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DECEMBER 2020

Building Products Digest

THE VOICE OF THE LBM SUPPLY CHAIN — SINCE 1982

BUILDING BRAND LOYALTY • CUSTOMIZED TECH • INSULATION SOURCEBOOK

CONTENTS

December 2020 Volume 39 n Number 12

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Product Spotlight

Features

Departments

37 INSULATION BUYERS GUIDE

10 FEATURE STORY

8 ACROSS THE BOARD 20 REVENUE GROWTH HABIT 22 TRANSFORMING TEAMS 24 LUMBER 411 34 MOVERS & SHAKERS 44 NEW PRODUCTS 52 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE 52 IN MEMORIAM 52 TALKBACK 53 DATEBOOK 53 ADVERTISERS INDEX 54 FLASHBACK

WHAT’S ON THE MARKET IN: • FIBER • MINERAL WOOL • FOAM BOARD • SHEATHING • HOUSEWRAPS • RADIANT/AIR BARRIERS • SPRAY FOAM • FLUID-APPLIED

THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY HELPS INDIES COMPETE WITH THE BIG BOXES

12 INDUSTRY TRENDS

RETAILERS PARTNER WITH NAME BRANDS TO BUILD CUSTOMER LOYALTY

14 DEALER FOCUS BPD

Building Products Digest

LANDLOCKED CAROLINA DEALER OVERCOMES LOGISTICAL RESTRAINTS

DECEMBER 2020

THE VOICE OF THE LBM SUPPLY CHAIN — SINCE 1982

BUILDING BRAND LOYALTY • CUSTOMIZED TECH • INSULATION SOURCEBOOK

16 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

MILWAUKEE CHAIN’S MIDWESTERN MOXIE

18 OLSEN ON SALES

THE ONE-TWO PUNCH IN PROSPECTING

32 THINKING AHEAD Digest 12-20 Layout.indd 1

BUILDING FROM THE GROUND UP

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BUILDING PRODUCTS DIGEST is published monthly at 151 Kalmus Dr., Ste. E200, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, (714) 486-2735, www.building-products.com, by 526 Media Group, 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®2020 by 526 Media Group, 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. Opinions expressed are those of the authors or persons quoted and not necessarily those of 526 Media Group, Inc. Articles in this magazine are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or business management advice.

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ACROSS the Board By Patrick Adams

Hunting success F

or as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to hunt elk in a particular area of Colorado. By many, it’s considered one of the toughest areas to hunt in Colorado, if not North America. It is high, rough, dense and unforgiving. As I type this, I am wondering what that says about me, and especially at my age. Past lives, business and then young kids always seemed to give great excuses to put off this trip and go down easier paths. But perhaps some awakening, or being sick of being cooped up from COVID or a mid-life crisis sparked me to venture out. It was an over 1,000-mile drive with the RV in tow, with the final 35 being off road to our camp spot at an altitude of 9,500 feet. It was just a very good friend and me, following months of research, satellite images, and planning, alone in the Colorado wilderness without another soul around. The forest here is so dense that unless you’re on a rise looking out or up, you have about 40 yards of visibility. We had two days of scouting before the season opened. Day 1 had a comfortable high of 51 degrees and then, as the old Colorado saying goes, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a day.” Day 2 dropped to 38 and opening day had a high of 28 with wind chill down to 15. Then the snow started—about 36” in all. Each day started at around 3:30 a.m. with three hours of hiking to our target spots. Carrying roughly 30-lb. packs isn’t a huge challenge—until you’re at 10,000 feet or more. Although I spent the past six months training, I quickly began asking myself what the heck I was thinking. The fresh snow made tracking easy and we were quickly on their trail. The rapid change in weather kept us moving to stay warm, and kept them moving to lower elevations as their summer and fall food sources quickly gave way to banks of snow. But, each time as we would get into position, we would find we were out of range. As we moved to a new position, they would move—like a carefully orchestrated dance, only with each partner oblivious to the other’s moves. Sooner than later, the day would have us looking at our watches and saying we better get back to camp before we get caught with nightfall and dropping temps. Being in such a remote, and beautiful place gives you a lot of time to think. As we dragged ourselves back to camp on Day 5 (third day of the season), I started questioning what I was thinking. I’m out here in the true wilderness with just one other person. We have ZERO cell service and the closest town is around 70 miles away. Weather is moving in rapidly and we have supplies that could last us about three weeks if needed. But more importantly, why did I feel the need to do this?

I don’t know if everyone goes through this, but coming to terms with your age, your dreams and what you have left to accomplish is an interesting dilemma. I’m not one to “give up,” and dreams left unexplored feel like that. I realized I feel like I’m at an age where I have to “grab” at things before “it’s too late,” which has me in the middle of nowhere, with 40% less oxygen, carrying a pack that feels like it already has an elk on board, hoping I can catch up with these amazing creatures I see 2,000 yards out. It made me think about just how blessed I am in so many ways that I couldn’t begin to count them. My amazing wife is also my best friend who I trust and adore more than anything on this Earth. My amazing, hysterical, fantastic kids who teach me about what’s important in life every day. My amazing friends and team at the office who always have my back and never let me down. What am I doing out here when I have it all at home? What am I trying to prove, and to whom? I looked at my buddy and without saying anything, we seemed to both be thinking the same thing. I smiled and asked, “Can we call this trip a success?” He laughed and replied, “Yeah, we left it all out there, we tried our best, and they were just a little better than us this time.” Maybe, but while their adventure of surviving winter is just beginning, I get to go home to the real prize. Another 1,000 miles through rough weather had me home late. My daughter heard the truck, woke up and asked, “Daddy, did you get them?” I replied, “No baby girl, all the elk are safe and accounted for, but having you guys to come home to is what really matters.” As the world changes, my hope is that we also change. This year has brought challenges, and opportunities that we never would have considered in January. I hope that the year has brought each of you surprises and realizations that remind you how lucky we all are. I wish you, your family and your team a blessed holiday season. Thank you.

Patrick S. Adams Publisher/President padams@526mediagroup.com

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

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FEATURE Story By John Maiuri

INDEPENDENTS like Curtis Lumber, with 22 locations in New York and Vermont, hold their own against larger national competitors by leveraging their strengths. Pictured: Curtis’ VP of information systems Liz Irish.

The right tech helps independents compete with big boxes any large corporations, like Lowe’s and Home Depot, have been growing rapidly while their small business competitors have faced something of an apocalypse brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. In August, Home Depot reported its quarterly sales soared 23%; meanwhile, more than 400,000 small businesses have already closed, and millions more are at risk. In a landscape without much middle ground between those profiting and those struggling, the key to small business survival is remaining competitive with big-box retailers. Big-box retailers have emerged in almost every sector— including lumber and building materials—and have changed consumers’ expectations of retail by offering a large assortment of products at perceived or actually lower prices. Given their size, they also have state-of-the-art custom technology that helps manage the thousands of stores, employees and e-commerce sites—such as a Buy Online, Pickup in Store (BOPIS) e-commerce model. This model offers many consumers the option to search online inventory, purchase and set a date and a time to pick up in-store—an appealing prospect to someone who doesn’t want to wait for delivery and doesn’t want to spend time in stores during pandemic conditions. According to Home Depot’s most recent annual report, consumers picked up more than 50% of $10 billion in online orders in-store, proving it’s a popular option. But BOPIS is logistically challenging for smaller retailers that don’t have the technology infrastructure to manage a more complicated inventory system, potentially causing them to miss out on revenue. However, small businesses can thrive despite fierce com-

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

petition. They need to compete intelligently by leveraging their strengths and maximizing the resources available to support their growth. Here are the three ways small lumber and building materials businesses can remain competitive with big-box stores:

Make being local your advantage

Being local is a tremendous advantage for independent retailers. Small business owners have a chance to connect with their customers face-to-face, something the big-box retailers really can’t do. By talking directly to customers, independents can create a hyper-focused target market and provide the items customers want to buy. To do this correctly, small business owners need to talk directly to customers, understand their work and plans, and learn how to be the best resource for them. It’s critical not to expand in every direction but instead become a local expert in the community on a particular area, providing items and advice customers may not readily or easily receive elsewhere. Because they don’t need to appeal to the masses, independents can also offer their customers harder-to-find items, such as supplies needed to restore antiques, custom millwork or unusual lighting—further separating themselves from the big-box behemoths. These in addition to easy and fast transactions without waiting in line can distinguish independents from the big-box stores.

Find the right technology

Small businesses might not think they can afford technology with the same capabilities as the technology the Building-Products.com

big-box companies use, like advanced reporting, analytics and customer loyalty tools. However, this isn’t the case. Having the right technology partner and modern solution can help small business owners diversify offerings, keep customer information protected and help manage the daily running of operations. Of course, all businesses need to be flexible, adapt to changing market conditions and be on the lookout for new tools to maintain growth and build profits, but this is especially critical for small businesses that already face tough competition from bigbox retailers. For example, Boone County Lumber Co., an independent tool and building materials supplier in mid-Missouri, competes directly with the LBM mass merchants and has turned to its enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to help it create the look and feel of a big-box retailer. During the pandemic, Boone County Lumber Co. leveraged its cloud-based software solution to continue running the business remotely. This type of access allowed workers to check inventory, access account information, or review business metrics wherever they were—as long as they had an internet connection.

can carry local goods and promote local activities. By doing so, customers will rely on these businesses for resources outside of lumber and building materials—becoming lifelong patrons of the store. Small businesses can take their role as a trusted resource a step further by building a network of experts who can provide advice related to building restoration and repair. For example, a small business owner can keep a list at the register of professionals in the area who are willing to advise homeowners who need help. Free consultations or discounted services for referrals can be a win for everyone involved.

It is undoubtedly a difficult time for many small businesses that have struggled in the wake of their corporate competitors’ success. However, by leaning into their strengths and investing in the right technology and building a community, small business owners can not only compete with big-box retailers, but they can also thrive. – As president of the LBM & Hardlines Group at ECI Software Solutions, John Maiuri is responsible for the vision, guidance and strategic growth of his team within the Building and Construction Division (www.ecisolutions.com).

Build a community

As a small local business, it’s important to remember that being part of the community you serve is something the big-box retailers do not do well. Profits retained at local companies help the communities that they are in, so by connecting with customers and focusing on the advantages of being local, small business owners can compete and ensure money spent in their business stays in the local community. If possible, small businesses should contribute goods or money to local fundraisers and charities. Especially during this critical time, lending a hand to others in the community will go a long way. Let local sports and event organizers put flyers in the store, or designate places where customers can put their business cards up. Additionally, independents can purchase advertising space in local directories or school programs, promoting the business or specific products and services. These mutually beneficial community opportunities can help promote the independent retailer, while helping other small business owners grow. Small businesses have the advantage of being able to carry items specific to their community and its needs. They Building-Products.com

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

INDUSTRY Trends By Brooke Kashnowski

Retailers partner with brands to build loyalty he COVID-19 pandemic has impacted businesses across the globe, with live events and in-person interactions being hardest hit. For the bulk of the year, social distancing and virtual engagements have been the name of the game. With some retail stores shut down early in the pandemic, many brands

found innovative and interesting ways to engage with their audiences. But when we return to business as usual will any of these serve as an adequate substitute for authentic, in-person interactions? A “brand activation” is a campaign, event or experience that enables a supplier to engage directly with

consumers to build brand loyalty. Retailers have traditionally partnered with manufacturers to host experiential in-person activations. Giving brands the opportunity to connect with customers face-to-face, the activations carry the added benefit of bringing additional foot traffic to retailers and creating memorable experiences to keep them coming back. And while most of our interpersonal interaction is happening in front of screens these days, safe in-person connections with consumers are more important than ever. It is no longer enough for brands to create and for retailers to distribute superior products—it is necessary to authentically connect with audiences. While the pandemic continues to present unique challenges to in-store experiential marketing, they are not insurmountable. Brands must design in-store retail experiences that avoid group gatherings to keep consumers, brand representatives, and retail associates safe, while remaining authentic, creative and memorable. Instore experiences aren’t going away— in today’s new normal, if customers are shopping in a store, it carries a heightened importance. With the meteoric rise of online shopping, the immersive, tangible interaction with a product is important, so how can brands and retailers partner to elevate the experience to benefit the consumer, the retailer and the brand itself?

Authenticity Is Key

INSTAGRAMMABLE: Staff captures a stack of Bosch co-branded, holiday-packaged product near the power tool display at Lowe’s.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

When it comes to connecting with consumers on a personal level, it’s all about authenticity. Every organization—from brands and manufacturers to retailers—struggles with balancing authentic connection and promotion,

Building-Products.com

in the recipient’s day, rather than an obstacle. In a time when customer loyalty often hinges on authenticity, it has never been more important to practice altruism.

Keep It Simple

At Bosch Power Tools, our experiential activations come down to a simple question: can we make an impact on the consumer in five seconds or less? If the answer is no, the activation is too complex. Simplicity is key. It’s not about how big and flashy an activation can be—it’s about scaling responsibly and creating a memorable impact.

Rooted in Joy

BOSCH Power Tools staff rolls “surprise and delight” product to a customer as part of their socially-distanced holiday activation with Lowe’s.

but it’s important to develop an internal compass that leads the strategy to stay true to who the organization is. It’s crucial that the activation is truly about the recipient, the user, the customer and not just about making sales. Create a light

Building-Products.com

At the end of the activation, the most important Key Performance Indicator isn’t meeting the day’s planned sales goals—it’s whether you brought joy to the consumer, ultimately building a stronger relationship with brand and retailer. Both benefit from an altruistic relationship with these individual customers, above and beyond the “buy more, sell more” mentality. Giving genuine excitement back to customers gives both teams the inspiration and motivation to push themselves creatively. How do you continue to surprise and delight the consumer? In our upcoming activation with Lowe’s, Bosch found ways to have fun with consumers while keeping within social distance guidelines. Whether we’re surprising customers by pushing complimentary product down an aisle to consumers on a scooter, or randomly gifting at the customer service desk, we’re putting a little joy into this holiday season. – Brooke Kashnowski leads in-house creative and campaign brand strategy at Bosch Power Tools North America (www. boschtools.com/us/en).

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

DEALER Focus By Devin Long

Landlocked LBM dealer overcomes logistical restraints

NORTH CAROLINA dealer created a drive-through structure to provide additional storage without additional overhead.

hen Reeves Ace hardware of Highlands, N.C., sought to improve the efficiency and merchandising of their lumber and building material operations, some serious challenges hindered logistics, quality control, and profitability. Since their downtown location is landlocked and subject to restrictive building ordinances, this limited the

available space to increase product storage, and left some product uncovered and insufficiently protected from weather. Cramped, inefficient storage had led to redundant handling of product, causing damage and depleting inventory. Without a fully covered warehouse, Highlands’ annual 81 inches of rainfall, along with snowfall,

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

caused unavoidable product damage. A lack of continuous rack space for display and storage also hindered merchandising and inventory management. Because of this, customers could not readily see all products available, and shipping products to job sites was impeded. In response, Reeves Ace corporate president Jeff Reeves, manager Jim Luke, and sales manager John McCall identified several key objectives. This involved creating a drive-through structure to provide additional storage without additional overhead, with wide aisles to ease loading, shopping, accessibility and increased volume. To prevent product damage in a severe climate, the structure would need to be engineered to survive the “storm of the century.” (Their foresight was substantiated two weeks later when a snowstorm destroyed their existing lumber shed). The structure also had to comply with local ordinances, offer aesthetic appeal, and avoid disrupting Reeves’ existing operation because business could not be shut down for construction. Reeves turned to LJS Solutions, known for its expertise in lumber and building material facilities. LJS regional sales manager Bill Lawson teamed up with Steel King Industries to develop a unique solution, a cantilever rack-supported building. Building-Products.com

As both design engineer and manufacturer, Steel King was able to offer the sole-source responsibility, resulting in a seamless interface between engineering and manufacturing. Additionally, the company is the only manufacturer of rack-supported buildings with in‐house P.E. qualified engineers. A cantilever rack supported building is more cost effective than a conventional metal building and freestanding racks because the racking supports the structure. This equates to fewer required contractors and faster erection of the structure. Equally important, with the cantilever rack-supported design, the concrete involved in the construction process can utilize a much simpler, more cost-effective design than traditional options. Footings for support columns do not need to be as deep as those for conventional buildings. Building anchors are installed in finished concrete, not placed prior to concrete pours. This was a major factor in allowing Reeves to continue doing business during construction. In regard to warehousing and material handling, cantilever rack is often used to maximize the storage density and selectivity of long, odd-shaped items such as lumber, doors, pipe, tubing, sheet metal, and rolls of material without the need to palletize. Unlike standard pallet rack, cantilever rack, with no obstructive front column, offers individual selectivity. This lowers handling time and cost, and saves horizontal space normally lost to rack structure. To identify the maximum allowable building size on the property, in compliance with building ordinances while optimizing lineal and cubic storage space, LJS Solutions worked closely with Luke, McCall, yard foreman Justin Watson, and professional engineer Anne Russell. The result would be a 100-ft.‐long by 92-ft.-wide building with three double-sided runs of cantilever, including two drive aisles. The building would also take advantage of an existing single-sided, 70-ft.-long cantilever structure. Functionally, a drive-through cantilever building was the best choice to meet Reeves’ needs, since the racks are compact, adaptable, and well suited to storing long or odd-shaped building materials. In addition, installing the right system minimizes handling time and employee stress. To meet the structural requirements to withstand the “storm of the centuBuilding-Products.com

RACK-SUPPORTED structure designer/builder was able to offer sole-source responsibility, resulting in a seamless interface between engineering and marketing.

ry,” Russell’s design utilized strategic spacing of roof support columns, along with cost-effective roof girder and roof substructure. The engineering resulted in a snow load of 40 lbs. per sq. ft. that exceeded local code requirements. The building design includes features that virtually eliminate product damage. To protect product inside the building, the design utilized sheeting on the outside walls of cantilever runs, while engineered 10‐ft. eaves shelter product outside that is exposed to weather. Because forklifts are prone to damage gutters that capture rainwater runoff at the side of the building, the design places the gutter in the roof. The gutter’s size is increased by widening the space between the roof purlins and the gutter, so the downspouts can run down the side of the end walls, out of harm’s way from forklifts. Additional design features enhanced material handling and logistics, with a layout that has facilitated order picking, increased volume, and allowed customers to see total product assortment. Taking into account the cantilever arm loads based on bundle weights, maximum fork lift reach, and gable end requirements, the design utilizes two 90’ runs of double-sided cantilever, with a base, three arms on each side, and one

70’ center run of a base and three arms per side. The bottom two levels are for picking orders, and the top two levels are for overstock on the outside runs. The inside run allows picking on three levels and overstock on two levels. The design also includes a climate‐controlled office. However, this required special column engineering since two separate columns were needed to straddle the office. Construction utilized durable cement board siding to meet local codes. The interior was upgraded with pre‐galvanized wall girts and purlins to resist corrosion as well as painted girders that match the cantilever components. Throughout the entire construction process, efforts were coordinated to allow Reeves Ace Hardware to continue to serve their customers. The use of drive-through cantilever rack supported building has resulted in significantly better material handling, product protection, merchandising, and aesthetics. This has boosted profitability, the bottom line, and civic pride. Manager Luke stated, “This project was long overdue. We should have really done it 20 years ago. It is a great asset to our company, our inventory, and our community.”

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

COMPETITIVE Intelligence By Carla Waldemar

Midwestern moxie ack in 1904, North Side Lumber & Fuel Co. was launched to serve the building and heating needs of its Milwaukee neighbors. A young employee named J.P. Bliffert married the boss’ daughter, and, as they say, the rest is history. Today Eli Bliffert serves as vice president (under his Uncle Fred) of what’s morphed into Bliffert Lumber & Hardware. No longer must he go door-to-door with buckets of coal, the way his grandfather did to survive the Great Depression. No longer do they carry coal, in fact. It’s long gone, replaced by everything one might need to construct a residential or commercial building. The booming outfit now boasts seven Southeast Wisconsin locations, including two serving Milwaukee and its burgeoning suburbs. (In fact, as Eli notes, his are the sole remaining yards within the city.) The city’s core is experiencing a robust come-back, driven in part by Bliffert’s white-and-blue trucks delivering to the sites of office buildings and apartments rising here, a hospital there, and yes, a stadium, among other projects. Eli had gone to college in Milwaukee and was on track to enter grad school until he did the math: four more costly years in a classroom, or answer Uncle Fred’s timely invitation to “take a look”? The choice was a no-brainer. “I started at the bottom. I was a (terrible) driver, then switched to Inside Sales.” Over the years, his greatgrandfather’s enterprise had been split up following his death: “My family had two yards; others went into different companies.” Eli was bent on reunification. From those two yards in

FOURTH AND FIFTH generations are now powering seven-unit Wisconsin dealer Bliffert Lumber & Hardware, including VP Eli Bliffert (right), shown with son Devlin, who works full time in the lumberyard of the Chambers Street location.

EACH LOCATION has its own identity, such as its Northside Milwaukee yard.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Building-Products.com

DECK DISPLAY outside its Oak Creek, Wi., location is well timed to capitalize on the current backyard building craze.

2004, the company grew as he bought back those owned by relatives as well as others from family friends looking to retire. But the acquisitions weren’t simply sentimental valentines; he’d done his research. “We were looking geographically at growth areas that were underserved.” And to this day, “we remain open to further acquisitions if it’s the right fit,” Eli declares. Each yard has its own identity, he maintains. For instance, one location specializes in crating lumber, utilizing low-grade wood. “Nobody else in Southeast Wisconsin carries it, and there’s a lot of manufacturing here in Milwaukee.” Millwork represents another lucrative sideline, he states. “We have more profiles of moulding than any other yard in the state. We’ve kept all our old profiles, which has paid off as a good niche.” Business generally is composed of 20% retail walk-ins and 80% commercial. “Our big yards serve multi-family or single-family residential. And for the downtown, we’re the only yard carrying fire-treated lumber. “Our pro customers are experiencing a big single-family boom in the suburbs. We’re so close to Southern Illinois, where the schools and tax situation is worse, so families are moving here,” he explains. “Plus, we’re doing a lot of kitchens and decks now that folks are staying home due to the virus. It’s been a boom year for outdoor projects.” Bliffert’s mantra is “Keep adapting.” Some stores do well with small appliances, others with greenhouses. Pumpkins are on offer in October, soon to be replaced with December’s Christmas trees as a customer magnet. Tool rentals also carry their own weight. “Selling tools doesn’t provide big margins,” Eli notes, “but the rental revenue is good.” Bliffert’s crew, which has grown to 190, keeps the wheels turning. Eli looks to hire “people who like helping people…often people from the service industry. Bartenders. We’ll then teach the cabinetry” or whatever. Hard to come by, these days? “For yard workers, yes— working outside year-round. If we find someone who’s exceptional, we’ll hire him without an opening in mind. Training is held in the Waukesha store, which can provide really good inside training. We send everyone there for a few weeks to learn everything. Then they’re ready to shadow [a veteran]. Why do they like working here? “I don’t know,” claims the boss with a laugh. Maybe it’s the example he sets: “I work more hours than anybody else, and there’s no job I won’t do. I clean the bathrooms every week.” Building-Products.com

A strong customer-service orientation helps Bliffert fend off the competition, which, in the suburbs, is “really strong: three family yards, massive boxes. (This is Menards’ home turf.)” Bliffert combats that by stressing that “all our locations have a certain niche that they’re really good at (like supplying wood for crates). That’s backed by longtime employees with lots of knowledge. Pros like to work with us because we’re professionals, too: This is what we do. We manage the job; come in on budget; take care of problems. Word of mouth is the primary driver of the company’s DIY trade. And being in business 116 years imparts confidence in the outfit. “We also do a fair amount of digital marketing: Google ads. Radio and print ads, too. Plus every location has its own outside salesman to call on his segment. We have really good competition, but we’re the only one who wants to do business within the city.” Then there’s the famous pink truck. “We do a lot of charity donations, but this truck focuses us on breast cancer, which has affected family and customers. We donate for every mile traveled during the month of October. Customers even ask for it!” Yet Bliffert has had its share of bumps in the road. “2009 was miserable! I don’t ever want to go through that again. I emptied everything I had, including my 401/k plan. I’d come aboard in 1993 and sales had kept going up every year after that until late 2002. ‘Must be a blip,’ I thought, so I didn’t start cutting staff until late 2009, and what a miserable job that was; I’d been to their weddings… “But we built it back up. And it’s really good right now—multifamily, single family, remodeling, commercial. Next year looks good for single family, too. And, since the recession, downtown is booming again.” On the drawing board? “Adapt to the new covid reality; concentrate on survival. Take advantage of the changing economy. Keep staff safe. (For instance, we just installed a UV lighting system in the HV system.) We’re looking to expand, too: remodeling the office in one location; adding new storage in several others; a big paving project; more forklifts and trucks. Keep helping the community grow.” Thinking back, this reporter has to ask: Anything you’d have done differently? “Yes!” Eli is certain: “More aggressive expanding. Financing differently than I did, which was too expensive. And,” he adds, “I’d have joined my co-op buying group a lot sooner. They’ve been so helpful with new growth (with Uncle Fred stepping back, I was on my own). They gave me great ideas for expansion, remodeling, staffing and marketing.” Eli, although he’s only 51, already—wisely—has a succession plan in place. “The guys in management are 10 years younger than me, and those who are 10 years younger than them are right behind them. Then there are my kids and their cousins….” Before we hang up the phone, he adds with a final word of positive thinking: “The middle of the country is alive and well— economically, politically, socially. We’re used to working hard.”

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

OLSEN on Sales By James Olsen

One-two punch in prospecting rospecting done well is challenging; done poorly, misery. To prospect correctly we must be prepared: (1) We must be ready for any and all objections we will face while looking for new business. (2) We must know exactly how we want the call to go. Prospecting is a two-call process. We qualify the customer on the first call. We find out their top three to four movers in detail: 1. What is the grade? 2. What species will they use? 3. What quality of stock does the customer like? 4. What stock won’t they use? 5. What kind of tallies do they use? 6. What volume do they use? Now our second call can be a great sales call. Many sellers are unfocused on the first call, creating a need to re-prospect the customer on the second call, which is irritating to the buyer. In sales, we are in the first impression business. This is why Master Sellers hit the ground running when they lose a big account. They know how to create professional and inspirational first impressions. Struggling sellers do the opposite. Do they build relationships? Yes. But they build relationships slower than the attrition rate in their account box or just fast enough to stay where they are.

First Call

Us: “Good morning, Pete. They tell me you do the lumber buying, is that correct?” Customer: “Yes.” Us: “Pete, we move a lot of SYP and SPF in the Southeast. Do you use any SYP or SPF in your operation?” Customer: “Yes, we do.” Us: “Great. What are your three biggest movers?” Customer: “We use 2x4 2/BTR SPF, same in 2x6 and 8’s, 9’s and 10’s in 2/BTR also.” Us: “Pete, on the 2x4, what kind of stock do you use?” Customer: “What do you mean?” Us: “Is there anyone’s stock you won’t take?” Customer: “We can’t use MNLOP stock. Tried it. It didn’t work for us.” Us: “Anyone’s stock you prefer?” Customer: “We like Big Cat stock.” Us: “Any others that you can use?” Customer: “EFG and YUM work for us also….” Us: “Ballpark. How much do you use per month on that item?”

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Customer: “It varies.” Us: “Of course, but more or less, how much do you go through?” Customer: “Five to six trucks a month, give or take.” We do the same on a couple more items, get the customer’s contact information, then: Us: “Okay, Pete, I appreciate your time and look forward to doing business with you. When I hang up, I will send you an introductory email telling you a little bit more about me and my company and Tuesday morning I will send you an offering and follow up right after noon.”

Second Call Goal

The goal of the second call is to offer our new customer something we know they buy and ask them to buy it from us. As simple as this seems the majority of sellers cannot execute this task. We are not concerned about whether we will get an order or not. (Most likely we won’t.) We are positive and upbeat. We act like we are going to get the business, but the most important point is to get in a Yes/No relationship with our customers as soon as possible. The sooner they say no, the sooner they will say yes.

Second Call

I listen to a lot of really bad second calls. Often the seller is offering the customer something they don’t even use! In many of these calls you can hear the disdain/ disappointment in the customer’s voice. Not a good way to start a relationship. Us: “Good morning, Susan. This is Martha from ABC Lumber. We spoke last Thursday (it’s very important that we remind the customer when we spoke last and what we spoke about), and you told me you like Euro premium out of XYZ Sawmill. We picked up five trucks from them this morning. We’ve got a couple Randoms and two straight 16’s. How many of these would you like to put on?” James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503) 544-3572 james@realitysalestraining.com Building-Products.com

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THE REVENUE Growth Habit By Alex Goldfayn

Lessons from failure and perseverance pects reject you, and you NEED the business, it’s not easy to push forward. So what do you do? You push forward. You try again anyway. If you’re going through a difficult time right now, I’ve been there. If you’re struggling, I’m with you. Believe me, I know where you are. So does everyone who has succeeded at anything interesting. And we would all tell you: These struggles are a prerequisite for success.

Hard Work & Perseverance

or the last two years, I’ve run a $3-million-per-year solo consulting practice, but I have been out of money multiple times in my life. Today, I sell large six-figure consulting projects approximately once a month because that is all I can handle. But when I started doing this work, I was proposing (and getting rejected for) $7,500 projects. As I write this, I don’t know anyone who runs a solo consultancy larger than mine, but not so long ago, I used to chase peers who ran larger operations and they wouldn’t talk to me. They wouldn’t give me the time of day. Today my family is lucky to be succeeding in America, but when I was a small child, we came to America with $20, no English language, and no friends, connections, or opportunities. America was the opportunity. Freedom was the greatest opportunity. What did it take to get from there to here? • Thousands of failures. Even today, I fail far more than I succeed. The failures are necessary. They are required for success. If you’re not failing a lot, it will be impossible for you to succeed. The failures lead us to the success. • Studying the mindsets, behaviors and technique that would take me where I wanted to go. We have to know what to do. We must LEARN the right things to do. • Faith in myself and my abilities. Fighting to get to the point where I knew that if I did the right things consistently, success would come. That is not a natural position in a flood of failures. At least it wasn’t for me. I had to battle the opposite, negative mindsets, to get there. • Finally, probably the most important component of my story: perseverance. Sometimes, getting here required an other-worldly perseverance. When seven different pros-

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

I was talking with a close family friend over the weekend as we both marveled at the incredible opportunities our amazing country offers. He said, “In America, all you need is hard work and you can accomplish anything.” I agree of course, and I also think another element is even more important to our success here: “Hard work and perseverance,” I said. Success in America—and anywhere—demands that we continue trying to succeed even when success does not immediately present itself. Researchers find that perseverance is twice as important to success as talent is. Not giving up is far more important than being good. So, yes, hard work in our great country will likely lead to some success. But add perseverance, and you will be impossible to stop. And in the selling profession, perseverance is the single most important behavior you can bring to your work. Without it, you will not overcome failure very much at all. And ours is a failure business. Compared to other professions, we must overcome relentless failure and rejection. In fact, we only succeed a small percentage of the time in our work. Which is why, in sales, perseverance is the single most important characteristic we can implement. And hard work is a very close second. So, don’t stop. Keep going. Have faith in your value and your abilities. Keep talking to people. Keep offering your great value to customers and prospects. Do these things, and soon enough, you will get to where you want to go. Alex Goldfayn Revenue Growth Consultancy alex@evangelistmktg.com (847) 459-6322 Building-Products.com

TRANSFORMING Teams By Susan Pale

Compensation planning during a pandemic Why it’s more important than ever 020 has sure been a challenge. Employers have struggled to keep businesses open and have been challenged to develop new markets, products, and services in record time. If your business is food service, hospitality or leasing office space, 2020 may have been a dismal year. At the other end of the spectrum, grocery stores and home improvement stores have enjoyed hugely successful years. And, of course, the number of tech jobs continues to increase. Most economists predict the economy will continue to rebound throughout 2021, but at an uneven pace. The varying impacts of 2020 and all the unknowns of 2021 make compensation planning more important than ever. Here are the things you need to do now to effectively plan for 2021 and beyond.

1. Get (and Stay) Up to Date on Legislative Changes States and municipalities have enacted legislation that impacts compensation at breakneck speed. This represents a unique challenge for employers doing business in multiple locations. The changes are too numerous to list, but some of the most significant include: • 23 states have minimum wage increases scheduled for 2021. • 10 states have approved a $15 minimum wage. • Nine states now offer paid family and medical leave. At the federal level, Biden has vowed to take several actions to support workers. When and how these might be implemented has yet to be

determined, but these include: • End the tax cuts enacted in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. • Increase income taxes for high income earners (>$400,000). • Restore federal workers’ rights to unionize. • Remove the Social Security Payroll Tax Deferral option.

2. Review Paid Salaries

If you hired new employees during 2019 and early 2020, chances are you had to hire them at higher salaries – maybe higher than the salaries of current employees doing the same work. This issue, known as salary compression, can occur throughout an organization but is most common when entry-level employees, hired at $14 to $15 an hour because of competition for candidates, make the same or more than lead or first-level supervisors. If you typically give year-end salary increases, now is the time to make the determination of whether you’ll award them and the amounts necessary to maintain both external competitiveness and internal equity.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

3. Review Compensation and Related Policies and Procedures The legislative changes described above require that you review and update your minimum wage and paid family and medical leave policies to comply with state and local requirements. Not all of these changes occur on January 1. And some of your other policies and procedures may be outdated. For example: • 15 states have now legalized recreational marijuana. Your drug testing policies may require review/revision as a result. • If you have written policies regarding work at home or flexible schedules, COVID-19 may have made them irrelevant or, worse, inaccurate. Now is the time to review those as well.

4. Plan Year-End Bonuses and Incentives Because of COVID-19, many organizations and individuals will not achieve their 2020 business objectives. You may have done all the necessary Building-Products.com

work to establish goals and a budget early in the year only to find they are no longer relevant. If your organization often awards discretionary year-end bonuses, you may find that option unaffordable this year. Now is the time to determine if, when, and how you will pay 2020 bonuses and incentives. Managing employee expectations is key, and that requires thoughtful communication planning and implementation.

5. Plan 2021 Salary Increases

Early projections for 2021 forecast base salary increases from 2.3% (Economic Research Institute) to 2.9% (World at Work). These forecasts were made in the fall of 2020 and consider the volatility of 2020 and the uncertainty of 2021. These forecasts, combined with your organization’s unique issues related to affordability, external competitiveness, and internal equity should be considered as you plan 2021 salary increases.

6. Plan 2021 Bonuses and Incentives

The high-risk business environment and uncertainty expected in 2021 may require changes to 2021 incentive planning. Setting lower goals and/or changing the mix of performance measures are probably the first steps to consider. Doing this, however, requires consideration of the total cost of the incentive plans relative to adjusted goals and metrics. Similarly, those with longer-term incentive plans and goals (e.g., three-year plans) should consider changing to shorter-term plans since long-term goal setting in times of serious economic uncertainty becomes virtually impossible.

7. Understand Your Competitive Markets and How They Have Changed or Remained the Same If you’ve historically hired a lot of entry-level employees, you may think that hiring them in 2021 will be easier because so many are unemployed. But think again. You

Building-Products.com

may have different competitors. Grocery chains are recruiting record numbers of employees, as are other large retailers like Amazon, Target and Walmart. And they’re pretty much all paying $15 an hour, whether it’s legally required or not. And if you hire specialized tech employees, expect the market for skilled personnel to remain as tight as ever. And expect a lot of these new hires to request flexible schedules and/or the ability to work from home.

8. Develop a Comprehensive Employee Communication Strategy Employee communications have been particularly challenging this year, often including discussions about furloughs, layoffs, termination and deferred or canceled salary increases. Add in the difficulties of communicating with employees working at home, and the challenges become overwhelming. It’s critical to develop your year-end employee communications now. The three key components of your communication strategy should be: • Legislative changes and how they will impact policies, procedures and employee paychecks • Plans for year-end base salary increases, incentive plan payouts, and discretionary bonuses • 2021 planned changes to base salaries, incentive plans, and related compensation policies and procedures And don’t forget to recognize your employees and thank them for their contributions and sacrifices. It has been a tough year for all of us! Susan Palé, CCP Affinity HR Group contact@affinityhrgroup.com

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

LUMBER 411

A Special Series from Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

By NELMA Staff

Choose real wood over “wood-look” recent Freedonia Group study forecast demand for “woodlook” plastic lumber to rise by 3.7% annually to reach $4.9 billion in 2024. Hmmm. Think about this: How many times has a customer walked into your showroom, made a beeline for the fake lumber, touched it lovingly, and commented what a beautiful product it is? No? How about this: did they lean over and smell it, commenting on the natural smell of an authentic product? We’re guessing also no. Here are four reasons why your customers should choose real wood over “wood-look:”

Authenticity. Call it biophilia, call it good taste. The fact is, people are happier and feel better around real wood. And there are studies to prove it! Wood is the greenest building product on the market today: it’s created directly from the earth, the sunlight, and the rain—no finite resources used, no weird extrusion processes. People want to touch wood, to feel it. A stretch of gorgeous wood flooring, sunlight touching the side of a home covered in wood trim and siding, or a stark white ceiling or wall brightened by real wood bead board and paneling tends to elicit smiles and warm comfortable thoughts! Everyone has a good wood project story to share. Ease of care. It’s real, it’s natural, and it’s easy to maintain. Let’s talk wood outdoor decks: naturally renewable wood is easy to maintain, and it’s the earth-friendly choice. Maintenance

is easy: inspect your deck once a year for signs of decay plus the overall condition of structural connections and guard rails. Cedar, redwood or treated decking wood, like southern pine, can be stained or painted as needed. Don’t let the consumer be fooled by the “wood-look” plastic variety’s maintenance-free ploy! Ease of installation. No special tools needed. No special skills needed. No training, no extensive installation crews. Just a good hammer and some nails. Environmental impact and sustainability. Consumer products of every kind are being rightfully scrutinized for their sustainable attributes and lineage to assure that usage will truly

EASTERN WHITE PINE was featured in this Maine Cabin Masters project.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

lessen or negate impact to the environment if purchased. Wood-look products should be held to this same standard. Bonus reason. Why do you think companies press a fake woodgrain look onto their product? Because that’s what consumers like and want, and what they would rather have! You can see the fake look from plastic decking all the way to plastic beadboard. They’re simply trying to recreate the beautiful, desirable, natural look of wood… but they’re using chemicals and sacrificing finite fossil fuels. Here’s a fact: Within the U.S. forest industry, for every one tree that’s harvested, between three and five trees are planted. Another fun fact: our managed U.S. forests are healthier and more abundant now than they were a century ago. More facts for you: choosing locally grown wood brings centuries of endurance (and constant regrowth!), it supports local economies, it’s durable and decay resistant, the product is safe for all environments and is naturally resilient, and you’re choosing a product that is locally grown and manufactured. On the plastic side, you’re looking at a large carbon footprint, plus the environmental loss of finite fossil fuels. While the descriptor “green” has become a bit overused, we still enjoy assigning it to a stick of wood—because it’s 100% accurate. The so-called “wood-look” products offer nothing natural, nothing authentic to the end user. Be sure to direct your customers to the all-natural, environmentally friendly, authentic choice: real wood.

Building-Products.com

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US LBM Takes Over Zeeland

US LBM has purchased Zeeland Lumber & Supply’s six locations in Michigan and northern Indiana. Zeeland operates three truss and wall panel component manufacturing facilities and three full-service lumberyards. The entire Zeeland management team will stay on, including Mark Miller as president, and Mike Dykstra and Rob Groothuis in key leadership roles. Miller said, “Joining US LBM, with its national platform, expert team, and relationships with the industry’s top suppliers, creates new and exciting opportunities for both our employees and customers.” With the acquisition, US LBM now operates 16 locations in Michigan, including five component manufacturing plants, and four branches in Indiana.

West Fraser Buying Norbord

West Fraser Timber, Vancouver, B.C., is acquiring Norbord, Toronto, Ontario, in a $3.1-billion, all-stock transaction. When the deal closes, expected in the first quarter of 2021, the combined company will operate as West Fraser and become the top global producer of both lumber and OSB.

and enhance its sales, marketing and logistic capabilities to service existing and new customers across North America and abroad.” Jasper chief operating officer Roy Beall added, “We look forward to working with Tolko, our valued customers, and the state and local economic development community as we create jobs and expand capacity from our current 70 million bd. ft. to approximately 200 million.”

Depot Moves Up in Manhattan

Home Depot has agreed to a 20-year lease on a new home for its store in Manhattan, N.Y.’s Upper East Side. Construction will begin next year on the 120,000-sq.-ft., four-level space on the corner of First Ave. and 61st St.

Aetna Rolls Out New Identity

Wholesale distributor Aetna Plywood, Maywood, Il., will now be known as Aetna Building Solutions. The new brand identity is a reflection of the company’s fast-expanding product portfolio that now includes plywood, hardwood lumber, decorative surfaces, composite panel products, and hardware.

TW Perry Adds Maryland Yard

TW Perry has purchased Peoples Supply Co., Hyattsville, Md. Founded in 1932, Peoples serves Prince George’s County, Washington, D.C., and surrounding areas with a contractor yard and retail store. The current management team of Peoples will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the location. With the addition, TW Perry now purports to be the largest regional independent serving the area with six retail stores, a design studio, custom millwork operation, and truss plant.

Tolko Buys into SYP Mill

Tolko Industries, Vernon, B.C., has purchased a 50% interest in Jasper Lumber Co.’s existing sawmill, shavings business, whole log chipper, and trucking operations in Jasper, Al. The 50-50 joint-venture will be known as Jasper Forest Products LLC, A Jasper-Tolko Partnership. According to Tolko CEO Brad Thorlakson, “This is our third U.S. lumber partnership and supports our product and geographic diversification. We’re pleased to support this facility

“In recent years Aetna has greatly expanded its Midwest footprint and our depth and breadth of products to keep pace with the needs of our customers for a complete array of solutions that deliver superior performance and significant value,” said president Jon Minnaert. “Aetna Building Solutions and our new tagline, ‘We Have What It Takes,’ describe our company more accurately and align with our strategies for growth expansion going forward.” The re-brand also coincides with the launch of its OneSource eCommerce portal, which now enables thousands of new and existing customers to instantly access information online about product availability, pricing, deeply discounted specials, statements and a shopping cart feature to speed every transaction. “OneSource takes it all to the next level, saving time and adding value to any transaction, all from a desktop, tablet or smartphone,” said Minnaert. “OneSource is just one example of what the future holds for Aetna Building Solutions and its customers.”

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

DEALER Briefs Builders FirstSource has Kansas City Building Supply, Overland purchased the assets of

Park, Ks. Dennis Donnelly, president of Kansas City Building Supply, will also manage BFS’ other existing locations in the Kansas City market.

White’s Building Supply , Keysville, Va., reopened Nov. 2, nearly 11 months after a fire destroyed its hardware store. The lumberyard had remained open while the showroom was rebuilt. Westlake Ace Hardware

inked a lease for a 14,355-sq. ft. storefront in St. Peters, Mo., to open its fourth St. Louis area location in late March 2021.

Leflore Ace Hardware , Tx., has been purchased by Davis and Lisa Moore and Tina and Bill Thornburg from Bubba and Lisa Standrod. Phillips Hardware, Altamont, N.Y., has closed its 27-year-old branch in Voorheesville, N.Y., and is building a larger facility in Guilderland, N.Y., targeting a spring completion. Ace Hardware, Mentone, In., has been purchased by longtime employee Devin Severns and his grandfather, Ron Severns. Winter Harbor Ace Hardware is the new name for Anderson Marine & Hardware,

Gouldsboro, Me., following its purchase by Brent and Cheryl Hurd.

Harland Ace Hardware

has relocated to larger 35,000-sq. ft. quarters in Perry, Ia.

Hagan Ace Hardware

opened its ninth location on Nov. 20—a 20,000-sq. ft. store in Yulee, Fl. (Thomas Doby, store mgr.).

Backstage Hardware , South Boston, Ma., is closing after 32 years. Owner Jim Robichau is contemplating continuing the business online.

Coastal Building Materials, Cape Coral, Fl., has been acquired by L&W Supply. Building-Products.com

Stepping up the standards of wood protection

WolmanizedWood.com

NEWS Briefs Zeskind’s Hardware & Millwork , Baltimore, Md., has acquired Lamar & Wallace, Landover, Md., quadrupling its warehouse space. Littfin Lumber, Winsted, Mn., was purchased by Canadian component manufacturer All-Fab Group. SRS Distribution opened new locations in Waldorf, Md.; Rapid City, S.D.; Milan, Il.; and Bridgewater, N.J. BlueLinx expanded distribution of MoistureShield decking to its branches in Sparta, Wausau and Madison, Wi.; Grand Rapids, Mi.; Monroe, La.; and Frederick, Md. MIDWEST RETAILER Mike MacKay “cuts the ribbon” on Vassar Building Center’s new location by sawing through a 2x4.

Michigan Dealer Moves into New Digs

With the ceremonial cutting of a 2x4, Vassar Building Center opened the doors to its new home center store in Vassar, Mi. Co-owners Mike and Brenda MacKay welcomed the community, city and Do it Best co-op officials, and invited guests to a new shopping experience not far from the location they called home since 1964. “We couldn’t be more excited for everyone to experience the new Vassar Building Center,” said Mike MacKay. “From the weekend DIYer to the pro contractor, we’ve always been proud of the unparalleled service we offer. Now, with our new and much larger store, we’ve been able to greatly expand our product selection to meet all our customers’ project needs.” The new location includes nearly 20,000 sq. ft. of hardware, plumbing, electrical, and hand and power tools, along with new or expanded categories like lawn and garden, work clothing, and The Color Bar, a comprehensive paint destination. It also features a kitchen and bath design center and a full-service lumberyard.

Cameron Ashley Purchases Martin

Cameron Ashley Building Products, Greer, S.C., has purchased Martin Distributors, Alexandria, La. Martin’s distribution centers in Alexandria and Lafayette, La., have been rebranded as Cameron Ashley. The acquisition adds lumber and engineered wood to Cameron Ashley’s product mix. Martin’s retail operations—Martin Building Materials, Pineville, and Howard Lumber & Supply, Minden, La.— were not part of the deal and continue under existing ownership.

Fortune Acquires Door Maker Larson

Fortune Brands Home & Security has agreed to acquire storm, screen and security door manufacturer Larson Manufacturing, Brookings, S.D., for $660 million. The corporation is also renaming its Doors & Security segment to “Outdoors & Security” to better represent its brands, such Therma-Tru and Fiberon. “The acquisition of Larson is aligned with our strategic focus on the fast-growing outdoor living space,” said CEO Nicholas Fink. “The Larson suite of products creates a bridge from the inside to the outside of the home, and further strengthens Fortune Brands’ offerings in doors and decking.”

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Snavely Forest Products, Liberty, N.C., is now distributing the Vista Railing Systems product line to dealers in the Carolinas and parts of Georgia and Virginia. Wholesale Millwork’s branches in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia are now distributing Vista Railing Systems’ exterior railings. Russin Lumber, Montgomery, N.Y., is expanding its partnership with Deckorators, adding the new Trailhead composite decking line, as well as additional sales staff to service the Northeast and mid-Atlantic markets. Wolf Home Products , York, Pa., has expanded its distribution of Fiberon decking and railing into Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and upstate New York, and will also start carrying Fiberon’s Promenade premium PVC line. Since 2018, Wolf has been distributing Fiberon products in the Northeast, mid-Atlantic, and Carolinas. Parksite, Batavia, Il., has signed a multi-year deal to distribute Maibec’s Eastern White Cedar Shingle and Maibec Stave Lake Western Red Shingles across New Jersey, New York, the Midwest and the Southeast U.S. Parksite has also picked up LP Building Solutions’ latest offering, LP SmartSide ExpertFinish Trim & Siding, for the New Jersey and Syracuse markets. UFP Industries subsidiary UFP Construction has acquired the assets of steel panel/truss manufacturer Atlantic Prefab, Wilton, N.H., and sister installation companies Exterior Designs and Patriot Building Systems, Londonderry, N.H. MI and Milgard Windows & Doors raised a record $1.4 million for charity at its annual MI Foundation Charity Golf Outing in October. As part of this event, the foundation is donating 600,000 meals to food banks in communities where MI operates manufacturing facilities. Drew Public Relations , Midland, Ga., won an Award of Excellence from the Georgia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for its BPD article “Today’s Lesson: Sustainable Versatility” (Sept. 2019, p. 46), submitted on behalf of Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association. Trex Co. was named #57 on Fortune’s 2020 list of the 100 fastest-growing companies in the world. Building-Products.com

Nation’s Best Buys Fort Wayne Chain

Dallas, Tx.-based Nation’s Best has purchased Connolly’s Do it Best Hardware & Rental’s five locations in Fort Wayne, In. “We are thrilled to welcome Connolly’s Do it Best Hardware & Rental into the Nation’s Best family and are committed to continuing to provide the best level of service and support to Connolly’s customers and staff,” said Chris Miller, CEO of Nation’s Best. “Since 1981, the Connolly’s team has built an exceptional reputation among DIYers and contractors throughout northeast Indiana and they are a great strategic fit for our expanding company.” “My brother John and I have dedicated our 40-year careers to serving our customers and growing our family business,” said Michael Connolly. “Becoming a part of Nation’s Best ensures that Connolly’s Do it Best Hardware & Rental and all of our associates will remain a relevant and vital resource for hardware, paint, and rental products and services for many years to come.” Connolly’s will operate under its existing name with its key leadership team continuing to oversee operations alongside Nation’s Best, which will provide strategic and financial support to achieve optimal growth and profitability.

Investment Firm to Acquire US LBM

US LBM, Buffalo Grove, Il., has signed a definitive agreement for Bain Capital Private Equity to acquire a majority stake in the company. US LBM will continue to operate under the leadership of president and CEO L.T. Gibson and the current management team. Founded in 2009 with 16 locations in three states, US LBM has grown to be a leading national distributor of specialty building materials with over 250 locations. Its unique operating model combines the advantages of its national scale and central team of industry experts with the high service levels, local expertise, entrepreneurial culture, and customer relationships of its 37 operating divisions. Bain’s global experience in building materials includes investments in businesses such as HD Supply and MKM Building Supplies. Kelso & Co. has been US LBM’s investment partner since August 2015. The transaction is expected to close this month.

SRS Buys Ohio Distributor CC Supply

SRS Distribution has acquired three-unit building material distributor C.C. Supply, Barberton, Oh. Founded in the early 1970s by Tony Crookston Jr., it was sold by his three sons—Tony III, Dan and Larry Sr.— who are assisting with the transition. C.C. Supply also has locations in Akron and Wooster, Oh.

HD Supply Returning to Home Depot

Home Depot has agreed to re-acquire HD Supply. According to Home Depot CEO Craig Menear, “HD Supply complements our existing MRO (maintenance, repair & operations) business with a robust product offering and value-added service capabilities, an experienced salesforce that enhances the strong team we have in place, as well as an extensive, MRO-specific distribution network throughout the U.S. and Canada.” The deal is expected to be completed during Home Depot’s fiscal fourth quarter, which ends on Jan. 31, 2021. HD Supply is one of the largest building material distributors in North America, serving 300,000 customers from 44 distribution centers in 25 states and two provinces.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

TREX has partnered with Albertsons’ nearly 1,700 pharmacies to collect over 54,000 lbs. of medication bottles to recycle into composite decking.

NHLA Streamlines Inspector School

The National Hardwood Lumber Association is permanently changing the format for its NHLA Inspector Training School. The traditional 12-week program will now be offered as an eight-week course, beginning Jan. 5, 2021. Class hours will be extended by a half-hour each day and will now meet for half a day on Saturdays.

Do it Best, Orgill Move Markets Online

Do it Best Corp. and Orgill are switching their spring markets to virtual events. Do it Best’s spring market will be held from March 7-19. “While we had to pivot quickly to move our fall market to an online format, it far exceeded expectations,” said Do it Best president and CEO Dan Starr. “We posted a strong increase in overall attendance and number of stores participating along with substantial growth in member purchases. We were able to connect with our members on special deals, new products, and training opportunities. With what we’ve learned, we’re looking to make the spring market even better, drawing in more members to lock in all the great savings available.” Do it Best is also considering other opportunities to bring members, vendors and staff together in late spring for a special event. More info will be provided in early 2021. The next fall market is scheduled for Sept. 17-20 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, In. Orgill meanwhile will replace its spring market with the first of several online buying events planned for the new year. Similar to its successful e-Volution online market held last August, it will run from Feb. 8-19. A pre-event planning period is set for Feb. 1-7. Plans for additional online buying events and interactive educational conferences will be unveiled in early 2021, including an August fall market in Chicago. Going forward, Orgill will take “a more dynamic approach to its physical shows that will incorporate online, live and hybrid events.” “The days of a stand-alone physical event are a thing of the past,” said Greg Stine, executive VP. “We believe that this expanded strategy will provide a platform of support for our dealers, allowing them to efficiently buy products and gain knowledge that will help them grow and strengthen their businesses.” Building-Products.com

THINKING Ahead By Chris Sainas

Building from the ground up hile the lumber industry offers a variety of opportunities at all different levels of organization, it’s also wide open if you’re ready to strike out on your own. There are always risks involved with any startup, of course; but if you make the right decisions, you can write your own future in this industry, on your own terms, instead of sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. Here’s how it happened for me:

“This Is How You Start to Understand Lumber”

I first got involved with lumber as a teenager. I knew nothing about the lumber business, and wasn’t particularly interested in getting into it. It was the good pay and physical activity that initially caught my attention. A neighbor happened to manage one of the last sawmills in Vancouver, right in the middle of town, not even eight kilometers from my home. Thanks to that connection and the mill’s need for an able body at the end of a shovel, I had an “in.” I was able to land summer and weekend work while in high school and university doing odd jobs such as running the re-saw and driving the fork lift. I’m grateful for all that early “grunt work,” too, because that’s how you start to understand lumber. I had the misfortune of getting my undergraduate economics degree

from the University of British Columbia right around the time the stock market crashed in the late 1980s. Needless to say, the finance industry wasn’t hiring. While there were no opportunities at the sawmill, the manager gave me some advice that changed everything: get into lumber sales, he said. I took him up on that advice, and eventually found myself in the offices of BC Forest Products. The first question I was asked was whether I had any lumber industry experience. Because it’s rare to find a Canadian sawmill in locations like Vancouver, and even more unusual

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

to find one in a city environment, by all rights I shouldn’t have been able to answer that question with a “yes.” But, I could, and that was the ticket to getting my first lumber sales job! Without it, I never would’ve been hired. Trying to launch a career in lumber sales when you have no background knowledge of lumber means struggling for years just to figure it out. But coming into the job at age 23 with seven years of experience already under your belt sets a different scene. It makes you credible. That, combined with having an economics degree, helped me to

Building-Products.com

A Special Series from North American Wholesale Lumber Association

About NAWLA North American Wholesale Lumber Association is the association that delivers unparalleled access to relationships and resources that improve business strategy and performance through sales growth, cost savings, and operational efficiencies for wholesalers and manufacturers of forest products and other building materials that conduct business in North America. Learn more about how NAWLA can help your business at nawla.org.

achieve success as a salesperson at BC Forest Products. I remained with the company until it sold its mills in 1996 and transitioned into Fletcher Challenge, and I also spent a few years after that working for Canfor. I did all types of selling during that time, including domestic, retail and industrial. Then, in 1999, an opportunity to become a partner in a tiny, five-year-old wholesale company presented itself. I couldn’t say no.

Building from the Ground Up

The firm, called Dakeryn, was being managed by Ray Stewart and Rob Chimko, who was a customer of mine when I was employed at Fletcher Challenge and Canfor. In the course of selling him lumber, Rob and I developed an industry friendship that led to the life-changing offer. Three additional partners also joined the firm, for a total of six, with 12 to 13 years of experience between us. Initially we had just four mills we could purchase lumber from, and a bank that was keeping a close eye on our operations. We took out loans to put the company together. I’ll be the first to tell you that when you have your own money invested in a venture, every order takes on increased importance and value. With no help from anyone else, we knew we had to treat our banking relationship like gold if we wanted to grow our credit. We had all been around long enough to see other businesses fail, and we were determined not to add Dakeyrn’s name to the list. We recognized the importance of paying our bills on time and toeing the line with the bank—there was no room for shortcuts or mistakes. If things went wrong, we might not ever get another chance like this. And so we did things the right way, the first time. Not only did we respect the bank, we also respected the supply chain in western Canada. As the region’s sawmills began to consolidate, it quickly became apparent that there were fewer and fewer people to buy lumber from— which also meant fewer people to sell it to. So we made it our mission to outperform the competition. We put a priority on making Dakeryn a mill favorite.

Building-Products.com

One way to accomplish that was by purchasing a local remanufacturing plant in 2003, which allowed us to begin producing primed fascia, pattern stock, decking and export grades, and the like. When mills see you doing remanufacturing and adding value to their product, it makes them more likely to sell you their merchandise. We also increased our footprint in the market by acquiring a small manufacturing plant in Alberta. The operation ships to retailers in smaller volumes than what mills typically supply, positioning Dakeryn to work with customers of all different sizes across Canada. Mills don’t make what customers need on a day-today basis, so someone has to act as the middleman. My partners and I always believed that we could serve as that connector better than—or at least as well as—anyone else. The risks, not least of all the potential to lose a lot of money, led to plenty of sleepless nights. But our confidence in ourselves, our extensive knowledge of the industry, and a solid business plan overcame all doubts; and we attained the success we set out to achieve. We ultimately grew Dakeryn into a $250 million-a-year business consisting of four companies, two manufacturing/ remanufacturing facilities, and a workforce of more than 100 employees worldwide. Our model puts an emphasis on dignity, integrity, and respect in everything we touch. We are a living example of how good people doing the right thing equals success in this industry. That’s the basic pathway we followed three decades ago, but the same principles apply even today. – Chris Sainas is partner/trader at Dakeryn Group of Companies, North Vancouver, B.C., and a 2020 member of the NAWLA Regional Meetings Committee.

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

MOVERS & Shakers Nick Milestone, ex-Katerra, has joined the Softwood Lumber Board to support its mission in the areas of strategic partnerships and adoption of mass timber construction in the U.S. Jim Hershey has been promoted to VP of sales at Brand Vaughan Lumber Co., Tucker, Ga. Paul Dixon is a new field rep in Atlanta, Ga.

Dave Gaudreau has been named director of sales for MaterialsXchange, Chicago, Il. Steve Sladoje is now chief operating officer. Dave Anderson, president, Mead Lumber, Columbus, Ne., has added the role of CEO, succeeding Craig Bradshaw, who remains on the board. Kristy Kincaid, Goldsboro Builders Supply, Goldsboro, N.C., has been promoted to VP of real estate.

Bill Mitchell is now president of Steep Falls Building Supply, Standish, Me.

John Ruscio, Seaboard International, Nashua, N.H., has retired after 47 years in the industry. He was the first trader hired when Seaboard opened in 1983.

Mike Meehan, ex-US LBM, has joined Palumbo Lumber & Manufacturing/Central Kentucky Truss, Lexington, Ky., as vice president.

Derek Pettengill has been named operations mgr. at Mifflinburg Lumber Co., Lewisburg, Pa.

Austin Avery has joined Red River Lumber, Texarkana, Tx., as millwork purchasing mgr. Paul Corallo, ex-Buck Lumber, is a new direct sales specialist at Cameron Ashley Building Products, Greer, S.C., covering Greenville/Spartanburg/Anderson, S.C. Chris Conoley, Builders FirstSource, Asheville, N.C., has moved to outside sales. David Burgess, ex-Builders FirstSource, is a new technical sales rep for 84 Lumber, Richmond, Va. Larry Gaskey, ex-MJB Wood Group, has joined Roseburg Forest Products, Cedar Hill, Tx., as sales development mgr.

Nick Zakucia is now mgr. trainee at Great Southern Wood Preserving, Rocky Mount, Va. Brady Atkinson, ex-84 Lumber, is the new general mgr. at American Cedar & Millwork, Baltimore, Md. Kati Sandefur, ex-Fine Line Trim, is new to Universal Forest Products, New Windsor, Ma., as an account mgr. Scott Curtis has been named director of sales for Cedar Forest Products, West Olive, Mi. Andy Barker, ex-BlueLinx, is now senior category mgr.wood for White Cap, Cincinnati, Oh. Jake Carr has retired after 50 years in the industry, the last 31 with Gillies and Prittie, Scarborough, Me.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Stay up to the minute on the latest developmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; in between issues of BPDâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; by receiving our e-newsletter, BPD eWEEKLY. Sign up by contacting info@526mediagroup.com. Building-Products.com

Jason Hanegan has been promoted to senior VP of national sales for Emery Jensen Distribution, White Brook, Il. Eric Cremers was promoted to CEO and president of PotlatchDeltic Corp., Spokane, Wa., effective Jan. 1, 2021. He succeeds Michael Covey, who will remain chairman. Kyle Deppen has been appointed mgr. and Yvy Soriano bilingual staff coordinator at Weaber Lumberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recently opened Career Center in Lebanon, Pa. David Curtis is new to Advanced Hardware Supply, Boise, Id., as El Paso, Tx.-based outside sales rep. Karl Feucht, formerly at Manufacturers Reserve Supply, has joined Benjamin Obdyke, Horsham, Pa., as mid-Atlantic market develoment mgr., serving New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and northern Virginia. Chris Maffetone has been promoted to sales coordinator for Concord Lumber Corp., Littleton, Ma. Andy DeMars is now ColorWorks division mgr., overseeing all of the dealerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paint store locations. Tim Austin is now Dallas/Fort Worth/ North Texas territory sales mgr. for Allura Fiber Cement Products, Houston, Tx. Stephanie Daniels has been promoted to national director of business development for the Shingles and Underlayments Division of Atlas Roofing Corp., Atlanta, Ga. Daniel Colvin as a new lumber account executive at Do it Best Corp., Fort Wayne, In. Recent promotions include Chris Beach, now member growth mgr.; David Dalman, senior data analyst; Alison Farrington, national retail performance mgr.; Bob Gumash, strategic projects mgr.; Beka Huston, sales support coordinator; and Aaron Marker, sales training & retail playbook mgr. Sam W Francis, retired senior director of national programs, American Wood Council, Leesburg, Va., was presented the International Code Council Bobby J. Fowler Award. Lou Pohl has been hired to read the small print in contracts for MungusFungus Forest Products, report co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus. Building-Products.com

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

Helping you find the elusive lumber customer.

Visit Nelma4Retailers.com for marketing tools designed to help you attract more customers. Download or order educational materials, brochures, and design tools that can help your sales team sell more Eastern White Pine and SPFs wood products. MARKETING BROCHURES DESIGN TOOLS POSTERS

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO TECHNICAL BROCHURES SOCIAL PROMOTIONAL ITEMS

Nelma4Retailers.com

NORTHEASTERN LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

SPECIAL FEATURE

2 0 2 1

Insulation Products Buyers Guide

Fiber • Mineral Wool • Foam Board • Sheathing • Housewraps • Radiant & Air Barriers • Spray Foam • Fluid

FIBER-BASED INSULATION Bonded Logic

Bondedlogic.com (480) 812-9633 UltraTouch Denim Insulation ___________________________

CertainTeed

Certainteed.com (800) 233-8990 CertaPro Commercial (kraft, foil & FSK-25 faced batts) CertaPro Commercial Acoustatherm Batts CertaPro Commercial Thermal Extended Flange Batts EasyTouch (encapsulated insulation) Insulsafe (SP, XC) (loose-fill) NoiseReducer (sound control fiberglass batts) Optima (blown-in fiberglass insulation) SpeedyR (tabless batts) Sustainable Insulation (in unfaced and kraft-faced batts) TrueComfort (blown-in insulation) ___________________________

FiberTEK

Fibertekinsulation.com (877) 682-4448 BigBatt (fiberglass batt insulation) InsulTEK1 (fiberglass loose fill insulation) UltraTEK Wall Spray System (blow-in fiberglass) ___________________________ Building-Products.com

Greenfiber

Greenfiber.com (800) 228-0024 Sanctuary (blow-in or spray-applied cellulose insulation) INS515LD (blended blow-in insulation) INS765LD (all borate-treated blow-in insulation) INS735 (all borate-treated stabilized spray-in insulation) INS745 (all borate-treated stabilized spray-in insulation) INS500 (stabilized attic spray insulation) INS773LD Cel-Pak (premium all borate insulation) INS200 AgriTherm (all borate-treated blow-in insulation) INS550LD-CAN (low dust loose fill attic insulation) ___________________________

Johns Manville

Jm.com (800) 654-3103 Attic Protector (blow-in fiberglass insulation) Climate Pro (blow-in fiberglass insulation) ComfortTherm (formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation wrapped in plastic) Kraft-Faced Batts & Rolls Unfaced Batts & Rolls Cavity-Shield (fiberglass batts) FSK-25 Batts (combining fire resistance with a vapor barrier)

Panel Deck FSK-25 (batts laminated with a foil facing) Spider Plus (blow-in insulation) ___________________________

Knauf

Knaufinsulation.us (800) 825-4434 EcoBatt Insulation EcoBatt Integrated Roof Deck Insulation EcoRoll Insulation Inner-Safe Concealed Space Batt Insulation ___________________________

Owens Corning’s EcoTouch PINK Fiberglass Insulation

Owens Corning

Owenscorning.com (800) 438-7465 EcoTouch PINK (fiberglass insulation) EcoTouch Flame Spread 25 EcoTouch Sound Attenuation Batts EcoTouch Sonobatts Fiberglas Insulation Boards (703, 705) Fiberglas Insul-Quick Insulation Pure Safety High Performance Insulation ___________________________

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

MINERAL WOOL, FOAM BOARD MINERAL WOOL American Rockwool

Americanrockwool.com (877) 247-5970 Rockwool Premium Plus (blow-in mineral fiber insulation) FireStopTB (thermal barrier over foam) ___________________________

Johns Manville

Jm.com (800) 654-3103 JM CladStone (water & fire block mineral wool Sound & Fire Block Mineral Wool TempControl Mineral Wool (thermal control batts) ___________________________

Knauf

Knaufinsulation.us (800) 825-4434 Jet Stream Ultra (blowing wool insulation) EcoFill Wx (blowing wool insulation) JetSpray (thermal spray-on insulation system) Earthwool (insulation board) ___________________________

Owens Corning

Owenscorning.com (800) 438-7465 Thermafiber Sound Attenuation Fire Blanket Thermafiber UltraBatt (mineral wood insulation) Thermafiber Insul-Fill (blown-in attic mineral wood insulation) Thermafiber Fire & Sound Guard (batts) ___________________________

Rockwool North America

Rockwool.com (800) 265-6878 ComfortBatt (semi-rigid batt insulation) ComfortBoard (80, 110) (rigid stone wool insulation board) Safe’n’Sound Sound Proof Insulation (fire & soundproof batts) TopRock DD (uncoated stone wool insulation board for low-slope roofs) TopRock DD Plus (bitumen-coated) Roxul Safe 45 (semi-rigid stone wool insulation board for firestop systems) RockBoard (40, 60, 80) (boards for acoustic & thermal applications)

Rockwool AFB (semi-rigid batt insulation made from natural stone and recycled content) ___________________________

FOAM BOARD/SHEATHING Amvic

Amvicsystem.com (877) 470-9991 SilveRboard Graphite (carbon graphite-embedded rigid EPS insulation board) SilveRboard (rigid EPS insulation board with double-sided polypropylene reflective lamination) SilveRboard Acoustic Rigid Insulation Amdrain (EPS insulation board with integrated drainage channels) Envirosheet High Density (economical EPS foam board insulation) Envirostrap (EPS board with three integrated furring strips on one side) EIFS Insulation Board (exterior cladding system) ___________________________

Atlas Roofing Corp.

Atlasrwi.com • Starrfoam.com (800) 722-6218 ACFoam-II (GRF polyiso roof insulation with felt facers) ACFoam-III (CGF polyiso roof insulation ACFoam Supreme (foil-faced polyiso roof insulation) ACFoam-HD CoverBoard (high density roof insulation of polyiso core with coated glass facers) ACFoam-HD CoverBoard-FR ACFoam-Recover Board (polyiso roof insulation) ACFoam Nail Base (polyiso board bonded to OSB or CDX plywood) EnergyShield (continuous wall insulation with polyiso core with trilaminate foil facing) EnergyShield (CGF continuous wall insulation polyiso core faced with non-reflective coated glas-mat facer on both sides) Stucco-Shield (insulating sheathing polyiso foam board with facers on both surfaces for use as stucco substrate) StarRGard (closed-cell EPS) StarRSTruc (for structural lateral bracing & transverse wind load resistance) StarRFoam Fan Fold ___________________________

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Beaver Plastics

Beaverplastics.com (888) 453-5961 TerraFoam (HS, HS-60, Platinum) (closed-cell EPS insulation) TerraFoam EPE (foamed polyethylene) ___________________________

Cellofoam North America Cellofoam.com (800) 241-3634 EPS Roof Insulation Cellofoam FR (composite) Poly Shield (fanfold sheathing/ underlayment) ___________________________

DuPont

Dupont.com (800) 931-3456 Styrofoam Extruded Polystyrene XPS Insulation Styrofoam Cavitymate Extruded Polystyrene Foam Insulation (for cavity walls) Thermax (rigid foam board) Tuff-R/Super Tuff-R (polyisocyanurate foam insulation products) ___________________________

Insulfoam

Insulfoam.com (800) 248-5995 R-Tech EPS Insulation Panels R-Tech Insulation Fanfold Insulfoam Platinum GPS Insulation InsulLam (EPS core with OSB or plywood faces) InsulFoam Single-Ply InsulFoam HD Composite InsulFoam Drainage Board InsulFoam Tongue & Groove ___________________________

Johns Manville

Jm.com (800) 654-3103 AP Foil-Faced Foam Sheathing CI Max Foam Sheathing R-Panel Roof Insulation ___________________________

Kingspan

Kingspan.com (800) 241-4402 GreenGuard XPS Insulation Boards (Type IV 25 PSI, Type VI 40 PSI, Type VII 60 PSI, Drainage Channel) Kooltherm Rigid Thermoset Phenolic Insulation Building-Products.com

GYPSUM, WOOD Optim-R VIPs (vacuum insulation panels) GreenGuard SLX Sheathing GreenGuard Plygood Sheathing GreenGuard Plygood Ultra Sheathing R-5 XPS Insulation Board (building wrap) ___________________________

Owens Corning

Owenscorning.com (800) 438-7465 Foamular 250 (rigid XPS foam boards) Foamular CW15/25 (virtually impervious to moisture) Foamular High-R CW Plus Insul-Drain (drainage board) Foamular ThermaPink (XPS board for roofing) Foamular InsulPink (for basement interiors) Foamular Insulated Sheathing Foamular Half-Inch Fanfold Foam Residing Board ___________________________

OX Engineered Products

Oxengineeredproducts.com (800) 345-8881 OX-IS Structural Insulated Sheathing ISO Red CI (rigid polyiso sheathing) ISO Red Max (rigid polyiso insulation with multiple facers) Strong-R (insulated sheathing meeting higher performance requirements) ___________________________

RMax (Sika)

Rmax.com (800) 527-0890 Durasheath (polymer-coated glass fiber mat facers) Multi-Max FA-3 Above the Deck Insulation R-Matte Plus-3 (with reinforced aluminum facers) ThermaBase-CI (continuous insulation for exterior walls) ThemaRoof Plus-3 ThermaSheath Insulation (with reinforced foil facers) ThermaSheath SI (for use in residential stud construction) Ultra-Max/Ultra-Max HD (for roof applications) ___________________________

Sika USA

Usa.sika.com (800) 576-2358 Sarnatherm EPS (expanded Building-Products.com

polystyrene insulation board) Sanatherm ISO (closed-cell polyisocyanurate insulation board) Sanatherm XPS (extruded polystyrene insulation board) Sanatherm Roof Board (A-III, H, M, R) (high-density polyisocyanurate roof board) ___________________________

Styro Industries

Styro.net (888) 702-9920 FP Ultra Lite (rigid foam insulation panels pre-coated with an aggregate or stucco texture) ___________________________

GYPSUM BARRIERS Georgia-Pacific

SolarPly (radiant barrier plywood sheathing) ___________________________

Georgia-Pacific

Buildgp.com (800) 225-6119 ForceField Air & Water Barrier System (laminated engineered wood sheathing) Thermostat (radiant barrier sheathing) ___________________________

Huber Engineered Woods

Huberwood.com (800) 933-9220 ZIP System Roof Sheathing ZIP System Wall Sheathing ZIP System Insulated R-Sheathing ___________________________

Louisiana-Pacific

Buildgp.com (800) 225-6119 DensElement Barrier System DensDeck Roof Board DensDeck Prime DensGlass Sheathing ___________________________

Lpcorp.com (888) 820-0325 TechShield (OSB radiant barrier sheathing) WeatherLogic (air & water barrier Structural I Rated Sheathing) ___________________________

National Gypsum

Nationalgypsum.com (562) 435-4465 Gold Bond eXP Sheathing (Interior Extreme, AR, IR) (gypsum panel with coated fiberglass mat facer) ___________________________

USG

Usg.com (800) 950-3839 Securock ExoAir 430 System (glassmat sheathing with factory-applied fluid air barrier membrane) ___________________________

WOOD BARRIERS Barricade Building Products

Barricadebp.com (877) 832-0333 Thermo-Brace (thin wall sheathing with composite core) Thermo-Brace SIB (reversible structural sheathing combining two weather resistant barriers and BASF Neopor graphite polystyrene rigid insulation) ___________________________

Coastal Plywood

Coastalplywood.com (800) 359-6432

Norbordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Solarbord OSB radiant barrier sheathing

Norbord

Norbord.com (416) 365-0705 Solarbord (OSB radiant barrier sheathing) ___________________________

RoyOMartin

Royomartin.com (800) 299-5174 Eclipse (OSB radiant barrier panels) ___________________________

Weyerhaeuser

Weyerhaeuser.com (800) 525-5440 RBS (radiant barrier sheathing) ___________________________

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

HOUSEWRAPS, RADIANT BARRIERS HOUSEWRAPS Barricade Building Products

Barricadebp.com (877) 832-0333 Barricade Wrap (economy housewrap) Barricade Wrap Plus Barricade Wrap Plus Drainage Barricade R-Wrap ___________________________

Benjamin Obdykeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s HydroGap Drainable Housewrap

Benjamin Obdyke

Benjaminobdyke.com (215) 672-7200 FlatWrap HP Housewrap InvisiWrap UV Black Housewrap (for open joint cladding applications) HydroGap (drainable housewrap) Slicker (HP, Classic, MAX) (rainscreens) Slicker Screen (insect screen for top/ bottom opening) ___________________________

CertainTeed

Certainteed.com (800) 233-8990 CertaWrap (Standard, Premium) (weather resistant barrier) ___________________________

DuPont

Dupont.com (800) 931-3456 Tyvek HomeWrap (non-woven, breathable housewrap) Tyvek StuccoWrap (weather resistant barrier) Tyvek ThermaWrap LE (building wrap with metallized, Low-E surface) Weathermate Housewrap (nonperforated polyolefin-based wrap) Weathermate Plus Housewrap ___________________________

ESP Low-E

Low-e.com (800) 289-5693 Low-E Housewrap ___________________________

Henry Co.

Henry.com (800) 773-4777 Blueskin VP100 (self-adhered water resistive air barrier membrane) WeatherSmart (non-woven housewrap) WeatherSmart Commercial (heavier duty moisture, UV & surfactant resistance) WeatherSmart Drainable (exceeding higher drainage standards) HydroTex (drainable polymeric housewrap combined with Super Jumbo Tex 60 Minute kraft paper) PlyDry (polypropylene housewrap) Jumbo Tex (Classic, Premier, Professional) (building paper) Two-Ply Jumbo Tex Super Jumbo Tex 60 Min. Two-Ply Super Jumbo Tex 60 Min. ___________________________

James Hardie

Jameshardie.com (888) 542-7343 HardieWrap Weather Barrier (nonwoven polyolefin WRB) ___________________________

Keene Building Products

Keenebuilding.com (877) 514-5336 Driwall Rainscreen ___________________________

Kingspan

Kingspan.com (800) 241-4402 GreenGuard RainDrop 3D (building wrap) GreenGuard RainArmor (building wrap) GreenGuard HPW (building wrap) GreenGuard MAX (building wrap) GreenGuard C2000 (building wrap) GreenGuard VW (building wrap) ___________________________

OX Engineered Products

Oxengineeredproducts.com (800) 345-8881 HomeGuard Housewrap Titan Drainage Wrap ___________________________

PorterSIPS

Portersips.com (616) 738-0995 PorterSIPS Exterior House Wrap ___________________________

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Robetex, Inc.

Techwrapllc.com (706) 275-0515 Tech-wrap (breathable synthetic) Residential Home Wrap (woven polypropylene) Commercial Home Wrap (woven polypropylene) ___________________________

Typar

Typar.com (615) 847-7000 Typar BuildingWrap (building wrap for residential, single occupancy, & light commercial) Typar Drainable Wrap (eliminates excess moisture from a wall) Typar MetroWrap (building wrap for commercial & multi-occupancy) Surround CW (lightweight building wrap woven into sheets & coated) ___________________________

RADIANT BARRIERS Bonded Logic

Bondedlogic.com (480) 812-9633 UltraTouch Natural Cotton Radiant Barrier ___________________________

Covertech Fabricating

Rfoil.com (800) 837-8961 Big 6 2260 Reflective Duct Insulation (metalized foil barrier, layer of polyethylene bubbles between two highly reflective surfaces) Big 8 2280 Reflective Duct Insulation rFoil 2200 Reflective Insulation rFoil 2290 Standard Reflective Duct Insulation rFoil 4800 NT Radiant Barrier (sheet made up of woven polyethylene layer bonded between two highly reflective radiant barrier sheets) ___________________________

ESP Low-E

Low-e.com (800) 289-5693 Low-E Insulation (rolls with polyethylene foam core & reinforced double-sided aluminum facings) Low-E Slabshield (under-slab vapor barrier) Low-E Class-A White (low-flame and smoke vapor barrier) Building-Products.com

FLASHING Low-E ThermaSheet (insulated roofing underlayment rolls) Low-E Ductwrap (HVAC/radiant insulation made of polyethylene with aluminum facings) ___________________________

Fi-Foil Co.

Fifoil.com (800) 448-3401 Silver Shield (attic radiant barrier) Radiant Shield (two-sided attic radiant barrier) HY-Fi (hybrid insulation system: outer layer of kraft paper coated with polyethylene, inner foil, additional layer of foil-reinforced with fiberglass scrim) VR Plus Shield (reflective multi-layer insulation for masonry walls) M-Shield (reflective insulation for masonry walls) AA2 Vapor Shield (reflective insulation for masonry walls) GFP Insulation (gas-filled panel technology) RBI Shield (multipurpose reflective bubble insulation) SkyFlex (flexible sheet air barrier) SkyFlex VT (flexible sheet vaportransmitting air barrier) ___________________________

Innovative Insulation

Radiantbarrier.com (800) 825-0123 Super R Diamond (entry-level radiant barrier) Super R Plus (pro-grade radiant barrier) Super R Plus Heavy Duty Super R Plus Special Width Super R Plus Deck Barrier TempShield (single/double bubble foil insulation) ___________________________

Kennedy Insulation Group Kennedyinsulationgroup.com (877) 358-4580 VerSola (single/double bubble aluminum reflective insulation) ___________________________

RadiantGuard

Radiantguard.com (866) 528-8412 Reflex-Air (bubble reflective insulation) Ultima-Foil (radiant barrier rolls) Xtreme (radiant barrier rolls) ___________________________ Building-Products.com

Reach Barrier

Reachbarrier.com (972) 331-3933 Reach Barrier Reflective Air2 (double reflective/bubble roll) Reach Single Air/Single Reflective (rolls) Silvertanium Reflective Insulation (rolls) ___________________________

Great Stuff Pro Window & Door Insulating Foam Sealant ___________________________

GCP Applied Technologies Gcpat.com (617) 876-1400 Perm-a-Barrier Liquid Flashing Perm-a-Barrier Wall Flashing ___________________________

Georgia-Pacific

Reflectix

Reflectixinc.com (800) 879-3645 Reflectix Radiant Barrier (rolls) Reflectix Single Reflective Insulation Reflectix Double Reflective Insulation ___________________________

Buildgp.com (800) 225-6119 DensDefy Liquid Flashing ___________________________

SIMCO of Southern Indiana Simcosouthernindiana.com (812) 739-2007 SIMCO Single/Double Layer (reflective bubble insulation) ___________________________

FLASHING

Henry Co.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FortiFlash

Barricade Building Products

Barricadebp.com (877) 832-0333 Barricade Flash Right (asphalt-based SBS window & door flashing tape) Flash Extreme (self-adhering flashing membrane) Flash Ulti (butyl-based rubber sealant) Barricade Flash Conform (stretchable & flexible) Flash Corners (precut sill corners) Barricade Seam Tape (film-coated tape with acrylic adhesive system) ___________________________

Benjamin Obdyke

Benjaminobdyke.com (215) 672-7200 HydroFlash UV+ (enhanced adhesion for extreme conditions) HydroFlash GP (sill/penetration flashing) HydroFlash LA (liquid-applied flashing) HydroCorner Sill Treatment ___________________________

DuPont

Dupont.com (800) 931-3456 FlexWrap (NF, EZ) (self-adhered flashing around windows & doors) LiquidArmor CM (flashing & sealant)

Henry Co.

Henry.com (800) 773-4777 Fortiflash Butyl Fortiflash Fortiflex Air-Bloc LF Liquid Flashing Moistop E-Z Seal Moistop neXT Moistop PF Blueskin Butyl Flash Moistop Corner Shields ___________________________

Huber Engineered Woods Huberwood.com (800) 933-9220 ZIP System Flashing Tape ZIP System Liquid Flash ___________________________

James Hardie

Jameshardie.com (888) 542-7343 HardieWrap Pro-Flashing (selfadhering butyl sheets applied around doors and windows) HardieWrap Flex Flashing (stretches for custom shapes) ___________________________

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

SHEET AIR BARRIERS, SPRAY FOAM Keene Building Products

Keenebuilding.com (877) 514-5336 KeeneFlash 100 (construction tape) ___________________________

Kingspan

Kingspan.com (800) 241-4402 GreenGuard Standard Flashing GreenGuard Professional Flashing GreenGuard SuperStretch Flashing GreenGuard Butyl Flashing ___________________________

MFM Building Products

Mfmbp.com (800) 882-7663 FutureFlash NX Seal (self-adhering sheet-type waterproofing membrane SubSeal (40, 60) Seal & Coat EIFS Tape WindowWrap (PSX-20, PowerBond, Flex, White, Butyl) ___________________________

PolyWall Building Solutions

Poly-wall.com (888) 976-7659 WindowSeal (window & door sheet flashings) Aluma Flash (UV-resistant window flashing) ArcFlash (window flashing) Blue Barrier Flash ‘N Wrap 2400 (window & door liquid flashings) Blue Barrier Liquid Wrap 2300 ___________________________

Robetex, Inc.

Techwrapllc.com (706) 275-0515 Door-Window Tape Home Wrap Tape ___________________________

SIP-Seal

Sipseal.com (651) 300-0505 Liquid Flashing ___________________________

SHEET AIR BARRIERS CertainTeed

Certainteed.com (800) 233-8990 MemBrain (continuous air barrier & smart vapor retarder) ___________________________

IMETCO

Imetco.com (800) 646-3826 IntelliWrap (MA, VB, SA) (vapor permeable WRB sheet membrane) ___________________________

RMax

Rmax.com (800) 527-0890 ECOMAXci FR Air Barrier ___________________________

VaproShield

Vaproshield.com (866) 731-7663 WrapShield SA (self-adhered vapor permeable air barrier sheet membrane) ___________________________

Versi-Foam Systems

Rhhfoamsystems.com (800) 657-0702 Closed Cell Spray Foam (Systems 1, 9, 15, 50, Hy-Flo 700, Hy-Flo 350) Open Cell Spray Foam (31, 100) High Density Spray Foam (10, 33) Slow Rise (Systems 9, 15, 50) ___________________________

W.R. Meadows

Wrmeadows.com (800) 342-5976 Air-Shield SMP (sheet membrane vapor permeable air/liquid moisture barrier) ___________________________

Typar

Typar.com (615) 847-7000 Typar Flashing Panels Typar All-Temperature Flashing Typar Flexible Flashing Typar Butyl Flashing ___________________________

RMax’s ECOMAXci FR Air Barrier

SPRAY FOAM Accufoam

Accufoam.com (205) 236-9551 Accufoam OC (ultra-low density opencell spray foam)

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Accufoam CC (medium density closedcell spray foam) ___________________________

BASF

Spf.basf.com (800) 706-0712 Enertite (residential spray polyurethane foam) Spraytite (light commercial) Walltite (SPF insulating air barrier) ___________________________

Carlisle Spray Foam Insulation Carlislesfi.com (844) 922-2355 SealTite Pro (Open Cell, High Yield, No Mix, No Trim 21, OCX) (opencell polyurethane foam) SealTite Pro (Closed Cell, One Zero) (closed-cell polyurethane foam) ___________________________

DuPont

Dupont.com (800) 931-3456 Froth-Pak Foam Insulation Froth-Pak Foam Sealant ___________________________

Johns Manville

Jm.com (800) 654-3103 JM Corbond III (spray polyurethane foam) JM Corbond Open-cell JM Corbond Open-cell Appendix X (lower-density, non-structural spray foam) JM Gen IV (closed-cell spray polyurethane foam) No-Burn Plus ThB (tintable white, thin film intumescent coating) ___________________________

Lapolla Industries

Lapolla.com (713) 273-2016 Foam-Lok Closed-Cell Insulation (FL2000, FL2000 4G, FLX) Foam-Lok Open-Cell Insulation (FL450, FL500, FL750, FL Retrofit) ___________________________

Preferred Solutions Inc.

Preferredsolutions.net (800) 522-4522 Staycell One Step (255, 265) (closedcell SFP) ___________________________

Building-Products.com

LIQUID-APPLIED SYSTEMS, SIPS (712) 859-3219 Liquid Flashing ___________________________

Rhino Linings

Spf.rhinolinings.com (877) 358-1320 DuraTite (SPF) ThermalGuard (OC.5, OC1, OC1.6, CC2) (open-cell, water-blown spray polyurethane foam) ___________________________

LIQUID-APPLIED SYSTEMS

Extreme Panel Technologies Epsbuildings.com (800) 977-2635 EPS SIPS ___________________________

Sto Gold Coat

Imetco.com (800) 646-3826 IntelliWrap (LVP, LVB, LTVP) (fluidapplied air/water barrier) ___________________________

Sto Gold Coat TA (ready-mixed flexible, trowel-applied air barrier) Sto EmeraldCoat (fluid-applied, vaporpermeable building membrane) Sto ExtraSeal (Portland cement-based air and moisture barrier component for use beneath direct-applied stucco brown coats) Sto AirSeal (fluid-applied, vaporpermeable membrane for abovegrade walls behind cladding) Sto VaporSeal (ready-mixed, flexible waterproof air & vapor barrier membrane) Sto RapidGuard (single-component, multi-use air barrier & waterproof material) Sto Gold Fill (ready-mixed, flexible, joint treatment & air barrier material for vertical above-grade walls) StoGuard Mesh (glass fiber selfadhesive mesh) StoGuard Fabric (non-woven cloth reinforcement) ___________________________

Keene Building Products

W.R. Meadows

EPRO

Eproinc.com (800) 882-1896 EcoFlex (S, R, PS) (fluid-applied air barriers) ___________________________

GCP Applied Technologies

Gcpat.com (617) 876-1400 Perm-a-Barrier (Liquid) (twocomponent, synthetic-rubber, coldvulcanized membrane) Perm-a-Barrier (NPL 1-, NPL 10LT) (one component, latex-based membrane) ___________________________

IMETCO

Keenebuilding.com (877) 514-5336 Driwall Air Weather Barrier-HP ___________________________

Kemper System America

Kemper-system.com (800) 541-5455 Kemperol 1K-LF Flashing (liquidapplied waterproofing system) ___________________________

SIP-Seal

Sipseal.com (651) 300-0505 Liquid Membrane ___________________________

Sto Corp.

Stocorp.com (800) 221-2397 Sto Gold Coat (ready-mixed flexible waterproof air barrier membrane) Building-Products.com

Wrmeadows.com (800) 342-5976 Air-Shield (LM, LSR, TMP) (fluidapplied barriers) ___________________________

SIPS ACME Panel

Acmepanel.com (877) 331-4266 ACME SIPS ACME Jumbo SIPS ___________________________

Enercept SIPS

Enercept.com (605) 882-2222 Enercept SIPS ___________________________

Energy Panel Structures Sipseal.com

FischerSIPS

Fischersips.com (502) 778-5577 Expanded Polystyrene SIPS ___________________________

Foard Panel

Foardpanel.com (800) 644-8885 Foard Panel SIPS ___________________________

Insulspan

Insulspan.com (800) 726-3510 RTA SIPs R-Plus SIPS (providing higher R-values) ___________________________

Murus

Murus.com (800) 626-8787 Expanded Polystyrene SIPS Graphite-Enahanced Polystyrene EPS Polyurethane SIPS ___________________________

PorterSIPS

Portersips.com (616) 738-0995 PorterSIPS ___________________________

Premier Building Systems Premiersips.com (800) 275-7086 Premier SIPS GPS SIPS (premium panels) ___________________________

SIP-Seal

Sipseal.com (651) 300-0505 Liquid Flashing ___________________________

ThermaSteel

thermasteelinc.com (540) 633-5000 RevPanel Composite SIPs ___________________________ December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

NEW Products

Deck Post Extension

The new WORX 20V Power Share 18-Gauge Brad Nailer and Crown Stapler eliminates the need for an air compressor, air hose, or hammer. Nails are driven by its sealed compressed air cylinder. The tool drives nails from 3/4” to 2” long, firing 80 nails a minute and up to 500 nails on a single charge. Its side-loading magazine is easy to release and reload. It is powered by a 20V 2.0 Ah Max Lithium battery. Balanced and easy to control, the 6.7-lb. nailer can even tackle jobs overhead. When not in use, it stands on its own.

Deckorators ALX aluminum post extensions make it easy to install and hang outdoor lighting such as string lights and café lights. Designed to work with the 2-1/2”x2-1/2” posts in the ALX Classic and ALX Contemporary railing systems, they help extend the use of outdoor space and create ambience while increasing visibility and safety. Available in Textured Black, the 66” extensions turn 39” railing posts into 105” posts or 44” posts into 110” posts for hanging lights. Extensions feature a preinstalled insert that is placed into a 2-1/2” railing post and fastened. Each extension comes with a carabiner clip that can be installed where needed.

n WORX.COM (855) 279-0505

n DECKORATORS.COM (800) 556-8449

Vertical Rod System Some areas do not allow horizontal railing systems, and the Paralux Designer series Vertical Rod system was created to fill that need. Constructed out 316 stainless steel and 5/16″ diameter bars, each 4x8 section comes complete with required number of rods, posts, pickets, post caps, post flanges, and flange covers. The system can be used with a wood or stainless steel rail. n PARALUXCABLE.COM (833) 727-2589

Air Force

acteristics, luster, uniform texture, enhanced panel stability using SwanPeel Technology, and interlocking grain for ease of installation. Panels come 4x8, 4x9, and 4x10, 3/8”, 1/2”, 5/8” or 3/4” thick. n SWANSONGROUP.BIZ (800) 331-0831

Hi-Torque Hammer Drill Makita has unveiled a new flagship cordless high-torque hammer drill, the 18V Brushless 1/2” Hammer Drill XPH14. Reportedly the most powerful in its class with a rated 1250 in.lbs of torque, the tool is stronger and 14% more compact than its previous model. n MAKITATOOLS.COM (800) 462-5482

Superior Hardwood Siding Swanson Group’s premiumgrade Superior Hardwood Siding combines the beauty of real sawtextured wood with the ease of working with a plywood panel. The line features proprietary hardwood with natural wood char-

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Building-Products.com

THE POSSIBILITIES KEEP GROWING:

Nature’s majestic pillars. Redwood is one of the strongest and fastest growing softwood species. It thrives in some of the most productive timberlands in the world. Redwood is known for its timeless durability without the use of chemicals. Due to its flawless formation, there has never been a Redwood recall. There is a grade of Redwood for every application, every budget, and every customer.

“Growing beyond measure.” Call or visit us today. Our family of Redwood timberland owners will continue to be your reputable and reliable source of Redwood.

Call us at 707.894.4241 Visit us at buyRedwood.com

Weathered Wood Look Clean, Continuous Top Rail New continuous top rail brackets for Deckorators ALX Contemporary preassembled aluminum railing enable builders and homeowners to achieve a unique, continuous aesthetic instead of a traditional post-andpost-cap look. Line, corner and end brackets are included, with a swivel stair option also offered. They come in the ALX Contemporary powder-coated colors: textured black, textured white, weathered brown, and bronze. To install, builders simply need to cut the post to size, place the bracket on the post, connect the rails, and add the bracket cover for a continuous top rail.

The Sansin Corp. has released its new WoodForce weathering system with Intermix colors that allow for creative, customizable looks and effects. Available in a retail formula or factory finish line, the WoodForce system uses three products—Accel, Clear and Intermix with seven tints—to create an array of weathered looks and effects, all the while delivering exceptional water repellency and protection against UV, moisture, blackening, discoloration and wood rot. n SANSIN.COM (877) 726-7461

n DECKORATORS.COM (800) 556-8449

Reinforced Underlayment Boral Roofing has introduced Boral Ply 40, an SBS modified fiberglass reinforced underlayment/ base sheet for tile, shingle or shake roofing. Easily installed and ideal for use with metal roofing systems, Boral Ply 40’s modified asphalt minimizes the wrinkling and buckling which is commonly associated with non-modified membranes. It offers durability and better protection than felt at a low cost. The recently improved underlayment now offers an uncovered exposure time, without any degradation, of six months (an improvement from its original three month uncovered exposure time). It comes in 39 3/8” x 66’ (216 sq. ft.) rolls, each weighing 80 lbs. n BORALROOF.COM (800) 669-8453

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Building-Products.com

December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

Alternative Cladding To provide building and design professionals with compelling wood-alternatives for façades and rainscreen assemblies, Fortress Building Products has expanded into cladding. Pros can select from co-extruded bamboo-plastic composite (CBPC) Infinity cladding boards and capped bamboo-plastic PVC (CBPVC) Apex cladding boards with non-repeating grain patterns, enhanced woodgrain textures, and rich, earth-tone color palettes. Due to their UV-, fade- and moisture-resistive properties, vivid hues like Brazilian Teak and Oasis Palm endure throughout the product’s lifetime and do not require staining or resealing to preserve their vibrant aesthetic.

Rich Cellular Siding Wolf Home Products has added three new Wolf Portrait Siding color options: Pearl White, Baltic Blue, and Denim. The line is engineered to replicate a rich, natural look of wood siding without the inherent maintenance. The high-density cellular siding uses 100% ASA capstock, offering superior UV and harsh-climate protection to withstand the test of time. n WOLFHOMEPRODUCTS.COM (800) 388-9653

n FORTRESSBP.COM/CLADDING (866) 323-4766

Weather Worn Yet Precision Cut

Blinds-between-the-glass are now available on Andersen’s A-Series gliding and hinged inswing and outswing patio doors. Blinds are located between the panes of insulated glass, protected from dust and damage. Cordless design easily raises, lowers or tilts the blinds for the control of light and privacy. Blinds are available in slate gray or white and can be ordered with any exterior or interior finish offered on A-Series patio doors.

With Sea Cliff, Eldorado Stone has added a bright, contemporary color palette to its European Ledge architectural stone veneer profile. The new shade provides a balance of light creams and bright highlights to create the perfect fusion between old-world stonework and modern design. Its innovative application of multi-layered color notes provides a versatile design statement to suit a wide range of residential and commercial spaces. Sea Cliff evokes the sun-speckled cliffs along the Mediterranean Sea, and its bright white undertones bring a more contemporary look and feel to the overall profile. European Ledge is also available in six other color palettes: Zinc, Sidewalk, Linen, Glacier, Iron Mill and Cottonwood.

n ANDERSENWINDOWS.COM (888) 888-7020

n ELDORADOSTONE.COM (800) 925-1491

Blinds Between the Glass

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Building-Products.com

NAWLA EXCHANGE provided a virtual alternative to the NAWLA Traders Market.

Exploring uncharted territory at NAWLA Exchange While most of those who participated in the recent North American Wholesale Lumber Association Exchange agreed that there is no replacement for a live event, they also felt this new virtual event provided, in the words of one attendee, “a much-needed way to stay connected with industry professionals and stay informed on relevant topics.” Dustin Wood of Weston Forest WITH MOST LIVE events still hold, Building Products Digest has been unable to present its highly popular photo montages of trade show attendees and exhibitors—until now. NAWLA Exchange gave sponsors the opportunity to host virtual “booths,” where they could meet with partners and prospects digital-face to digital-face. Among the exhibitors: [1] Blue Book’s Kathi Orlowski, Trent Johnson. [2] Interfor’s Svetlana Kayumova, Eric Kjode, Donna Whitaker, Derek Bennett. [3] Flexpak’s Ryan Hackbarth. [4] BP Wood’s Judy Johnston. [5] Zip-O-Log’s Nick Lake. [6] DMSi’s Jordan Lynch.

expressed similar sentiments: “NAWLA Exchange was a great chance to make contact with friends and colleagues during the chaotic days of 2020. More than a diversion, it was a chance to grow during a time when growth has been put on the backburner.” NAWLA Exchange, a threeday virtual event hosted Oct. 27-29 in lieu of this year’s NAWLA

4 n Building Products Digest n December 2020

Traders Market due to the COVID19 pandemic, included keynote presentations, education sessions across three different content tracks, a virtual exhibit hall, and creative new ways to network and hold peer discussions in a virtual format. The event kicked off with a keynote presentation from Molly Fletcher, one of the world’s only female sports agents and best-selling author and

6 Building-Products.com

professional speaker. Titled “Unleash Your Potential,” her session focused on achieving peak performance using a proven five-step process. Her key points included believing in what you do, how you do it and why you do it; adding value and gaining trust; building relationships (vs. performing transactions); being disciplined in determining how to spend our time and energy and adhering to those priorities; and consistently executing every day. Fletcher’s presentation was followed by the first breakout sessions in Management, Sales and Marketing, and Wood Basics content tracks. Unlike other NAWLA events, the series of concurrent sessions were intended to provide relevant education for professionals across many different roles and experience levels at forest product industry firms. This resulted in participation by professionals from member firms who have not typically participated in Traders Market or Leadership Summit. This aspect of the event was appreciated by those firms, as evidenced by feedback from Thomas Glauber of Sherwood Lumber: “Sherwood Lumber made NAWLA Exchange available to all of our staff. I am grateful to be included and enjoyed participating.” In addition to welcoming many newcomers to NAWLA events, NAWLA Exchange also attracted many attendees who had not

previously experienced a virtual event. Roughly 50% indicated this was their first virtual event experience. In spite of their lack of familiarity with this format, in the post-event survey, most indicated the ease of participating in sessions, finding answers to questions about the event and navigating the virtual platform speaks. The majority of attendees also indicated that they would be interested in attending future virtual NALWA events. “I came into the NAWLA Exchange with very few expectations as virtual meetings were foreign to me,” said 2020 Chair Tom Le Vere of Weekes Forest Products. “I was pleasantly surprised to find the venue works extremely well for training presentations, panel discussions and vendor meetings. It’s just like standing in their booth on the trade show floor only without the distractions and noise. There is definitely a place for using virtual events within NAWLA in the future!” Recognizing that networking remains a critical component of events, even when the group couldn’t convene in person, NAWLA ensured that a variety of virtual networking opportunities were available to its NAWLA Exchange participants. Networking opportunities included birds-of-a-feather group discussions on topics such as transportation and crisis management, speed networking, Bourbon demonstration, virtual exhibit hall meetings and Q&A

11 VIRTUAL EXHIBITORS: [7] Robbins Lumber’s Tonia Tibbetts. [8] Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual’s Susan Cho. [9] Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau’s Skeet Rominger. [10] Binderholz Timber’s Thomas Building-Products.com

sessions with breakout speakers, and private messages and meeting opportunities. “NAWLA has done a great job of finding ways to provide its members value in a very difficult year,” said Carl Lamb of Snavely Forest Products. “They have maintained relevance throughout the year which is extremely difficult in a year that we cannot network like normal.” NAWLA Exchange concluded with a panel of CEOs who discussed the impact of 2020 happenings on the industry and their company operations and, most importantly, what they’ve learned, how they have reacted and what they are planning for 2021. Featuring Don Kayne, CEO, Canfor Corp. and Canfor Pulp; Craig Johnston, president and CEO, Forest City Trading Group; Grady Mulbery, president and CEO, Roseburg; Jim Enright, CEO, Pacific Woodtech; and Matthew J. Missad, CEO, UFP Industries, this session proved to be one of the most popular elements of the event. They shared experiences with incorporating new communication platforms, minimizing the impact of supply chain disruptions and new regulations, monitoring company and industry performance, and keeping their employees safe through the pandemic, along with other valuable insights. NAWLA Traders Market is scheduled to return in 2021 on Nov. 10-12 in Louisville, Ky.

13 Mende. [11] Boise Cascade’s Judy Haney, Connie Phillips, Brian Carrington, Tyler Mardesan. [12] Western Red Cedar Lumber Association’s Jay Poppe, Paul Mackie. [13] Pacific Woodtech’s Matt Caissie, JD Dombek. December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

CLASSIFIED Marketplace

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IN Memoriam Gerald Eugene Ort, Sr., 85, owner of Ort Lumber, New London, Wi., died Oct. 25. He entered the business in the early 1950s as a truck driver and a few years later, in 1954, started a portable mill. He opened his first sawmill, Ort Lumber, in 1968. In 1982, he and his four older sons founded Wolf River Lumber, New London, and in the 1990s they built Wittenberg Hardwoods, Wittenberg, Wi., and acquired Tigerton Lumber Co., Tigerton, Wi.; Aacer Flooring, Peshtigo, Wi.; and 50,000 acres of timberland. George A. Weaver, 73, retired sales manager for Robbins Lumber, Searsmont, Me., passed away Oct. 25. A veteran of the Vietnam War, he saw heavy action as a tank commander and was wounded more than once. Fresh out of the service, Weaver met Jim Robbins Sr. playing Town Team Baseball in 1969 and was offered a job at the mill. He started in the planing mill, and worked his way up through the company as a forklift operator, truck driver, and other jobs until he was made sales manager, where he remained for the majority of his 42-year career. He retired in 2011. Weaver previously served on the board of the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association. James Carnett “Jim” McGhin, 67, sales manager for D.S. Smith/RB Lumber, Riceboro, Ga., died Oct. 3. He came out of retirement to join the Riceboro operation 13 years ago,

after serving as sales manager with Union Camp and International Paper, Savannah, Ga. Hilmar J. Flugrath, 88, former owner of Handy Corner Lumber Co., New Braunfels, Tx., died Oct. 16. He operated his lumberyard in New Braunfels for 30 years before relocating it to Sattler, Tx. Simon Lecours, former national inspector for the National Hardwood Lumber Association, Memphis, Tn., died Nov. 3. Based in Canada, he served as NHLA national inspector from 2007 to 2015.

TALK Back KEEP UP, NOT DOWN Patrick, thanks for the perspective in this month’s “Across the Board” (“It’s Easy to Get Down,” Nov. p. 8). Over the past few years in our world we had our business destroyed by a hurricane in 2018, we watched a good chunk of the prosperous economy go by as we rebuilt, and then we experienced our national reaction to COVID-19. We are worn out! Every morning when I leave for work there is a group of older ladies who walk for exercise. I’m no spring chick, but they all seem to get a rise when I roll down my window and cheer them on as I pass by. One of these ladies posts a sign in her yard for the opposite candidate I choose to support. This

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

morning I rolled down my window to compliment her on the post-hurricane rebuild of her home and yard, which is now nearing completion. It is the first time I have had an opportunity to speak with her and I could tell that she is a kind person and someone who I could actually enjoy visiting and getting to know. Instead of being put off by her politics and her being put off by my own, wouldn’t it be nice if we could just communicate as civil human beings? Maybe we could each gain an appreciation of the other’s perspective through civil dialogue. Better yet, maybe we would not even talk about politics and we could just appreciate each other as human beings. I am going to try because, as you say, all the world’s troubles will still be here tomorrow. Furthermore, you and I both know there are only so many tomorrows and phases of life we should be present to savor. Edward A. San Juan President E.F. San Juan, Inc. Youngstown, Fl. I especially enjoyed your article “It’s Easy to Get Down” in November’s issue of BPD. I spent almost 40 years in our industry, in executive management with Ace, Do it Best, and True Value. I retired just in time to see COVID grip our country. It is good to have someone remind us of all that we have to be thankful for especially at this time of the year. Keep up the good work. Rick Johnson Retired Building-Products.com

Page

ADVERTISERS Index

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

American Wood Technology www.americanwoodtechnology.com

Building-Products.com www.building-products.com

Crumpler Plastic Pipe www.cpp-pipe.com

CT Darnell www.ct-darnell.com

Culpeper Wood www.culpeperwood.com

Do it Best Corp. www.doitbestcorp.com

Cover IV

Everwood Treatment Co. www.everwoodtreatment.com

Northern New York Lumber Dealers Association – Dec. 9, holiday board meeting, Providence, R.I.; www.nrla.org.

526 Media Group www.building-products.com

Massachusetts Retail Lumber Dealers Association – Dec. 11, board meeting, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, R.I.; www.nrla.org.

Great Southern Wood Preserving www.yellawood.com

United Hardware Distributing Co. – Jan. 8-10, buyers market, Minneapolis, Mn.; www.unitedhardware.com.

Lonza Wood Protection www.wolmanizedwood.com

Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club – Jan. 12, meeting, Asheville, N.C.; www.lumberclub.org.

Norbord www.norbord.com

North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. www.nawla.org

Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. www.nelma.org

BC Wood – Jan. 25-29, virtual Global Buyers Mission & trade show; www.bcwood.com.

Overseas Hardwoods Co. www.ohc.net

House-Hasson Hardware Co. – Jan. 28-30, market, Nashville, Tn.; www.househasson.com

Pacific Woodtech www.pacificwoodtech.com

Cover II

Palram Americas www.palram.com/us

19, 45

Redwood Empire www.buyredwood.com

Cover III

Simpson Strong-Tie www.strongtie.com

Siskiyou Forest Products www.siskiyouforestproducts.com

Swanson Group Sales Co. www.swansongroup.biz

Timber Products Co. www.timberproducts.com

Versatex www.versatex.com

Western Lumber Co. www.westernlumber.com

Cover I

Weyerhaeuser Co. www.weyerhaeuser.com

Yellawood www.yellawood.com

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Northwestern Lumber Association – Dec. 1, contractor sales seminar, Urbandale, Ia.; Dec. 8-10, Estimating 1-2-3, Twin Cities, Mn.; www.nlassn.org. Mid-America Lumbermens Association – Dec. 1-2, yard & delivery workshop, Wichita, Ks.; Dec. 3, special order & margin management bootcamp, Forest Products Supply, Brentwood, Mo.; www. themla.com. Industrialized Wood-Based Construction Conference – Dec. 2-3, virtual conference & trade show; www.iwbcc.com. Vermont Retail Lumber Dealers Association – Dec. 3, board/legislative committee meeting, Fire & Ice, Middlebury, Vt.; www.nrla.org. Northeastern Retail Lumber Association – Dec. 9-10, Evolve virtual trade show; www.nrla.org.

National Retail Federation – Jan. 12-14, virtual show; www.nrf.com. Lake States Lumber Association – Jan. 13, virtual show; www.lsla. com. Mid-America Lumbermens Assn. – Jan. 19, estimating seminar, Kansas City, Ks.; www.themla.com.

Cameron Ashley Building Products – Jan. 28-31, dealer show, Orlando, Fl.; www.cameronashleybp.com. Northwestern Lumber Association and Mid-America Lumbermens Association – Feb. 2-3, World Discovery digital conference; www. nlassn.org. Illinois Lumber & Material Dealers Association – Feb. 4, show, East Peoria, Il.; www.ilmda.com. International Builder’s Show – Feb. 9-11, virtual IBS; www. buildersshow.com. Kitchen & Bath Industry Show – Feb. 9-11, virtual KBIS; www.kbis. com. Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association – Feb. 11-12, meeting, Jackson, Ms.; www.mlmalumber.com. Baltimore Remodeling Expo – Feb. 14-16, Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Md.; www.homecentershow.com. Orgill – Feb. 8-19, virtual spring market; www.orgill.com. Pittsburgh Remodeling Expo – Feb. 12-14, Heinz Field-UPMC Club Lounge, Pittsburgh, Pa.; www.homecentershow.com. Monroe Hardware Co. – Feb. 12-13, spring market, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; www.monroehardware.com. Mid-America Lumbermens Assn.– Feb. 17, sales seminars, Brentwood, Mo.; Feb. 18, Kansas City, Mo.; www.themla.com. LBM Advantage – Feb. 22-24, virtual annual buying show & shareholders meeting; www.lbmadvantage.com. FenceTech – Feb. 23-26, Music City Center, Nashville, Tn.; www. americanfenceassociation. December 2020 n Building Products Digest n

FLASHBack 79 Years Ago This Month

Seventy-nine years ago this month, in December of

1941, BPD’s sister publication, The California Lumber Merchant, was two days away from going to press when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and President Roosevelt declared America’s entry into World War II. The industry—like the nation itself—was shellshocked. There was no time to revise any ads or stories, only time for Merchant publisher Jack Dionne to pen a new editorial and drop it into the middle of the issue. He wrote: It seems hardly real—not in my wildest dreams— could I for the past 20 years have believed it possible— that I am sitting down to my typewriter, just as I did in April 1917, to write to my fellow lumbermen and fellow Americans, the same stern words that I wrote then: “Our Country Is At War.” Even with the terrific reports that are coming over the radio every few minutes as I write, it still seems unreal that such a thing should be. That old, old folly— “It Can’t Happen Here”—has been caught falsifying again, and how bitterly. The English language seems appallingly futile in trying to describe the total surprise, the total amazement that came to the American people when the fearful news began coming in over the airwaves. Neither is it possible to describe the wave of indignation that immediately followed. I saw it happen once before, and nothing in history is more dramatic to watch than a swelling tidal-wave of anger that develops when a great nation suddenly discovers that it has been made the victim of treachery unspeakable, barbarism and infamy immeasurable. The American people are the maddest right now they have ever been in all their history. That wave of indignation expresses itself throughout the land in a million definite ways. All else is forgotten. A week ago this nation jawed, and argued, and debated a score of problems that then seemed vital. In the wake of the Japanese attack, those matters today appear no more

CERTIGRADE premium grade wood shingles were marketed in a Ripley’s Believe It or Not style.

n Building Products Digest n December 2020

THE DECEMBER 1941 front cover was sponsored by Southern California lumber distributor George E. Ream Co.

important than a last year’s bird nest. This people is united in spirit and determination, convinced that there is a tremendous job to be done, and that only through the complete unity of every stratum of Americanism, can it be successfully and promptly accomplished. We stand united behind our President, our Government, and our flag. What happened at Pearl Harbor—regardless of how it happened—has drawn this nation into one firm mind and mass, as nothing less tragic could have done. We have but one national idea now: we have a war to win. Come what may, we shall win it. It may be that our start looks slow, and their start looks fast. But wait a little until “our team gets rolling,” as they say in football, and God help our enemies. Americans are springing to arms by the tens of thousands. Whether they be 20 years of age or 50, seems to make no difference. Everyone wants a hand in wiping out our foes, and establishing once again a world where decent people may live in peace. With faith in ourselves, our President, our Government, our nation, and our God, we are taking up the gauge that was thrown down at Pearl Harbor, and will not cry “Enough” until the necessary job is done. Let us fly “Old Glory” over our places of business and over our homes, and get the glow and determination that however prosaic the duty of each of us may be, that duty will be accepted proudly and gladly for our country’s sake, and that we will all help in the great task to be done, loyally and helpfully, without grudging or fault-finding. The lumber industry of the nation shifts immediately from a defense to a war basis. No industry shall serve its country better in this great emergency. Watch the lumber industry team roll, too!

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BPD December 2020

Articles inside

FLASHBACK

TALKBACK

EVENT RECAP

THINKING AHEAD

OLSEN ON SALES

LUMBER 411

REVENUE GROWTH HABIT

NEW PRODUCTS

TRANSFORMING TEAMS

COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

DEALER FOCUS

FEATURE STORY

ACROSS THE BOARD

INDUSTRY TRENDS