BPD Sept. 2013

BPD

TOPS IN OSB  SELLING REDWOOD & CEDAR  EASTERN WHITE PINE SPECIAL ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2013

Building Products Digest

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

BPD

September 2013

 Volume 32  Number 7

Building Products Digest

Special Features

In Every Issue 14 COMPANY PROFILE

8 FEATURE STORY

ENSURE OSB QUALITY WITH PROPER STORAGE, HANDLING

9 INDUSTRY TRENDS

6 TOTALLY RANDOM

NEW NAME FOR SUNBELT

18 OLSEN ON SALES

14 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

BANKING ON RECYCLED WOOD

OSB PRODUCERS REBOUND IN 2013

10 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

REDWOOD SUPPORTS DECK BUYERS’ DREAMS OF GREENER FUTURE

12 MARGIN BUILDERS

NEW CEDAR SALES TOOLS FOR DEALERS

35 SPECIAL FOCUS: EASTERN WHITE PINE NELMA’S INSIDE LOOK AT NORTHEAST PRODUCTION, NEW ONLINE GRADING TRAINING, WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY, WEB RELAUNCH, WINNING DESIGNS

51 PHOTO RECAP: SLMA CONFERENCE

28 MOVERS & SHAKERS 30 ASSOCIATION UPDATE 32 KAHLE ON SALES 34 FAMILY BUSINESS 46 NEW PRODUCTS 50 IN MEMORIAM 52 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE 53 DATE BOOK 54 IDEA FILE 54 ADVERTISERS INDEX

Online BPD DIGITAL VERSION, BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS & PHOTOS Distributed in the Northeast by: Feldman Wood Products, Garden City Park, NY

800-645-6010 • www.feldmanwoodproducts.com

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BUILDING-PRODUCTS.COM

FOLLOW ON TWITTER

TWITTER.COM/BLDGPRODUCTS Building-Products.com

TOTALLY Random

By Alan Oakes

BPD

Building Products Digest

Who’s watching you?

I

F THE SNOWDEN CASE has emphasized anything, it’s that nowadays we are under constant surveillance—and not just by the government. Your smartphone and tablet are constantly asking if they can push this app or that app based on your location.

Today, they know where you are, what you are doing, what you are buying, and worse, if someone hacks into your personal files and tries to do harm. Look, they know where your phone is even when you don’t! Today, they can even tell, if you are in, say, a Macy’s, what departments you visited. Hopefully, they can’t also see you in the 360˚ mirror!

It is amazing how technology, as it changes at an ever-increasing pace, can overwhelm you even more than it helps you. You cannot seem to escape phones ringing nonstop, dings from your inbox, or kids playing games or watching videos.

I recently went out of the country and within six hours, despite having an international data plan, somehow managed to spend $1,100 on downloading my emails and visiting a few websites before being cut off. It has taken me four weeks, six calls, three emails, and a visit to the local store to get the charges removed—long story! Just as well, as after two weeks I would have had to take a bank loan to pay AT&T. At a business level, I cannot imagine working without the great benefits technology has brought us. But there are times I just want to scream, “Enough!” I suspect we are starting to move backwards due to the overuse of technology. How much time do I waste daily sorting through upwards of 500 emails, particularly as the scammers become more and more sophisticated. I think Nigeria must have university degrees in scamming and spamming.

The web is a source of great information—and an awful lot of garbage, too. And, there seems to be an insatiable appetite to read about nonsense! The rush to get stuff up on the Net has led to completely fabricated stories and pure and utter journalistic drivel written by unpaid interns. This is what you get when you do not want to pay for anything of value.

I know I have readers embedded and invested with Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and their lookalikes. The problem is that there are some people I just may not want to be in contact with. Yet here is LinkedIn and others telling me people who I might know and, no doubt, telling them about me. If I don’t invite them, what message is that saying? Who is poring over my site, determining I must be lonely and in need of more friends or asking why I haven’t tweeted lately? Are they missing my prose?

What about losing 500 points in the stock market in 20 minutes, while I’m blissfully singing to my car radio, due to electronic trading programs that kick in? Who do they benefit? How about being on Candid Camera as you drive through toll booths or walk down the street? Does this mean I have to dress up and not look like a slob now?

At home, despite being told I need only one remote, I, of course, need three. And, the combination of getting sound, cable and programming at the same time seems to be beyond me.

Last week, while simply looking at mortgage rates on a website, I clicked to the next page and—lo and behold—30 seconds later I was getting a phone call to see if they could be of service. It was a company I had spoken with in the past, but that is just plain spooky!

How about those emails about your boss to your best friend? Do you realize that someone in IT may be chuckling over you calling your boss an idiot, as they forward your comments to HR? I read recently that Facebook’s former head of security is now at the NSA—yes, the agency that has been monitoring your digital usage for years. Read how much data Apple and Microsoft are being told to hand over to the NSA. If Facebook can garner our most intimate details, how much the government knows about our political views, medical data, and the sites we visit is getting out of control.

Alan Oakes, Publisher ajoakes@aol.com

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www.building-products.com

A publication of Cutler Publishing

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

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

How to Advertise

Chuck Casey Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ccasey@building-products.com Alan Oakes www.building-products.com Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 ajoakes@aol.com.

CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE David Koenig Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 dkoenig@building-products.com

How to Subscribe

SUBSCRIPTIONS Heather Kelly Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax 949-852-0231 hkelly@building-products.com or send a check to 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660 U.S.A.: One year (12 issues), $24 Two years, $39 Three years, $54 FOREIGN (Per year, paid in advance in US funds): Surface-Canada or Mexico, $49 Other countries, $65 Air rates also available.

SINGLE COPIES $4 + shipping BACK ISSUES $5 + shipping BUILDING PRODUCTS DIGEST is published monthly at 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872, (949) 852-1990, Fax 949-852-0231, www.buildingproducts.com, by Cutler Publishing, Inc. (a California Corporation). It is an independently owned publication for building products retailers and wholesale distributors in 37 states East of the Rockies. Copyright®2013 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Cover and entire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. All Rights Reserved. BPD reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it.

Building-Products.com

FEATURE Story

By Alex Kuchar, Weyerhaeuser

Ensure OSB quality with proper storage, handling

O

RIENTED STRAND BOARD is durable, reliable, and long lasting. But like all wood products, if left exposed to weather for extended periods of time, OSB is susceptible to expansion and contraction associated with moisture absorption and drying.

Wood that expands and contracts will change dimensions.

In addition, wood strands on unprotected surfaces of OSB may become raised, which is aesthetically displeasing though not a structural deficiency.

OSB is resilient enough for exposure during a normal cycle of construction, but should be protected during storage to ensure it doesn’t weath-

er prior to installation. Follow these tips to keep panels unblemished during storage and delivery:

At the Yard

• Keep OSB under cover in a completely enclosed warehouse, if possible, but at minimum under roof cover.

• Store OSB panels in a flat orientation.

• Keep side covers in place to protect tongue-and-groove edges.

In Transit

• OSB transported on open flatbed trucks should be covered with a weatherproof tarp.

• Handle panels in a flat orientation. Protect edges and ends from damage and keep the load level.

• When moving OSB with a forklift, stack on a bunk or a pallet and insert the forklift tines in between the supports, not into the panel or sheathing stack. Be sure to get the tines under the load to avoid spearing it and damaging it.

• Unload the pallet of OSB all at once with a forklift; if the stack is unstrapped and the truck jerks forward, panels could fall and ends could be damaged.

At the Jobsite

• Schedule shipments to ensure OSB isn’t exposed to weather on site for long periods of time.

STORE OSB panels undercover at the yard.

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(Photo by Weyerhaeuser) September 2013

• Do not store panels in direct contact with the ground or mud. Store

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OSB elevated on three 4x4s, one in the center and the others 12 inches from each end. This will keep the wood off the wet ground, as well as allow for ventilation.

• For flooring panels, wait to remove cardboard side covers until ready to install, to protect the tongueand-groove edges.

• Minimize moisture exposure for OSB panels and all wood framing in the home by getting the home roofed and wrapped in a timely manner.

Following these simple steps, in conjunction with proper 1/8-inch panel gapping and good construction practices, can help ensure your OSB

sheathing and flooring installs accurately, smoothly and beautifully.

For additional strategies and advice, contact your manufacturer’s representative.

– Alex Kuchar is OSB technical manager for Weyerhaeuser Wood Products.

OSB 2013

LOUISIANA PACIFIC, Nashville, Tn., added additional shifts at several of its seven mills and produced 3.7 billion sq. ft. of OSB last year—22% of the North American market.

“Housing starts appear to have been constrained by weather, labor and financing issues in the second quarter,” said c.e.o. Curt Stevens. “The consensus projection for housing starts for this year is a 25% increase over 2012, with starts projected to increase at least another 25% in 2014. We will be ready to respond.”

Late last year, the company began re-hiring at its mill in Thomasville, Al., which has been shuttered since late 2010. In May, LP completed the purchase of Canfor’s 50% share in the Peace Valley OSB mill in Fort St. John, B.C., which has an annual production capacity of 820 million sq. ft.

NORBORD, Toronto, Ont., invested about $10 million this year to restart its mill in Jefferson, Tx., which was shut down indefinitely in early 2009. The mill should resume production in the fourth quarter, depending on market conditions.

The company also operates 11 other OSB mills.

“Although prices were expected to adjust after reaching record levels in the first quarter, I was surprised by the degree of the correction,” said c.e.o Barrie Shineton. “OSB prices are now recovering, and I believe this trend will continue as the fundamentals supporting U.S. new home construction remain very strong.”

WEYERHAEUSER, Federal Way, Wa., continues to operate six OSB mills in the U.S. and Canada.

“Our priority is to continue safely making money by pushing for continuous operational improvement, managing cost, and responding quickly to market opportunities,” said c.e.o. Dan Fulton. “While we certainly welcome a stronger housing market, we are not waiting for it or relying on it for our success.”

AINSWORTH ENGINEERED, Vancouver, B.C., has been operating three OSB mills and is looking forward to reopening its mill in High Level, Alb., later this year. The mill was indefinitely curtailed five years ago.

“We feel confident that the market will require additional supply in the months and years ahead,” said c.e.o. Jim Lake.

“We are preparing to meet that demand with the restart of our High Level mill.”

He also noted that Japan continues to be a key export country for Ainsworth, as shipments there increased 29% over last year.

GEORGIA-PACIFIC, Atlanta, Ga., celebrated the startup of its mill in Clarendon, S.C., which it acquired from Grant Forest Products in 2010.

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“South Carolina is a major part of our focus on growing our building products business,” said c.e.o. Jim Hannan. “The investment in our Clarendon County facility makes us wellpositioned to grow with our customers as the housing market continues its slow recovery.”

The mill was part of a $400-million acquisition that included Grant’s plants in Allendale County, S.C., and Englehart, Ontario. GP then spent an additional $30 million to complete construction on the Clarendon facility in 2011.

G-P operates three additional OSB mills—two in Virginia and one in West Virginia.

HUBER ENGINEERED WOOD, Charlotte, N.C., recently introduced a new OSB product: ZIP System longlength panels.

The company claims that the new product combines the superior moisture protection of regular ZIP System sheathing with the easy installment of 10- to 12-ft. panels. Developed specifically to help builders meet evolving energy codes, the sheathing has built-in laminated exterior foam panel insulation, eliminating the need for additional housewrap.

Huber operates five OSB mills.

ROYOMARTIN, Alexandria, La., is celebrating its 90th year of business and its moving into its 6th year of operation at its flagship OSB facility in Oakdale, La. “Our OSB business continues to make significant strides forward in safety, customer satisfaction, and productivity every year,” said Terry Secrest, v.p. of OSB. “Our entire team is fully engaged and committed to being world class in all we do.”

From July 2012 to June 2013, the mill produced 743 million sq. ft. of OSB. A new shift was also added, to keep up with demand for the company’s Eclipse radiant barrier OSB panels and other value-added products.

In June, the company won the 2012 Innovation in Safety award from APA-The Engineered Wood Association. The award was given for the mill’s “Safety Mentor Program,” which introduces new hires to the company’s rigorous safety culture.

TOLKO, Vernon, B.C., is proceeding with preparations to reopen its fifth OSB mill, in Slave Lake, Ab., which was curtailed indefinitely in early 2009. The mill is expected to resume production by the first quarter of 2014.

“Before we could commit to the significant financial and human resource investment required to restart the mill, we had to determine that current improvements in market conditions are sustainable,” said c.e.o. Brad Thorlakson. “We are confident about the future of the industry and look forward to positive years ahead.”

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PRODUCT Spotlight

By Charlie Jourdain, California Redwood Association

Survey says:

Redwood decks support buyers’ dreams of greener future

F

OR MANY HOMEOWNERS, the deck is a promise of quality time spent enjoying the home and garden that represents their dreams.

A recent survey commissioned by the California Redwood Association showed that decks can also help homeowners express their environmental values. While people love decks for both enjoying their outdoor space and boosting their home’s value, they want to make sure the products used to make those decks won’t harm the environment.

This reflects the trend CRA has observed for years now, with homeowners wanting to minimize their impact on the

RECENT SURVEY showed that the vast majority of homeowners demand their decks be eco-friendly.

Photo by CRA

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environment. The survey of California homeowners showed that three-quarters of them believe that it’s important for their deck to be eco-friendly. That’s probably why more than 90% said they believe a deck should be recycled or reused after its useful life and not wind up in a landfill.

Which is why it’s more important than ever to make sure consumers have access to information that can help them make the best decision to fit their environmental values.

It’s no surprise that California homeowners would have an eye on sustainability when it comes to choosing their decking. That made CRA curious to know how they rate the current decking products available. When CRA asked them to rank-order a variety of decking materials, they put redwood at the top of the most eco-friendly deck building materials. They admired not only its environmental qualities, but also the natural beauty and warmth of redwood decking.

The results from this survey were enlightening: they prove not only that consumers are continuing to educate themselves about the kind of products they use in their homes, but also that some of the marketing messages from some composite/plastic deck product manufacturers aren’t holding up to the test of time.

When CRA commissioned a Life Cycle Assessment to compare the environmental qualities of composite/plastic decking and redwood decking side-by-side, it turns out that making composite/plastic decks out of old plastic is not that green after all.

Redwood is a renewable resource. Responsibly harvesting redwood trees is an essential part of sustainable forest management.

Redwood lumber is biodegradable; it goes back to the earth to help make more trees. The redwood forests of Northern California, a vital part of our ecosystem, are managed carefully to ensure that our forests will remain healthy, beautiful and productive for generations to come.

That means responsible harvesting at sustainable levels, as well as the protection of old growth stands and natural Building-Products.com

habits. CRA takes pride that 100% of CRA member-owned timberlands are certified as well managed and sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Plastic, by stark contrast, is a petroleum product. Making composite/plastic decks depletes the world’s oil reserves. Once made, it often has only one final destination… the landfill. Making composite/plastic lumber out of recycled plastic only delays the inevitable and consumes precious, nonrenewable resources to bring the product to market.

Any time a homeowner is considering a deck for their home, they’re not just measuring the physical footprint, calculating how much of their yard to dedicate to this space. They’re also measuring the environmental footprint of that deck to minimize the environmental footprint the deck will leave behind.

CRA can help them find the most accurate measuring guides that will make them confident in their decision to find the best materials available from Mother Nature.

– Charlie Jourdain is president of the California Redwood Association, one of the oldest trade associations in the lumber industry, focused on promoting redwood products and educating builders and consumers on the advantages of using redwood. Reach him at charlie@calredwood.org or (888) CAL-REDWOOD.

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Our decisions are always based on what’s best for you and your business.

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As Seen on TV Promoting natural redwood to California homeowners presented a unique opportunity to have a little fun, while setting the record straight about Real Strong Redwood.

In collaboration with Humboldt County, CRA launched a series of 30-second television ads comparing redwood to man-made composites and plastic decking. While the tone is light and fun, the ads point out the differences between composite and redwood decking, promoting the positive aspects of using redwood for decking.

The ads, which have been aired throughout California, have grown popular online as well.

The advertisements can be seen at realstrongredwood.com

Building-Products.com

SHARED PURPOSE. MUTUAL VALUES.™ September 2013

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MARGIN Builders Western Red Cedar

New cedar sales tools for dealers, distributors A

U.S. CONSTRUCTION industry hits stride, building materials suppliers have enjoyed increased demand for appearance products aimed at the R&R market, in particular for use in outdoor applications.

One organization that’s making the most of capitalizing on the market upswing is the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, a non-profit association representing quality western red cedar suppliers in Canada and the U.S. A central component in the WRCLA’s strategy to boost the volume of Real Cedar-branded products is a new and extremely robust website, slated to go live in early September.

While a strong online presence is the now par for the course, what makes RealCedar.com unique is that it’s designed not only to guide consumers through the purchase decision, but also to connect dealers and distributors more closely with the sales process.

Additionally—and what will be of particular interest to retailers—the site also provides them with the tools to help close the deal.

As with any venture designed to get results, planning and preparation was the first step.

“From the beginning, our plan was to build a seamless, simple path for the consumer to buy Real Cedar-branded western red cedar,” said WRCLA managing director Jack Draper. “But we also recognized that our members are key players in the process, and by engaging them early we knew we’d get greater results.”

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association members include manufacturers, certified cedar distributors (CCDs) and service affiliates who pay an annual fee to the association.

“The advantages for the retailer and the distributor become quite pronounced once you see how the site works,” noted Draper. “It isn’t a static site of generalized free information for visitors, but rather a targeted e-commerce tool for our members that monetizes their investment.”

The site meets the needs of four audiences: do-it-yourselfers, architects and builders, industry members, and S THE

INVITING home page welcomes visitors to RealCedar.com.

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influencers (bloggers, editors, and media related parties). It recognizes the differences between these audiences and tailors a path through the buying life cycle accordingly. An end consumer, for example, can be guided through a qualifying process that provides information on ideas, plan downloads, building and maintenance information, and then leads them directly to the nearest certified cedar distributor-defined retail network.

WRCLA service affiliate retailers obviously benefit from the flow of traffic from the site, and the addition of Real Cedar branded products and information keep the consumer engaged at the retail level. The dealer also has full use of the site’s imagery, video, building ideas and plans, as well as staff training and access to industry experts and resources.

Certified distributors also have a presence on the site, and while they don’t sell directly to the end consumer, the visibility and association pay off.

“We’ve had numerous occasions where a discriminating buyer, designer or architect seeks a distributor directly looking for a particular product,” said Paul Mackie, a WRCLA architectural advisor. “Rather than have that potential buyer re-directed to just any non-member retailer, we have the channels and expertise in place to guide them through our retail network and turn that into a sale.”

Traffic to the site is directed through traditional advertising, events, sponsorship and PR, and social media.

RealCedar.com functions as a social media conduit with content being generated and managed in conjunction with other media initiatives and outreach, and tweeted and posted on Facebook on a regular basis. The site is also linked via trend-setting sites such as Houzz and Pinterest, sites from which the consumer can easily access the WRCLA’s site for more building or finishing ideas.

With traffic from the WRCLA’s previous network of sites aggregated and re-directed to the new one, and fuelled by a promotional and regionally targeted advertising campaign, RealCedar.com boasts over 250,000 unique visitors a month—an impressive number that bodes well for sales.

That number is expected to grow as more organic traffic builds.

True to the slogan, “Membership has its privileges,” WRCLA members reap the benefits of this high-traffic hub

ARCHITECT KNOTTY grade 5/4"x6" western red cedar decking.

(Photos by Western Red Cedar Lumber Association)

featuring a search engine optimization (the process of ranking the website higher on search engines), new media networks, both online and offline marketing, and a reinvigorated Real Cedar brand.

“We’re building a real presence for our manufacturers, distributors and dealers,” said Draper. “When everyone has the tools to work together, you reach your goals that much more quickly.”

To learn more about the new site and strategy, join the WRCLA-hosted session Oct. 25 at NAWLA’s Traders Market in Las Vegas, Nv.

BUILD A PLACE FOR MEMORIES.

Make your dream project a reality!

Redwood from The California Redwood Company is now distributed by:

Feldman Wood Products Garden City Park, NY

800-645-6010 www.feldmanwoodproducts.com

californiaredwoodco.com Building-Products.com

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13

COMPANY Profile C.T. Darnell Construction

Racking specialist to build on new name

C

.T. DARNELL CONSTRUCTION is the new name of the design and construction division of Sunbelt Racks— which will continue to offer racking and storage systems, fixtures, equipment and logistics for the LBM industry.

“Our new name more accurately reflects the broad spectrum of services we have been offering lumber-

yard operators for more than 25 years,” says Travis Darnell, president of the Alpharetta, Ga.-based operation. “Many people do not know that we are a general contracting firm that offers so much more, not just equipping, but also planning and constructing.”

The new name emphasizes that CT Darnell is a nationally licensed, full-

service planner and constructor of LBM facilities, from simple storage options to full-scale, multi-unit lumberyards and retail facilities.

Capabilities include full-service building design and construction for store buildings, warehouse buildings, bulk storage sheds, rack-supported drive-thru buildings, and T-sheds.

CTD also modifies existing buildings.

NEW INTERIOR at McCoy’s Building Products, Taylor, Tx., showcases the space-planning skills of renamed CT Darnell Construction, Alpharetta, Ga.

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CT DARNELL has designed and constructed multiple locations throughout Texas for McCoy’s Building Supply, including this one in Taylor, Tx. Photos courtesy CT Darnell

Along with a new website, the new division got a new tagline—“We build solutions”—that is based on the company’s philosophy that it will not sell a customer something that isn’t right.

“If a customer comes to us and says they want a certain racking system or a certain shed, we will not sell it to them if it’s not what they really need,” says marketing director Sue Silva. “We’ve worked on over 1,000 lumberyards and we know how to fit them with racks or build a building to make them run efficiently.”

As Travis explains, “We typically spend planning time alongside an operations manager of a lumberyard or the owner of a retail store to ensure the finished product has perfect functionality.”

Or, as vice president Clint Darnell puts it, “You would be hard pressed to find any other nationally licensed contractor that has an in-depth understanding of both the lumber and construction industries.”

Founded in 1987 by Alan and Angie Darnell to serve lumberyards and the then-new big-box retailers, the firm has evolved into a full-service, licensed general contractor operating across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Travis and Clint Darnell, sons of the founders, became owners in 2008.

“Basically, CT Darnell Construction is a new name that represents a broad range of expertise and superior industry knowledge that’s always been there,” summarizes Travis.

“We are the only company out there that can do the entire job, from start to finish, so you’re dealing with just one company.”

Building-Products.com

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COMPETITIVE Intelligence

By Carla Waldemar

Recycled wood: Back to the future

T

HIS ISN ’ T THE STORY

of a thirdgeneration family firm where today’s top dogs grew up sweeping sawdust. Yet, had these fellows been born in the shadow of a lumberyard, it well could be. It’s the story of love at first sight.

Tony Fernandez, director of sales & marketing of North Cal Wood Products, based in the Bay Area town of Ukiah, Ca., has worked here “on and off, for 15 years. I was friends with the owner and into redwood myself—hot tubs, furniture. He noticed I loved wood and had a lumber mill, so we hooked up together.”

Mike Lacy, vice president of marketing, signed on with North Cal a year ago, leaving—true story, I swear—a career as a professional drummer performing with the Andy

Williams show in Branson, Mo. “I’ve always been involved with wood— even underwater wood. I’d invested money and networked in the lumber business,” Mike spins the tale. Today, he’s recounting the story of North Cal like someone who’s just got religion.

Which he has.

The outfit, launched in 1985, established its reputation with redwood, straight up. But, early on, one of its major successes was that the owner snagged North Cal as the exclusive supplier of redwood garden products for Home Depot.

“That coup helped get us started with a very good product and led us to play an important role here on the West Coast,” says Mike. “Competition, naturally, arose. We’d forged the path, but it was no longer as profitable

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA dealer has made a name for itself reclaiming and milling abandoned old growth logs from local forests, such as this 48"x48"x20' giant buckskin redwood timber.

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as it once was. So, in 2004, we became involved with a deconstruction project in Scotia.”

Another right-time, right-place serendipity. “The world’s largest redwood sawmill, Pacific Lumber Co., had gone bankrupt and lost their mill.

After deconstructing five million bd. ft., word got out and we got a contract for the redwood and delivery from Stanford University—another coup!

We had great relationships with all the sawmills. That provided us with inventory to start recycling in order to supply green products”—redwood, doug fir, western red cedar and more, all the buzz among California’s forward companies with sustainability as their byword. Now North Cal supplies flooring, siding, decking, lumber, custom trim, slabs and millwork. Word of mouth kicked in and soon attracted high-end clients in the Bay Area, including eco-forward corporations such as Facebook. Twitter, Land’s End, and Whole Foods. (Not to mention wealthy Hollywood tycoons building their new homes.)

“We developed resources to manage the chain of custody—we trained ourselves and financed it—so we can act as both source and distributor to our customers. We managed it all.

(And here’s an interesting sidelight,” Mike adds. “Our facility is located on three acres where Georgia Pacific once had a chemical plant. We did all the environmental abatement—a lot out of pocket—to change it from toxic to green. It’s a model in the reclaimed industry,” he rightly brags.)

Back on message, “We can do A to Z,” he explains. “Tear it down, truck it out, remove the toxics like lead and paint, remill it, then take it to our cusBuilding-Products.com

tomers.”

And how do you come up with the used wood to recycle, Mike? Again, the power of word of mouth. “Our reputation leads them to us,” he maintains.

Until the recession, anyway. “When it hit, it led to a lot of our competition going out of business. The recession slammed us, too, like everyone else: layoffs, scaling back operations. What happened was, quite a bit of consolidation among the competition. At our peak, back in the Home Depot days, we did $30 million a year. The recession knocked us back to $2 to $3 million. But today, we’re getting incredibly strong again. We’re back into garden products in a big way, signing with a national big box with 250 units in California alone—redwood lattice panels. Plus, independent dealers and homeowners are buying our products on the web. Sure, we’re in the commodity business, too, but our bread and butter is reclaimed wood,” Mike underscores, and points us to the amazing length and

NORTH CAL’S recycling adventure began with reclaimed timbers from Pacific Lumber Co.’s historic mill in Scotia, Ca.

breadth of North Cal’s portfolio detailed on its website.

(See photos of work for clients at www.northcal.com.)

Lots of dealers can sell wood well, but recycled wood adds another (bad pun alert) dimension. To sell it, customers get romanced with the sizzle as well as the steak.

“The story of wood,” Mike calls it. “We know where each piece comes from, and it helps marketing it. It also”—time out for a ta-da!—“enables us to demand premium prices— NOT commodity prices: The margins are much higher!”

Asked about the architectural style prominent among the corporations and individuals seeking this wood with history, Mike calls it Organic Modernism. “That’s the trend we see—old wood again, with natural elements, like stone, and steel for the industrial look.

“Most of our clients come from the Bay Area of California, but the list is truly national. Our second-highest arena is New York. The website we just launched, www.youclickitweshipit.com, takes us all over the country. It beats any big-box selection, and without having to travel to the store. Online, you can check multiple options—grade, sandblast, species—and all without a car or phone call or fax, which,” he adds, “reduces the carbon footprint.

“Other wood goes from forest to manufacturer, then distributor, then a home center and then to its customers. Here, it’s shipped direct. Saves time and energy.”

Building-Products.com

SANDBLASTED MANTEL was produced from a 4"x10" reclaimed Douglas fir timber.

Adds Tony, “The idea is, the independent contractor who’s at a jobsite in Wisconsin, trying to find studs or framing or flooring or siding can get online on his laptop or smart phone, check our inventory, read a product review, and place an order. With just a few clicks, he can get it shipped directly to the jobsite.”

About that vanguard website: “We launched it in 2009, literally the first to do what we’re doing. Granted, people aren’t used to shopping online for lumber, so the business started slowly, but it’s the wave of the future,” he’s convinced. “So we just redesigned our website, making it more search-friendly. And we’re utilizing social media, like Facebook and Twitter.

“It’s an online world. I foresee there’ll be a time when most of the company’s customers will shop and order online. It’s the wave of the future,” Mike is certain. “In the face of the recession, we created this as a way to grow, and it’s been growing since 2009. We’ve seen traffic triple, and it has earned us more revenue by June this year than all last year. It’ is not a big business right now, but customers are reacting very favorably, and it’s growing.”

Yes, but. Once before, North Cal led the way, only to have to bow to competition.

Rebuts Mike, “Sure, a lot of mills say having such a website would definitely be of service, but having a 4,000product integration, such as ours, on a site would be technically very hard to duplicate. The sweet spot is, we don’t have to broker any of this. We are both manufacturer, distributor and end-seller: no middle men. And in California, we deliver it with our own trucks.

“Reclaimed wood is where we stand out. And what we’ve found there is most interesting: It’s in high demand on the East Coast, where it’s not readily available, so many high-end, affluent clients from there order from us and have it shipped from California (never mind their freight price).”

Adds Tony, “We expect business to grow further as we emphasize our You Click, We Ship It campaign.”

Looks like there’s no going back to Andy Williams.

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net September 2013

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Building Products Digest

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OLSEN On Sales

By James Olsen

Selling the truth

T

HE TRUTH CAN change nations, move mountains, and set us free. But it cannot sell itself. That’s our job.

The skill sets we use as salespeople—building rapport, creating confidence, getting people to change their minds and say yes to us, quickly—are used by bad people to bad ends. They are called con artists. We are not con artists. We are salespeople, promoters of products we believe in.

We must believe in the product we are selling.

Promoting a product we don’t believe in is immoral. Sales is a reputation business. Lying catches up. People are not stupid. Salespeople who lie don’t survive (aside from a few talented sociopaths who bounce from job to job).

The biggest fear of salespeople who underperform is that they will be perceived as liars, not that they are liars.

Roughly 99.9% of all salespeople are honest and know it.

Many struggling sellers bend over backwards trying to make up for the 0.1% instead of acting like the honest (sales)people they are and promoting full steam ahead!

This fear precludes them from being great. Because at the moment(s) of truth (i.e., every moment in front of the customer) this feeling of “Oh, no, they are going to think I’m saying this just to get the order” (lying) causes the average salesperson to hesitate and pull back, just a little.

This pulling back doesn’t just happen at closing. It happens all the way through the sales process from prospect call to close. I call it “shambling around like a second class citizen.” Life is a mirror. When we act like a second class citizen, people treat us like one. They can’t help it.

It also causes “beating around the bush” syndrome—not asking directly for what we want—which confuses and frustrates the customer and does not create sales. In the hyper-competitive world of sales, this hesitation is where the customer and the order are lost.

Our Part in the Movie

We are not in the technical writing or research department. We are not accountants. We are in the promotions department. We promote things. We make them sound as good as possible. We are inspirational (not just informational). We can tell our woman we love her by text or we can buy her a bouquet of flowers and hand deliver them to her at her office. Which will she prefer?

Customer: I like the color. Is this any good?

Quotron: Yeah, it’s good.

Inspirational Seller: That is a great color and it goes with your eyes. Made in the U.S.A., it was given the award for quality at last year’s New York fashion awards.

Hiding Behind the Truth

Many quotrons don’t want to do sales work. They want to present product and let the customer decide. If the customer says yes, they get the order. If not, oh well. These

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(sales?)people hide behind the truth. But sadly and unprofitably, it’s a lazy, uncreative truth.

Two lumber salespeople have an identical challenge: a truckload of 2x4 2&Btr., 14 ft.—that has to go today!

Quotron: I tried to sell it, but my guy couldn’t use 14s.

(Truth) Master Seller: My guy couldn’t use 14s, so I sold them to him on a 12-ft. count. You said, do your best on the price, but move it today, so it’s gone. What’s next?

(Profitable Truth)

Just Bigger

I did a radio show for a year called The Sales Doctor.

The night of the first show, I was prepared, psyched and nervous as H-E-Double Thunder. Right before showtime, the station manager came in and said, “James, you see that light up there? When it turns red, it’s you”—and then he took both hands and acted like he was lifting up a world and added—“just bigger!”

Salespeople who dominate embrace the “just bigger” aspect of the job. Be yourself. We all promote and sell the truth in our own way.

We don’t have to be loud to be passionate. But we do have to show our passion. We can show our passion through quiet intensity, for example. So whoever you are and whatever truth you are selling, sell it—just bigger.

James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503) 544-3572 james@realitysalestraining.com Building-Products.com

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DEALER Rennekamp Lumber, Pittsburgh, Pa., closed after 58 years and auctioned off its Myers, Jacksonville and inventory and equipment.

GNH Lumber opened location #4 July 30 in Latham, N.Y. Focusing exclusively on windows, doors, kitchens and baths, the new store lle, Mi., unit to Bay City, will be overseen by division manager Ed Curtin and staffed by kitchen & bath designer Jed Dare.

J.W. Horner Lumber Co., Sioux Falls, hrough stacks of lumber. S.D., closed early last month after 84 years, g & Supply, 6506 S. U.S. auctioning off its remaining inventory, equipleft, and manager Todd ment and 1.6-acre property.

Greg Rehms, co-owner since 1988, has at West Liberty Building retired.

mber supply. “Contractors

ntil 8:30 because they had

McCoy’s Building Supply will open a new store early next year in Dayton, Tx.

Spahn & Rose Lumber Co. is relocating its 100-year-old yard in Dubuque, Ia., to a ess assets of R.P. Johnson new facility downtown.

Marcus Lumber , Marcus, Ia., has d fourth generation. They remodeled its 18,000-sq.ft. showroom.

Winchendon, MA. Menards is ready to break ground on 18 ds under its belt, the com- acres in Williston, N.D.—three years after it ns in New Hampshire — announced it was coming to town.

g off on new acquisitions Capps True Value Hardware , y, Ashland, Nashua and Fairfield, Tx., is more than doubling the size of its facility, to more than 10,500 sq. ft. headquarters on Tuesday. he said, and it’s time that True Value Hardware is opening late a rehabilitation of its last this month in Oglesby, Il. (John and Pam seed for Belletetes’ most Senica, owners).

Gibbs’ True Value Hardware , Rental

beryards in Andover and Grayson, Ky., has added a Just Ask the business had been in business. xplained Mike Shea, vice-

Corum’s Building & Farm Center, of Ashland Lumber that Hartselle, Al., switched its affiliation from Do it bought Ashland Lumber , Best to Ace Hardware.

t made Johnson approach

Deerfield Builders Checks Out

Bankrupt Deerfield Builders Supply, Fort Lauderdale, Fl., last month auctioned off its remaining equipment and inventory, ending 66 years in the lumber business.

DBS shut down its Fort Lauderdale retail store, lumberyard and rebar plant in February. Stores in Sarasota and Tampa, Fl., closed soon after.

Owner Ed Dietrich then started a new business on a portion of the Fort Lauderdale site—Eastlight Architectural Products, headed by his daughters, Gretchen Cawood as sales and purchasing manager and Jessica Van Den Bogaert as kitchen and bath designer.

The new firm (www.eastlight.biz) will sell windows, doors, cabinetry, hardware and millwork, including exports to the Caribbean. It will employ about a dozen—down from the 100 working for Causeway at its apex.

The rest of the five-acre property will be leased out to other businesses. Already, a surf board/paddleboard maker is renting one corner of the former lumberyard.

Cheboygan Working to Sell 2 Stores

Cheboygan Lumber has closed its Do-It Center stores in Indian Rivers and Rogers, Mi., in order to focus on its store in Cheboygan, Mi. Three years ago, the company closed its stores in Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, Mi. “We are in the process of negotiating the sales of the two properties. We are hoping to keep the employees there as part of the negotiations,” said president Roy Schryer.

“Both communities need good hardware operations. Both did a good job for us.”

Inventory from the 10-year-old Rogers store is being held until a sale is final. Inventory from the Indian River store, which was built in 1991, was moved to the Rivertown Do-It Center, Cheboygan, Mi., which was built in 1986. In addition, hardware stock and inventory for doit-yourself projects was expanded.

“Our overall plan is to expand once sales start coming back,” said Schryer. “We also have room for expansion at that store. We have an additional 12 acres.”

According to Schryer, the company’s footprint was too large and the changes were made with the intention of “retrenching” the company in the Cheboygan market.

Advantage Expands in Southeast

Advantage Trim & Lumber has purchased a 65,000-sq. ft. property in Sarasota, Fl., which will serve as the company’s corporate headquarters, as well as a production and warehouse facility.

“Not only will our Florida customers be able to visit our facility and purchase their material on the spot, they can also have their orders shipped to their home or jobsite for even cheaper than our current competitive internet pricing,” said president Rob Pelc. “When you consider that the sustainable hardwood products we sell are naturally suited to the tropical climate of the Southeast, and you add the savings, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

JBK Hardware , Chestertown, Md., is on was what was going to converting to Ace Hardware from True part and full-time employ- Value. d employees, so when he Westlake Ace Hardware opened a ees.” new branch Aug. 16 in West Plains, Mo. venue of $9 million annurt-time employees. It was Ace Hardware is opening new locations mberyards and stores was in Spicewood, Tx. (Dave Barker, owner), and fill the gap between their Eureka, Mo. APA Elects Next Leader A new 10,000-sq. ft. Ace in Villa Park, Il., is ots of our coverage in the The APA board of trustees has elected v.p./corporate the second owned by Ace spokesman, Lou that’s our criteria for new secretary Ed Elias to become the next APA president when Manfredini, and wife Mary Beth. traction. And these faciliDennis Hardman retires later this year.

A 35-year APA veteran, Elias has worked in its techniAlexander True Value Hardware , mberyard, and a beautiful Farmington, Mi., has been opened by Tim cal, international marketing, and financial divisions.

Hardman, president since 2005, will turn over the reins Alexander. me under the umbrella of at APA’s annual meeting in November. g open for business. The Hastings Ace Hardware, Hastings, Mi., ptember, he noted. is relocating, so it can consolidate 20  Building Products Digestall operations  September 2013 on one level, under one roof.

Scherer Merges DCs Close to Home

Scherer Bros. Lumber Co. is consolidating its manufacturing/distribution centers in Champlin and New Hope, Mn., into a larger facility in Brooklyn Park, Mn.—a halfmile from its headquarters office.

The distributor inked a 15-year lease for a 110,000-sq. ft. building, previously leased to Andersen Corp. The facility will employ about 50.

Maine Dealer Buying Second Yard

A federal loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow R.E. Lowell Lumber, Buckfield, Me., to purchase its five-month-old location in Turner, Me. “The assistance received through USDA Rural Development will allow us to complete the real estate purchase of our second location,” said owner Rebecca Lowell.

The company has been leasing buildings and property at the location.

Planned improvements will include retail services, including adding paint, hardware and other building supplies to the full-scale lumberyard it has operated on the property since early this spring.

N.Y. Hardware Chain Cuts a Branch

Phillips Hardware will close one of its six locations, a 4,000-sq. ft. store in Albany, N.Y., as the family-owned chain focuses on investing in real estate and growing the business in other ways.

“We’re a hardware chain, but the growth for me financially, as a businessperson, is acquisition of real estate,” said president Jon Phillips.

Its flagship store in Colonie, N.Y., is 2.5 miles away.

SUPPLIER Briefs

Allwood Industrials , Palm Beach Gardens, Fl., opened a new distribution warehouse in Garfield, N.J. Eco Building Products has added an Eco Red Shield lumber coating operation in Fairlawn, N.J., equipped with rail service and lumberyard.

Weyerhaeuser Co. is re-starting its Trus Joist TJI joist and Microllam LVL lines in Evergreen, Al., after a four-year closure (Robert Doll, plant mgr.).

Ribadao Lumber & Flooring, Miami, Fl., has added warehouses in Linden, N.J., and Pomona, Ca. ABC Supply Co. has acquired siding/window distributor American Wholesale Building Supply, Nashville, Tn., which will operate as a satellite location of ABC’s existing Nashville Branch.

Handy Hardware, Houston, Tx., has been acquired and recapitalized by private investment firm Littlejohn & Co., Greenwich, Ct. APA-The Engineered Wood Association has relaunched www.performancewalls.org, a free resource for building safe, durable and code-compliant walls.

Roofing Supply Group, Dallas, Tx., has acquired Supreme Metal Products and Exterior Building Supply , Tuscaloosa, Al., and combined them into Supreme Building Products, an RSG company.

Former co-owner Cret Shamblin has joined RSG as branch manager.

RSG has also opened a new branch in Pinellas Park, Fl. (Donna Glisson, mgr.).

Remer Cut-Stock Lumber, Remer, Mn., suffered

extensive damage in a July 24 fire.

Northern Woods Products, La Crosse, Wi., suffered damage to its sawdust collector in a July 30 fire.

Owens Corning’s insulation warehouse in Newark, N.J., suffered an Aug. 14 fire. The facility lost some inventory, but escaped with minimal strutural damage.

Coastal Forest Products, Bedford, N.H., is now distributing Fiberon composite and PVC decking and railing products to Long Island, the eastern counties of New York, and all of New England.

Manufacturers Reserve Supply, Irvington, N.J., is Building Products’ Tam-Rail

now distributing TAMKO railing in the Northeast.

Lonza Wood Protection’s Wolmanized Outdoor preservative-treated wood has received Ecospecifier Global certification as a Verified Product.

Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association

has added a certified products directory to its website.

Wynndell Lumber Sales, Wynndel, B.C., this month celebrates its 100th anniversary—reportedly making it the oldest family-owned sawmill in British Columbia.

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Building-Products.com

J.D. Irving Expands in Maine

J.D. Irving plans to spend $30 million to build a new softwood mill in Ashland, Me., which is slated to open next spring or summer.

The round wood log supply for the new sawmill will come from the company’s woodlands in Maine, as well as other woodlot and timberland owners in the state.

“This new mill at Ashland will deliver new jobs and the best technology for the workers and will be sustained by a wood supply from Maine producers,” said Gaston Poitras, v.p. of sawmills.

Biomass boilers, dry kilns, and a planer mill are among the plans for the new facility. Softwood lumber produced at the mill will be certified under the Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative programs.

Millwork Firms Declare Chapter 11

Hardwood Supply, Burrton, Ks., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, along with sister firms Hardwood Cabinets LLC, Hardwood Manufacturing LLC, Hardwood Millwork & Supply LLC, and holding firm WK Holdings.

A representative said the companies are fundamentally sound, but hampered by debt from a former wholesale lumberyard and cabinet factory. The firms expected to receive a new loan and emerge from bankruptcy within two months.

F2M Introduces Price Benchmarks

Forest2Market has introduced a National Delivered Price Benchmark as the latest addition to its Forest2Mill product line, a suite of services designed for buyers and sellers of logs and wood raw materials. The new report expands upon the transaction-based delivered price bench-

marks offered in the South, Pacific Northwest, and Lake States regions of the U.S. “The National Delivered Price Benchmark provides a regional-comparative of market trends and price data that industry participants can use to remain competitive in a ‘buy local, sell global’ marketplace,” said founder, president and c.e.o. Pete Stewart. “Forest products companies sell their products on a national and global scale, yet facilities must buy the wood raw materials needed to produce these goods from the local market.”

The report compares the differences in wood raw material costs (pulpwood, chips and sawtimber) across the three existing benchmark regions. Delivered fiber and log prices and trends are benchmarked for softwood and hardwood total fiber, by region and mill type. It also reports data on domestic sawlogs by region and species, and compares the export and domestic markets for Douglas fir and Hem-fir.

“Wood raw materials are some of the most volatile operating costs facilities face,” said Suzanne Hearn, v.p. of marketing and sales. “The National Benchmark provides insight into these variable costs, helping wood products manufacturers level the playing field between local, national and global markets.”

Blade Kills Georgia Millworker

OSHA is investigating the accidental death of a 42-yearold employee at Flint River Timber, Cairo, Ga., who died Aug. 7 after he was struck in the side by a saw blade.

According to authorities, it is unclear how the accident occurred. The victim, Christopher Jean Trawick, was taken to a hospital in Tallahassee, Fl., where he later died from his injuries.

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EPDs Issued for LVL, I-Joists The American Wood Council and Canadian Wood Council have released two new environmental product declarations for LVL and wood Ijoists. Four others—for softwood lumber, softwood plywood, OSB, and glulam—were released in May. EPDs are standardized tools that provide information about the environmental footprint of the products they cover. The North American wood products industry has taken its EPDs one step further by obtaining third-party verification from UL Environment, a business unit of Underwriters Laboratories and an independent product certifier.

According to AWC president and c.e.o. Robert Glowinski, “With the U.S. Green Building Council membership’s recent approval of LEED v4 and its point recognition for disclosure and optimization of building product life-cycle impacts, the value of these six industry-wide EPDs in green building rating systems has taken a significant step forward.

Additionally, the online version of the Green Globes building rating system also provides points for using prod-

help demonstrate to the design community that the wood industry is committed to full disclosure and will mitigate any false stigmas which may have previously existed without scientific or justified proof.”

Based on international standards, EPDs have worldwide applicability and include information about product environmental impacts such as use of resources, global warming potential, emissions to air, soil and water, and waste generation.

Business purchasing decisions may soon require the kind of environmental information provided by EPDs to account for factors such as carbon footprint.

ucts that have third-party-verified EPDs. Clearly, there is a need to provide building teams with sciencebased information on environmental impacts of products and primary energy consumption so that more informed decisions are possible.”

“The transparency provided in an EPD helps to pinpoint locations in the production and supply chain where wood products exhibit favorable environmental performance, as well as areas where lower impacts can be realized in the future,” said Michael Giroux, CWC president. “This type of objective, science-based data will

other home cabinetry at plants in Ashland and Lineville, Al., and operates a DC in Longwood, Fl. Former c.e.o. Buddy Sharpe is retiring after 23 years with the company.

Reimer, ex-NorCraft, will serve as Tru-Wood president. Conner, exAssociated Materials, is now chief information officer for UCH.

BIP Buys Tru-Wood Cabinet

Building Industry Partners division United Cabinet Holdings has acquired Tru-Wood Cabinet Co., Ashland, Al., in partnership with Tru-Wood president David Rush and cabinet industry veterans Michael Arnaud, Butch Reimer and Dan Conner.

Founded in 1990, Tru-Wood manufactures kitchen, bath and

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Building-Products.com

MOVERS & Shakers Bud Thompson has joined Klumb Lumber, Gulfport, Ms., as purchasing & inventory mgr.

Brandon Dyer, ex-Great Southern, is new to sales at Wholesale Wood Products, Dothan, Al., heading up the industrial reman division and handling specialty lumber sales.

Christopher Curti has been named chief financial officer for Suwannee Lumber Co., Cross City, Fl. Dave Luecke has been named v.p.sales & marketing at Forge Lumber Co., Cincinnati, Oh. Larry Kniceley, ex-Lee Wholesale Supply, is new to window sales at Bolyard Lumber, Rochester Hills, Mi. Dan Taylor has joined the sales force at Snavely Forest Products, Greensboro, N.C. Greg O’Donovan is new in Baltimore, Md., as a Trex decking & railing specialist.

Shellie Sellards, ex-Trex, has been named v.p.-marketing at Fiberon, New London, N.C. David D. Bogue, ex-Home Depot, is new to sales at LS Building Products, Pontoon Beach, Il. Todd Weaver, ex-Hill Country Insulation, is new to outside sales at Builders FirstSource, Georgetown, Tx. Peter Siebert has joined National Lumber & Building Products, Casper, Wy., as managing director. He is based in the Dallas, Tx., area.

Jamie Hirsch has been appointed mgr. of Richardson Timbers, Dallas, Tx. Steve Genda is now general mgr. of Weekes Forest Products’ Green Bay, Wi., sales office, distribution center, and remanufacturing plant.

Mike Littrell, ex-BlueLinx, has been named v.p./general mgr. of Friday Lumber Co., Tuscaloosa, Al. Randy Abel has transferred to ProBuild, Lomira, Wi., as sales mgr.

Tom Mahoney, ex-Mueller Roofing, is new to sales at BlueLinx, Louisville, Ky. Dawn Boyle is new to outside sales at Guido Lumber Co., San Antonio, Tx. Stephen H. Meima, ex-Design-Build Institute of America, was appointed deputy executive director/chief operating officer of The Gypsum Association, Hyattsville, Md. Keith Rozolis has been promoted to president of ABC Supply Co., Beloit, Wi., replacing David Luck, who remains c.e.o.

Bryan Schaffrath is now in outside sales at Lansing Building Products, Chicago, Il. Wendell Mast has been named director of operations for ProVia’s Heritage Stone plant in Zanesville, Oh. Tom Overbeek, ex-Formica, has been appointed DFW regional sales mgr. at Rugby Architectural Building Products, Red Oak, Tx.

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Bruce Kennedy is new to MAX USA, Long Island, N.Y., as West Coast regional sales mgr., based in the Los Angeles area.

Tom McIndoe, ex-ARW Drywall, is now branch mgr. at Kamco Supply, Liverpool, N.Y. Erik Prinzing has been appointed Great Lakes regional sales mgr. for InterWrap, Mundelein, Il., covering Il., In., Mi., Oh., and Ky. Mark Nuckolls has relocated to Lowe’s, Springfield, Mo., as store mgr.

Bradley Knisley has rejoined TimberTech, Wilmington, Oh., as mgr.-customer service & demand planning.

Marlene Stout is new to outside sales at ABC Supply, Pompano Beach, Fl. Laura Brown has been appointed to the newly created position of v.p.human resources at Laticrete, Bethany, Ct. John Runkle has been promoted to v.p.-building sciences at Architectural Testing, York, Pa. Cathy Slater has been named senior v.p.-OSB, engineered lumber products, and distribution for Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wa. Adrian Blocker has been promoted to senior v.p.-lumber.

Miles Drake, chief technology officer and senior v.p.-research & development, has retired. Larry Burrows, senior v.p.-wood products, will retire Oct. 31.

Richard Kleiner was promoted to senior director-international business development for Southern Forest Products Association. Eric Gee assumed the role of directortreated market business development, and Vernon Barabino is now chief financial administrator.

Tom Searles is retiring Jan. 1 after 49 years with American Lumber Standard Committee, the last 43 as president.

James Hannan, c.e.o., GeorgiaPacific, Atlanta, Ga., has been named RISI’s 2013 North American CEO of the Year. The award will be presented at RISI’s annual conference next month in San Diego, Ca. Helen Waite is the new customer service mgr. at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv. Owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus are looking forward to telling customers with a complaint to “go to Helen Waite.”

Building-Products.com

ASSOCIATION Update Mid-America Lumbermens Association will hold its annual Fall Fling Nov. 7-8 at Chateau on the Lake, Branson, Mo. Presentations include “Navigating Your Business through the Affordable Care Act” by Federated Insurance’s Scott Warren, “OSHA’s Top 10 (Un)Wanted List” by MLA regional manager Robert Uhler, and a Washington update by NLBMDA president Mike O’Brien.

Association of Millwork Distributors will gather Nov. 3-7 for its annual convention and show at Cobb Galleria Convention Center, Atlanta, Ga. Northwestern Lumber Association is staging a series of board meetings over the next month.

NLA and Northwestern Lumbermens Inc. boards meet Sept. 13-15 in Brookings, S.D. Iowa directors meet Sept. 26 in conjunction with the fall golf tournament at Lake Panorama National Golf Course, Panora, Ia. And Nebraska directors gather Oct. 3 in

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conjunction with the shooting clay at Crooked Creek Gun Club, Harvard, Ne. Yard and delivery managers workshops are set for Oct. 28-29 in Tomah, Wi., and Nov. 18-19 in Shelby, Ne. Northeastern Retail Lumber Association affiliates will be busy in this fall.

Mid-Hudson Lumber Dealers Association will host its annual meeting Nov. 1 at West Hills Country Club, Middletown, N.Y. Northern New York Lumber Dealers Association will host its 14th annual bowling tournament Nov. 2 at Pla-More Lanes, Watertown, N.Y. Nov. 15 is the date for Rhode Island Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association’s annual holiday party in Warwick, R.I. North American Building Material Distribution Association has planned its annual conference for Nov. 12-14 at Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers, Chicago, Il.

September 2013

Trex Settlement OK’ed

Trex Co., Winchester, Va., was granted preliminary approval to pay up to $8.25 million to settle a longrunning class action suit alleging it sold defective decking that was susceptible to discoloration.

A federal judge in California signed off on the deal, despite opposition from the plaintiff in a parallel suit in New Jersey, who complained that Trex’s plan to notify class members was inadequate and that the release in the settlement should be limited to those who actually submit claims.

The settlement resolves lawsuits brought by 11 plaintiffs across the U.S. since 2009, which claimed their decks were quickly plagued by fungal spotting and discoloration. According to the suits, the product’s 25-year warranty promised it would not suffer material defects or structural damage from fungal decay. Trex, however, denied the allegations, claiming the problems resulted from environmental factors or other issues that were not covered under the warranty.

Customers who bought Trex decking from August 2004 to the present can choose between cash, refund, reimbursement, or cash-rebate.

Building-Products.com

KAHLE On Sales

By Dave Kahle

Fundamentals of key account selling

A

LMOST EVERY professional B2B salesperson comes to grips with one of the challenges of penetrating key accounts. Key accounts are different than the ordinary and require more sophisticated skills and strategies.

Here are four fundamentals for effectively penetrating key accounts.

1. Recognize that key accounts are different.

First of all, they are larger. But that’s only the beginning. Their decision-making processes will be much more complex and, in some cases, highly structured. A product that may, in a smaller account, only need one person’s approval to purchase can require dozens of people to sign off on it in a key account.

The people have widely different specialty skill sets, perspectives and motivations. In smaller accounts, you may only have to deal effectively with an owner or executive. In key accounts, the same product may require skillful communications with an engineer, a purchasing agent, a project manager, and a foreman. Each of these specialties is likely to have a different personality type, challenging the sales person to adapt.

Because of the size and complexity, there are a variety of motivations and agendas inside a key account. A naive salesperson can be constantly frustrated because they all don’t think the way he/she thinks. If you don’t adjust your strategies and tactics to the unique dynamics of a key account, you will be wasting your time.

2. Approach the organization of your time within a key account like you would your entire territory.

When you look at your territory, you see lots of independent units we call accounts. You understand that each has a unique set of needs, budgets and personal dynamics, and that each offers its own set of opportunities.

When you approach a key account, think of it as a territory on its own, with lots of units that act like accounts.

These units can be departments, branches, plants or whatever organization exists within that account. Each one of them may conceivably have the ability to purchase or move forward the purchase of your products and services. Each unit, whatever it may be, has its own unique set of needs, budgets and personal dynamics. And, in many cases, the purchasing power of one of those units can far outstrip the purchasing power of one of your smaller accounts.

Just as you would begin your work in your sales territory by first identifying all the potential accounts, so, too, you begin your work in a key account by identifying all the individual units and then understanding the relationships among them. Just as you would take six months or a year to come to know the accounts in your territory, expect that it will take a like period of time to identify and come to know all of the units within your key accounts.

Just as you would attempt to ascertain what opportunities there were in each of your other accounts, try to uncover the opportunities in each of the key account units.

While key accounts are more complex and require some more sophisticated strategies and skills on your part, the perspective that you take to managing your time in a key account should mimic the perspective you take in coming to know the accounts in your territory.

3. Understand that you gain traction in key accounts through relationships, leverage and organization.

If you are going to have influence in a key account, you must have relationships with the influential people.

Because of the size of a key account, and the natural movement of people within it, that means that coming to know the influential people is not an event which has an ending, but is rather a constant process that never ends. Make a list of the people who should know you, and update it after every sales call.

Who are the department heads in each of those units?

(Please turn to page 50)

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Building-Products.com

FAMILY Business

By Wayne Rivers

A tidal wave of generational transitions?

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appeared during the 1990s about the coming tidal wave of business transitions from Baby Boomers to their Gen X and Gen Y children. The articles theorized that as Baby Boomers got to be 55 and older, they’d be looking to sell their businesses or pass them on to their children.

The question is: What has happened to the family business transition tidal wave? Here are six reasons why family businesses are staying in the hands of senior generation family business owners longer: Age 65 is the new 50. People today are in better health for longer than ever before. We eat better, exercise more, smoke less, and take care of ourselves better than previous generations. Therefore, when a family business owner reaches “normal retirement age,” he is often far from ready to retire. He is still filled with energy, ideas, and ambition.

The Great Recession. This recession shocked many family businesses, some of which believed the hype that the Federal Reserve had made recessions obsolete. If their businesses have shrunk, senior generation leaders want to restore them to their former glory.

Leaving the business at the tail end of a historic recession simply doesn’t seem like a good idea to many.

Lack of Ownership Succession Plans. Many families still wrestle with the issues of ownership succession.

How do I treat my children fairly and equitably when some work in the business and some don’t? How will my children get along when I’m no longer around? Is it fair to treat my daughter who’s c.e.o. the same as her brother OZENS OF ARTICLES

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who works on the loading dock, with respect to ownership succession? If I leave the company to my kids, will my spouse have enough money to be comfortable after I’m gone?

Since murky retirement plans make for a nebulous future, and the concrete reality of rebuilding the family business is both present and exciting, staying trumps leaving hands down.

Lack of Management Succession Plans. It’s hard to beat experience.

Even though a 65-year-old family business leader might have incredibly competent 40-something children, they are at a severe chronological disadvantage in the sense that the senior generation had a 20+ year business head-start and that gap can never be closed. While the younger generation might have all the tools necessary for future success, they simply can’t replace the hard-earned experience Dad carries between his ears.

Most closely held companies also have two other management succession limitations: a lack of clear, written, transferable policies and procedures for the various jobs in the company and a lack of knowledge transfer, which is the process for formerly transferring soft information (i.e., someone’s experience about business practices and processes) to younger members of the firm.

Lack of Buyers for Family and Closely Held Businesses. Anyone looking to buy a business wants to see a proven methodology for creating top line sales, a management team capable of executing the strategies of ownership, loyal employees who won’t leave the business if the family sells, strong financials, and a business that isn’t dependent on one or a tiny handful of people to make all the decisions.

Unfortunately, even large family businesses usually depend on one or a handful of family members to make virtually every decision in the business. If someone buys such a business, he is really buying a job that takes 60 to 80 hours a week, creates a great deal of stress, and offers no escape hatch when things get hairy.

Most family businesses don’t have anything to sell because they don’t have genuine businesses. They have jobs (and pretty thankless ones at that).

Will the family business succession tidal wave materialize one day? Given our steadily advancing ages, it must.

Are most family and closely held businesses prepared for the ownership and management succession that must one day challenge them?

Lack of Specific Retirement Plans for the Senior Generation.

Although 65-year-olds today have plenty of energy and ambition, most family business seniors have no specific retirement plans that are remotely capable of consuming their energy and time. The idea of moving to a retirement community, puttering around in the yard, and the occasional round of golf isn’t nearly as compelling and exciting as continuing to fight the daily battles necessary to put the family business back in its rightful place.

September 2013

– Wayne Rivers is the president of The Family Business Institute Inc., Raleigh, N.C. Reach him at wayne.rivers@familybusinessinstitute.com or (877) 326-2493.

Reprinted with permission of Key Resources LLC. No portion of this article may be reproduced without its permission.

Building-Products.com

Eastern White Pine Special Issue

NeLMA mills

M

Shipments reach six-year high

ANUFACTURING M EMBERS of NELMA recently reported their

NeLMA Lumber Shipments

overall shipments of lumber through the first five months of 2013. The totals represent a six-year high when compared with data for the same time period back to 2008.

“These increased shipping totals are very good news for our members,” said Jeff Easterling, president of NELMA. “We’ve noticed an anecdotal increase in positive news from our member mills, so it’s nice to have it verified via these solid shipping numbers.”

Through May 2013, a total of 337.2 million bd. ft. was shipped.

This includes 171 million bd. ft. of dimension lumber and 166.2 million bd. ft. of eastern white pine.

Comparing data between the first five months of 2013 and 2012, dimension shipments are down slightly (-2%), while eastern white pine shipments increased (+6%).

Looking at individual monthly shipments for eastern white pine, record volumes were recorded for January, March, April and May, based on the six years of data available.

Please see the N E LMA Lumber Shipments infographs for complete information.

For more information on NELMA, please visit www.nelma.org.

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Dimension

NeLMA Lumber Shipments eastern White Pine

September 2013

Building-Products.com

Eastern White Pine Special Issue

Game on!

New interactive grading training P

LANNED FOR AN October beta release, the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association is launching its latest in a series of innovative tools designed to educate the lumber industry about the process of grading lumber.

NELMA is the grading authority for eastern white pine and other important softwoods throughout the Northeast.

“Grading is a tricky art,” said NELMA president Jeff Easterling. “There are a lot of nuances that can push a board from one grade to another, which requires extensive knowledge of wood characteristics by the grader. This impacts not only the price that mills get for the lumber, but the way retailers sell lumber, the way architects and builders design and specify it, and, ultimately, even con-

HOME PAGE for NELMA’s innovative educational tool, Above Board.

THINK WOOD Think Warren Trask for the most comprehensive Eastern Pine inventory!

Since 1924, Warren Trask has been committed to being the number one source for Eastern White Pine.

Think Warren Trask for all your Eastern White Pine needs.

1•800•752•0121 38

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Building Products Digest

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September 2013

USERS will grade boards as they zoom by at 5, 10 or 20 lugs per minute.

USERS are then scored based on accuracy, just like graders working on a real grading line.

Building-Products.com

sumer expectations and confidence in the product.”

Easterling continued, “Because of the complexity of grading, developing an online training tool is extremely challenging. And to make it a productive tool, we added a fun element to the learning experience.”

The new tool, called Above Board, is designed as both a training tool for graders, but also as an engagement opportunity for the rest of the industry and its customers.

Users will be able to login and go through Grading School, a kind of Lumber Grading 101 course. This training module presents different characteristics of each grade and then quizzes the user, giving them instant feedback on their knowledge of each grade.

pointed out Easterling. “Above Board will allow individual graders, entire mills, retail yards, builders, and even consumers to challenge each other to grading competitions.”

N E LMA has a long tradition of holding real-life grading competitions between graders and mills. There’s a prestige to taking home the trophy each year.

“We’re just using technology to replicate the knowledge exchange and expand the same camaraderie that

comes from those events,” he added.

“Grading lumber isn’t easy, and yet it is vitally important to ensuring quality and maintaining customer satisfaction.”

To be notified about the launch of the Grader Game, email info@nelma.org with your email address.

A VARIETY of badges can be earned for game-play in Above Board.

The tool will launch with the eastern white pine grades in the beta version, with plans to include SprucePine-Fir using the National Grading Rules next year, according to Easterling. Higher-level educational modules (grading 201 and 301) are also in development.

Once the users are confident in their ability, they then are encouraged to enter into game-play mode. Here, boards are streamed in front of them (users control the lugs per minute speed) as they grade them in real time. Scores are calculated to tell the user how many boards were graded above or below actual grade.

Various badges may be earned that distinguish a player based on the accuracy and frequency of use. Users can also brag about their scores by automatically posting them to their own Facebook account, if they wish.

“We’re also very excited about the ability to hold online tournaments,” Building-Products.com

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Eastern White Pine Special Issue

Lumber & Sons Daughters Women’s key role in the lumber industry

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content for its upcoming documentary, Lumber & Sons, the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association started uncovering amazing stories of what it already instinctively knew: women have played a major role in the lumber industry.

In production right now is the next White Pine Monographs (a semi-annual print magazine with stories, tips and news about eastern white pine), which will feature several stories about women and the lumber industry. The next monograph (due out this month) includes features on mills run entirely by women during World War II (filling in for their soldier-husbands), first-hand accounts of what it is like for a woman to work in a historically male-centric industry, and a lesson on why women make better lumber graders than men do.

To make sure you get your complimentary copy of the HILE RESEARCHING

Manufacturers of Quality

Eastern White Pine

DURING WORLD War II, the U.S. Department of Agriculture employed women workers at a timber salvage sawmill at Turkey Pond, near Concord, N.H. Here, Elizabeth Esty, a pond woman, pushes a log where she wants it with a pike in June 1943.

• Producing 16 million bd. ft. annually • Weinig Waco maxi planer specializes in pattern stock • Nine Irvington Moore dry kilns – total capacity 360,000 bd. ft.

• All shipments via truck or van are paper wrapped • Marketing throughout the U.S. and Canada via Wholesale & Wholesale Distributors

Sales: Win Smith, Jr. win@limingtonlumber.com (207) 625-3286 • Fax (207) 625-7399 www.limingtonlumber.com

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September 2013

MILLWORKER Lucy De Greenia puts trimmed edges on a conveyor that takes them through a multiple saw operated by Lionel Belanger, one of the few men employed at Turkey Pond.

White Pine Monographs, please email monographs@easternwhitepine.org. And keep an eye on easternwhitepine. org for special web-content for this issue.

Building-Products.com

Eastern White Pine Special Issue

Relaunch

NeLMA unveils serious website upgrades

N

ELMA HAS COMPLETELY

overhauled its popular website, EasternWhitePine.org, adding new, exciting and easy-to-use features to create a “newsy” look, improved readability, and increased information access.

A new tag cloud allows visitors to check out what’s trending throughout industry news at a glance, and then view all relevant tagged articles.

The NELMA design tool library includes complete grade information, technical data, and reference publications for eastern white pine products.

Ever-changing news blocks feature the latest design trends and multiple uses of eastern white pine through project profiles and feature stories.

Free on-screen review of every historic issue of the entire White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs.

From 1915 to 1931, NELMA produced 99 Monographs— and they’re all here. An added bonus? The complete series of revitalized Monographs (2006 – present) are also included.

A reader comments and questions section brings the conversation to a new level, with direct interaction between all wood-using audiences and NELMA. “All of these incredible new features have combined to create an even stronger information source, cementing our role as the one-stop eastern white pine shop for consumers,

Building-Products.com

EASTERNWHITEPINE.ORG has been completely overhauled to improve value for Northeast wood products buyers.

builders, designers, architects, engineers and more,” said Jeff Easterling, president of NELMA. For more information, visit www.easternwhitepine.org.

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Eastern White Pine Special Issue

Winning design

NeLMA announces winner of 2013 Sustainable Versatility Design Award

B

ENJAMIN G REER , a senior at Northeastern University in Boston, Ma., was recently named the recipient of the 2013 N E LMA Sustainable Versatility Design Award for his entry, “Lovells Island Marine Biology Research Center.”

The Sustainable Versatility Design Awards, sponsored by the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association, is a design contest for architec-

ture, engineering and design students currently enrolled in an accredited architecture program to design a modern sustainable structure featuring eastern white pine. Judges look for dialogue-inspiring, future-predicting, forward-thinking designs.

Design parameters for the 2013 competition challenged students to reimagine the use of eastern white pine in the modern classroom.

As first place winner, Greer received a $750 cash award and visited the N E LMA annual meeting in April 2013, where he spoke about his project and received his award from NELMA president Jeff Easterling and project judge Rob Robillard.

Jeff Easterling, president of N E LMA, commented about Ben’s entry: “The goal of the Sustainable Versatility Design Award is to engage

WINNING PROPOSAL used eastern white pine as both a versatile building material and as an aesthetic strategy to pull the natural world into the building. Conceptually, the design is a “pine block” that has been carved and eroded over time. The pine siding allows for the project to read as a solid where it needs to, as well as accent the void spaces created by community program.

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September 2013

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our young architects and challenge them to think differently about including wood in their designs. Ben did an excellent job of translating the many benefits of eastern white pine as part of an inspiring, forward-thinking project entry. ”

rented time periods in which extensive research could be conducted.

Greer’s 6,593-sq. ft. facility has the capacity to house up to 30 people and contains two research labs.

Using eastern White Pine

Greer’s proposal integrates eastern white pine both as a versatile, lightweight and beautiful building material and as an aesthetic strategy to draw the natural world into the building.

Conceptually, the design is a “pine block” that has been carved and eroded over time. The use of eastern white

pine siding on the exterior allows the building to be perceived as a solid, while the same pine material accents additional exterior features, eventually flowing from the outside directly into the building, creating a continuous surface between the natural and the educational.

Greer said he enjoyed learning more about eastern white pine and plans to integrate the material into his designs in the future.

Greer’s favorite things about working with eastern white pine are its strength, durability and aesthetic value. “Pound for pound, it’s an

NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY senior Benjamin Greer (right) receives the 2013 NELMA Sustainable Versatility Design Award from Rob Robillard (left), host of A Concord Carpenter.

Rob Robillard, editor of the popular “A Concord Carpenter Comments” blog, principal of The Concord Carpenter renovation company, and host of A Concord Carpenter cable TV show, served as a Sustainable Versatility Awards project judge.

Following the award presentation to Greer, Robillard said, “This is exactly what the building and architecture industries need: entities like NELMA reaching out to the next generation with educational information on the benefits of wood.”

Winning Project: Lovells Island Marine Biology Research Center

Greer chose real-life Lovells Island as the fictitious site of his marine biology research center design entry because the island possesses a climate and ecological zones that dovetailed with the purpose of the structure: a hands-on scientific retreat for marine biology students and instructors to use for short-term classes or for longer, Building-Products.com

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EASTERN WHITE pine decking begins amid the forest and continues into the building, providing a continuous surface from the natural world to the educational world.

incredibly strong material,” he said.

“It’s a lightweight, fantastic finish material offering great variety, texture

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and grain. Eastern white pine is a good insulator, which is very important. And, it grows back, making it a

September 2013

great environmental choice.”

Scheduled to graduate from Northeastern University in 2014 with

Building-Products.com

a BS in architecture, Greer is currently employed with Utile Design in Boston.

Founded in 1933, NELMA is the not-for-profit rules-writing agency for eastern white pine lumber and the steward of the lumber industry in the Northeast. NELMA is also the grading authority for eastern spruce, balsam fir, the Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPFs) grouping, and other commercially important eastern softwood lumber species.

To see a PDF of Greer’s winning entry, please visit www.sustainableversatility.org. This same page will hold contest and entry information very soon for the 2014 competition.

For more information on NELMA, visit www.easternwhitepine.org and www.nelma.org.

Building-Products.com

LOCATED ON an island, the facility must be entirely self-sufficient, but in an efficient and sustainable manner. Systems include solar panels, rain-water collection, a 138-ft.-long rain-garden, and agricultural harvesting.

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NEW Products durability and low maintenance.

Features include spans up to 10 ft., custom bent radiuses, three line rail options, and stainless steel hidden fasteners.

Top rails are available in both peaked and flat cap styles.

Pyramidal and flat newel caps fit standard 6”, 8”, 10”, and 12” columns. Standard balusters are 1.25” square.

Extruded Railing

Hampton extruded rail system

by INTEX Millwork Solutions is crafted from cellular PVC, for

 INTEXMILLWORK.COM (856) 293-4100

Windows with Style

Signature Series aluminum-clad wood windows and patio doors from Weather Shield can be ordered in a full range of styles and configurations.

New Tri-Core frame technology combines moisture-resistant materials, a fusion-welded sub frame, and multi-chamber sub-frame components to achieve high levels of energy efficiency and thermal performance.

Interiors are available in standard pine or optional alder, with a choice of primed or factory-applied paint or stains.

Hardware comes in white, tan, brushed nickel, and rustic bronze.

Bamboo Decking

BamDeck 3G composite decking from Cali Bamboo offers a contemporary look that is termite resistant.

Boards are formulated of 60% reclaimed bamboo fibers and 40% recycled HDPE plastics.

Standard and wide planks are offered in three colors: caramel, coffee and slate.

 CALIBAMBOO.COM (888) 788-2254

 WEATHERSHIELD.COM (800) 477-6808

Your Eastern & Midwest Redwood Specialist

REDWOOD DECKING THE NATURAL ALTERNATIVE

Full Range & Large Inventory Reman to Specific Patterns • Clear All Heart • Clear Mixed Grain • Construction Heart • Decking Pattern Stock • Bevel Siding • Beaded Ceiling We Ship by the Unit or by the Piece Family Owned & Operated for Over 60 Years

CHICAGO SUBURBAN LUMBER SALES 800-341-6485

7459 Franklin St., Forest Park, IL 60130

Fax: 708-771-7391 • Email: joe@chicagosuburbanlumber.com

www.chicagosuburbanlumber.com

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September 2013

Patches in a Pinch

Presto Patch from DAP simplifies drywall repairs, reducing the time and difficulty of getting the job done.

Each patch is constructed of 1/2” thick drywall, pre-cut into a circle with drywall taping paper attached.

When covered with joint compound, the result is permanent bonding between the patch and wall.

 DAP.COM

(888) 327-8477 Building-Products.com

Deliver more deck sales.

Many lumber dealers are seeing their annual deck sales increase with the use of DeckTools® software. The program is simple to learn and easy to navigate – in fact, dealers can design a deck in a few minutes, keeping them on the show floor (rather than in the backroom designing by hand). Your customers also will be impressed with your DeckTools software as they see a professional, 3D photo-quality image of their deck attached to their house. The program is customizable and includes many brand-name decking manufacturers, which makes it easy to show and sell upgrades that you stock. And it takes care of all the paperwork with quotes, take-offs and plans.

DeckTools makes it easy to deliver more deck sales. Learn how by signing up for a free demonstration at www.strongtie.com/decktools or (800) 999-5099.

©2013 Simpson

Strong-Tie Company Inc. DECKTOOLS12-D

Bridging Connector

Seam Tape

A DBC drywall bridging connector from Simpson Strong-Tie is designed to fit smaller web knockouts common to drywall studs.

The cold-formed steel fastener is load-rated for smaller 3/4” uchannel bridging. It is compatible with conventional and proprietary drywall studs ranging from 15-33 mil thicknesses, with stud depths of 3-5/8” and 6”.

It also enables one- to twoscrew installation, reducing labor and material costs.

ChemMasters’ new concrete cure and seal product can be used on driveways, garage floors, and sidewalks.

Silencure SRT provides a curing compound and penetrating siloxane sealer in a single product, which can be applied on new or older unsealed concrete.

 STRONGTIE.COM

 CHEMMASTERS.NET

Concrete Seal

DuckBack’s new seam tape bridges transition areas such as seams and joints on plywood decks, concrete, metal and fiberglass.

The product contours over and around seams, joints, cracks, vents, drains and flashing to add strength and flexibility. It can be used prior to a top-coat application of Superdeck Deck & Dock elastomeric coating.

 SUPERDECK.COM (800) 825-5382

(800) 486-7866

(800) 999-5099

Ultra-Flushing Toilet

The Ultra Flush toilet from Gerber Plumbing is now available as a WaterSense-approved 1.28 gpf model.

Other features include a Sloan Flushmate pressure vessel, noncorrosive solid-brass tank-tobowl bolts, and an insulated tank.

Other options are both round and elongated configurations, plus an elongated ErgoHeight combination.

 GERBERONLINE.COM (886) 538-5536

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Building-Products.com

Insulated Sheathing

GAF’s EnergyGuard polylso insulated sheathing helps reduce energy costs while increasing occupant comfort, by eliminating thermal bridging.

The product is manufactured with EPA-compliant blowing agents that contain no CFCs or HCFCs. It can be used in a range of applications, including cavity and masonry walls, stud walls, exterior stucco, re-siding, and vaulted ceilings.

Boards measure 4’x8’ in thicknesses of 0.5”, 0.75”, 1”, and 2”.

 GAF.COM

(877) 423-7663

New Diesel Lifts

New diesel lift trucks from Cat Lift Trucks are designed to meet EPA’s Tier 4 emissions standards.

The DP40N1-DP55N1 series provides a 21.6% increase in fuel efficiency, in addition to increased performance and reduced emission levels. The engine also features low-noise levels, for reduced operator fatigue.

 CAT-LIFT.COM (800) 447-6434

Improved Electric Lifts

Mitsubishi’s new electric forklifts feature several standard improvements and value-added options.

Equipped with three-phase AC technology, the FBC22N2-FBC30LN2 lifts are designed for maximum power and energy efficiency. Easy access to major components simplifies periodic inspection and servicing, helping to decrease costs and downtime.

Ergonomics have been improved by more space in the operator compartment, a full suspension seat that can be adjusted three ways, and conveniently located hydraulic levers.

 MIT-LIFT.COM (713) 365-1000

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IN Memoriam C.E. “Buddy” Klumb Jr., 85, c.e.o. of Klumb Lumber, Point Clear, Al., died Aug. 7 in Point Clear.

After graduating from Mississippi State University with a B.S. in chemical engineering, he worked as a lumber salesman for Hood Lumber, Jackson, Ms., from 1951 to 1953.

He then went to work for his father, Roy, at the family’s lumber company. When Roy died in 1957, Buddy became president.

Mr. Klumb also served as president of several lumber associations, including the North American Wholesale Lumber Association, which honored him with its Mulrooney Award.

cer July 26 in Branchburg, N.J. He served as vice president of operations for Channel Home Center and regional director for Rickel Home Centers, before joining Jaeger Lumber, Union, N.J. He last served as regional retail consultant for Ace Hardware.

Thomas Baird McIlvain, 96, founder of T. Baird McIlvain Co., King of Prussia, Pa., died of cancer July 29 in Rosemont, Ga. During the Depression, he left high school in the 10th grade to work in his family’s mills in West Virginia. He started his own company in 1956 and retired in 1984.

In the 1990s, the company’s name was changed to TBM Hardwoods.

Don W. Williams, 96, owner of Gilmer Lumber Co., Gilmer, Tx., died Aug. 16 in Longview, Tx. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 1938 and served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Paul T. Abate, 69, longtime New Jersey lumber executive, died of can-

Key Account Selling (Continued from page 32)

Who are influencers? The decision makers? Who could be a champion for you?

Not only do you need to proactively expand your relationships deep into the organization, but you also need to focus upward, and come to know those people who oversee combinations of units, and the C-level people in the corner suites.

There is a fundamental equation in B2B sales, and it operates just as reliably in key accounts as it does elsewhere: Relationships lead to opportunities.

Opportunities lead to projects.

Projects lead to sales.

So, if you want to increase your sales, begin with relationships. The primary way you do that is to leverage every question, every positive relationship, every conversation, and every opportunity to more of the same.

Leverage, in this case, means using

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Charles Carey Elder, 53, president and owner of New World Forest Products, Crowley, La., died July 6 in Sulphur, La. He worked for several industry companies, including his father Donald Elder’s Elder Forest Products, Sulphur, before founding New World in 2000.

John Randolph “Randy” Peeples, 93, president of B&R Lumber & Supply Co., Bishopville, S.C., died Aug. 19 in Sumter, S.C. He was a World War II veteran, reaching the rank of captain in the U.S. Army and serving in campaigns something to create something additional. In other words, you use every conversation as an opportunity to open the door to more. Assume the attitude that there is always more. There are more people to meet, more opportunities to uncover, more problems to solve, and more needs to fill.

In every single sales call, you ought to ask, “Who else should I be talking to?” Or, “Who should I know in xxxx department?” If you successfully sell something, that experience should be leveraged to uncover the next opportunity. If you meet someone, that relationship should be leveraged to create more. And so it goes, unending.

4. Finally, remember key accounts are no place for the unorganized salesperson.

Successfully selling to a key account requires organizational tools and disciplines that are a stretch for the average salesperson. Imagine all the people you need to know, multiply them by the relationships and agendas September 2013

in both North Africa and Italy.

His early career included management and sales in building materials with Sumter Millwork and Palmetto Forest Products Co. Genevieve C. Roehrman, 91, retired co-owner of Roehrman Lumber & Hardware, Hope, Ks., died July 25.

Keith A. Morgan, 59, owner of Lake Forest True Value Hardware, Lake Forest, Il., died unexpectedly July 23 in Libertyville, Il. He had owned the store for the past 22 years.

KLEER LUMBER’S new photo contest—which runs through Oct. 31—allows contractors to show off trim and decking projects using Kleer trim and decking products, plus the chance to qualify for prizes, free publicity, and free product samples.

among them, overlay that with the account’s strategies, needs and budgets, factor in all the opportunities and the steps in each process necessary to bring it to fruition, and you'll begin to get an idea of the degree to which you'll need to collect information, store it, and continually use it. A sophisticated CRM system is a must, as is the discipline to use it religiously.

While these few ideas are not the whole story, they will get you started in your efforts to successfully sell to key accounts. Recognize the difference, plan your time as if each were a sales territory on its own, and apply the weapons of relationship, leverage and organization to the task. You’ll be well on your way.

– Dave Kahle is a leading sales educator, speaker, and author of nine books, including How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime. Reach him through dave@ davekahle.com.

Building-Products.com

SLMA CONFERENCE Photos by SLMA

SOUTHEASTERN Lumber Manufacturers Association recently held its annual conference in Point Clear, Al. [1] Bill Griffin, Jeremy Griffin. [2] Helen & Lovick Mims, Jeannie Brodie. [3] Mary & Bobby Dixon. [4] Tamara Moore, Cindy Pollard. [5] Alex Seabolt, Sandie Sparks, Dickie Elliott. [6]

Chris & Emily deMilliano, Fred Stimpson. [7] Victoria & Ben Stimpson, Jack & Sue Jordan. [8] Jay Jordan, Beverly Knight. [9] J.T. McShan, Katherine Shackleford. [10] Bryan Smalley, Mike McCoy. [11] Robin Little, J.D. Hankins. [12] Hank Scott, Alexis Sivcovich, Furman Brodie.

Your Source for LARGE TIMBERS, SPECIALTY PRODUCTS, & REMANUFACTURING

Now distributing ABACO™

Tropical Hardwood Decking

Lee Roy Jordan Lumber Company • 877.533.7695 • jordanredwood.com Redwood • Western Red Cedar • Southern Cypress • Douglas Fir • Ipé

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September 2013

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CLASSIFIED Marketplace Rates: $1.20 per word (25 word min.). Phone number counts as 1 word, address as 6. Centered copy or headline, $9 per line. Border, $9.

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HELP WANTED

GENERAL MANAGER – TROPICAL HARDWOOD DECKING We are a major direct importer of tropical hardwood decking. We maintain a large inventory of ipé, massaranduba, cumaru and garapa decking to support our sales. We sell to lumber companies in T/L & LTL. We also prepare individual decking orders in our “One Deck at a Time” program and run custom millwork for our customers.

We are looking for a general manager with experience in both sales and management.

We offer a competitive salary and complete benefit package.

Reply in confidence to: Donald A. Thompson, President, dthompson@thomahog.com.

Thompson Mahogany Company Philadelphia, PA

www.thompsonmahogany.com

WANTED TO BUY WE BUY AND SELL PANEL STRIPS Plywood, OSB, particleboard and MDF by the truckloads. Lumber Source, Phone (800) 8741953, Fax 888-576-8723, email LumberSource@hotmail.com.

WANTED TO BUY

TRI-STATE LUMBER CO.

Your Southern Yellow Pine Timber Connection Specializing in 6x6, 6x8, 8x8, 10x10 Tel. (662) 862-2125 • Fax 662-862-4900 email jgibson@tristatelumber.net 

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NORTH FLORIDA building materials dealer for sale. Thirty-plus years in business, one location. Serious inquiries please respond by email to lumberyardforsale@gmail.com.

FOR SALE: Complete building materials concern located in Northern Southeast Florida. The site features rail siding with spur, an unloading dock, and manufacturing/assembly buildings for millwork, doors, rebar, and hollow metal doors and frames.

This concern serves custom home, multifamily, national tract builders, and commercial builders in the State of Florida and the Caribbean. Materials supplied include, but are not limited to, lumber, rebar, millwork, windows, storefronts hollow metal doors and frames, and architectural hardware.

Contact Box 112, c/o Building Products Digest, dkoenig@building-products.com or Fax 949-852-0231.

WANTED TO BUY

Visit the ALL-NEW Building-Products. com

PRODUCTS FOR SALE

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BUSINESSES FOR SALE

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September 2013

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DATE Book

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

Ace Hardware Corp. – Sept. 11-13, fall market, O.C. Convention Center, Orlando, Fl.; (630) 990-7662; www.acehardware.com.

Eastern New York Lumber Dealers Assn. – Sept. 12, board meeting, Rensselaer, N.Y.; (518) 286-1010; www.nrla.com.

Long Island Lumber Assn. – Sept. 12, annual meeting, Holbrook, N.Y.; (518) 286-1010; www.nrla.com.

Massachusetts Retail Lumber Assn. – Sept. 13, board meeting/fall outing, Hyannis, Ma.; (518) 286-1010; www.nrla.com.

Blish-Mize Co. – Sept. 13-14, fall market, Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Ks.; (800) 995-0525; blishmize.com.

National Hardwood Lumber Assn. – Oct. 2-4, annual convention, Omni Hotel, Fort Worth, Tx.; (800) 933-0318; www.nhla.org.

Southern Forest Products Association – Oct. 3-4, fall meeting, New Orleans, La.; www.sfpa.org.

New Jersey Building Materials Dealers Assn. – Oct. 4, annual fishing trip, Atlantic Highlands, N.J.; njbmda.org.

Forest Products Society – Oct. 9-11, Wood Adhesives 2013, Toronto, Ont.; (608) 231-1361; www.forestprod.org.

Ohio Construction Suppliers Association – Oct. 9-11, Ohio/ Kentucky roundtable, Oshkosh, Wi.; Oct. 16-17, installed sales roundtable, Cincinnati, Oh.; (614) 267-7817; www.myocsa.org.

Construction Suppliers Association – Oct. 15, insight meeting, Savannah, Ga.; (678) 674-1860; www.gocsa.com.

Northwestern Lumber Association – Sept. 13-15, board meetings, Brookings, S.D.; (763) 544-6822; www.nlassn.org.

North American Deck & Railing Association – Oct 16, annual meeting, Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, Chicago, Il.; (888) 623-7248; www.nadra.org.

North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. – Sept. 16-19, wood basics course, Corvallis, Or.; (800) 527-8258; www.nawla.org.

DeckExpo – Oct 16-18, Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, Chicago, Il.; (866) 475-6495; www.deckexpo.com.

Mid-Hudson Retail Lumber Dealers Assn. – Sept. 17, board meeting, Newburgh, N.Y.; (518) 286-1010; www.nrla.com.

Remodeling Show – Oct. 16-18, Lakeside Center at McCormick Place, Chicago, Il.; (866) 475-6495; www.remodelingshow.com.

Pennsylvania Forest Products Association – Sept. 17, annual meeting, Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, Pa.; (717) 901-0420; www.paforestproducts.org.

House-Hasson Hardware Co. – Oct. 17-19, market, Chattanooga Convention Center, Chattanooga, Tn.; (800) 333-0520; www.househasson.com.

Sustainable Forestry Initiative – Sept. 17-19, annual conference, Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, Tx.; www.sfiprogram.org.

Do it Best Corp. – Oct. 19-21, fall market, Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis, In.; (260) 748-5300; www.doitbestcorp.com.

Central New York Lumber Dealers Assn. – Sept. 19, board meeting, Syracuse, N.Y.; (518) 286-1010; www.nrla.com.

National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. – Oct. 23-25, annual conference, Nashville, Tn.; www.dealer.org.

Construction Suppliers Assn. – Sept. 19-20, annual meeting, Peachtree City, Ga.; (678) 674-1860; www.gocsa.com.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – Oct. 23-25, Traders Market, Mirage, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 527-8258; www.lumber.org.

Kentucky Forest Industries Assn. – Sept. 20-21, expo, Masterton Station Park, Lexington, Ky.; (800) 203-9217; www.kfia.org.

Monroe Hardware – Sept. 20-21, market, Cabarrus Events Center, Concord, N.C.; (704) 289-3121; www.monroehardware.com.

True Value Co. – Sept. 20-22, fall market, McCormick Place West, Chicago, Il.; (773) 695-5000; www.truevaluecompany.com.

Virginia Forest Products Association – Sept. 20-22, 55th annual convention, Virginia Beach, Va.; (804) 737-5625; www.vfpa.net.

Construction Specifications Institute – Sept. 24-27, annual convention & show, Nashville, Tn.; (800) 689-2900; www.csinet.org.

Forest Products Society – Sept. 24-27, testing & evaluation wood symposium, Forest Products Laboratory, Madison, Wi.; (608) 231-1361; www.forestprod.org.

Rhode Island Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. – Sept.

25, meeting, Burrillville, R.I.; (518) 286-1010; www.nrla.com.

Empire State Forest Products Association – Sept. 25-26, annual meeting, Syracuse, N.Y.; (518) 463-1297; www.esfpa.org.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association – Sept. 26-27, trout fishing event, Cotter, Ar.; (800) 747-6529; www.themla.org.

Principia Composite Decking & Railing Conference – Sept. 2829, Baltimore, Md.; www.deckrailconference.com.

Composite Panel Association – Sept. 29-Oct. 1, fall meeting, Baltimore, Md.; (301) 670-0604; www.compositepanel.com.

Northwestern Lumber Association – Sept. 29-Oct. 4, Oregon mill tour; (763) 544-6822; www.nlassn.org.

National Retail Federation – Sept. 30-Oct. 2, annual summit, McCormick Place, Chicago, Il.; (800) 673-4692; www.nrf.com.

Lumbermens Association of Texas – Oct. 1-2, fall board & committee meetings, Austin, Tx.; www.lat.org.

Eastern Building Material Dealers Association – Oct. 2-3, MidAtlantic Pro Dealer Summit, Hotel Hershey, Hershey, Pa.; (800) 296-3278; www.ebmda.org.

Building-Products.com

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IDEA File

ADVERTISERS Index

The Old Fashioned Way

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

Tomasini’s Rex Ace Hardware & Country Store, Petaluma, Ca., has survived since 1907 by solving problems the old-fashioned way—even if that means a sale is not involved.

Here’s an example: When a customer came into the store and said the latch on her sliding door had come loose and fallen into the frame, a store employee loaned her a magnet to retrieve the latch and explained how to reattach it.

“He could have sold me the $26 kit and made money, ” recounts the customer, after returning the magnet to the store.

“I’ve always tried to be a little different,” says Jeff Tomasini, who has owned the store for 29 years. “We revolve around the homeowner. It’s good, old-fashioned service. We’ll take a lamp into the back and fix it. If we’re not swamped, we’ll do anything for you.”

Tomasini says that his goal is to “to have it all, so people don’t have to run all over town. We may not sell a hundred of certain items a week, but we don’t care. A lot of places don’t carry the things that don’t move.”

For example, the store carries fans in the winter, heaters in the summer, and canning supplies all year long.

The store is also known for treating its employees well.

“I’ve had resentment toward management,” says Tomasini of previous jobs.

“That’s not here. I don’t expect them to do anything I don’t do.” He gets there at 5:30 a.m. to sweep, re-stock, take out the trash, and clean the bathrooms, whatever needs to be done.

“I prefer seasoned employees who know what they’re talking about,” he says. “Most of my guys have had their career. They’re semi-retired and know their stuff.”

The country store half of the business is run by Tomasini’s wife, Gro. “We’re two stores in one,” he says. “She keeps trying to encroach on my space.”

When the store burned in 2006, Tomasini was “astonished and touched” by how much the community cared and how badly they missed the store. “I knew they got what we’re trying to do here,” he says. One of the many signs tied to the fence that surrounded the charred ruins read, “Hurry up, Jeff. I need a new toilet plunger.”

When it came time to rebuild, Tomasini was determined that the new store be as much like its old-fashioned predecessor as possible. As an example, fewer nails were used during installation of the hardwood floor, so it would creak like the old one had. “Although the feel isn’t quite the same, it’s close,” he says. He also “hides” the computers and prices items with a tag, which are rung up by hand.

“Shopping’s supposed to be fun,” he says.

“Sometimes I sit up here in my upstairs office and it sounds like a party down there.”

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Advantage Trim & Lumber [www.advantagelumber.com]..........48 Anthony Forest Products [www.anthonyforest.com] .................33 BC Shake & Shingle Association [www.bcshakeshingle.com]....7 BW Creative Wood [www.bwcreativewood.com] ........................26 Chicago Suburban Lumber [chicagosurburbanlumber.com] ....46 Coastal Forest Products [coastalforestproducts.com] .....Cover II Crumpler Plastic Pipe [www.cpp-pipe.com] ................................53 Durgin & Crowell [www.durginandcrowell.com] .........................43 Do it Best Corp. [www. www.independentdoitbest.com]..............5 Everwood Treatment [www.everwoodtreatment.com]......Cover III Fasco America [www.fascoamerica.com]....................................25 Feldman Wood Products [feldmanwoodproducts.com].........4, 13 Fiberon [www.fiberondecking.com] ....................................Cover II Great Southern Wood Preserving [www.yellawood.com]......8A-B GRK Fasteners [www.grkfasteners.com].....................................30 Hancock Lumber [www.hancocklumber.com].............................39 Idaho Forest Group [www.idahoforestgroup.com] .......................3 Jaaco Corp. [www.jaaco.com].......................................................49 J.D. Irving [www.jdirvinglumber.com] ..........................................45 Lee Roy Jordan Lumber Co. [www.jordanredwood.com]...........51 Limington Lumber [www.limingtonlumber.com].........................40 Maze Nails [www.mazenails.com].................................................29 North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. [nawla.org]...............23 Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. [www.nelma.org]...35 Norbord Industries [www.norbord.com] ......................................21 Parksite [www.parksite.com] ................................................Cover I Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance [plmins.com] .....11 Pleasant River Pine [www.pleasantriverlumber.com].................37 PrimeSource Building Products [www.primesourcebp.com] ....22 Redwood Empire [www.redwoodemp.com].................................27 Richardson Timbers [www.richardsontimbers.com] ..................24 Robbins Lumber [www.rlco.com] .................................................44 RoyOMartin [www.royomartin.com] .............................................31 Sandy Neck Traders [www.sntraders.com] .................................41 Seaboard International Forest Products [www.sifp.com]...........36 Sherwood Lumber [www.sherwoodlumber.com]........................28 Simpson Strong-Tie [www.strongtie.com]...................................47 Swanson Group Sales [www.swansongroupinc.com] .....Cover IV TAMKO Building Products [www.evergrainchallenge.com].......19 Tank Fab [www.tankfab.com]........................................................15 Warren Trask Co. [www.wtrask.com] ...........................................38 Western Red Cedar Lumber Association [www.wrcla.org] ..........7 Building-Products.com

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