ASSOCIATION Update Western Building Material Association is returning to in-person events, with an “Introduction to Building Material Sales” seminar Sept. 14 and an estimating workshop Sept. 15-16, both at its Kincaid Learning Center in Olympia, Wa. WBMA has also debuted Foundation LMS—an online learning platform designed specifically for the lumber and building material industry. Whether you need content to onboard new employees or need to train/educate existing ones, the association promises it will be an invaluable resource for your business. Foundation is continually evolving with new courses always in the works. By the end of summer, WBMA will have added courses on Forklift Safety Training, Customer Service, and Estimating/Blueprint Reading & Takeoff. Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association will hold an “Introduction to Building Material Sales” class Oct. 5, followed by an estimating workshop Oct. 6-7 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Tech Center in Denver, Co.
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Attendees to the first will receive a basic understanding of building material operations, product usage in residential construction and customer service. This workshop is designed for personnel new to the industry, employees with limited training, as well as those more experienced desiring additional industry knowledge. At the estimating workshop, attendees will learn the basics of floor, wall and roof framing while developing a material list. Contractor salespeople, inside sales support, and anyone desiring to learn the basics of how a take-off is developed are the targeted audiences. North American Wholesale Lumber Association has enlisted motivational speaker extraordinaire Mark Scharenbroich to keynote the NAWLA Traders Market Nov. 10-12 at the Kentucky International Convention Center, Louisville, Ky. Other speakers will include Ryder Systems’ Kevin Askew, Doss Logistics’ Sheldon Doss, Timber Products’ Tom Gennarelli, J.B. Hunt Transport’s Steve Guthrie, Manufacturers Reserve Supply’s Tina Breen, Patrick Lum-
September 2021
ber Co.’s Chelsea Brown, and Capital Lumber’s Bethany Doss. NAWLA’s Vancouver, B.C., regional meeting is set for Sept. 21 at Mahoney’s Tavern in False Creek, Vancouver. National Hardwood Lumber Association has booked Chick-fil-A chief marketing officer Steve Robinson and Euler Hermes chief economist Dan North to keynote its annual convention Sept. 22-24 in West Palm Beach, Fl. Themed “Turning the Tide with Innovation,” the event will also offer presentations on new markets for hardwood by Virginia Tech’s Dr. Henry Quesada, NHLA rules changes by chief inspector Dana Spessert, exports by AHEC executive director Mike Snow, and avoiding becoming a cybersecurity victim by MindSprout’s Scott Raba. BC Wood will hold a pair of online Global Buyers Missions—Sept. 29-30 for North and Latin America market buyers and Sept. 14-15 for Asian market buyers. Hoo-Hoo International has canceled its annual convention planned for September due to COVID.
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