BPD March 2021

MARCH 2021

BPD

Building Products Digest

MORE BIZARRE FACTS ON PAGE 37

REGIONAL WOODS ISSUE: EASTERN WHITE PINE • CYPRESS • CEDAR • REDWOOD

CONTENTS

March 2021 Volume 40 n Number 3

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Special Report

Features

Departments

37 THE LEGACY OF EASTERN WHITE PINE

10 INDUSTRY TRENDS

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NORTHEASTERN LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES THE INDUSTRY’S FAR-REACHING PAST AND ITS CONTINUING IMPACT ON THE NATION.

SOUTHERN CYPRESS PUTTING IN WORK IN HOME OFFICES

12 FEATURE STORY

EXPAND YOUR MARKET SHARE WITH ENGINEERED WESTERN RED CEDAR

14 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT MARCH 2021

BPD

200 YEARS OF REDWOOD

Building Products Digest

MORE BIZARRE FACTS ON PAGE 37

REGIONAL WOODS ISSUE: EASTERN WHITE PINE • CYPRESS • CEDAR • REDWOOD

16 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE

NEW LUMBERYARD BRINGS LOCAL PRODUCTS TO MAINE

20 TRANSFORMING TEAMS DEALING WITH EMPLOYEES’ ONLINE BEHAVIOR

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30 THINKING AHEAD

KICK UP SERVICE DURING THE PANDEMIC

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ACROSS THE BOARD

18 OLSEN ON SALES 22 LUMBER 411 32 MOVERS & SHAKERS 42 NEW PRODUCTS 52 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE 52 IN MEMORIAM 53 DATEBOOK 53 ADVERTISERS INDEX 54 FLASHBACK

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BUILDING PRODUCTS DIGEST is published monthly at 151 Kalmus Dr., Ste. E200, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, (714) 486-2735, www.building-products.com, by 526 Media Group, Inc. (a California Corporation). It is an independently owned publication for building products retailers and wholesale distributors in 37 states East of the Rockies. Copyright®2021 by 526 Media Group, Inc. Cover and entire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission. All Rights Reserved. BPD reserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it. Opinions expressed are those of the authors or persons quoted and not necessarily those of 526 Media Group, Inc. Articles in this magazine are intended for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal, financial, or business management advice.

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isisavailable ed requester U.S.-baseddealers dealersand and availableon onaaqualifi qualified requesterbasis basis to to senior senior management of U.S.-based distributors materials, distributorsspecializing specializingininlumber lumberand andbuilding building materialsand andtotoothers othersatatthe therate rateofof$22 $22 per peryear. year.Subscribe Subscribe now now by emailing emailing info@526mediagroup.com info@building-products.comororcalling calling714.486.2735.

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ACROSS the Board

By Patrick Adams

Getting real T

o say we find ourselves in interesting times may be the understatement of the decade. I was given advice when I was young that it was not polite to talk about religion or politics. If you added COVID to that list, we might have nothing that we could discuss!

For over 30 years now, I have traveled… a LOT! All over the world and in a very constant manner. There were many periods where trip planning involved packing multiple suitcases that would be swapped during a quick layover at home measured in hours. By a landslide, this is the longest period that I have not traveled! That’s not to say that I have lost touch, however. Now, instead of my calendar being blocked out indicating I’m out of the office, it’s full of Zoom meetings keeping in touch, gathering info, and planning the future. It did get me thinking about something very interesting.

First, perhaps I’ve learned that the routine of traveling that was a regular part of my life might actually be overrated and something that I actually might not enjoy anymore. But that is a topic for another day. The other interesting byproduct is that I feel that we’ve actually deepened many relationships during this time in spite of not being able to see each other in person. It occurred to me during a recent call with a customer and someone whom I consider a friend in the industry.

We were catching up, sharing stories and discussing business. He was working from home, was dressed casually and in the background could see an assortment of items in his home office with doors leading to his expansive backyard. At one point, one of his children popped in and asked him a question not realizing he was on a call. He smiled and calmly answered his child and they closed exchanging “I love you’s.” Later, in the background I saw his dog tear across the backyard in pursuit of something. He looked over his shoulder calmly and said, “Either a bear or a deer.” He was in his element, was relaxed, and was his real self.

This made me think about my business persona in the new work world of COVID. I too am calmer, more casual, and more patient to listen and truly hear the entire story. When working from home, I’m actually secretly proud when one of my kids stumbles on camera because I’m proud of my family and they reflect the real me. And

so, there it is. Has this new era of COVID made us all get real?

It’s not to say that we are bipolar or “faking it” when we’re in business mode. But, I remember a piece of advice I got as a young adult. Someone I respected told me that we all have a “brand.” Just like when you say Apple or Mercedes, something immediately comes to mind.

Well, we all end up with a brand as well and he stressed that either we build our brand deliberately, or it is built by accident. As a result, I have always been deliberate to conduct myself in the way that I want to be known. Professional. Competent. Credible. Trustworthy. Reliable.

But I wonder now if those things come at the expense of revealing the “real” me?

I find that I have a great comfort now in taking Zoom calls from home, wearing my T-shirt and ballcap and spending the first 15 minutes doing nothing other than asking about what is most important—family, health and what we’ve learned from this odd experiment we find ourselves in. I laugh when we get interrupted by a kid or dog. I am honored when I get “invited” into someone’s home during a call and as a result, I leave feeling like we just grew a bit closer in our relationship with each other.

I do miss seeing our countless friends in the industry that we proudly serve. But equally, I’m grateful of this discovery and reminder of what truly counts in our hectic lives. A reminder that even without all of the “normal” chaos, we can still succeed and perhaps, even thrive by simply getting real.

I am grateful for all who have taken the time to reach out, stay in touch, and especially, allow us to play a role in your success in this new year.

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

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INDUSTRY Trends

By Ian Faight

HOMEOWNERS are investing in high-quality, solid wood office furniture that’s built to last, like this cypress desk with walnut slab top. (Photo by Jack McManus)

Southern cypress putting in work in home offices ay what you will about the ongoing pandemic, but valuable lessons have been learned. First, the wood industry is essential business. Second,

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working from home is no longer a pipe dream for many in the American workforce. Third, homeowners are investing in creating or updating their

NOVICE and seasoned DIYers are getting creative by buying gorgeous cypress slabs and building their own custom desks. (Photo by Julian Murphy)

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n Building Products Digest n March 2021

home offices. And as wood dealers and distributors know, wood—especially a beautiful, versatile, and distinctive species like cypress—is ready to get to work.

Over the past year, many homeowners found themselves struggling to find adequate space to work from home, which has led to a surge in home office projects around the country and increased demand for wood products.

Keilen Hyatt, from BlueLinx in Lakewood, Fl., says, “I think a lot of what we’re seeing is folks not able to go on vacation, so they’re spending more time at home and using their vacation money on home upgrades.

“Business has been good and there’s been a noticeable uptick in demand for cypress,” he adds. “Availability is key, as with any wood species, but cypress products are moving well—particularly our pattern stock—and we’re also able to offer fast turnaround times on lumber, boards, and timber in multiple sizes by working closely with our suppliers.”

When it comes to utilizing these products in home offices, Zack Building-Products.com

NATURAL beauty of cypress makes it a great choice for custom barn doors—a popular alternative to swinging doors. (Photo by Colleen Duffley)

INSTALLING PECKY cypress paneling is an easy way to dress up an office space by adding detail and texture. (Photo by Jack Gardner)

Rickman from Atlanta Hardwood Corp., Mableton, Ga., sees a great opportunity for the wood industry.

“Homeowners value having a comfortable space where they can be productive,” he explains. “People are willing to invest in high-quality products like real wood paneling, solid doors, and furniture that’s built to last. And that’s where a wood species like cypress flourishes, because it will stand up to everyday wear and tear—and look great doing it.”

So how are design professionals putting cypress to work in homes?

Architect Geoff Chick from Santa Rosa Beach, Fl., says homeowners are looking for quiet spaces with some privacy.

“I recently worked with a homeowner who wanted a secret office space that he could close off to the house as needed,” he says. “Aesthetically, we chose to build a barn door from cypress because of the wood’s natural beauty and character. And all said and done, the cypress barn door steals the show—open or closed.”

Chick also suggests dressing up plain walls and ceilings.

“I like working with natural materials and light finishes to evoke calmness and serenity,” he explains. “For example, pecky cypress paneling or ceiling planks can add a layer of detail and texture to an office. The wood has a unique way of making spaces feel more authentic; it exudes timelessness

and irreplaceable character.”

Jane Frederick of Frederick + Frederick Architects in Beaufort, S.C., and immediate past president of the American Institute of Architects, is a proponent of using cypress for custom furniture.

“When picking out a high-quality desk, there are two important factors to consider: design and comfort,” she says.

“Touching a solid surface speaks to the quality of construction. I once designed a desk made out of solid, river-recovered cypress, with a live-edge walnut top and plenty of storage. It’s built to last and stunningly beautiful.

Some homeowners are getting more creative with their work from home space by building their own desks using wood slabs and adjustable height legs.

“For desk tops, I like cypress, particularly pecky or sinker cypress, because it’s easy to work with, offers natural character, and slabs can be found in intriguing shapes,” Julian Murphy a woodworker from Houma, La. “Once your desk surface is ready, you can easily attach motorized, adjustable-height desk legs or a traditional base.”

Building-Products.com

– For more information on how cypress is getting to work in home offices, please visit the Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association’s website at cypressinfo.org.

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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FEATURE Story

By Simon Cameron

ENGINEERED KNOTTY western red cedar is manufactured from smaller pieces of wood into long-length material and kiln dried primarily for use as trim, fascia and siding. (Photos by WRCLA)

WRC EWP

Expand your market share with engineered western red cedar ngineered wood products have been on the market since the introduction of plywood in the1930s, and more recent innovations such as CLT, glulam and laminated veneer lumber that allow for longer spans and taller walls are now competing with construction materials such as steel and concrete, and are seeing an increase in usage in both low and midrise buildings.

While engineered wood use is growing in structural applications, engineered western red cedar (WRC) products have been meeting a growing demand in the appearance-product market. Some products have even opened new niche markets in the U.S.

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There are three main product categories for engineered western red cedar: engineered clear solid WRC, engineered T&G WRC with a clear veneer overlay, and engineered knotty WRC. All three categories of products are becoming more readily and consistently available and are creating new opportunities for architects, builders and designers.

Engineered clear solid WRC are finger-joined and edge-glued boards that are used mainly for trim, fascia and siding and are manufactured differently than solid stock. These products are ideally suited for exterior cladding.

What makes it so appealing to customers is that they are readily available in

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

long lengths, typically 16’ and 20’.

Engineered clear, solid western red cedar is extremely long-lasting and exceptionally stable. As they have color variations and are made up of a number of small pieces, it is usually sold preprimed and is available either re-sawn or smooth textured. Engineered clear is also an excellent use of clear fiber and maximizes fiber value utilization.

For designs that require the deep, rich look of clear western red cedar, engineered western red cedar T&G products with a clear veneer overlay are now available. Perfect for exterior cladding or soffits, as well as interior wall or ceiling details, these are manufactured with thin pieces of high-quality, clear, Building-Products.com

vertical grain western red cedar veneers which are applied to a substrate using the same techniques and glue that’s used to manufacture other engineered building materials rated for exterior use.

Like the finger-joined and edgeglued products, clear veneer overlay boards are exceptionally stable, extremely long-lasting and will provide decades of beauty and service. They are available in 1x4 and 1x6 T&G with a variety of edge details. These products have the added benefit of being very environmentally friendly as less clear fiber is required to make them.

What’s more, many of these engineered western red cedar T&G products have been approved for use in soffit applications in Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) areas in California, Oregon and other places that require fire-resistive construction.

The third and newest engineered WRC product is engineered knotty western red cedar. These products are primarily for trim and fascia applications. They are manufactured from smaller pieces of wood into long length material and are kiln dried. The products are available in 16’ and 20’ lengths and in 8”, 10” and 12” widths. They can

Building-Products.com

ENGINEERED T&G western red cedar with a clear veneer overlay was pre-coated with a bleaching stain.

be nailed, sanded, and sawn just like solid stock.

Engineered knotty western red cedar is also being run to siding patterns like bevel, T&G and shiplap. These products are making in-roads in markets like Texas where generally only unseasoned products have been sold.

With the combination of wood growing in popularity due to design trends embracing natural materials, growing awareness of environmental issues and wood’s role in mitigating climate change, as well as studies linking health benefits to natural materials like wood, engineered WRC products are filling a growing demand.

As a testament to the products’ popularity, the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, which represents WRC manufacturers, distributors and retailers in North America, is fully behind the trend. “Many of our members produce really attractive, quality engineered products,” said Brad Kirkbride, managing director of the WRCLA. “They’ve definitely filled a void and we’re seeing more and more of these products in high-end designs. We’re going to see more of these products at the retail level, and they’ll change how the material is used in both residential and commercial applications.”

– Established in 1954, the WRCLA is the voice of the cedar industry and has members in 132 locations throughout North America (www.realcedar.com).

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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PRODUCT Spotlight

By Bob Berlage

LUSH REDWOOD FOREST in Northern California’s San Mateo County was clearcut in the 1870s and selectively harvested twice since then. (Photo by Big Creek Lumber)

200 years of redwood rcheology tells us that the human species made use of wood even prior to homo sapiens. The oldest recorded wood tool is a spear made of yew dating back 400,000 years. Our use of wood has dramatically expanded despite mankind’s transition to urban existence.

Far more recent and closer to home, the use of coastal redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) as a building material began in the early 1800s when European settlers arrived in California. Initially, the extent of redwood harvesting was limited by technology and demand. Hand saws and axes were used to fell the trees and lumber was occasionally produced by straddling logs over a sunken pit and slicing the logs into lumber using a two-man crosscut saw. Needless to say, the worker with less seniority was usually the one in the pit with sawdust falling on him all day.

Increases in population and technology predictably resulted in increased

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harvesting of redwoods and lumber production. Two events resulted in dramatic increases in redwood harvesting in California. Coincidentally, both these events centered in San Francisco. The first was the Gold Rush (1848-1855).

While very little coastal redwood lumber found its way to the gold fields, it was the dramatic expansion of San Francisco that created the demand. Fortune seekers from all over the world arrived in San Francisco by ship and began their journey to the gold fields.

San Francisco grew dramatically as the result of this immigration. The city required lumber for housing and commercial development to meet the need .

The second big demand for redwood lumber resulted from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Ironically, most of the wooden structures in the city survived the initial jolt. Wood is far more flexible than concrete or masonry. Unfortunately, most of the wooden structures were illuminated by gas lamps. When

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

the gas lines ruptured, the gas ignited and burned most of these buildings.

Post-earthquake housing reconstruction placed incredible demands on nearby redwood forests. This was particularly true in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

By the late 1880s the increase in demand for redwood lumber, coupled with the introduction of steam-powered sawmill equipment, resulted in widespread harvesting of coastal redwoods throughout California. The harvesting method was landscape-wide clearcutting. By the mid-1920s, most of the redwood forests on the Central Coast had been cut.

Shortly after World War II, there was a resurgence in construction, particularly for single-family residences. At this time some redwood lumber producers began looking at the “second-growth” redwoods, trees that sprouted from the root systems of redwoods that had been felled during the 1800s and early 1900s.

While some old-timers felt that lumber Building-Products.com

made from second growth was inferior, local people who had to rely on wood from nearby forests recognized that the heartwood in second growth redwoods had the same desirable characteristics as old growth.

The predominant center section (heartwood) of coastal redwood contains a significant amount of tannic acid, a specific type of tannin (plant polyphenol). It is this chemical that makes redwood heartwood lumber far less susceptible to decay and insect damage.

While redwood lumber was also historically used for framing, today it is primarily used for external construction.

These uses include fencing, decking, siding and post material.

Wood is truly our most sustainable and renewable building material. When forests are intentionally managed from a long-term perspective, they can provide complex ecosystems, carbon sequestration, water storage, and oxygen production, while simultaneously growing forest products used by virtually everyone. On the Central Coast, single tree selection was voluntarily adopted as a harvesting method by the local forestry community in the 1950s. Two decades later the counties of San Mateo, Santa Cruz, and Santa Clara formally adopted this method of harvesting as Special County Rules under California law.

In the early 1980s, the average size of a coastal redwood harvested in the

Santa Cruz Mountains was about 750 bd. ft. That’s a tree approximately 22” in diameter at the base and 90 ft. tall.

Today, the average size of harvested coastal redwood trees shipped to Big Creek Lumber Co.’s sawmill in Davenport, Ca., is about 1,300 bd. ft., a tree approximately 34” in diameter at the base and approaching 130 ft. tall.

A number of countries are experiencing a Renaissance in wood construction with the development of mass timber, a method of laminating wood sections to create larger construction beams. To-

day, the tallest mass timber building in the world is the 280-ft.-tall Mjøstårnet in Norway. This 18-story mixed-use building contains apartments, a “Wood Hotel,” swimming pool, office space, and a restaurant. It is the tallest wood structure in the world today. Tomorrow? Who knows. With wood, the sky may be the limit.

– Bob Berlage is communications director for the Forestry Department of Big Creek Lumber, Davenport, Ca. (www. bigcreeklumber.com).

CLEARCUT surrounding Rider Mill in Santa Cruz County, circa 1895. (Photo courtesy of Big Creek Lumber archives)

LOGGING TRANSITION from steam power to internal combustion engine, Santa Cruz Lumber Co., circa early 1930s. (Photo courtesy Big Creek archives) Building-Products.com

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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COMPETITIVE Intelligence

By Carla Waldemar

Chain (of custody) reaction

he light bulb moment occurred when Mike Friedman ran out of space. Mike had launched a homerepair business in Portland, Me., in 2005, which, as he reports, “grewgrew-grew. We’d started out in a basement, then moved to a larger space, then bought a building, but even that wasn’t big enough, with us doing so many little jobs. We had $1 million in sales and 200 handymen.

We needed wood storage—everything from plywood to drywall—because we

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had to drive 35 miles for, say, a 2x4.

We also had a huge garage filled with refuse we’d hauled out. So we needed a bigger place to keep more wood on hand and to sort the trash.

“We found a convenience store in Cape Elizabeth,” a town of 9,300 15 minutes away. “Prices were cheaper out there: It made sense,” he explains.

His partners—his sister and two carpenter buddies—agreed.

Then came the epiphany that birthed Lumbery last November.

LUMBERY PARTNERS (left to right) Ryan Holland, Alex Bettigole, Jennifer Friedland-Stora, and Mike Friedland launched the business for economic and environmental reasons—there had been no single place to buy lumber or Sheetrock within 30 miles.

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“We’re not the only ones who have to drive for wood. Besides, the quality of wood and the service level at the boxes was terrible. We needed quality wood and a place to store it that was convenient. Plus, most lumberyards around here are closed weekends, just when the do-it-yourselfers need them.

Besides, the bigger outfits wouldn’t deliver to the smaller stores.”

Conclusion: “We gotta sell wood!”

At first, they envisioned a hybrid outfit: home repairs and wood sales.

But covid nixed that. Homeowners became reluctant to let a handyman into their home, and those fellows were equally hesitant to enter them.

“So… we paused. We let all our employees go off on their own with our blessing, supplying references and contacts. Then the four of us had to learn everything from computer programs to how to find dealers and reps for hardware.”

The four partners quickly finetuned the original epiphany (“Sell wood!”) with another—and more ground-breaking—one: Sell Maine lumber. “We’re living in a state that’s 90% trees, but the little mills here get bypassed by the giant distributors.

There’s no connect between the sawmill and the consumer: Zero!” So, modeling their practices on those of the revered Patagonia clothing firm, they decided to make their credo the chain of custody.

“We’re asking ‘Where was the tree located? Is the forest sustainable?

What does the mill do with its waste?

How did the lumber get to our store?’

By buying Maine wood, we’re lessening the environmental impact plus helping out a small town. And people are more and more eager to ‘buy local.’ Ads promote ‘Get to know your farmer.’ But who’s asking, Building-Products.com

IN ADDITION to stocking a healthy supply of sustainable building materials for sale, Lumbery is also part lending library—offering customers the ability to borrow tools for free.

‘Get to know your lumber dealer’? Next, we needed town approval (that was a bear!); it took longer and more money than we’d envisioned. But,” Mike continues in a “Don’t worry, I’ve got this” tone, “We opened in November!”

(Readers, to view the insane progress of converting a convenience store into a lumberyard, go to lumbery-me. com. Click on Our Roots, scroll down to Video and be prepared to laugh—or at least, sympathize. The music accompaniment, appropriately named, is “Startin’ Something.”)

The Grand Opening was a huge success. “People didn’t know about us, but we had a 2,500-customer list, and I live here, so I have personal contacts in the area. I knew builders, but we also marketed it through Googling ‘Builders within 20 miles. Architects. Painters. Marinas.’

Instagram, Facebook and the local press, too.

Finding product that followed the chain-mantra was no problem. “In Maine, all wood is SFI (certified sustainable), so mills are not an issue. Within a 40-mile radius, you’ll find Eastern white pine and Eastern white cedar (not red, from the Northwest). In Maine, white cedar is what we all use as wood for saunas,” Mike explains.

“Then, chain-wise, figure out who the loggers are and how they’re treated (There’s a Master Logger certification program) and mills with 2x4s, 2x6s—not coming in from Canada, Idaho, overseas). Pressure-treated is still from outof-state, but we’re pushing for using tamarack, the obvious local alternative.

“With chain of custody, there’s a ripple effect, from the mill to the town that’s helped out, beside the product itself. It’s crazy,” Mike muses. “Here in Maine, we love our local lobsters and would never buy one from Florida.

But with pine…there’s not that sense yet. Customers might perceive that it [chain of custody] costs more, and of course we can’t compete with Home Depot. But our service is so much superior, too. We’ll teach you how to build that sauna. We’re like supporting a microbrewery vs. Coors,” he says, hoping to win that same kind of shop-local customer loyalty.

Lumbery’s customers are primarily (70%) walk-ins, who report to Mike they’re “totally thrilled” to have the outfit open. “The site was abandoned for seven years, so every single person in town has come in to say, ‘Glad you’re here’ and ‘Thank you so much.’”

Building-Products.com

The outfit’s recent Grand Opening advertised 30% off lumber prices, “and with those prices being sky-high lately, folks came in from all over the state. Not much profit, but good marketing. Plus, they liked the convenience (‘Saved ma a trip to Home Depot’) and the quality (‘How straight everything is!’). They don’t mind paying a bit more for that. Now they’re asking for live-edge wood and reclaimed wood, so we’ll look into that.”

The event also helped soften a first-timer’s scare of approaching a lumberyard (“Massive!”) which some— especially women—perceive.

Product mix presented no problem. Mike notes, “I know homeowners’ needs from my years as a handyman— housewrap, insulation, caulk, ladders, extension cords, dropcloths…. But, this is not a hardware store.”

Instead, it’s a tool library. “From the repair business, we owned 50,000 tools we weren’t using anymore—everything from ladders and power washers to flooring guns.

Everything! It was just sitting there, so we decided ‘Let’s let people use them.’ Not rental,” he emphasizes—“more like borrowing a library book.” Customers learn of these benefits from the newsletter Mike distributes—“more like a blog, very personal; but it mixes in notices of our sales.”

And allays the impact of the competition? Oh, excuse me: Lumbery doesn’t have any. According to Mike, he’s the only act for miles, except for a hardware store in town, to whom he refers customers.

Along the way, he’s learned a few lessons, both on the build-out and on the town’s policies. But he’s already started a list of future needs, starting with a traceable chain of custody beyond the mill (a Forest Service grant application is in the works). “We also need to hire a marketing agency and to expand here on the property. And we’re super-eager to become involved in the community—school sports teams, the local land trust.

“It’s funny,” he muses. “A year ago, I was a handyman….”

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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OLSEN on Sales

By James Olsen

Selling without the wood

ow can I sell when I can’t find anything to sell much less what my customers are looking for? This is the number one comment from my students (since about March of 2020) when we talk about challenges.

H

Selling Without the Ball

In basketball there are players that have to have the ball in their hands to make an impact on the game. They can be great players, but they also can limit other players because they need to have the ball so much. There are other players who can impact the game with or without the ball in their hands. They get rebounds, steals, assists, put-backs, hand— heaven forbid—play defense. They impact the game without having the ball. These players are almost always better than their ball-dominant counterparts, more fun to be a teammate with, and have more impact on the team game of basketball.

Sales can be the same way. Many sellers have to have a physical product to sell before they can sell it. Master Sellers sell ideas, markets and future product that has not yet arrived; they sell without the ball.

Pulling Firm Offers vs. Chasing Inquiry

As salespeople in the lumber market, it is absolutely necessary that we know how to get our customers to give us Firm Offers. The worst Firm Offer in the world is better than the best Inquiry. Chasing Inquiry is one of the most time consuming, least profitable things we do as sellers. Pulling Firm Offers from customers is important for success as a salesperson, but especially in markets where supply is tight.

Pulling a Firm without the Wood

When there is no wood readily available, we take print + freight + profit = and quote the customer a number that we think is possible.

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n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Us: “Good morning Sue. 2x4 #2 16’s are super tight right now. We last sold at $950/MBF on those two weeks ago.

We’ve got enough in your inventory to last until the end of February, but mill shipments are out to mid-March. We would have to pay $1250/MBF out of distribution, so I think we should make an offer at $1125 on three trucks to take care of March. Can you give those to me firm for two days?”

(In super-tight markets we need time to find the wood).

Sue: “You mean you don’t own it? Why don’t you go find it and come back to me with your best deal?”

Us: “Sue, I’d love to, but that strategy just isn’t working in our current market. By the time I find it and hang up, call or email you, wait for you to get back to me, the wood will be gone. Heck, the wood will be gone the second I hang up with the mill, which is why I need a firm number from you, so I can pounce on it when I see it. Even if my company buys the wood on that call, by the time I get back to you one of my co-workers will have the wood sold, because they are getting Firm Offers from their customers also. That is the strategy that is working in today’s crazy market. So, can you give me a firm for two days, on three trucks of 2x4 16’s for mid-March shipment?”

Sue: “Why do you need two days?!”

Us: “I have 10 co-workers who are pounding the phones looking for wood all day every day. Trying to get a mill to cover an inquiry is a loser. Hitting them with Firm Offers has a chance. That’s why I need it firm for a couple days. So, can I have them firm?”

Sue: “Yes. Keep me up to date on what happens.”

Pulling a Firm in Down Markets

Let’s say the market on 2x4 has run from $800 to $950/ MBF and has stalled out. Our customers don’t want to buy at the top, but they still need wood for the future.

Us: “John, the market into us today is hovering at $950. Customers are taking a break but will be back in soon.

Why don’t we hit a couple mills firm at $905 for March shipment and see what they will take?”

As markets change, Master Sellers change with them to sell more.

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

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TRANSFORMING Teams

By Paige McAllister

Dealing with employees’ online behavior e have all read stories of someone’s unacceptable or illegal actions going viral and the public using social media to identify that person and where they work and live. Employee behavior on social media can also have a significant negative impact on your business’s reputation and livelihood.

Since this use of social media represents the company directly, you must take extra precautions when allowing someone to post on behalf of the company. Specifically: ● Make sure that only authorized employees are allowed to post on behalf of the company and have control of the company’s social media accounts. Require employees to provide current user names and passwords to management and IT for monitoring. Train these employees on proper communication skills and how to maximize the impact on the platforms. Ensure that they are regularly trained on non-discrimination and are up-to-date on acceptable and unacceptable language and imagery. ● Suggest employees who are expected to use social media for business purposes maintain a separate and distinct personal account for their personal use. If the business account is in the company’s name, then that stays with the company if the employee leaves. ● Require senior management’s approval before posting anything of significance such as a new initiative. However, require multiple people (preferably with diverse backgrounds and perspectives) to review the posting or concept first to be more likely to catch offensive or problematic issues before they are made public. Be sure employees feel free to come forward with their concerns.

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Personal Use of Social Media

An employee’s personal use of social media is often used to connect with friends and family, to find items of interest, forward information they find important, and convey their own thoughts, opinions and experiences. Because these personal views can impact your business, it is important to know what employers can and cannot do.

What you can do: ● Prohibit the employee’s use of social media during working hours to avoid impacts on productivity and to limit connection with the company. However, you cannot restrict an employee from using social media during non-work time such as during meal or rest breaks. ● You may be able to prohibit employees from using company resources (computers/tablets) for social media

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n Building Products Digest n March 2021

only if you prohibit all other personal use. You must apply this policy across the board and discipline employees equally for the personal use of company resources.

What you cannot do: ● If an employee’s posts relate to the working conditions for themselves or others, they have more freedoms. Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), all employees have the right to protected concerted activity (PCA) such as complaining about low wages, sub-par work conditions, or poor management. Whistleblower and public policy laws protect employees who use social media to shed light on a company’s illegal or unethical actions. Typically, as long as the posts do not violate other policies such as confidentiality, non-discrimination/harassment/sexual harassment, code of ethics/conduct, they are legal. ● In states that have off-duty conduct protection laws, an employee cannot be disciplined for posting about something they did off-hours as long as it is legal.

What about Freedom of Speech?

Employees and employers need to know that, in most workplaces, there is no freedom of speech at work or when using social media. Unless protected as mentioned previously, employees can be held accountable for their words, actions, or behaviors which are deemed unacceptable or that violate company policy.

Policies to Implement

To allow your company to take action when necessary, you should implement and consistently enforce the following policies: Building-Products.com

● Use of Social Media: Include who can post on behalf of the company, when employees can and cannot use social media, and that any posts whether for the company or personal cannot violate other policies, including those below. ● Code of Ethics/Conduct: Define what behavior is so unacceptable that the company will take immediate and serious disciplinary action or termination. ● Anti-discrimination, Harassment, Sexual Harassment, Retaliation Policies: Make sure policies are worded to cover social media posts. ● Workplace Violence: Ensure employees know that any threats made during or outside of work are unacceptable, including those made via social media. ● Confidentiality/Trade Secrets: Define what is and isn’t considered confidential information and reference an employee’s right to PCA and the company’s rights under the Defend Trade Secrets Act. ● Outside Inquiries: Define who can speak on behalf of the company when giving professional references or comments. ● Searches: Clearly state that an employee has no right to privacy for anything posted using company resources, even on deleted activity. ● Employment-at-will: State that the company or employee can end the employment relationship at any time, for any reason, with or without cause or notice. This gives you more freedom to take action on any unacceptable behavior.

Practices to Establish

Since social media can start outside of the workplace but still create explosive situations, you should preemptively create procedures of what actions you will take if an employee: ● uses social media during work hours, regardless of what they use it for. ● posts using their company-issued computer. ● complains about their wages or management. ● uploads a controversial thought or comment. ● verbally attacks another employee. ● threatens violence at the workplace or against a manager.

are only general comments but another employee is offended, you should give a warning. ● Employee posts about how much he earns or that he thinks his boss is an idiot: This is probably protected under the NLRA, so you cannot take disciplinary action. However, you may consider talking to the employee to find out why they are dissatisfied. ● Employee calls in sick but posts pictures at a baseball game: While watching a baseball game is harmless, the fact the employee lied about why they took time off may be something you want to reprimand to ensure it does not happen again. ● Employee is tagged in a picture showing her smoking marijuana: If the behavior is illegal, you may be able to discipline. However, if it is legal in your state for recreational or medical purposes, you probably cannot take any action, especially if your state has a protection of off-duty activity law. ● Employee posts pictures from being part of a violent protest/looting: If the behavior is illegal, you can probably take action and discipline or fire the employee since it can impact your company’s reputation and business.

The use, impact and repercussions of social media are limitless so you must have some structure in place to be ready to address whatever may happen.

Paige McAllister, SPHR Affinity HR Group contact@affinityhrgroup.com

Some Scenarios

What should you do if the following happens? ● Employee posts discriminatory comments: If they are targeting an employee, client or vendor, you must investigate and take appropriate disciplinary action. Even if they

Q. An employee posted concerning comments on their personal social media page. I am worried this may impact our business. Can I take any action against the employee?

A. Maybe. While an employee’s social media postings are personal, they are not private since they are shared with a broad audience. There are some posts which you can take action on while others are protected.

You usually can take disciplinary action if the post violates one of your policies, such as confidentiality or non-discrimination/harassment/sexual harassment, or shows the employee participating in illegal activity. Disciplinary action can include termination if serious enough.

However, if the post expresses their frustration or concern over working conditions (such as wages, management or safety), it probably could be considered “protected concreted activity” under the NLRA and therefore no action should be taken except trying to rectify the concern.

Building-Products.com

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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LUMBER 411

A Special Series from Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

By Jeff Easterling

Why wood you choose anything else? ince the dawn of time—or, well, since the early 1900s at least, wood associations like the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association have been promoting the use of natural, renewable, beautiful wood to lumber dealer and retailers nationwide.

And the reasons why are crystal clear: Wood is LEGENDARY. No other structural material, natural or man-made, combines the utility and lasting quality of wood. No other building material requires so little care and maintenance. And it’s been this way for ages!

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The Stone Age Was Really the Wood Age

Our earliest recorded history shows that when Man first emerged from his cave, he looked to wood to build a primary shelter. Wood was used for fire and heat. Wood was used to build travois to carry things.

Cavemen knew then the power of wood… and we still know it today!

Viva la Revolution!

Take a look around what were once the original 13 colonies and you see nothing but beautiful old wooden structures. These Colonial homes and mills and businesses stand as a strong reminder of both wood’s role in the founding of this great country and the incomparable durability of the product itself.

Many of these structures still retain the original wood sashes, siding, and exterior trim after hundreds and hundreds of years.

Since then, our great nation has expanded from one coast to the other, all while building with easily accessible, locally grown, beautiful, renewable wood. Ask any historian

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where our country would be without wood as a basic raw material; we’ll hazard a guess the answer would be “nowhere.”

Was it Gold Wood??

Decades ago, while digging near Ankara, Turkey, in an area adjacent to the tomb of King Midas, archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania discovered massive wooden beams that had survived for (wait for it…) about 2,700 years.

The beams were found in the tomb of King Gordius, father to King Midas, with the wood from which the beams were formed identified as a species similar to our pine. The wood had received no special treatment and survived for that long. The beams themselves were hand-hewn, beautifully sanded and smoothed, and so expertly fitted that, even after thousands of years, the joints were practically invisible.

Repeat After Us: Wood Is the Best

We have a theory, that if wood didn’t exist, someone would have to invent it. Civilization as we know it could not exist without wood. So why must be constantly be reminded of the features and benefits of using real wood?

Because any traditional material can be placed at a serious disadvantage in the tempo of modern life. We become preoccupied with what’s new and shiny and fun; we get swept away by products claiming to make our lives “easier”—but at what cost? Dig deeper into many of these new “wood alternatives” and you won’t like what you see.

Don’t be led astray by the excitement of newness. Too many of

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

these suddenly glamorous materials are pushed into uses for which they are not adapted. In this situation, sometimes the traditional material becomes the victim of a misinformation campaign filled with very few facts. How many negative things have you heard about using wood to build? Consider the source.

Superstitious old wives tales perpetuate themselves and wood is not immune to popular misconceptions.

How to Sell Wood Better

The story of and for wood is one worth telling and sharing. A pamphlet first published in 1960 entitled A Case for Wood was originally targeted specifically at lumber dealers to educate them on the ways to best sell wood. The pamphlet specifically addresses multiple misconceptions about wood and attacks them head on. Topics included The Myth of “Dry Rot,” Insects: Fact & Fiction, Fire Safety, Paint Performance, and Dimensional Stability.

Each topic was summarily dismantled with facts, once again proving that wood is the premier building product choice. And yet—here we are in 2021, still reading (and rolling our eyes) and ongoing misinformation aimed at wood focusing on these same topics!

The thing is, arguments and facts in defense of wood stand the test of time and still hold true today. How many other building products can say that?

– Jeff Easterling is president of Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. Reach him at info@nelma.org.

Building-Products.com

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US LBM Adds Locations in Delaware, Twin Cities

US LBM has added two new businesses to the fold—its first roofing and siding location in Delaware and a truss plant in Minnesota.

In New Castle, De., US LBM opened a Universal Supply branch—its eleventh roofing and siding-focused greenfield added since 2018 and first in the state.

In Eagan, Mn., just outside of St. Paul, US LBM acquired Villaume Industries, a manufacturer of wood trusses for new residential and commercial construction and of custom wood crating, boxes and pallets.

With the addition of Villaume, US LBM now operates 21 locations in Minnesota through its network of divisions in the state, which include Lampert Lumber, NexGen and Lyman Companies. Villaume will operate as part of its Lyman Companies division.

RP Acquires First Iowa Yard

Dick-N-Sons Lumber, Blue Grass, Ia., has been acquired by 71-unit R.P. Lumber Co., Edwardsville, Il., as its first location in Iowa.

Founded in 1901, Dick-N-Sons is one of the oldest lumberyards in the state. It will convert to the R.P. banner.

“We are excited to enhance and grow our service to the people of eastern Iowa from this new facility,” said R.P. president and CEO Robert Plummer. “The VanDeWalle family have built a great company and we could not be more pleased to welcome the Dick-N-Sons team to the R.P. Lumber family.”

Ohio Dealer Changes Hands

After 75 years, Lima Lumber Co., Lima, Oh., is getting a new owner and a new name.

Effective March 1, Mike Steiner and Kevin Gratz—owners for the past 38 years—are retiring and have sold the business to Doug Bruns. He will operate as Lima Lumber Brick & Block and add to the product mix outdoor pavers, brick, stone and more.

Interfor Purchasing SC Mill

Interfor Corp., Vancouver, B.C., has agreed to acquire WestRock Co.’s sawmill located in Summerville, S.C., for $59 million.

Last year, the mill produced 125 million bd. ft. of lumber. A new permit was received in 2020 that allows for the production of up to approximately 200 million bd. ft. of lumber per year

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and Interfor has identified a number of operational and capital investment initiatives to optimize and increase production going forward.

The facility is located 65 miles southwest of Interfor’s Georgetown, S.C., mill and 115 miles northeast of its Meldrim, Ga., mill. This strategic positioning will allow for log sort optimization and procurement synergies across all three mills.

As part of the deal, Interfor will enter into a long-term chip and biomass supply agreement with WestRock’s Charleston, S.C., paper mill.

With the purchase set to close in first quarter 2021, Interfor’s total annual lumber production capacity will increase to 3.2 billion bd. ft.—55% of it in the U.S. South.

Duralife Doubling Production

DuraLife by Barrette Outdoor Living recently announced a multimillion dollar investment in upgrades at its Biddeford, Me., facility to double the production of composite decking materials in 2021.

The significant investment in equipment and manpower will help ensure that all customer needs will be met within a two-week distribution lead-time.

As part of these upgrades, new state-of-the-art automated equipment and multiple extrusion lines have been added in the plant to optimize efficiencies in the production process, allowing for faster production of deck boards. This new equipment will also offer operators the ability to more efficiently monitor and track line performance ensuring there is no compromise to quality.

DuraLife has also added 65,000 sq. ft. to its supply yard to provide storage for the additional volume of decking being produced. Operations at the plant have also moved to 24/7—increasing shifts from two to three, seven days a week. This extra manpower has not only contributed to increased production, it has also created more than 30 new jobs in Biddeford and the surrounding area.

“The investment in our DuraLife facility is significant and enables us to achieve faster speed without compromising the quality of our decking products and the addition of manpower to our workforce is a win-win for our company and for the local community,” said VP Sylvain Bellemare.

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

DEALER Briefs Hahn Lumber, Harmony, Mn., has been purchased by longtime employees Gary and Will Nolan.

Now renamed Nolan Lumber, the business has employed father Gary as yardman/delivery driver for 42 years and son Will since he was 21.

R.P. Lumber suffered damage to a storage facility at its Edwardsville, Il., yard due to a Feb. 15 fire.

Rothbury Hardware/Oceana Builders Supply is adding a new Ace Hardware branch in May in Whitehall Township, Mi.

Brown Lumber , Columbiana, Al., acquired a nearby site to use as an additional warehouse location.

Ace Hardware, Statesboro, Ga., has been opened by Victor Patel.

Goyer’s Ace Hardware, Fort Atkinson, Wi., was acquired by Bryan Spangler, owner of McFarland Ace Harware, McFarland, Wi. Jim and Donna Goyer, owners since 2002, are retiring.

Westlake Ace Hardware

signed a lease to open a new 16,600sq. ft. store in Derby, Ks., in July.

Tr u e Va l u e H a r d w a r e , Brushfork, W.V., will be opened this spring by Phil Akers, Jr. Woodside Ace Hardware , Winthrop, Ma., has been purchased by longtime employee Lauren Murphy from Paul Levy, owner for the past 23 years.

M&B Group is buying and will Bisett Building Center & True Value, Bradford, Pa. renovate

Maple Street Woodworking, Cedarville, Oh., opened a hardwood lumber showroom in Hellertown, Pa. Gemmen’s Home & Hardware , Hudsonville, Mi., was

presented a Coolest Hardware Store Award by Ace Hardware Corp.

Home Depot has added a 1.5-million-sq. ft. distribution center in Dallas, Tx.

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FIRST TRUSS rolls off the line at 84 Lumber’s new Richmond, Va., facility.

84 Adds Richmond Truss Plant

To help fill the increasing demand for engineered and manufactured wood products throughout the Mid-Atlantic, 84 Lumber this month is bringing on line a new truss plant in Richmond, Va. The new component plant, which will primarily manufacture wall panels, roof and floor trusses, is fully automated, outfitted with the latest design software, computerized saws, a trackless gantry system, and laser projection equipment. It has hired 25 associates to start, with plans to grow to 60 employees within the next year.

The company has invested substantially in opening new component facilities and upgrading equipment at existing locations over the past five years. As it continues to increase its presence westward, it expects to create component facilities within a number of planned new 84 Lumber stores.

had so much enthusiasm throughout North America from wholesalers, glass suppliers, and top-level contractors wanting to distribute this product after just one look,” co-owner Mike Kunard said. “We are looking forward to making this product easy to buy in 2021 and are confident it will be well received by the professional installer.”

Spartan Railing was formed by Pat Noonan and Kunard to support the go-to market strategy of Illuminated Balustrade. Noonan is an award-winning deck builder and operator of Minneapolis dealer Pro Deck Supply. Kunard has helped build such building material brands as Trex, AZEK, Sherwin-Williams, and Wausau Supply.

“I am thrilled to partner with Pat Noonan and Mike Kunard, who together have over 40 years of experience in the industry building award winning decks as well as working with No. 1 branded manufacturers to set up distribution in the outdoor living space,” said Mark Behnecke, CEO, Illuminated Balustrade Australia.

“Mark is a motivated entrepreneur who understands the process from engineering to marketing,” Noonan said. “Timing couldn’t be better as demand for reliable lighting elements, unobstructed views, and installer-friendly products are at an all-time high.”

NEWS Briefs Wausau Supply Co. has opened new distribution facilities in West Unity, Oh., and Murfreesboro, Tn. Harrigan Lumber, Monroeville, Al., in the 4th quarter will install a new trimmer line that includes a double trimmer unscrambler, ElectraTong lug loader with MillTrak-controlled backlog, Multi-Track fence, clamshell-style LineShaft trimmer, dual articulating Smart Gate, 62-bin Pusher lug sorter, WinTally sorter management system, and Stick-NFork stacker system.

Jordan Forest Products , Barnesville, Ga., is modernizing its merchandising line with a USNR bucking optimization system. Installation begins this fall.

Suburban Wholesale & Supply has moved to

larger quarters in Davenport, Ia. ILLUMINATED BALUSTRADE products are coming to the U.S.

Illuminated Glass Railing Panels Take a Shine to the US

Illuminated Balustrade Australia has formed a U.S. partnership with Spartan Railing, Minneapolis, Mn., to facilitate the introduction of its patented frameless glass railing system into the U.S. The companies are seeking domestic distribution partners and resellers in the construction community.

Illuminated Balustrade’s minimalist hardware design favors every architectural style, while integrating perfectly diffused lighting into its base design. Low Iron glass panels are secured into the spigot to create an amazing transfer of 15 different light color options.

Spartan Railing is currently in discussion with building material distributors and glass wholesalers throughout the U.S. and Canada to find the right partners to bring Illuminated Balustrade through the supply channel. “We’ve

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n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Koppers sold its chemical manufacturing facility in Follansbee, W.V., to Petro Empire Liquids & Storage.

Keystone Building Products, Selinsgrove, Pa., is the new exclusive distributor of Arcitell’s Qora Cladding to the manufactured home segment in Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

CAMO is partnering with Fiberon to offer Fiberon Edge, EdgeX and Starter Clips to the decking manufacturer’s entire dealer network.

Parksite has expanded distribution of Versetta Stone mortarless stone veneer to its Lakeland, Fl., branch.

Trex Co., Winchester, Va., was named to Forbes’ 2021 List of America’s Best Mid-Size Companies, as #12.

United Treating & Distribution, Muscle Shoals,

Al., is celebrating 15 years in business.

Building-Products.com

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THINKING Ahead

By Dave Destiche

Kicking up service during the pandemic was making my way back from the NAWLA Leadership Summit 2020 in March of last year when the COVID-19 pandemic got real, at least for me. Ironically, many of us at the event were downplaying the virus, not realizing the magnitude and gravity it would take on. I was in for a rude awakening, though, which came courtesy of a phone call from Amerhart’s director of HR. A passenger who tested positive had traveled through our small airport a day earlier, she informed me, adding that I would have to quarantine for the next two weeks. I’ve been working from home ever since.

The fallout from the health crisis came fast and furious after that, with Amerhart forced to adapt alongside its peers and the rest of the world.

We experienced many of the same setbacks and challenges as everyone else; but, all in all, we’re getting through it effectively and with mini-

I

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

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mal disruption. Indeed, we expect to come out stronger than ever on the other side. A huge part of the reason for our success thus far is our COVID response team, which has spent countless hours sifting tirelessly through piles of information and filtering the accurate and pertinent details to employees.

At the same time, a lot of other “chips” have fallen into place. For instance, because one pillar of our strategic plan is technology investment, our teams were well-positioned for the transition to telework. Perhaps one of the biggest factors, however, was customer buy-in to Amerhart’s first-rate online platform that debuted in early 2019. As it turns out, the system would help us further improve our already impeccable service despite the unfortunate circumstances.

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Bending Over Backwards for the Customer

The e-commerce site lets customers access any information they need, around the clock and without having to speak to their assigned sales rep. They are able to retrieve product specifications, place orders, review invoices, and reconcile billing questions, among other capabilities. The system was intended to make doing business with Amerhart easier; but this is a people-based industry, where face-to-face interaction is preferred, so some resistance was to be expected. As the pandemic deepened and workplace restrictions took effect, acceptance of and appreciation for the platform took off. It subsequently evolved into the invaluable resource

Building-Products.com

A Special Series from North American Wholesale Lumber Association

we intended it to be and granted us, through the sheer knowledge and accessibility of our company through the platform, the opportunity to better serve the customer base.

With the ability to be in front of the customer a thing of the past, at least for the time being, Amerhart salespeople are going above and beyond to see that the needs of those customers are met. It is not a company edict—but more of a personal mandate—that has encouraged many of our salespeople and employees to adopt a “response rule.”

They only give themselves a limited amount of time, maybe five or 10 minutes, to reply to a customer’s phone call, voice mail, or email and get them the information they have requested.

Stepping up service has also meant doing double-duty as a consultant to customers that are facing adversity during this unprecedented crisis. Our salespeople understand the capacity of their customers and what they manufacture and, therefore, are in a position to advise them on other prospective opportunities.

We might, for example, steer a manufacturer that is sidelined from its primary business at the moment to subcontract with other customers. The company that is in trouble could then use its existing machinery and equipment to make a product that may not be part of their regular lineup but that is in demand.

As another example, Amerhart now offers a product that has an anti-microbial surface, which more than ever

NAWLA Virtual Summit Spotlights Insight from Leading Women From the latest industry updates to networking with lumber professionals, the 2021 NAWLA Leadership Summit: The Virtual Experience will be the place to be (virtually, of course) this spring.

Join us online to learn valuable leadership lessons from experts in the field.

That includes a special keynote panel discussion with female leaders in the industry on March 17. They will provide insight into their experiences, both as women and as leaders within the wholesale lumber industry. Through their stories, you’ll learn how they navigated their unique career paths, the challenges they face in the current business climate and opportunities they identify for growth.

Featured will be Ashlee Cribb, senior VP/CCO, Roseburg Forest Products; 2021 NAWLA Chair Bethany Doss, business manager, Capital Lumber; Darcy Mercer, training & development manager, Olympic Industries; and Donna Whitaker, VP-SYP sales & marketing, Interfor Corp.

In total, the Leadership Summit will present more than five hours of thought-provoking and motivational education sessions, and leave you with actionable ideas and business strategies to boost your business in 2021.

Find more info at www.nawla.org.

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is invaluable to sectors of our industry such as hospitality, medical, educational, and gaming. It’s the same material the customer always uses to build cabinets and work surfaces, but with added peace of mind—a selling point to show that the customer is taking steps to combat the spread of the virus.

The more helpful you are in easing a customer’s pain, the more valuable you are to them. There’s no more truth to it than now, during this pandemic, when customers are arguably feeling more pain than they have ever before.

If you can help them get through it, you become way more relevant to them and the relationship you share only strengthens.

Showing customers how much they matter has been crucial, but demonstrating care and concern for workers has been equally important. Amerhart has gone to great lengths to do that as well, from allowing staff to take sick days without using their paid leave, to expanding employee benefits to include consultation services for well-being, to investing in specialty disinfection services at company headquarters. Even in the most uncertain of business environments, we firmly believe that the safety and well-being of our coworkers is top priority! If you don’t have your people, then you don’t have a business.

Use Your Core

All of the steps we took, whether aimed at customers or targeted to employees, align directly with Amerhart’s corporate values. They fall under four groupings: Together, Inspire, Community, Build. The subcategories under the Together heading—teamwork, integrity, positive attitude, and alignment—especially speak to what we’re going through today, in too many ways to name here. But teamwork, in particular, is essential. You must trust in your team to do their jobs, from wherever they are, and to the best of their abilities. Alignment is also key at this time, given the fractured office environment. With so many employees working remotely, ensuring that everybody is on the same page—and communicating accordingly—has never been more imperative.

If your business does not have corporate values, create them! They are so much more than just nice words on the home page of your website. If you do have them already, make sure they remain relevant and in the forefront of your coworkers’ and customers’ minds. Bring attention to colleagues’ actions that reflect these values, in or out of the workplace. This is the foundation in creating your company’s experience and culture. With these, not only will you survive these trying times, but you will come out of this and other hardships stronger than before.

– Dave Destiche is vice president of marketing/sales for Amerhart, Green Bay, Wi. (www.amerhart.com).

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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MOVERS & Shakers Tami Kessler, executive director, Southern Forest Products Association, Metairie, La., will retire on April 2 after nearly 45 years with SFPA. Eric Gee stepped into the role as executive director on Feb. 1.

Bethany Cypher has been promoted to VP of real estate & development for 84 Lumber, Eighty-Four, Pa. Michael McDole, senior vice president of sales, National Lumber, Mansfield, Ma., is retiring March 31 after nearly 20 years with the chain. Dean Wagar will succeed him as senior VP of sales. David Pelletier is now executive VP. Taylor Richardson has been promoted to the sales team at United Treating & Distribution, Muscle Shoals, Al. He is the eldest son of VP of sales Darren Richardson.

Shawn Surprenant, L&W Supply, has been promoted to branch mgr. in Hampton, Va. Harry Wood is now branch mgr. in Trenton, N.J. Ryan McInerney has joined the executive team at Weston Forest, Mississauga, Ont., and has been promoted to VP-industrial sales.

Chris Dooley, ex-Trex, has joined Vista Railing Systems, Maple Ridge, B.C., as VP-business development of its commercial multifamily division, VistaPro Architectural Railing Solutions. Tom Killy is new as VP-corporate finance.

Allen Prough has been promoted to president of Kodiak Building Partners’ seven-unit Factory Builder Stores division, Houston, Tx. Gary DuBoff, president, Arrow Fastener, Saddle Brook, N.J., has been promoted to group president, CEO for parent GreatStar Tools USA.

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Colton Nye is exiting the construction trade and taking over as mgr. of the family business, Nye Lumber, Onida, S.D. Lytia Watson, ex-AZEK, has joined Deceuninck North America, Monroe, Oh., as VP of human resources.

Brian Haigis is the new VP of finance & accounting, succeeding Logan Arumugam, who is retiring after 30 years with the company.

Celeste Wegener has been appointed VP of product & brand management for ODL, Inc., Zeeland, Mi. John Brinker has joined Do it Best Corp., Fort Wayne, In., as a lumber sales support coordinator. Also new are Tiffany Cooper, order support specialist; Jim Scalfani, merchandise mgr.-outdoor living; and Ben Skoog, director of brand integration. Newly promoted are Sara Kitzmiller, sales support coordinator; Angela Powe, consumer marketing coordinator; and Maggie Radyn, associate merchandise mgr.-hardware.

Michael Doss, president and CEO, Graphic Packaging International, has been elected board chair of the American Forest & Paper Association, succeeding Mark Sutton, International Paper. He will be joined by 1st vice chair Christian Fischer, Georgia-Pacific, and 2nd vice chair Brian McPheely, Pratt Industries.

Ken Barnum has joined Dur-A-Flex, East Hartford, Ct., as VP of marketing. Patrick O’Connell is the new director of operations, quality & continuous improvement.

Mike Willey, store mgr., 84 Lumber, Annapolis, Md., was named one of the 2020 Faces of the Chesapeake by What’s Up? Media.

Brock Lee is now serving vegan options at the company cafeteria at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, according to co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

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3D PRINTED homes from Mighty Buildings range from the 350-sq. ft.

Mighty Mod studio (upper), which starts at $186,750, to one- or two-bedroom Mighty Houses (lower), which range from 864 to 1,440 sq. ft. and start at $304,000.

Will the Homes of the Future Be Built Using 3D Printers?

Although various international companies are using 3D printers to produce an assortment of construction materials, an Oakland, Ca.-based startup is determined to “print” an entire modular house out of plastic polymer and minerals.

Backed by $30 million in venture capital funding, Mighty Buildings vows to construct houses quicker, cheaper and greener. Currently, about 30% of their studios and tiny one- and two-bedroom homes are 3D printed. The company claims buildings printed later this year will be 60% to 80% 3D printed.

It says that cost savings will come with volume production, but the ecological advantages are here already: the process reportedly cuts construction waste by 99%, because only what is needed is printed. The resultant “light stone material” is reportedly the first 3D-printed product to be UL-certified for home construction.

So far, they have installed six small “accessory dwelling units,” which the homeowners intend to use as secondary homes or rental units. Mighty Buildings has the capacity to crank out 20 structures a month. That capacity should increase to about 80 by year’s end.

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Helping you find the elusive lumber customer.

Visit Nelma4Retailers.com for marketing tools designed to help you attract more customers.

Download or order educational materials, brochures, and design tools that can help your sales team sell more Eastern White Pine and SPFs wood products.

MARKETING BROCHURES DESIGN TOOLS POSTERS

INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO TECHNICAL BROCHURES SOCIAL PROMOTIONAL ITEMS

Nelma4Retailers.com

NORTHEASTERN LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

SPECIAL FOCUS • Eastern White Pine

By Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

THE TALL, straight, strong nature of eastern white pine made the species the perfect choice to Royal Navy masts.

The American Revolution Tea, the King’s Broad Arrow, and...

Eastern White Pine istorians nationwide agree that the primary tipping point that catapulted our country into war with England was the overtaxing of the Colonists, illustrated best by egregious tea taxes. But would you believe that eastern white pine was the spark that lit the flame of the Revolutionary War? Read on!

H

Eastern White Pine: “Check Out These Trees!”

Eastern white pine is the tallest of the pine species in North America, with trees topping out between 150-240 feet tall, and trunks free of branches to heights of 80 feet. These beautiful specimens were plentiful when America was being colonized by England and other European countries, and were soon discovered and prized for their soft, easy to cut, straight, knot-free nature. Unlike hardwoods, eastern white pine will stand tall and strong for years without cracking, and tends to bend—not snap—in high winds.

Eastern white pine is believed to have been first written about by Captain George Weymouth in 1605 as he and his crew explored the coast of what is now Maine. As Captain Weymouth sailed up the Kennebec River, he was overwhelmed by the amazingly tall and straight trees to the point that he and his crew recorded data about them. Today in England, eastern white pines are referred to as Weymouth pines.

The tallest known eastern white pine on record reached 250 feet high and was recorded by William Douglass in a 1760 publication.

Now known as “the Sequoia of the Northeast,” lumber from eastern white pines is light, strong and extremely versatile: builders and contractors love it because it’s easy to cut, shape, and finish. Naturally occurring organic characteristics and slow growth combine to create a fairly high decay-resistance material.

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Colonists Loved Their Eastern Pine... and So Did the British!

What’s the first thing you do when moving to a new location? You get settled in. When it came time to build, the early Colonists quickly discovered that locally grown eastern white pine was not only abundant, but it was the perfect building product for their homes, businesses, bridges and furniture.

Another use for eastern white pine that quickly developed: ship building. Specifically, masts for ocean-going ships. Great Britain needed the strongest and fastest ships on the world’s seas in order to maintain their dominance and influence, and the Royal Navy quickly discovered that using eastern white pine masts made their ships the greyhounds of the ocean.

The dawn of 1623 saw early sawmills in Maine and New Hampshire milling pine masts for the Royal Navy, and two decades after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, “masting” had become the first major industry in New England to take off as the popularity of exporting eastern white pine to shipbuilding ports in the Caribbean, England, and Madagascar skyrocketed.

What does a “mast” pine look like? The perfect candidate would be several hundred years old, about 5 feet in diameter at the butt and approximately 120 feet long with a weight of 10 tons. In order to transport these glorious masts-to-be, special extra-long decks had to be added to existing ships. Eastern white pine masks were well-regarded as both the lightest in weight and the largest in size.

Why was England so fixed on taking lumber from the Colonists? England’s forests were depleted for firewood in the Middle Ages, and by the 17th century the closest resource for mast timber was the Baltic states. Competition for strong Baltic timber with the French, Spanish and Dutch rendered March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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that opportunity unattractive, and a 1654 war with the Dutch closed off British access to Baltic opportunities.

So, England turned her greedy eyes to the Colonies for mast timber. Securing a shipbuilding resource that was theirs and theirs alone became the number one goal of the King and his Royal Navy.

end, the Crown had protected almost all eastern pine trees in the region more than 24” in diameter at 12” above the ground.

This left the Colonists angry and robbed of their primary building product.

With a Rebel Yell

Britain Steps In

In order to properly claim ownership over the best eastern white pine trees in the Colonies, the King appointed a crew of Surveyors of Pines and Timber to search all forests within 10 miles of navigable waterways and to mark all suitable trees with the King’s Broad Arrow. This would signify to the lowly Colonists that such trees were not to be harvested for their own use as they had been claimed by the King.

The King’s Broad Arrow was a series of three hatchet slashes—a tang and two barbs meeting at a center point in a stylized arrow—commonly recognized as a symbol of ownership by the Crown. Three quick swings of a hatchet and the tree was claimed.

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THE KING’S Broad Arrow mark, notched into trees to communicate that the Royal Navy had claimed that tree, consisted of three hatchet marks shaped into a rough arrow.

In 1691, the revised Massachusetts Bay Charter included a “Mast Preservation Clause.” Use of the broad arrow commenced in earnest. By the year’s

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

The early American pioneers had so much excellent timber on their properties, within their grasp, yet they were being told not to touch it. Outraged

by England claiming the wood they so desperately for heat and building, the Colonists decided to pay little attention to the marked trees and continued harvesting eastern white pine for their own needs and uses. From this grew “Swamp Law,” which saw many of the “King’s pines” cut illegally, the broad arrow markings destroyed, and the wood put to necessary use. To make it even better: The broad arrow marking was often falsified on smaller trees following the harvesting of big pines.

This continued rebellion by the Colonists—to include the assault of a New Hampshire agent of the King attempting to accuse lumbermen of stealing

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Eastern White Pine & the American Revolution

Some historians maintain that the denial of the use of local, accessible and greatly needed eastern white pine was the spark that lit the fire of independence among Colonists, a fire further inflamed by the over taxation of tea. History illustrates that eastern pine was certainly not only a potent symbol for the Colonists, but a catalyst to the first acts of rebellion against British rule; in fact, the first revolutionary flag of the Colonists, purportedly flown at the Battle of Bunker Hill, featured an eastern white pine emblazoned in one corner.

Today, rumors persist throughout the state of Maine that trees still bearing the King’s Broad Arrow may be found deep in the piney woods. Let us know if you’ve seen them.

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

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Up featur encou

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n

Building Products Digest

n September 2019

Digest 9-19 Layout.indd 42

Call on Warren Trask for the most comprehensive Eastern Pine inventory and widest selection of Pattern Stock!

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

Call on Warren Trask for all your Eastern White Pine needs.

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March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

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Thank You for Supporting Us Then and Now

A Proud Heritage Since 1881 Searsmont, Maine | www.rlco.com

SPECIAL FOCUS • Eastern White Pine

By Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

History 101:

Lumber Grading (It’s cooler than you think)

ROM THE DESK of the late Richard A. Hale, Professor of Forestry at the University of Maine: On the third day, God created trees to grow on the Earth of a multitude of different kinds, sizes, shapes, colors and strength properties, all to serve the needs of his human creation. These trees were good trees and grew with such a sufficiency of clear wood that the poorer parts of the tree could be cast away, and there was no need for lumber graders.

As time passed, the people of the Earth became more wicked, and God decided that he must destroy all but the best upon the Earth to begin anew. He chose a man named Noah for his agent, for Noah was a good and just man.

F

God instructed Noah to build a massive ark of timber planks to contain hundreds of small rooms and pitched within and without. The length of the ark to be 300 cubits, the breadth 50 cubits and the height of 30 cubits, and three stories shall divide the insides.

God foretold Noah that after seven days he would cause it to rain 40 days and 40 nights, and that the ark should be built and loaded with all of Noah’s family and two of every sort of living creature.

Noah did then draw plans for the ark and a detailed material list, then sent his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth forth to local lumber dealers with the list to purchase sound lumber for the ark. Shem did approach one Isaac, who upon scan-

EARLY VERSIONS of lumber grading involved very different categories and terminology than what is used today.

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ning the list said, “This is a difficult and complex order to fill, but I can have it for thee tomorrow.” Whereupon Shem replied, “If I wanted this tomorrow, I would have ordered it tomorrow,” and departed in anger. (Thus, he did provide many purchasing agents and other unreasonable buyers of goods with a biblical quotation used to this day).

Ham did visit the yard of Ezra, a man renowned for his many so-called bargains. Ezra showed Ham many piles of clear lumber all the while telling how his price was 15 talents per thousand cubits under the other yards.

Ham, however, broke open a few piles and found most pieces were not close to being considered clear lumber and told Ezra, “Take your lumber and jump into the lake.” To which Ezra replied, “We have no lake to jump into.” Ham then said, “In eight or nine days you will have many to choose from.”

Japheth did meet with Samuel the Sawmiller. Samuel did look on the list of Japheth and said he could not fulfill the entire order with clear boards because lumber was in short supply due to the current demand and shortage of ox carts and doubted that anyone else could. He then asked to see the plans of the ark and he then said, “You need clear timbers for your hull, and I can supply these in good planks of gopher wood. I have many cubits of lumber with defects in my mill yard. Perhaps we can find some that can be used for the interior.” So, they did view the lumber with defects, and found enough that could be used for the interior of the ark.

In order to hasten the on-site construction process, Japheth did require his servant, Paul, to separate into piles the clear pieces, pieces with a small number of defects that were to be used in some structural portions of the ark, and

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pieces with greater defect to be used for partitions and flooring. Thus, Paul became the first and last lumber grader of the world before the time of the flood!

Why Lumber Grading Is Important

This story undoubtedly takes considerable liberties with the tale of Noah and the building of the ark; however, it does illustrate some of the problems which culminated in the necessity for writing grade rules for lumber. If all trees were cylindrical and straight, were free of knots and other defects, showed the same width of ring, and contained little or no sapwood, there would be no occasion for classifying the lumber product into grades. Unfortunately, every tree grows in a different way with characteristics that add to or detract from its usefulness for certain purposes.

From the earliest times, the conversion of round trees into desired shapes and sizes for commercial purposes has included the separation of the product into different classes based upon the number, character, and location of distinctive features such as knots, cross grain, stain, decay, pitch streaks and pockets, checks, and wane. Therefore, the direction and width of growth rings and the size, number and location of knots are important considerations with any grade rule.

How Lumber Grading Started in the US (Hint: It Was British)

Let us now look at some real history of lumber grading from its true beginnings in the U.S. Hints of various tree and lumber grades were noted in spatterings of writings from the early 1600s as sawing the vast New England forest began to unfold.

The most famous tree grading was performed by the British king’s appointed surveyors, who “graded” trees to receive the Broad Arrow mark signifying it as the crown’s property.

While most of the lumber was primitively sawn and shaped in the 1600s for home and farming needs, the business of using lumber and squared timbers as a trading material was taking root with the colonists. Cities such as Boston, Portland, Portsmouth, Providence and New Amsterdam continued to grow and expand. Numerous other coastal towns were springing up, all requiring wood material. Separating their sawn products was simplistic at that point, using terms like “marketable” and “worthless.”

Lumber Grading Takes Off

As the buying and selling became more sophisticated in the 1700s, the number of grades expanded and were given a variety of names from highest quality to lowest, such as clear, merchantable, refuse and scoots. The area of the country now known as Maine (part of Massachusetts until 1820) was the first large source of commercial lumber, so it was natural that the initial systematic lumber grading classification in the U.S. would be established here.

These early rules for lumber grading and their measurement were eventually bound in Massachusetts Law in 1783 that required a “surveyor” (lumber grader) in each town to grade and measure all boards for sale as a requirement. No pine boards less than 10 feet could be shipped, and the law included a hefty fine for material arriving in a port for sale without a survey. This law became known as the “Boston Survey” since Boston was the major port of the region and a destination for most all ships carrying lumber for sale, the primary method of getting lumber to market. The law became so unpopular due to the surveyors questionable grading with tendencies to “downgrade” material to keep prices low that sawmills renamed it the “Boston Cheat!”

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LUMBER GRADING in the 1950s was apparently a group activity.

Lumber Grading Expands Across the US

As the country grew westward and the sawmill industry with it, other major hubs for handling lumber were established. Burlington, Vt., became the focus of local and Canadian sawn lumber, and Tonawanda, N.Y., for lumber coming from the Great Lake states to be put on barges for trans-shipment on the Erie Canal. Each port devised its own set of grade levels, with the Tonawanda rule made up of more than 20 grades and sub-categories.

By the late 1800s it became apparent that region-wide common grades, at a minimum, would be needed to uncomplicate the confusion in the process of selling lumber. Regional lumber grading associations were established as a first effort to consolidate the grading systems, based primarily on the area’s wood species.

The first efforts to standardize lumber began in 1922 and resulted in the American Lumber Standard, first published in 1924.

Lumber Grading Today

Over the next 50 years, further standardization took place on official lumber sizes in addition to the establishment of a National Grading Rule for lumber to be used in construction applications. The standard, now called the American Softwood Lumber Standard, has evolved over the years to keep current with ever-changing needs of consumers, regulators and manufacturers. Separate 1” board rules still exist for species used in non-construction, appearance applications, such as Eastern White Pine, maintained and administered by the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA).

Like most industries, lumber manufacturing and grading have come a long way over the last 400 years. Technology permits faster, more efficient lumber production and advanced optics allow for machine grading in many mills.

Those early colonists were blessed to have arrived in areas of vast forests that supplied them with all their habitat needs.

The subsequent years of further development and growth of this country can be directly attributed to the continued supply of grade-stamped lumber manufactured from the only renewable and sustainable building material!

Important Note: This article was made possible through research conducted by Richard A. Hale, a Professor of Forestry at the University of Maine. During his career, Mr. Hale was one of the most respected and revered forestry scholars of his time, who spent his last years making sure his extensive research was housed properly. NELMA was the recipient of a portion of his publication collection in addition to his extensive notes on lumber grading.

Building-Products.com

SPECIAL FOCUS • Eastern White Pine

By Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

The White Pine Monographs 400 years of choosing eastern white pine

E

astern white pine has long been the building material of choice for New Englanders: it’s locally grown, strong, durable, beautiful, and renewable. And would you believe it has a history older than the United States of America? Read on!

Back in the 1600s, when America was being colonized, eastern white pine was a hugely relevant part of construction in the new world. Homes, churches, businesses—wood was used everywhere, including for heat.

Without photos and video, how do we know this? Because of The White Pine Monographs.

tavern or a home making up the design criteria. Content within the Monographs highlighted locations within the Eastern, Mid-Atlantic, and even Southern areas of the young country.

High-quality photographs (for the time!) and well-drawn renderings of building and architectural features made the White Pine Monograph series a popular success. At its peak, upwards of 9,800 architects and architectural designers were on the list to receive copies. Public libraries and universities carried the publication as well, reaching an even higher number of engaged readers.

How It Started

Shout-Out to Lumber Dealers (Then and Now)

First formed in 1915, the White Pine Bureau was tasked with coordinating an advertising campaign on behalf of the white pine manufacturing industry. Supported by an assessment on total lumber production, the Bureau represented two separate white pine organizations: the Northern Pine Manufacturers Association of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan and the Associated White Pine Manufacturers of Idaho.

The flagship promotional piece developed by the Bureau: The White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs (subtitled “A Bi-Monthly Publication Suggesting the Architectural Use of White Pine and Its Availability Today as a Structural Wood”). The purpose of this publication was to encourage the use of white pine as a building materi-

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THE WHITE Pine Monographs first premiered in 1915 as a way to promote the use of eastern white pine throughout the U.S.

al, and a former editor of Architectural Record (1912) was brought on board to oversee the process.

With the first issue of the White Pine Monographs published in 1915, the publications featured early American buildings constructed of white pine inside and out. Each issue would focus on a general architectural style—like Colonial Cottages—or structures in a specific town, or specific architectural elements, like doorways and mantels.

Design contests were sometimes integrated into the Monographs, with specific end-use structures like a roadside

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Issue Volume I, Number 3, copyright 1915, highlighted “Farm Houses of New Netherlands,” and included a special section entitled “Lumber Dealers, Do You Hear the Band?” In this section white pine was hailed as “the wood that America is mostly built of,” and included the quote “You do not have to argue the merits of white pine to your customer. Everywhere are examples of its many uses which have stood the test of years.”

The article continues with strong pressure on lumber dealers to consider the use of white pine, and only white pine. In a statement oddly forward-thinking for 1915, the writer states: “This advertising campaign (the Monographs themselves) is not only a Building-Products.com

help to white pine in competition with other woods, but it is also like a great army of salesmen covering the whole country and persuading people, here, there, and everywhere, to use white pine, who had made up their minds, or were making them up, to build of something which was not only not white pine, but was not wood at all. It is increasing the consumption of lumber and helping the lumber business.”

In 1924, the White Pine Bureau ended its support of the White Pine Monographs and production—and the editor—were picked up by a large manufacturer. The year 1928 saw the title change to The White Pine Monograph Series on Early American Architecture; it then changed again in 1929 to The Monograph Series – Recording the Architecture of the American Colonies and the Early Republic. And the end of 1931, after 98 issues, the Monographs ceased production as a standalone entity and were absorbed by a small architectural trade publication.

How It’s Going

In 2006, the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA) resurrected the series as part of a broader marketing and communications program on behalf of their eastern white pine manufacturing members.

The new iteration of The White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs maintains the look and feel of the original publication, while integrating timely trends and architectural examples regarding the use of eastern white pine, a sustainable and versatile wood species.

“The White Pine Bureau was so far ahead of their time when it came to promoting and marketing eastern white pine,” noted Jeff Easterling, president of NELMA. “The brochures were produced and mailed to lumber producers—as they were called at the time— with specific pages often encouraging ‘use these to show your customers’ what wood can do. It’s truly amazing what they were able to accomplish, and we’re so honored to carry on that tradition following in their footsteps.”

With the original series lasting 27 years, editions of the White Pine Monograph continue to spark interest today within the architecture and design/build community.

NELMA is honored to house in its reference library all of the original historic Monograph booklets along with the new issues published since 2006.

The series can be read or printed online at www.easternwhitepine.org.

Building-Products.com

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n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Wetguard 200 SA, SIGA’s semi-impermeable, non-slippery membrane that protects timbers during construction, is now available in North America.

With its rainproof, abrasion-resistant, transparent and non-slip qualities, it is the first solution to equip building professionals operating in mass timber construction with this kind of a sealing opportunity.

The high-performance modified acrylic-based adhesive is comprised of a flexible non-woven PO backed with a polypropylene release film. Its water-repellent carrier is lined with an anti-slip coating to keep workers safe while walking across wet surfaces. The self-adhered membrane can be factory applied or installed on site.

Building-Products.com

Quick Concrete Sakrete’s new Pro-Mix Accelerated Concrete Mix is ideal for repairs and construction of concrete over 2” thick.

It is the ultimate pre-blended concrete solution for indoor and outdoor applications where rapid return to service is crucial. With excellent workability, it provides a first-class finish for driveways, sidewalks, formwork, warehouse floors, footings, post setting and more.

Full-depth repairs and DOT applications can achieve a drivable surface with a compressive strength greater than 3,000 psi in just one hour, with a final strength of over 7,000 psi. n SAKRETE.COM (866) 725-7383

Self-Adhered Housewrap Combilift’s Aisle Master-OP stand-on electric powered material handler combines the advantages of a narrow aisle articulated forklift and an order picker for versatile operation in warehousing applications.

Its low floor height of 11” enables convenient, single-step access from both sides of the truck, which speeds up order picking compared to the operator having to get on and off from a seated position. The AME-OP truck has all the key advantages of the conventional Aisle Master—indoor/outdoor, for loading/offloading, and for stock replenishment at other times during shifts when order picking is complete.

It comes in a number of variants, with lift capacities up to 3,300-6,000 lbs., lift heights up to 39 ft., and can operate in aisles as narrow as 72”.

Benjamin Obdyke introduced HydroGap SA, the industry’s first self-adhered drainable weather-resistive barrier.

Along with spacers that create a drainage plane, the housewrap features a 100% continuous acrylic adhesive for sealing around fasteners, breathability and increased tear resistance.

The adhesive ensures the WRB adheres to the sheathing while allowing for it to be repositioned upon initial application.

As an acrylic, the adhesive is UV resistant, with an exposure rating of 120 days, and can be installed in temperatures as low as 25 degrees F without a primer. It also increases the housewrap’s tear-resistance and, by providing full contact with the sheathing, diminishes the chance for ballooning and blow-off. A reinforcing scrim helps it hold tight during application to avoid wrinkles. It comes in 80-footlong rolls.

n COMBILIFT.COM (877) 266-2456

n BENJAMINOBDYKE.COM (215) 672-7200

Slim Pickings

Concentrated Fence Stain Fixing a loose screw has never been easier or faster than with DAP’s new Tank Bond Thread Stopper Tape.

It absorbs shock and vibration while holding screws tightly in place. It works on all fastener types and sizes and is ready immediately—no dry time needed. Simply wrap the tape around the threads of any loose screw.

U-C Coatings, LLC is introducing an new long-lasting fence stain product.

Eco Chemical 221 Fence Stain will be sold as a concentrate in four premixed colors, offering customers the equivalent of 15 gallons of working stain in a five-gallon pail. Rather than selling customers water, it provides the concentrated ingredients of a high-quality waterborne alkyd stain that can be more conveniently transported. It is then mixed with two parts water at the jobsite before application.

n DAP.COM (800) 543-3840

n UCCOATINGS.COM (716) 833-9366

Tape to Tighten

Building-Products.com

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

47

Horizontal Rod Rail Deck Dealer Finder A Dealer Locator has been added to Simpson Strong-Tie’s online Deck Planner Software and Pergola Planner Software to help builders effectively manage project logistics and costs.

The tools’ Dealer Locator function generates a Dealer Location page listing the nearest dealers within a five-mile radius of the user’s zip code, and is included as part of the normal report output, which already includes a list of all materials needed to build the deck and pergola projects.

Featuring 3D software, design guides, and an in-app user tutorial, Deck Planner and Pergola Planner are free, web-based design solutions to help contractors, lumberyards and homeowners quickly and easily design dream backyards. n STRONGTIE.COM (800) 999-5099

RDI by Barrette Outdoor Living has added Latitudes Horizontal Rod Rail to its MetalWorks Excalibur product line.

Featuring horizontal 1/2” round steel rods, the preassembled panels are offered in a matte black finish in both 36” and 42” finished rail heights. Panels come in 6’ and 8’ level rail lengths and 6’ for stairs, with welded center supports and secure-fit bushings in the uprights to add strength and safety.

All MetalWorks Excalibur steel panels are factory-welded and preassembled, making installation as easy as measure, cut, install. Their bracketed posts make level installation simple while providing code-compliant bottom spacing. And, the pre-welded base plates also save valuable install time on the job. n RDIRAIL.COM (800) 488-7245

Affordable Elegance Stanley has added two new utility knives to its portfolio of innovative cutting solutions—a versatile Utility Knife with 10-Blade Storage and a ControlGrip retractable Utility Knife.

The tools are ideal for heavy-duty cutting a variety of building materials, from drywall and shingles to flooring and packaging. They provide razor-sharp performance, jobsite durability, comfortable use, and easy blade change.

MoistureShield has combined its Sold Core manufacturing process with CoolDeck and TruTexture Surface technologies into Meridian, a mid-priced capped composite decking.

TruTexture produces a true woodgrain finish and reduced pattern repetition for a more natural look, while CoolDeck reduces heat absorption by up to 35% compared to traditional capped composites.

Offered in three colors (Citadel, Shoreside and Mariner), the line is now available in the Northeast and will roll out to other regions through the year.

n STANLEYTOOLS.COM (800) 262-2161

n MOISTURESHIELD.COM (866) 729-2378

A Couple of Cut-Ups

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n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Building-Products.com

THE NEXT GENERATION IN VIRTUAL EVENTS

Forget “normal,” create something better.

The future of events is both live and digital.

Let’s create something better together.

“The best digital event I’ve attended since the pandemic began.”

- KURT WESTURLUND

Tradeshows National Sales Meetings New Product Launches Open Houses VIP Customer Events

L EA RN M O R E www.526.events

C O N T AC T Padams@526mediagroup.com

EVENT Recap BC Wood Global Buyers Mission

SOCIAL TABLE participants included (top row, l-r) Brian Hawrysh, Chuck Casey, Jim Ivanoff, Brent Comber. (Row 2) Dave Farley, Johnny Matak, Greg Henderson, Randi Walker. (Row 3) Jennifer Raworth, Dai Ona, Ray Greene, JC Lee. (Row 4) Nora Gonzalez, Monica Alvarez.

BC Wood’s virtual Global Buyers Mission spans the globe Close to 700 attendees, from 21 countries, across five continents met virtually with some of the industry’s top Canadian manufacturers and speakers at the week-long 2021 BC Wood Global Buyers Mission.

The 17th annual event, traditionally held in-person in Whistler, B.C., made the decision to pivot for the first time to virtual late last year—giving the organization just 90 days to translate its always-engrossing format into an engaging online experience for industry members around the world.

Unique elements for the event ranged from dynamically translating the entire platform into eight different languages, to tracking AIA educational credits from presentations, to over 200 individual Zoom exhibitor meeting rooms for hundreds of pre-scheduled and on-demand meetings— many with interpreters included. To host the Global Buyers Mission, BC Wood partnered with 526 Media Group’s interactive virtual platform because, according to GBM program manager Randi Walker, “They understood our industry, had direct access to our targeted U.S. audience, and

EXHIBITORS like Interfor’s Greg Fitz and Carl Dobler welcomed attendees to their virtual booth.

50

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

had already successfully delivered virtual trade events for other like-minded industry associations.”

“We were honored to have been chosen by our friends at BC Wood to help them host their marquee event. Having served this industry for almost 100 years puts an extra pressure on our team to never let a client down and to always over-deliver,” said 526 Media Group president Patrick Adams. “Our industry is made up of tough individuals who always find a way forward in challenging market conditions.

This event was too important to a global industry audience for us to deliver anything but perfection.”

Analytics showed that over 85% of the typical attendance registered for the virtual event, with an average daily booth attendance of over three dozen qualified buyers per exhibitor.

In addition to being able to take buyers on video plant tours and present in-booth, live accredited seminars, exhibitors also received critical lead generation reports to follow up on after the event.

While this virtual event was made as a necessary substitute due to COVID, the feedback has been so positive that BC Wood is planning a virtual component to its in-person 2022 event. Walker said, “Based on survey feedback from our international audience, it is clear that we will move forward with some level of virtual delivery incorporated into our next live event. Many buyers indicated that having it virtual meant more of their critical staff could attend and meet with suppliers directly, something companies, particularly from Asian and European markets, simply couldn’t afford to do for a live event.”

Building-Products.com

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IN Memoriam Donald Charles “Don” Hasson, 70, president and CEO of House-Hasson Hardware, Knoxville, Tn., died Feb. 15 due to health issues complicated by COVID-19.

After graduating from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville in 1972, he joined the wholesale hardware business co-founded by his grandfather. He succeeded his father at the helm in 1986.

Hasson was past president of the Southern Wholesale Hardware Association, National Hardware Association, 2009 president of Hardware Group Association, 1994 chair of International Hardware Distributors Association, and multi-term chairman of Distribution America.

James A. Bibler, former owner of Bibler Bros. Lumber Co., Russellville, Ar., passed away Jan. 15. He was 86.

A third generation lumberman, he left college at Arkansas Tech to begin working at the mill in 1955. He ws named president in 1967, serving until 1998 when he sold a majority interest in the business to Freeman Brothers. West Fraser acquired it in 2014.

Bibler was appointed to the Arkansas Forestry Commission in 1978, serving as chairman from 1984 to 2002. He was president and chairman of the board of the Southern Forest Products Association from 1983 to 1984, a member of the board of governors of the National Forest Products Association from 1984 to 1985, chairman of the Ouachita Timber Purchasers Group, director of the Southern Pine Inspection

52

Bureau and National Forest Products Association, and inductee into the Arkansas Agriculture Hall of Fame.

John Emile “Jack” Johannsen, 76, vice president and part owner of McGowan White Lumber Co., Augusta, Ga., died Dec. 19.

A 1967 graduate of Augusta College, he served as regional manager-pine lumber purchasing for Georgia-Pacific, and managed the lumber buying office at Wickes Corp. and Builder Marts of America before joining McGowan White in 1979.

Matthew McGucken, 81, retired co-owner of Native Lumber Co., Wallingford, Ct., died Feb. 10.

A native of Ireland, he was a veteran of the U.S. Army.

Mary B. Fisher, 92, co-owner of KenMar Lumber Co., Port Carbon, Pa., died Jan. 20 in Pottsville, Pa. At KenMar, she worked as secretary and bookkeeper alongside her husband, Kenneth R. Fisher.

Joseph Wayne Rose, 77, owner of Rose Lumber Co., Northport, Al., died Feb. 8. He owned and operated the sawmill for more than 60 years.

R.A. “Tony” O’Callaghan, 85, former chairman of Universal Builders Supply, New Rochelle, N.Y., passed away Feb. 9 Shortly after graduating from Columbia University, he joined his father’s business, UBS, retiring as chairman in 2010.

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

Campaign Seeks to Lure New Talent to Wood Industry

The Wood Industry Resource Collaborative launched a new industrywide career awareness campaign, “You Wood,” to communicate wood industry career pathways and attract new talent.

The campaign features a website with career resource info, including profiles of high-demand positions, career quizzes, links to schools and scholarships, industry information, and an events calendar. The site will be continually updated, and features will be added, including industry pro spotlights, additional career pathway information, and custom video content.

The program was developed by several industry trade associations led

by AWFS, Woodworking Machinery Industry Association, and Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, in partnership with Nashville, Tn.based Industrial Strength Marketing.

“This campaign is the culmination of over three years of communication, research and hard work,” said WMMA CEO Fred Stringfellow. “Companies in the industry are still struggling to find skilled workers as they grow to meet demand. We are excited to launch this campaign as a way to increase awareness, and to expand the pool of candidates for our future workforce.”

It is geared towards two audiences: high school students and those in their mid-20s to late 30s seeking a career change, such as veterans. A recent of these audiences found that over 70% of all respondents had no awareness of wood industry careers; however, 23% would consider a career in the industry.

Building-Products.com

Page

ADVERTISERS Index

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

32

American Wood Technology www.americanwoodtechnology.com

21

Crumpler Plastic Pipe www.cpp-pipe.com

25

DMSi www.dmsi.com

43

Durgin & Crowell Lumber Co. www.durginandcrowell.com

Cover II

Everwood Treatment Co. www.everwoodtreatment.com

34

Fasco America www.fascoamerica.com

University of Innovative Distribution – March 13-17, virtual conference; www.univid.org.

Great Southern Wood Preserving www.yellawood.com

Wallace Hardware – March 15-April 12, spring virtual online show; www.wallacehardware.com.

28-29

NELMA Insider

Do it Best – March 7-19, virtual spring market; www.doitbest.com.

By Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

45

m er in Hancock s r sLumber firs www.hancocklumber.com live chat launches

23

I

n 2015, the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturer’s Association launched the wood industry’s first-ever cartoon, featuring the cleverly named characters of Skip & Wane. Joined by Spike Knot the dog, Dolly Varden, and a host of other lumber-related named characters, the regularly occurring strip focuses on the challenges frequently faced within the industry… with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Over the months, the association began to brainstorm ways for Skip & Wane to work harder for NELMA members, to do more to help promote the wood industry. Just recently, the “what’s next?” for Skip & Wane become apparent: they needed a job.

39

Manufacturers of Quality

Eastern White Pine

• Producing 18 million bd. ft. annually

7

• Weinig Waco maxi planer specializes in pattern stock • 10 USNR dry kilns – total capacity 430,000 bd. ft.

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

33 Sales: Win Smith, Jr. win@limingtonlumber.com

(207) 625-3286 • Fax (207) 625-7399 www.limingtonlumber.com

5

42

n Building Products Digest n September 2019

Digest 9-19 Layout.indd 42

Frame Building Expo – March 3-5, sponsored by National Frame Building Association, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Nashville, Tn.; www.nfba.org.

Koppers Performance Chemicals www.kopperspc.com VISITORS TO the main NELMA website will be greeted by avatars of Skip, Wane and the crew, welcoming their questions.

Limington Lumber www.limingtonlumber.com Manufacturers Reserve Supply www.mrslumber.com IF USERS click the pop-up box, a NELMA staffer will converse, on behalf of their favorite cartoon character.

And thus the various members of the Skip & Wane family have headed to work for NELMA! What will they be doing?

Working the keyboard for the brand-new, just-launched Live Chat feature at www.nelma.org!

“As far as we can tell, NELMA is the first lumber association nationwide to provide a live chat service option to website users,” said Jeff Easterling, president of NELMA. “We are always searching for more innovative ways to help our members, and providing this exceptionally high level of customer service to their potential customers meets a real need.”

Maze Nails www.mazenails.com How it Works

Upon visiting the main NELMA website, a chat box, featuring avatars of Skip, Wane and the crew, pops up encouraging users to ask questions or talk about NELMA

Norbord www.norbord.com

Building-Products.com

8/22/2019 3:26:09 PM

Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club – March 9, golf & clay shoot, Carolina Hotel, Pinehurst, N.C.; www.lumberclub.org.

Ace Hardware Corp. – March 9-12, virtual spring convention; www. acehardware.com.

Forest Economic Advisors – March 11, virtual Global Softwood Log & Lumber Conference; www.getfea.com.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – March 16-17, Leadership Summit: The Virtual Experience; www.nawla.org.

Structural Insulated Panel Association – March 16-18, virtual annual meeting; www.sips.org.

Blish-Mize – March 18-20, 150th anniversary spring market, Overland Park Convention Center, Overland Park, Ks.; www.blishmize.com.

LMC – March 22-26, virtual annual meeting; www.lmc.net.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association – March 24, LBM marketing symposium, St. Louis, Mo.; www.themla.com.

Montreal Wood Convention – March 24, MWC Experience free online event; www.montrealwoodconvention.com.

Tampa Build Expo – March 24-25, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Fl.; www.buildexpousa.com.

Hardwood Manufacturers Association – March 24-26, national conference & expo, Austin, Tx.; www.hmamembers.org.

35

North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. www.nawla.org

Cover I, 36

Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. www.nelma.org

9

Paneltek Products www.paneltekproducts.com

Kentucky Forest Industries Association – April 6-8, annual meeting, Embassy Suites, Lexington, Ky.; www.kfia.org.

27, Cover IV

Redwood Empire www.buyredwood.com

International Wood Products Association – April 14-16, virtual World of Wood Convention; www.iwpawood.org.

40

Robbins Lumber www.rlco.com

Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association – April 19-21, annual convention & exposition, Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, In.; www.ihla.org.

38

Sandy Neck Traders www.sntraders.com

Woodworking Industry Conference – April 20-23, Hotel Del Coronado, Coronado, Ca.; woodworkingindustryconference.com.

38

Seaboard International Forest Products www.sifp.com

19

Simpson Strong-Tie www.strongtie.com

Cover III

Swanson Group Sales Co. www.swansongroup.biz

39

Warren Trask Co. www.wtrask.com

13

Western Forest Products www.westernforest.com

3

Weyerhaeuser www.weyerhaeuser.com

Building-Products.com

Peak Auctioneering – March 27, LBM auction, Middletown, N.Y.; www.peakauction.com.

International Mass Timber Conference – March 30-April 1, virtual conference; www.masstimberconference.com.

Transload Distribution Association of North America – April 2123, Westin Denver Downtown, Denver, Co.; www.tdana.com.

Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club – April 29, annual beach meeting, Myrtle Beach, S.C.; www.lumberclub.org.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – April 29, Southeast regional meeting, Meridian, Ms.; www.nawla.org.

Welcome Aboard!

BPD is thrilled to introduce to our readers firsttime advertiser Paneltek Products, manufacturer of engineered cedar siding and shingle panels, as well as WRC and DF lumber. Check out their offerings at www.paneltekproducts.com.

March 2021 n Building Products Digest n

53

FLASHBack 45 Years Ago This Month

Forty-five years ago this month,

in March of 1976, BPD’s sister publication, The California Lumber Merchant, covered news of reportedly the world’s first underground plantation.

It seems that 3,000 ft. below the surface in Kellogg, Id., some 4,000 pondersoa, lodgepole and Austrian pine tree seedlings were growing in one of the ventilation shafts of the 90-year-old Bunker Hill Mine, comforted by a 75-degree temperature, ideal humidity, and insect-free air.

“Sunlight” was approximated by high intensity multi-vapor quartz lamps.

According to local lore, decades earlier an unknown miner had tossed aside an orange seed, which eventually sprouted into a fruitbearing tree. Thereafter, other miners began growing tomatoes, peppers, cacti, beans and a 20-yearold, 6-ft.-tall lemon tree.

Construction of the 40-ft.-long greenhouse had started the previous summer. The trees remained below ground for six months before they were transplanted outside.

In addition to producing merchantable timber, the nursery would also supply trees that could be replanted locally, to revegetate

THE MARCH 1976 front cover promoted Louisiana-Pacific’s redwood gleaned from its Northern California timberlands and manufacturing facilities. The operations were purchased by the Mendocino Family of Companies in 1998.

land affected by Bunker Hill’s own mining projects.

Estimates put the cost of producing the containerized trees at $80 per thousand compared with $300 per thousand in above-ground commercial nurseries. Additionally, the trees showed better survival and growth rates than those grown in outdoor seedbeds and planted with bare roots while dormant.

The experiment was such a success, operators decided to extend the greenhouse an additional 6 ft., increasing its capacity to 13,000 trees. Long-term, they hoped to enlarge the greenhouse to 510 ft. long to produce two successive crops totaling 100,000 trees per year.

In other news of 45 years ago: • The National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association developed an advertising program for its retailer members. The series of eight ads, with illustrations by caricaturist Jim Herron, targeted do-ityourself homeowners and could be incorporated into dealers’ own marketing programs, including use in ads, window and counter card displays, and taxi/panel truck advertising.

• A new wholesale distribution yard, California Timberline, was launched in Santa Ana, Ca., by former United Wholesale co-workers Bill Gunnell, Pete Skibba, and Bob Porter.

The firm is still going strong, though now based in Chino, Ca. • Boise Cascade acquired sawmills from Avery Brothers Lumber Co. in Kettle Falls, Wa., and from Olsen-Lawyer Lumber Co. in White City, Or. It shuttered the White City plant in 2008, but continues producing in Kettle Falls.

SUBTERRANEAN NURSERY in Bunker Hill Mine, Kellogg, Id., would continue on even after the shafts were closed to mining in 1981.

54

n Building Products Digest n March 2021

• Lumber companies in the U.S. were weighing the possibility of switching from bd. ft. to meters, after President Ford signed a bill into law setting up a Metric Conversion Board to encourage a voluntary changeover to metric measurements.

Spoiler alert: It didn’t catch on.

Building-Products.com

BPD

Building Products Digest 151 Kalmus Dr. Ste. E200 Costa Mesa, CA 92626-5959

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