 864-7500. See our website at www.amerbusconsulting.com.

FOR SALE Now with

Natural

Decking Prefinished & arranty Finishing W es Free Sampl

YOUR BRAZILIAN SOURCE OF DECKING IPE, CUMARU, CANOEWOOD TIGERWOOD, GARAPA 1x4, 1x6, 5/4x4, 5/4x6 For estimates: Call 305.674.8080 E mail info@brazfloor.com Let us quote

WE BUY AND SELL PANEL STRIPS

Plywood, OSB, particleboard and MDF by the truckloads. Lumber Source, Phone (800) 8741953, Fax 888-576-8723, email LumberSource@worldnet.att.net.

CUSTOM LUMBER COVERS

Feature your Business Card in BPD Say Happy New Year and help fight cancer Use this low-cost opportunity to deliver New Year’s greetings to customers, friends and suppliers—and help the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which for 12 years has been striving to aid cancer patients and survivors.

Cancer is a global problem that will claim 12 million lives by 2030.

Inspired by its founder and chairman (himself a cancer survivor and champion cyclist), the Lance Armstrong Foundation stands up for the 25 million people living with cancer worldwide by focusing on cancer prevention, access to screening and care, research and quality of life for cancer survivors.

Visit www.livestrong.org.

Your business card—reprinted in color and reduced slightly to 2-3/8” x 1-3/8”—will appear in a special section in our January issue. The cost for each ad is just $100, $25 of which is tax deductible and will be matched by us—for a total donation of $50 to LAF.

ROLLS • SEALED BAGS Available for Delivery Rolls 10 x 300ʼ Plywood Bags 4 x 4 x 8ʼ L. I. INDUSTRIES 800-526-6465 FAX 718-793-4316 apronaz@aol.com

WANTED TO BUY

Sample

Doing Your Part Is Easy: Just send us your business card(s) before Dec. 11, along with a check for $100 per card—or $200 per card to appear in both BPD and its western counterpart, The Merchant Magazine—to Cutler Publishing, 4500 Campus Dr. #480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660.

Questions?

Call Alan at (949) 852-1990

32

Building Products Digest December 2009

Building-Products.com

DATE Book

Listings are often submitted months in advance. Always verify dates and locations with sponsor before making plans to attend.

Eastern New York Lumber Dealers Assn. – Dec. 8, holiday trade show, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; (800) 292-6752; www.ebmda.org.

Illinois Lumber & Material Dealers Association – Dec. 9, board meeting, Springfield, Il.; (800) 252-8641; www.ilmda.org.

Lumber Dealers Association of Connecticut – Dec. 9, past president’s dinner, Simsbury, Ct.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Northern New York Lumber Dealers Assn. – Dec. 9, board meeting, Norwood, N.Y.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Ohio Construction Suppliers Association – Dec. 9-10, estimating seminar, Columbus, Oh.; (614) 267-7817; www.myocsa.org.

Lumbermen’s Association of Texas – Dec. 10, Focus on the Bottom Line seminar, Chateau Bourbon Hotel, New Orleans, La.; (512) 472-1194; www.lat.org.

Western New York Lumber Dealers Assn. – Dec. 17, holiday dinner meeting, Rochester, N.Y.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association – Jan. 7-8, Missouri winter meeting, Columbia, Mo.; (800) 747-6529; www.themla.com.

United Hardware Distribution Co. – Jan. 8-11, market, Minnneapolis, Mn.; (763) 557-2714; www.unitedhardware.com.

Northwestern Lumber Association – Jan. 11-12, building products expo, Grand Casino, Hinckley Conference Center, Hinckley, Mn.; (763) 544-6822; www.nlassn.org.

Retail Lumber Dealers Assn. of Maine – Jan. 12, building & energy code preview, Embassy Suites, Portland, Me.; www.nrla.org.

Do It Best Corp. – Jan. 13-15, winter conference, Orlando, Fl.; (260) 748-5300; www.doitbest.com.

Rhode Island Lumber & Building Materials Dealers Association – Jan. 13, Microsoft essentials for LBM dealers seminar, Humphrey’s Building Supply, Tiverton, R.I.; www.nrla.org.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association – Jan. 14-15, Kansas winter meeting, Pratt, Ks.; (800) 747-6529; www.themla.com.

House-Hasson Hardware Co. – Jan. 14-16, market, Opryland Resort, Nashville, Tn.; (865) 525-0471; www.househasson.com.

Emery-Waterhouse – Jan. 15-16, market, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, R.I.; (207) 775-2371; www.emeryonline.com.

Buttery Co. – Jan. 16-17, dealer market, Bell County Exposition Center, Belton, Tx.; (325) 247-4141; www.butterycompany.com.

Mid-Hudson Lumber Dealers Association – Jan. 19, Microsoft essentials for LBM dealers seminar, Russin Lumber Corp., Montgomery, N.Y.; www.nrla.org.

Western New York Lumber Dealers Association – Jan. 19-20, basic estimating; Jan. 21, advanced estimating class, Radisson Hotel, Rochester, N.Y.; www.nrla.org.

International Builders Show – Jan. 19-22, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 368-5242; www.nahb.org.

Mid-Hudson Lumber Dealers Association – Jan. 20, Microsoft essentials for LBM dealers seminar, Nanuet, N.Y.; www.nrla.org.

Monroe Hardware – Jan. 23-24, market, Cabarrus Events Center, Concord, N.C.; (704) 289-3121; www.monroehardware.com.

Guardian Building Products – Jan. 24-26, market, Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 569-4262; www.guardianbp.com.

Northeast Window & Door Association – Jan. 26, winter education meeting, Architectural Testing, York, Pa.; (609) 799-4900; www.nwda.net.

Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association – Jan. 27-28, convention & expo, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, In.; (800) 640-4452; www.ihla.org.

Size does matter.

Douglas Fir up to 20” x 20” x up to 40’ Cedar 16” x 16” x up to 32’ R ich ar ds on Tim b er s is a lead er in cu s to m millw o rk a n d m a n u f a c t u r i ng o f cus to m ized tim b er s , w it h capab ilit ies o f d eliv erin g p r od u ct s t hr o ug h o ut th e U .S . S er v in g t h e co ns tr u ct ion in d u s tr y f or n ear ly 60 y ears , b y t akin g th e s p ir it o f th e o l d a nd c om b i ni n g i t w i t h t h e lead in g tech n o log y o f t o day , R ich ar ds on Tim ber s is a b l e t o o f fe r w h o l e s a l e p r od u ct s w ith u n par allelled s e r v i c e a n d q ua l i t y .

Richardson Timbers Ex clu s iv e d is t rib u to r o f Tru -Dr y F ir in Tex as , O klah o m a & Lo uis iana

Building-Products.com

toll free (877) 318-5261

phone (214) 358-2314

www.timbersonline.com

fax (214) 358-2383 Since 1949

December 2009 Building Products Digest

33

IDEA File Blow Hard: Make Your Own Power

Windy weather is rarely a boon for the

building industry. But this winter, for Ed Hayes, owner of Ricci Lumber, Portsmouth, N.H., the windier, the better.

Ricci recently installed a wind turbine atop its lumber warehouse. “The wind turbine is directly wired into the grid,” Hayes explains. “When it’s windy out, it’s making power and basically turning our electric meter backward.”

Although the Swift building-mounted system may ease just 5% of Ricci’s $3,000-a-month electricity bill, it can potentially generate power 24 hours a day and be “net metered,” meaning any excess power produced is streamed out to the utility company, earning the company credits.

Previously, Hayes had investigated the possibility of using roof-based solar photovoltaic tubes to help with energy costs. But when a contractor customer suggested a mounted wind turbine, Hayes immediately thought of the constant wind that blows in from nearby North Mill Pond.

So, unlike typical turbines that are placed on 30-to60-foot-tall poles, Ricci’s was installed on top of the roof ridge, 35 feet off the ground, and oriented toward the pond. The aluminum pole is in fact 16-feet long, but was mounted to the truss structure under the roof and propped up above the roof peak roughly 8 feet (so only the actual wind-catching turbine is visible outside).

Ricci has been an industry pioneer in the green movement—converting its trucks and forklifts to biodiesel, urging employees to carpool, applying for FSC certification—but the sky-high rooftop contraption is something that will catch the community’s eyes, as well.

“The turbine seemed like a statement we could make,” says Hayes. “It’s visible and shows our commitment to sustainable, recyclable practices.”

And, he adds, “Having a visible symbol on top of the building would maybe lead other people to do the same thing down the road.”

Ricci’s may be the first commercial wind turbine in the area, but it won’t be the yard’s last experiment aimed to help the business and the environment.

“We are trying to look at our operation and make small steps that in the cumulative will amount to significant changes down the road,” Hayes notes.

One green step at a time.

34

Building Products Digest December 2009

ADVERTISERS Index For more information on advertisers, call them directly or visit their websites [in brackets].

AERT/MoistureShield [www.moistureshield.com] .........Calendar 14

Anthony Forest Products [www.anthonyforest.com] ...................5

Arch Wood Protection [www.wolmanizedwood.com]......Calendar 4 Breco Wood Products [www.brecowoodproducts.com] ............19

Capital [www.capital-lumber.com].............................27, Calendar 10 Crumpler Plastic Pipe [www.cpp-pipe.com] ................................20 Elder Wood Preserving [www.elderwoodpreserving.com] ........18 Fletcher Wood Solutions [www.tenonusa.com] ..........................25 Great Southern Wood [www.yellawood.com].................Calendar 12

Ipe Clip Co., The [www.ipeclip.com]...............................................4 Krauter Solutions [www.krauter-storage.com]...............Calendar 16

LP Building Products [www.lpcorp.com]........................Calendar 18

Lumbermens Association of Texas [www.lat.org] ......................22

Matthews Marking Products [matthewsmarking.com].....Calendar 6

Nordic Engineered Wood Products [www.nordicewp.com].......14

North Pacific [www.northpacific.com] .................................Cover I Osmose [www.osmose.com] ...............................................Cover II Plastic Components [www.plasticomponents.com] ......Calendar 20

Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual [www.plmins.com]..............26

Redwood Empire [www.redwoodemp.com]....................Calendar 22 Richard Landry Lumber Sales Inc. ...............................................17

Richardson Timbers [www.timbersonline.com] ..........................33

RISI [www.risiinfo.com/crows] ......................................................24 Rosboro [www.rosboro.com] ........................................................21

Simpson Strong-Tie [www.strongtie.com] ........................Cover IV

Siskiyou Forest Products [www.siskiyouforestproducts.com] .15

Sunbelt [www.sunbeltracks.com] ...................................................3 Swanson Group Sales [www.swansongroupinc.com]...Calendar 24

Ultimate Escapes [www.ultimateescapes.com] ...............Cover III

Viance [www.treatedwood.com] ....................................7, Calendar 8

Western Woods Inc. [www.westernwoodsinc.com].......Calendar 26

Wynndel Lumber [www.wynndellumber.com].............................23 Building-Products.com

4500 Campus Dr. No. 480 Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872

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BUILDING PRO DUCTS DIGEST

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