BPD May 2014

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DOUBLE YOUR DECKING SALES IN 12 MONTHS яБо NAWLA WHOLESALERS SPECIAL ISSUE MAY 2014

Building Products Digest

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

OUR VALUE PROPOSITION 2014

WHY YOU’LL NEVER NEED ANOTHER EWP SUPPLIER:

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May 2014

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Building Products Digest

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Special Features 8 FEATURE STORY

HOW TO DOUBLE YOUR DECKING SALES IN 12 MONTHS

12 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

LATEST IN COMPOSITE DECKING

14 MARGIN BUILDERS

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20 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE 22 OLSEN ON SALES 28 MOVERS & SHAKERS 49 IN MEMORIAM 50 NEW PRODUCTS

34 SPECIAL FOCUS: NAWLA

59 ASSOCIATION UPDATE

NETWORKING EVENTS FOR WOMEN • TRADERS MARKET TO CHICAGO • GAUGING LUMBER MARKETS • SETTING CREDIT LIMITS • TOPPING TRANSACTIONAL SALES • FOREST CARBON ACCOUNTING

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TOTALLY Random

By Alan Oakes

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I

nothing better than finding the right career and being extraordinarily happy. I wonder how many of us find that. When I’m asked if I followed my dream path, I’ve always replied that I never had the imagination to know what I wanted to be; everything good and bad just seemed to follow on from the job before.

When I was 19, my immediate path was determined to a degree when I decided that I wanted a car, but could not afford one. So I began looking at sales positions that offered a company car. Soon after, I became the proud driver of a brand new station wagon, all paid for. At 22, after getting married the year before and with a baby on the way, we needed to buy a house. To do that, I had to up my earnings and get paid by a combination of salary and commission. The more I sold, the more I earned. Naturally, I then needed more, and to do that I needed my first management job, so at 24… You get the idea. Of course, by 50, I was completely burned out. Would I swap any of it? No! But I sometimes regret that I could not find a life balance. It took me to my 60s before I finally got it.

I am a true Baby Boomer. In today’s workplace, we have three or possibly four generations working alongside each other, and each looks at the other with increasing incredulity.

Interestingly, you read regularly how this industry is not attracting and retaining enough young talent, and this was a topic at the recent NAWLA executive leadership conference.

As the industry moves back into a growth mode, I see a number of companies are concerned where they will find their new leadership.

Many of the new Gen Y’ers (born from 1979 to 2002, with 70 million strong) are now hitting the workforce in large numbers. They currently comprise about 14% of the workforce. They are quite different and have different expectations from my generation, as well as the Gen X’ers. As a seasoned manager, I imagine it would be difficult to manage this new generation, one that’s incredibly sophisticated, especially technology-wise, and that wants to work, but doesn’t want work to be their lives, like me and many of my generation.

Gen Y members are more racially and ethnically diverse, and they are much more segmented as an audience, aided by the rapid expansion of cable TV channels, satellite radio, the Internet, e-zines, etc. They have no compunction in changing companies or even careers, making them difficult to retain. Indeed, they don’t expect to stay in a job long.

And, because of my generation’s hire-and-fire mentality, they see no value in loyalty.

They are also very sure of themselves and their abilities, appearing to want to run before they can walk, disinterested in long-term projects, preferring to multi-task, and — due to how they were raised, with no downtime and one at-school or after-school activity after another—getting bored easily. They are both high performance and high maintenance.

More importantly, they possess a confidence in their own value that may not match our view of them. We are used to a command-and-control style of management, yet they grew up differently. We never questioned our parents; they grew up challenging everything, and they are now doing the same in the workforce, aggravating perhaps their different generational manager. They love their independence and are unafraid of challenging the status quo. They text the person in the next cubicle, when we would just get up and actually talk.

They also want great flexibility in how—and when—they work. This alone may be our industry’s hardest challenge. Unlike us career-minded Boomers, Gen Y wants their jobs to accommodate their lifestyles and family life. They love working when they want to work, enjoy telecommuting, or feel they’re entitled to the corner office after six months. In the end, they want a place to show their creativity and independent thinking, where they can work collaboratively and with great flexibility. After 9/11, they saw that life can be short and should be valued more.

I deliberately framed this column with a “we”/“them” slant, since it’s become clear there is a divide. This is our future. Every company will have to determine what it will or will not do. Many companies will have to change.

According to a recent survey, 60% of companies are experiencing generational divide, and 70% of older employees are dismissive of younger employees and their abilities (and, I suspect, the other way round, too). Somewhere the two must meet and find an “us.”

CAN IMAGINE

Alan Oakes, Publisher ajoakes@aol.com

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

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FEATURE Story

By Bill Ross, Fiberon

How to double your decking business in 12 months

O

the North American Deck and Rail Association, I recently presented a talk to a large group of independent lumberyards on how to double their decking business in 12 months. I used four case studies to illustrate the diverse thinking and actions that defined winning strategies in four very different dealer scenarios.

Each one had seemingly insurmountable challenges.

Dealer 1 had a good location, but it was on a busy road and was hard to physically access. Exterior signage and displays are not permitted. The sales team was initially not focused on the category, and the store was not N BEHALF OF

consumer friendly. Merchandising was uncoordinated, displays were not updated, and it seemed to be the repository of every deck and rail display in existence.

Dealer 2 shares a physical parking lot with the nation’s largest big box retailer of building materials. If that wasn’t enough, both stores sold many of the same decking and railing products, and the big box had lower prices on several of those core products.

Dealer 3 was a small stand-alone decking retailer. It was visible from the interstate, but was a destination location and far off the actual access road. The store was surrounded by

BEST-IN-CLASS dealers start selling the dream at the front door with displays that go way beyond the functional.

Photos by Bill Ross, Fiberon

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larger, stronger, multi-yard companies that invested heavily in advertising and had sales teams that were pretty good at selling decking.

Dealer 4 was located 20 miles outside the key population center. It had a remote location on a back road, with a small interior space and limited yard area.

In spite of the challenges, each dealer achieved success that dwarfed the topic of doubling their decking business. What did they do? How did they beat the odds? What were their strategies and tactics? Did they incur significant incremental costs? What synergies did they enjoy? What relationships did they leverage? And—the real question from the room—were their successes reproducible so other dealers could do the same?

In reviewing the success of the case studies—each so different from the other, the first and the third examples were the result of developing and executing well-formed plans. The success of the other two companies was the outcome of an evolutionary process, a modicum of luck, and a lot of hard work. At first glance, the only common thread was the category in which they competed and that they enjoyed enviable success. But, the different situations, the dissimilar circumstances, and the varied approaches did have common themes, and because of that they can be replicated.

Using the framework of the Consumer Relevancy Model explored in The Myth of Excellence: Why Great Companies Never Try to Be the Best at Everything (Crawford and Mathews), Building-Products.com

the diverse paths to success in their dissimilar circumstances could be clearly seen, along with the patterns and competitive advantages upon which each built their successes. The Consumer Relevancy Model states that every commercial transaction has five defining attributes: price, access, product, experience and service.

The book refutes a widely held belief that great companies are or should try to be great at everything.

The research exposes that greatness in all five attributes is confusing, illogical and unprofitable. The sweet spot of great companies, regardless of the industry, is that they dominate in one attribute, differentiate in a second attribute, and target industry par as the goal of the other three. The Consumer Relevancy Model explains how subtle but defining differences in strategy between similar companies (e.g., Walmart and Target) result in unquestioned brand superiority within what seems like the same space.

None of the four case study companies were great at everything, but they did each dominate in one attribute, differentiate in a second, and were at industry par with the other three. Most importantly, each company stood for something. They knew what that was and they conveyed consistent messaging to internal and external customers.

Their successes, whether the result of a carefully crafted plan or the outcome of evolutionary effort, clearly fit into the Consumer Relevancy Model.

Let’s dig a bit deeper into the dealer that shares a physical parking lot with the large national retailer of building materials and what that dealer did to enjoy unprecedented success. If we were to summarize the strategy that resulted in success, in light of The Consumer Relevancy Model, it might look like this: Dominate – Access Differentiate – Product Industry Par – Experience, Price, Service The dealer dominates in access, differentiates in product, and operates at industry par in experience, price and service.

Access. Instead of thinking of the big box as stealing traffic, they viewed it as raining potential customers upon them. If the customer who traveled to the common parking lot could be enticed to visit them after leaving the big box, they would be leveraging a high volume of traffic that they could never afford to buy themselves. To do Building-Products.com

SELLING ACCELERATES once inside the store. There is no mistake that decking is a central focus of this retailer.

this, the dealer positioned a large, highly visible sign on the side of their building facing the competitor. It read, “The Deck and Railing Experts.” The tactic is similar to the cartoon where a mega hardware store moves in next to the mom-and-pop store. The mega store sports a really huge “Sale” sign on its facade, so the mom-and-pop store places a large red arrow and, alongside it, the word “Entrance” above their door. The strategy worked well and traffic was strong.

Product. Both retailers stocked identical product lines. How did that provide an opportunity to differentiate? Rather than see this as an insurmountable obstacle, they saw this as a competitive opportunity.

Despite carrying the same product, the big box retailer was limited, competitively, in several ways. First, because of space, the big box could only offer one color in stock. Second, and importantly, because of aisle size and the fact that everything had to fit inside the store, it could only inventory decking in 8’, 12’, and 16’ lengths.

The big box did have a competitive price on the one color it had in stock.

The 8’ and 12’ decking were loss leaders, which created an illusion of ultralow pricing. If you looked beyond the loss leaders you would find that the 16’ decking in-stock was about the same in both stores, while the special order 20’ decking, fascia, riser and railing materials were a lot higherpriced. The independent retailer also stocked two other colors that the big box had to special order and charge more for.

Experience. The dealer, with help from its suppliers, built attractive outdoor displays on an unusable sloped hill. Each display was well-appointed with railing, lighting and signage.

They were attractively designed and inviting with furniture and fire pits.

Consumers didn’t have to imagine what products would look like, they could see completed projects.

Price. They chose to not compete on a per lineal foot basis, which would force them to explain the competitor’s loss leader strategy. The dealer conveyed their pricing on a per square foot basis, using a 20’-by-20’ deck as their model. They showed both stores’ material lists and retail pricing, side by side. This merchandising of pricing positioned the independent as competitive to lower on decks that used 20’ decking and did not use 8’ decking.

Service. The independent retailer’s sales staff was well trained on deck products and deck design. They invested with manufacturers in semiannual training events for staff and builders. Local building inspectors were invited to teach code basics, permitting process, etc., to the sales team.

They were equipped to demystify the process, they could help a d-i-yer successfully navigate the entire process or put a homeowner in contact with a professional deck builder who could execute the entire process.

They leveraged both the strengths and the weaknesses of their competition in their own favor. This was an evolutionary process for the dealer, but in retrospect, the reason for its success is clear. The independent sells

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SUPERIOR MERCHANDISING of high-margin accessories encourages the selling of high-end accessories and the whole job.

20 times more decking, railing and accessories than the big box store.

Talk about being given lemons and making lemonade—this dealer owned it. Each of the other case studies is as creative in thinking, but pragmatic in execution—and equally successful.

So, how would you go about doubling your decking business in 12 months? It requires, first, a deep selfevaluation. Ask yourself how committed you are to success. If you think you are 110% committed, then the lessons of toward, to and through will make sense. They were taught to me

by Jesse, my son. That I learned those lessons playing disc golf is not important; ball golfers have learned these same lessons.

Toward. Toward lacks focus. It attempts, but it is not committed. Its efforts are merely in the general direction of a goal, but has no defined goal, and relies as much on good fortune as skill. This is the effort of the masses.

To. To is focused. The vision is clearly upon achieving the goal, and it depends on skill, not luck. It strives for success, but it is not fully committed and too often falls just short at the very moment of success.

Through. Through accepts the risk of overshooting, but will not risk falling short of the goal. Through never falls short. Through is the effort of winners.

If you are not 110% committed, find another area in the business where you can apply that degree of commitment.

What separates you from your competition and far greater success than you are currently enjoying? My

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experience suggests it’s much less than you think. I am reminded of the difference when the temperature of water increases from 211˚ to 212˚. It flashes from liquid to gas and increases 1,600 fold in volume. One single degree makes all the difference. There is a tipping point. To double your decking (insert any category) business, you must fully commit to winning and seeing it through. You must shoot through your goal.

What’s the first step? Deeply evaluate the marketplace in which you compete. Why deeply? Because it’s too easy to fool yourself and find the answers you already believe are the truth. Deep, honest evaluation asks you to assume nothing as a given, but to ask the hard questions and to listen, to understand and see with new eyes.

Who are your current customers?

How strong are your relationships?

Really, how do you know? Who isn’t your customer today that you want to have buying from you? How strong are they with their current supplier?

Why aren’t they buying from you? Do you know what they really think about your business? Who are the competitors? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How do they see you?

Where are you weak and strong? Do you have the right products? Are you confusing customers? Are you buying the best way? The list goes on…

Are you able to ask and listen to the hard truths of why they are not doing business with you? Are you able to elicit, receive and welcome criticism?

Will you allow yourself to see yourself through the customer’s eyes?

A deep market analysis is followed May 2014

by a willingness to see things as they are in the eyes of others, then to get in front of the right people, ask the right questions, and listen for the truths (opportunities) in their answers. This can be time consuming if you are deep in the fray, but it can be done.

There are numerous professional resources to help you develop your plan. Some are free. Manufacturers can be a good resource for free local market information. Informal customer councils can provide great information. Look to NADRA as a resource for higher level data. There are market intelligence resources available through a number of resources like Principia and Freedonia.

Increasingly, there are third party experts like Lanies LBM Solutions and others that have taken this exact topic as the 100% focus of their company’s mission. This full presentation, including the case study, is available upon request via GoToMeeting.

I’ll finish with a story about Larry Walters, one of my personal heroes.

Larry was a truck driver living in California who always dreamed of flying. On July 2, 1982, Larry finally did what he dreamed of for so long—he was flying. We first found out about him when a plane flying to LAX reported seeing something flying in the approach corridor that was not supposed to be there. A report from the crew of a second plane had the FAA scramble aircraft to investigate.

It was Larry Walters. He had attached 43 helium-filled weather balloons to his aluminum lawn chair. He was also equipped with a BB gun, a CB radio with which he maintained ground contact, a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a six pack of beer, and a parachute. He heard all the reasons why he couldn’t fly and ignored them, completed extensive planning, and, with unconventional execution, accomplished his dreams.

Upon landing (and as he was being handcuffed), reporters asked him if he was afraid. He replied, “Yes, wonderfully so!” When asked if he would do it again, he answered, “No!” And when asked why he did it, he replied, “You can only dream about something so long. Eventually you have to decide to do something about it.”

I invite you to share your stories with me. Good selling.

– Bill Ross is v.p. of sales for Fiberon, New London, N.C., and president of the North American Deck & Rail Association.

Reach him at billr@fiberon.com.

Building-Products.com

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PRODUCT Spotlight Outdoor Living

The latest in composite decking

B

Y ALL ACCOUNTS ,

2014 promises to be a good year in outdoor living—a category that’s projected to reach $5.7 billion in sales by 2016.

Manufacturers of composite decking are taking note.

“Decks and porches are now considered true extensions of a home’s living space,” says Adam Zambanini, v.p. of marketing for Trex. “People are realizing that it’s far more economical to expand their living space outside than to enlarge or renovate their home’s interior.”

TIMBERTECH’S new Legacy Collection is a fully capped composite with the color and grain of fine hardwoods.

GOOD LIFE composite decking from Fiberon has a protective, three-sided capped surface that resists staining, fading, mold, and mildew.

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Not surprisingly, Zambanini believes that composite decking will be the first choice for homeowners. To simplify the decision process, the company has reorganized its products into three distinct groups—Select, Enhanced and Transcend—allowing consumers to choose the product that best meets their outdoor living needs.

According to Zambanini, composite decking is also popular with consumers who care about sustainability and the environment.

“Composite decking provides the look and feel of real wood, but without the environmental impact, making it the ideal choice for today’s eco-conscious consumers,” says Zambanini.

“Upkeep is hassle-free and requires no sanding, staining or painting. Food and drinks wash off easily with just soap and water.”

Maintenance is even easier with today’s new hard-shell technology, May 2014

which minimizes upkeep and offers the look of wood that has been painted or stained. TimberTech’s new Legacy Collection, the latest member of its Earthwood Evolutions line of fully capped composite decking, has the color and grain of fine hardwoods.

“This collection represents the most authentically unique styles in capped composite decking today,” asserts Toby Bostwick, director of product management at TimberTech parent CPG Building Products. “It brings a richness and elegance reminiscent of the days of hand-crafted wood floor planks you would see in a fine home or charming historic barn.”

Fiberon’s newly introduced Good Life composite decking has a protective, three-sided capped surface that resists staining, fading, mold and mildew, while targeting value-con-

MOISTURESHIELD PRO deck boards were designed to meet consumers’ preference for capstock composite decking.

Building-Products.com

Don’t Forget the Finishing Touches

ARMADILLO LITE composite decking, made by Rhino Deck, is 20% lighter than comparable composite boards.

scious consumers.

“The new Good Life line delivers exceptional performance and value, making it an economically viable alternative to a whole new segment of the home-owning population,” says Doug Mancosh, president of Fiberon. “Our channel partners will see a new wood-alternative customer walk through their doors now that a high-performance decking option is available at such a good price.”

Another new entry in the field of capped composites is MoistureShield Pro capstock decking, recently introduced

by AERT. “This new line will make it possible to reach even further into markets where capstock is becoming the preference,” says Brent Gwatney, senior v.p. of sales and marketing for MoistureShield. “We want to fulfill all homeowners’ decking preferences, whether it be with a natural wood-like composite or the benefits of a lower-maintenance cap.”

The newest line of composite decking from Rhino Deck is called Armadillo Lite. The line is made from 100% postconsumer recycled material and has a uniquely fluted underside that makes it 20% lighter than comparable composite decking. A wrapped polyethylene coating protects against fading, weathering and staining.

TAMKO Building Products has a new option for its EverGrain and Envision decking: grooved boards. The compression-molded boards are easier to install and feature the natural look of wood, with no repeat grain patterns and a dramatic deep grain.

TruGrain decking from Westech Building Products represents a whole new category of composite decking. It is made of Resysta, which was developed in Germany and is made from rice husks, mineral oil, and salt.

“This is the very first product that looks like exotic or tropical hardwood, is 100% recyclable, and is durable and long-lasting like foamed composites,” says general manager Renee Havrilla. “Water-resistant surfaces with the look of wood are our future.”

TAMKO’S Evergrain and Envision composite decking is now available in grooved deck boards that are easier to install.

Building-Products.com

A host of new lighting and railing products allow consumers to take an ordinary outdoor living space from commonplace to extraordinary.

“Builders and homeowners are looking for enhancements that maximize the style and enjoyment of their outdoor spaces,” says Chris Camfferman, senior product manager for Universal Forest Products, which produces the Deckorators line of deck accessories.

Its Classic and Estate balusters are come in textured white and gray, plus weathered brown, to complement the leading deck and railing colors. Two new aluminum baluster styles, the Twist and Ellipse, offer a variety of style options.

New solar post caps are crafted from pine and feature frosted glass and warm LED lights. Four styles can be chosen: Heritage, Archway and Hammered Metal, plus a caststone cover named Woodland Gray.

“The right lighting can take any outdoor space from invisible to inviting,” says Ronald W. Kaplan, chairman, president and c.e.o. of Trex. “The right products allow homeowners to create customized outdoor living spaces that are compatible and consistent in both look and performance.”

The company’s LED lighting products feature snap-in installation, use less energy than traditional lights, and are cool to the touch—making them safe for children and pets.

FEENEY LED RAIL LIGHT KIT

New LED rail light kits from Feeney function as an outdoor lighting accent and a visual aid for low-light areas. Two lengths are offerd (21” and 32”) with either a 35- or 60-watt power kit. The lights recess into the underside of top and bottom rails of the company’s DesignRail railing systems.

Iluma LED lighting from i-lighting is designed to work with any form of outdoor railing system. Photocell technology senses ambient light and automatically turns lights on and off for both safety and security.

Digger Specialties is offering a drink rail adapter kit that can support either a wood or composite deck board on top— providing a safe perch for beverages. The Westbury pre-drilled aluminum rail comes individually sleeved as a kit, with one rail and screws, for DIGGER DRINK RAIL easy installation.

ADAPTER KIT

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MARGIN Builders

By Carey Walley, AZEK/TimberTech

Help customers dream big with outdoor living design tips, tools EXPERTS ADVISE selling backyard projects as “outdoor rooms” instead of merely decks.

A

S SPRING ARRIVES after a rough winter in many regions of the country, homeowners are feverishly beginning to plan for their outdoor living spaces.

As a focal point of warm weather entertainment, an outdoor living space can become a luxurious retreat, given the right design, materials and amenities. Knowing how to approach customers to get them involved in the design process can spur their imagination, allowing projects to expand and get more creative. This boosts margins for dealers and contractors and provides exciting design possibilities for homeowners that they might not have imagined.

Here are some ideas for expanding the vision and bringing together the dealer, contractor and homeowner as a collaborative team.

Use Low Maintenance Materials at the Start

Using low-maintenance materials can help the homeowner think bigger and out of the box from the get-go.

Take the hassle of maintenance and frequent repair out of the equation, and the design possibilities become limitless.

“Using the newest low-maintenance deck and railing materials ensures the customer’s investment will pay off with an outdoor space that exceeds their wildest dreams,” says Steve Miller, v.p-sales, Holmes Lumber, Millersburg, OH, a division of Carter Lumber.

Mel Westerman of Cape Cod Lumber, Abington, Ma., agrees, adding that the new capped composites offer an

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(Photo of capped composite decking by TimberTech)

extra layer of protection to resist staining, fading and scratching, while cellular PVC decking offers the broadest color choices with stain- and scratch-resistance.

“Today’s durable products give customers more freedom to be creative and put some artistry into their backyard projects,” he said. “These decking options provide the perfect backdrop for elaborate outdoor kitchens and rooms that can redefine how the customer experiences outdoor living.”

Sell the Outdoor Room as an Experience

Find out early on how many family members there are and how they plan to use the deck on a daily basis. Then let them imagine bringing all of the comforts and luxuries of the indoors to their outdoor space. “Approaching customers with the outdoor room concept instead of just the plain deck or patio helps them to think big, bold and beautiful,” notes Miller.

Jason Russell, Tacoma, Wa.-based president and owner of Dr. Decks, says he not only builds outdoor rooms, but wows customers with unique and individual features that surprise and delight them, like outdoor theaters, built-in bench sound systems, and electronic picnic tables that rise up at a touch of a button.

“My goal is to get their imaginations going on ways to enhance their outdoor experiences,” he says. And, according to Russell, an important part of his artistically crafted decks is to use the best, most durable materials, such as Building-Products.com

composites and cellular PVC. “After a long winter, a beautiful deck is the customer’s ticket to grabbing every possible second of outdoor enjoyment and that does not include giving up weekends doing maintenance.”

Ramp Up the Style with Railings

Along with providing safety, railings and fancier infills can also influence the style of the final deck design.

To enhance traditional railings, decorative in-fills, such as square or round metal balusters, offer a sleek stylish option.

When there are breathtaking, scenic views beyond the deck, several options to unclutter the view include cable railing and glass panels. Sleek, stainless steel cable railing provides an improved view and serves as a contemporary design element with very little maintenance. For the ultimate view of lush scenery, there are kits to integrate glass panels into the railing that become nearly invisible.

that install flush into the deck boards, and stair riser lights for improved safety.

Complete the Vision

Seeing a small swatch chart or deck sample doesn’t really paint a picture of how that product or color is going to look on an entire deck. With online visualization tools, the collaboration team can experiment with different colors of decking and railing infill options. This helps cut through the mire of all the products and color choices out there.

“I think online color visualizers are a great way for homeowners to better envision the complete package and they are a great selling tool,” says Russell. “It opens the door to every-

thing from outdoor kitchens to fire pits to lighting options.” He relies on advanced software as well as manufacturers’ online design tools, including TimberTech’s color visualizers and even an iPad app that makes collaboration easy.

By presenting the outdoor space as a total experience limited only by the imagination, dealers and contractors can help customers dream big with time-tested composite or cellular PVC decking, outdoor kitchens, electronics, decorative railings and deck lighting for a total investment that will reward them for many years to come.

– Carey Walley is v.p. of marketing for TimberTech and AZEK Building Products, divisions of CPG Building Products.

Reach her via www.azek.com.

Amp Up the Lighting Options

To complete the outdoor space, deck lighting can extend the hours of enjoyment on the deck long after the sun goes down, as well as serve as a design element. According to the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2014 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Survey, 98.3% of respondents rated lighting as a desirable element of their deck.

Lighting innovations include post cap lights that generate a warm glow around the deck’s railing, under-thehandrail lighting, subtle surface lights

Building-Products.com

OUTDOOR KITCHENS are the perfect project to build a deck sale around.

May 2014

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(Photo by AZEK)

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INDUSTRY Trends

By Amy Warren, Weyerhaeuser

Savvy dealers sponsor networking events for women

E

ARLY IN THE morning on the second day of the recent International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, attendees passing by the Weyerhaeuser booth couldn’t help but steal glances.

After all, how often do you see a cluster of 75 women crowded into a 20x50 trade show booth?

The event, called “Energize & Engage,” was designed to bring women together for networking during

the show. The attendees mingled, exchanged advice and business cards, sipped their favorite coffee drink, took part in a raffle, and received a parting gift. They also heard from Cathy Slater, senior vice president of Weyerhaeuser’s OSB, ELP, and distribution divisions, who inspired guests with her favorite formula for professional success: the three key elements of performance, image, and exposure,

a.k.a. PIE (from Harvey Coleman’s book Empowering Yourself, The Organizational Game).

Perhaps more important, it provided an opportunity for networking and camaraderie in an industry where women are few and far between.

“The whole idea of it is to connect,” says Mollie Elkman, president of Group Two Advertising, a Philadelphia-based agency specializ-

MEEK’S, Gardnerville, Nv., location enables each attendee to complete a seasonal project, such as the wooden snowmen being constructed here.

Photo courtesy Meek’s Hardware & Lumber

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Building-Products.com

WALLS ARE LIFTED into place at Women’s Build Day at Canyon Country Habitat for Humanity jobsite in Boise, Id. Photo courtesy Canyon County Habitat for Humanity

ing in marketing for homebuilders that helped to organize and co-host the event with Weyerhaeuser.

LBM dealers can replicate this approach by reaching out to professional and consumer female customers. On the consumer side, marketing to women makes particular sense, says Elkman, because 85% of all brand purchases are made by women (a stat that jumps to 91% when it comes to new-home purchases).

Events for Pros

Like other marketing campaigns, a women’s event should offer something of value, whether in the form of knowledge or valuable networking they can’t find anywhere else. For professionals, that might mean a mixer event, a motivational speaker, a trends workshop, or perhaps an open house/facility tour accompanied by wine and cheese.

“The most popular events are the ones that are either educational or are social and fun,” says Margie Miller, who holds a sales and business development position at Curtis Lumber’s Ballston Spa, N.Y., location. “A recent Lunch & Learn seminar with a dynamic, inspirational speaker/author was also a big draw for our local Professional Women in Building (PWB) membership.”

Miller often attends events held by the PWB, as well as her local National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) council, and Building-Products.com

holds leadership positions at both associations.

Curtis Lumber also has hosted NAWIC and PWB morning meetings, luncheons, and dinner meetings at its corporate office, some including tours of the store, door shop, and yard operations. “Having events at one of our locations helps to build rapport with the groups’ membership and gives us an opportunity to familiarize them with what we have to offer,” Miller notes. “Getting new people into our store is huge, so being a host is something we like to do as much as we can.”

When considering giveaways at pro-

fessional events, Elkman cautions against items that scream “girl,” such as pink hard hats and lipstick.

“They’re not just cliché, they’re offensive. It hurts women more than helps them,” she explains.

Events for Consumers

Those rules ease up a bit when targeting homeowners, but it’s important to weigh what works in your community. Several dealers have found success with ladies nights for consumers that combine how-to sessions on home maintenance, design, and remodeling, with refreshments and giveaways.

For many dealers, the events are

WOMEN’S BUILD DAYS sponsored by local Habitat for Humanity provide an opportunity for dealers, remodelers, and other pros to learn new skills and give back to the community Photo courtesy Canyon County Habitat for Humanity May 2014

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about empowering women to feel comfortable with home projects and power tools—and to know that the lumberyard is a resource to them.

Meek’s Lumber & Hardware hosts women’s events, and even kids’ events, at many of its locations. “It’s a great way to be a part of the community and to network,” notes Steve Walsh, director of sales and marketing.

At the company’s Gardnerville, Nv., store, twice-yearly ladies’ nights attract upwards of 120 attendees. Each session centers around a project to complete—such as a birdhouse in spring or a 4’ wooden Christmas tree at the fall event—and also includes a dinner buffet and raffle. Along with community building, the events help familiarize customers with what the yard offers, says assistant manager Andy Prause. Many consumers may not realize the product breadth the location carries beyond just lumber, and the events offer a unique opportunity to elevate the comfort level of non-trade shoppers.

In Boise, Id., the effort for empowerment goes even further for Judy Ahrens, a Weyerhaeuser sales representative. Ahrens participates in and helps out with Women’s Build days for Canyon County Habitat for Humanity, with groups of 50 to 60 that include her dealer clients along with their employees and customers.

Typically held once or twice per project, the events operate just like any other day on a Habitat site.

“They learn how to frame walls, hang windows, lay shingles,” says

Ahrens, who also sits on the Habitat chapter’s board of directors. “It gives women information on how to build houses, how to be self-sufficient, and how to contribute some of their time to help the local community.”

Personal Efforts

Along with opportunities to engage with customers, Miller notes the importance of female LBM executives to be involved themselves. “In order to really develop a rapport with people in any association, it is important to be a consistent attendee to the meetings or devote time to a committee or a leadership position,” she says. “The list of people in the building industry and the business community that I have become familiar with, or even good friends with, has grown considerably over the years. Those connections are extremely valuable to me personally and to my employer.”

For Weyerhaeuser and Group Two, sponsoring the IBS breakfast was, of course, a form of indirect marketing— providing an outlet for a core audience group while attaching their brands to an event that the attendees appreciated and enjoyed. But it was also personal.

The event organizers were all women who themselves felt both the absence of networking opportunities and formal encouragement of growing the presence and leadership of women in building.

“You can be a top performer and project the right image for the position you want, but if no one knows about you, it won’t matter,” Slater told attendees during IBS. “As women, we can

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help each other go further through networking, by putting that exposure piece of the puzzle into place for one another.”

– Amy Warren is marketing communications manager for Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way, Wa. She can be reached at (253) and amy.warren@weyerhaeuser.com.

WEYERHAEUSER’S Energize & Engage event, held during IBS, gifted attendees with special mugs.

Photo courtesy Weyerhaeuser

Quick Tips for Successful Events Mollie Elkman, president of Group Two Advertising, which specializes in marketing for homebuilders, offers these quick tips for success with women’s events: Stop thinking RED or PINK for your event colors. Look at the venue and the theme of the event and make decisions that work for the space, rather than buying into the cliché of gender-specific colors.

Think about the event from the perspective of those attending. It’s all about those extra details that make any event special. From the moment they arrive to the final minutes, what details are going to make YOUR event memorable?

Ask a woman! If your organization is predominantly male and you are putting together an event for women, it’s a good idea to get a female perspective!

Include a takeaway. Something little that guests can take with them is a nice way to thank people for attending that will also make your event stand out from others Have some team members arrive early. No one likes to be the first to the party. Have some people from your team arrive early to make the room feel exciting and full for the very first guests who arrive.

Building-Products.com

COMPETITIVE Intelligence

By Carla Waldemar

Contractors’ Nirvana

W

out there has a word of advice for the man? Usually this column tells the story of a company that’s found a new niche, a money-saving gambit, a different way of doing business that’s keeping it afloat in these turbulent economic waters. Orv Johnson, general manager of Hendricks Farmers Lumber, has a problem that’s a little more unique: He’s way too busy.

Orv is selling packages for eight to 12 new homes a year (plus, plus, plus). And he’s doing it in a town of— ready?—720 people. Nor does the town of Hendricks boast a giant industry—simply the hospital, a golf cart distributor, a pretty lake or two. Yet he turns away advertising reps, because why in the world would he want to lure more customers, he asks them. He can’t keep up with the ones he has.

What is this—the magical kingdom of Oz? No, sir.

Hendricks is a rural, farm-based community on the western border of Minnesota. Hike a mile, and you’re standing in South Dakota. Brookings, S.D., and Marshall, Mn.—the only sizeable spots on this stretch of the prairie—are 30 minutes away. Orv sells to them, too, but they’ve each got their own lumberyards. So do the tinier towns closer by— “but we’re friendly,” Orv says of his competitor-dealers doing business there. “I respect them. If someone’s in need of something, we even trade materials.”

Orv was born and raised in Hendricks, but he’s not the ONDERING IF ANYONE

MINNESOTA LUMBERYARD’S seasoned staff is trained to hook homeowner customers up with the pro customers.

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owner of the company and never will be. Nobody is; well, actually, ownership is divided among 50 or so shareholders. Back in 1915 when the yard was founded, people bought shares at $50 each—400 of them—to raise the necessary $20,000 so the company could purchase four cars of lumber to open its doors and get the operation up and running. It’s been doing gangbusters ever since. Orv reports to a board of directors who, wisely, give him free rein. “I run the whole company,” he allows.

Farmers are among his best customers—“a lot of agricultural business, livestock equipment. And the farm economy is really good,” Orv reports. “Lots of them are also building new houses.” So are vacationers who cherish the surrounding lakes, resulting in “a lot more d-i-y business in summer,” he reports: “remodeling, plus lawn and garden, plants, fertilizer.” They come to Hendricks Farmers Lumber because of word-of-mouth, “after talking to friends they trust,” he says, backed by the ease of one-stop shopping.

Hendricks’ operation is unique in another key facet: not only one-stop shopping for building materials but also for the potential homeowners who’re doing the actual building. “We do a lot of generaling. We can be everything from A to Z for them. They can choose to deal only with me and not a lot of subs,” explains Orv, who then oversees the entire project as he hires and schedules and supervises for at least 75% of homeowner-wannabe clients, building houses that range in price from $150,000 to $400,000.

However, he’s quick to add, “If homeowners just want only the materials, that’s okay, too—however they want to work it.”

But most would just as soon turn it all over to the pros Orv hooks them up with—a function that is a lot more complicated that it sounds, says the man who should know.

“The biggest thing is for me to get a feel for what a customer wants in his home and their personalities. Then I’ll find them a contractor they can get along with. People don’t realize how important that is, to have the right match; otherwise, is can be disastrous,” he well knows.

Of course, those pros make mighty loyal customers, themselves. The reason is clear: “The biggest thing is, we get them work. They don’t even have to advertise—just rely on the people coming in the store. This year,” Orv says, “they’re already booked solid. We’ve got a good thing going….”

It gets even better. The contractor is never out there on a Building-Products.com

TOOLS are among the heavily promoted products.

financial limb, looking at a bill for materials and waiting to be paid so he, in turn, can pay it. Instead, Hendricks bills everything directly to the end-user, the homeowner himself—which also cuts down on all those in-house “over 30 days” dunning notices.

Hendricks also treats its pros (who account for 60% of its customer count) to the other perks you might expect: free delivery and events, such as the annual December DeWalt Tool promo (complete with eats and drink) and spring’s Sawdust Day customer-appreciation event, in which vendors participate. Those sales reps are also on hand to get staff (eight full-timers plus two part-time people) up to speed on new products Hendricks carries.

In fact, Hendricks first upped its product line back in

Turning Good

1992, when it opened a hardware store in a property it purchased down the street. Then, a year ago, the company built a 4,000-sq. ft. addition to its main location and moved the hardware to this more-convenient venue. “It had kind of discouraged customers to be sent down the block,” he says. “It’s easier for them if we offer everything under one roof”—and that “everything” segues from decks to windows and doors, tools, siding and a whole lot more, suited to the “fine Victorian homes and picturesque estates” Hendricks showcases on its website. “Plus, the consolidation better utilizes our staff.”

So, what about the big recession? “We haven’t noticed it,” he says in the understatement of the month. They didn’t have time to stew over it, being way too busy. Still are.

And that creates its own dilemma—might it be time to expand?

“We’ve thought about it,” Orv ruminates. “We could go out, look for new, young contractors and try to bring ’em in to handle the business. But what if things slow down? Then they wouldn’t have any work. So I guess we’ll continue as is,” he indicates. “If we tell people in December that we can’t start their new house until August—if we’re upfront about it—they’re usually patient; they’re usually willing to wait.”

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net

HOUSESinto

GREAT HOMES

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Interior

Exterior

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Building-Products.com

May 2014

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OLSEN On Sales

By James Olsen

Becoming their number one supplier

T

number one supplier position with our accounts we must, above all, earn (and continue to maintain) their trust.

We are not just talking to our customers. We are asking for their money. We are asking them to take risks based on what we tell them. Sure, they may know what they are buying, but will we ship it on time? Will we ship it at all? What do we do when the market moves against us? How do we handle problems? These are questions that are essential to the sales process, which have more to do with our values than our salesmanship.

We have all known salespeople that are great at getting someone to say yes to them, but they don’t (always) back up (everything) they say. We all make mistakes, but there is a difference between mistakes and patterns. A certain kind of salesperson always “forgets” a necessary detail, or needs a price adjustment, or an extra week, day, hour. They put pressure on the customer and their own organization.

Things get done, but seldom smoothly. The salesperson’s problems become their customer’s problems.

These salespeople underperform vis-à-vis their talent because they have to rotate through accounts; they get the hustle orders, but they never get the trust orders. They are never anyone’s number one supplier. They have people who buy from them but few business friends or trusted business partners.

Simple, but in the heat of battle, not always easy, to earn trust, we do what we say we are going to do.

O ATTAIN THE

Consistent and Persistent

How can I earn a customer’s trust? Whether customers are buying from us or not our approach is the same.

Consistent and persistent.

Same day/time. After our first contact with our new customer, we follow up within a week and continue to follow up on a weekly or bimonthly basis, on the same day at the same time.

We are consistent with our call schedule. We can call

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intermittently with specials—that is part of our sales arsenal—but aside from those calls we are like clockwork and the weather—you can count on us.

We are consistent with our offerings. Just like advertising, our offerings to our customers should be consistent.

Send them every Monday and Wednesday to one group of customers and Tuesdays and Thursdays to another. As with calls, we can send special offerings, but our normal offerings are consistent—you can count on us.

We engage the whole account. We engage, learn the names of everyone we speak with at the account (yes, on the phone also). We become part of the fabric of their business. Gatekeepers and others who answer the phone often have great influence with the buyer.

Be cheerful. Not ha-ha-funny-as-a-clown cheerful, but professionally positive. We are a positive, upbeat, professional part of our customer’s lives—you can count on us (to always be upbeat.)

Make asking for the business part of the relationship.

“I sure love Jack. He is consistent with his offerings. He is always upbeat. He does what he says he is going to do.”

“And he sure wants to do business with me” must be added to this sentence. We must maintain a consistent, persistent attitude about doing business. We are not just consistent with the service part of the relationship; we are consistent and persistent sellers also.

Full Disclosure Selling. Full disclosure selling is a series of questions that lead to an open, trusting way of doing business. If we know the answers to the full disclosure questions, we are selling the account as a partner, if not… something less.

Where are you in your buy cycle? What do you currently have on the ground? What do you have on order? How much of that item do you use per month? What is your average cost? What is your buy-back (replenish) point? (How low do you let your inventory go before you buy?

Many sellers find it difficult to get this information from their customers. These questions are trust-testers. These are reasonable business questions. Our customers’ answers will tell us where we are on the road to becoming their top supplier.

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

US LBM Divisions Grow

US LBM’s Wisconsin Building Supply division has opened two new locations, while its Hines Supply unit has add four new branches.

Wisconsin Building Supply opened a cabinet and building material showroom in Fond du Lac, Wi., and a distribution center in Oakfield, Wi. Hines Supply, Buffalo Grove, Il., has purchased Builder’s Roofing & Siding Supply, Warrenville, Il., and Mike’s Deck Centers in Montgomery and St. Charles, Il. The chain also has taken over the former Stock Building Supply yard in Grayslake, Il., now managed by Ed Graafsma.

US LBM now operates more than 55 locations in nine states, including 11 Wisconsin Building Supply and nine Hines Supply facilities.

Indiana Dealer Calls It Quits

Brueggemann Lumber & Builders Supply, New Haven, In., closed April 12 after 97 years.

Rick Wolf, owner since 1983, had tried to find a successor, but no buyer stepped up and his three children chose different career paths.

However, Wolf, 56, won't be out of the home improvement business entirely. He will continue hosting his weekly radio call-in program, House Calls.

BND Commercial Real Estate is handling the sale of the 25,000-sq. ft. store, and early this month will auction off any remaining inventory and fixtures.

Hardwood Distributor Expands in the Midwest

Intermountain Wood Products, Salt Lake City, Ut., will open its 11th branch this month in Wichita, Ks. According to DC manager Greg Featherstone, the hardwood distributor’s locations are primarily in the Northwest, but its Omaha, Ne., facility has in 12 years grown to become one of its biggest.

West Fraser Adds Another Arkansas Mill

West Fraser Timber, Vancouver, B.C., has agreed to buy Bibler Brothers Lumber Co., Russellville, Ar. The sawmill, which produced about 136 million bd. ft. of lumber last year, will become West Fraser’s fourth operation in the state.

The deal was expected to close by the end of April.

Building-Products.com

DEALER Briefs

ProBuild has closed its yard in Yankton, S.D., and auctioned off its remaining inventory and equipment.

Jones Lumber Co. , Boca

Raton and Fort Pierce, Fl., has been acquired by US LBM Holdings from founder/president Mark Jones.

Drive

Wood Deck Screws Deck-Drive™ DSV WOOD Screw: fast-starting deck screw for fastening preservative-treated wood decks

Gulf State Lumber Co., has

closed after 86 years.

Meek’s Lumber & Hardware

recently held a grand re-opening for its newly remodeled store in Berryville, Ar.

Word Lumber Co., Scottsboro, Al., has closed after 122 years of family ownership.

Noser Lumber Co., McAllen, Tx., has closed after 81 years, with the retirement of owners Carroll and George Noser.

Griffin Lumber & Hardware, Cordele, Ga., is building a new branch in Leesburg, Ga., targeting a July 1 opening.

Gilberts Do It Best Hardware , Owosso, Mi., saw a motorist crash her car into its building March 27.

Park Falls Building Supply, Park Falls, Wi., suffered a minor electrical fire April 3.

Glenview True Value, Glenview, Il., has been opened by Mike Lovitto.

Not Your Ordinary Fastener

Ace Hardware, Lakewood, Tx.,

• Up to 35% more screws driven per battery charge

Lowe’s, Leesburg, Fl., was evacu-

• Countersinks cleanly with under-head nibs

Menards opened a new 90,000-

• Withstands swelling and shrinkage with fast-growth lumber

has relocated to a new building.

ated April 19 due to a bomb hoax.

sq. ft. store on 35 acres in Rochester, Mn., April 8, as it liquidates its older location in the city.

A day earlier, Menards broke ground on a new home center in Comstock Township (E. Kalamazoo), Mi., to open in early 2015. It will feature a 158,400-sq. ft. store, 27,648-sq. ft. garden center, and 40,172-sq. ft. lumberyard.

• Quik Guard ® coating provides added corrosion resistance

Anniversaries: H.G. Page & Sons, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., 90th …

United Plywoods & Lumber , Birmingham, Al., 70th … Martinsen Home Center, Forman, N.D., 40th … Sto Corp., Atlanta, Ga., 35th …

May 2014

strongtie.com/deckcenter

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Drive Hardwood Deck Screws

Deck-Drive™ DHPD HARDWOOD Screw: robust deck screw for driving into the hardest wood products

GRAND OPENING: Sikeston, Mo., mayor Jerry Pullen (center) joined (at his left) Do it Best president/c.e.o. Bob Taylor and other co-op executives cutting the ribbon on the new 550,000-sq. ft. DC.

Do it Best Opens New Midwest DC Do it Best Corp. has opened a new $34-million distribution center in Sikeston, Mo., serving retailers in Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska and Tennessee.

Employing 130 and stocking 67,000 different products, the 550,000-sq. ft. DC replaces a facility in nearby Cape Girardeau, which was built in 1971 and was the first Do it Best DC outside the co-op’s home in Fort Wayne, In. “Although our Cape location

allowed us to effectively serve our members for more than four decades, we knew we could do even better.

This new Sikeston facility brings additional efficiencies as we look to accommodate future growth in the region and serve even more independent entrepreneurs,” said c.e.o. Bob Taylor. “With the integration of brand new technology and improved work flows built into this facility, the Sikeston RSC shipped its first product—on schedule and under budget— with a 98% fill rate on its first day.”

Not Your Ordinary Fastener • Self-drilling, prevents wood from splitting • Wings on shaft counter-bore hard materials and allow head to countersink cleanly • Compact head for a low-profile installation and available color matched to Ipê

strongtie.com/deckcenter

Building-Products.com

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MOVERS & Shakers James A. O’Brien has been elected president of The Lester Group, Martinsville, Va. Jim Dudley, exCulpeper Wood Preservers, has been named president of Lester’s treated wood division, Fortress Wood Products.

Tracy Melotte, ex-Brunsell Lumber, is a new account mgr. at Bliffert Lumber & Hardware, Waukesha, Wi. Larry W. Adams has been named general mgr. of Robinson Builders Mart, Newton, N.C., after 36 years as president of the Building Material Suppliers Association, Charlotte, N.C. Tony Ledford is now engineered wood products mgr. for The Building Center, Charlotte, N.C. Kevin Kelly, ex-Teka Hardwood Flooring, and Dave Nickodemus, ex-Tuson Trading, have joined the sales team at Marlin Lumber Sales Corp., Albertson, N.Y. Andy Mayhew has been named business development mgr. for Smith Mountain Building Supply, Hardy, Va.

Brett Shuler, ex-Chicago Flameproof Cos., has joined International Beams, Sarasota, Fl., as East Coast regional sales mgr. He is based in Burton, Mi. Jacob King has been named store mgr. of McCoy’s Building Supply, Corsicana, Tx. Noe Rodriguez is now store mgr. in Pasadena, Tx. Brent Wooster, ex-BlueLinx, has been named v.p.-northern New England for Woodbrowser, Grantham, N.H., overseeing direct truckload and wholesale accounts in N.H., Vt., and Me. Jerry Laske is new to sales at Lampert Lumber, Rockford, Mn. Mark Kerr is general mgr. of the new Menards in Dickinson, N.D. Timothy Lynch has transferred to 84 Lumber, Plainville, Ct., as general mgr. Greg Vlahos is the new EWP product mgr. in Georgetown, Tx. Jeff Beck has rejoined 84 Lumber, as install mgr. in Canonsburg, Pa. Chris Beach, president, c.e.o. and chairman, Bostwick-Braun Co., Toledo, Oh., has been elected to the board of PRO Group, Denver, Co.

Steve Kowalski, ex-Weekes Forest Products, has joined the sales team at Lumberman’s Wholesale, Inc., Montgomery, Il. Hagie Cook, ex-Tucker Door & Trim, is now north Georgia territory mgr. for ECMD. Dustin Ferriso, ex-WindowRama Enterprises, has joined Fiberon, as territory mgr. for Long Island. He is based in Lindenhurst, N.Y. Joe Stid has been appointed operations mgr. for Northville Lumber Co., Northville, Mi. Rich Lynch has been promoted to v.p. of marketing for Do it Best Corp., Fort Wayne, In. Jed Potts is a new estimator at National Lumber, N. Kingstown, N.H. Robert Staudte has joined Fiberon, New London, N.C., as European market mgr. He is based in Gütersloh, Germany.

Curtis Davis, ex-BlueLinx, is a new Dallas, Tx., area architectural rep for Milgard Windows & Doors.

Todd Hallstrand has been named v.p. of sales and marketing at Weather Shield Windows & Doors, Medford, Wi. Thomas Weiland is now marketing communications mgr.

Signing Off.

After 24 years of working together with you in the building industry, the time has now come to say goodbye.

shelves and continue to use them!

We from the Walther family had a great run during 24 years. It was fun, and we hope it was for you, too. Never ever did we imagine that we would be so successful. This was only possible because you took a chance on our products.

I hope that we will not become strangers. If you can, drop a line once in a while!

Our success shows that with a team effort—you our customers, our colleagues at GRK Fasteners, and we, the Walthers— change and growth can be made possible.

Please keep GRK products on your

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Thank you, America, and thank you, Canada, for giving us a fair chance.

God Speed to all of you.

Yours truly, Uli Walther

New email: ulrich_walther@yahoo.com Phone: 1-807-632-1251 Web: www.grkfasteners.com

Building-Products.com

Trapper Wilcoxson, ex-FoxworthGalbraith, is a new truss designer at MG Building Materials, San Antonio, Tx. Heiko Fischer has been named president and c.e.o. of Robert Bosch Tool Corp., Mount Prospect, Il. Jason King is new to Chelsea Building Products, Oakmont, Pa., as business development mgr. of its specialty products division.

Stephen Kriss is a new sales trainee.

Stephanie Kaleta has been appointed key account sales mgr. for KNIPEX Tools, Arlington Heights, Il. Paul Casseri, ex-Larson Mfg., is now product mgr. for the residential shingle and underlayment divisions of Atlas Roofing, Atlanta, Ga. David O’Driscoll, ex-Dantzler, now trades southern pine lumber in the U.S. and Caribbean for Wholesale Building Products, Hollywood, Fl.

Tim Hiller has joined Amerhart as an outside sales representative at its location in Traverse City, Mi. Matt Pedrone, ex-Valspar, is now Northeast regional sales mgr. for Strathmore Products, Syracuse, N.Y. Shanda Lear is now staffing the lighting department at MungusFungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., report co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

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The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is investigating the death of a 21-year-old man who died from injuries sustained at Graham Lumber Co., Fulton, Ms., April 17.

William Christopher McCalpin II died that evening at the hospital. The exact cause of death was unknown at press time.

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Koppers Buying Osmose

SUPPLIER Briefs Associated Materials, Cuyahoga Falls, Oh., withdrew plans for a $100-million initial public offering.

Arch Wood Protection moved to new offices in

Atlanta, Ga.

Universal Forest Products, Grand Rapids, Mi., purchased assets of component manufacturer High Level Components, Locust, N.C., as well as a 50% stake in sawmill Upshur Forest Products, Gilmer, Tx. Prime Lumber Co., Thomasville, N.C., has added

three new dry kilns.

Weyerhaeuser Distribution, St. Paul, Mn., is now distributing the full line of James Hardie fiber cement siding products to Mn., NW Wi., eastern N.D., and S.D. Boise Cascade Building Materials Distribution, Delanco, N.J., is now distributing Regal aluminum railings in

N.J., De., eastern Pa., and N.Y.

C.J. Link Lumber Co., Warren, Mi., is now carrying Roseburg Forest Products’ DuraTemp siding and

RediBead paneling.

U.S. Lumber, Atlanta, Ga., is now distributing Royal Building Products trim and millwork throughout its

Southeast and Mid-Atlantic distribution network.

Cedar Siding Inc., Rochelle, Il., now distributes Integrity Composites’ DuraLife decking in the upper Midwest.

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Koppers, Pittsburgh, Pa., has agreed to acquire the wood preservation and railroad services divisions of Osmose Holdings for $460 million.

Griffin, Ga.-based Osmose Wood Preserving provides such preservatives as MicroPro micronized CA, NatureWood ACQ/CA, Advance Guard and Hi-Bor borates, and FirePRO FRTW. It expects to “continue to operate as it has with very little visible change to customers and markets.”

Baillie Adds 11 AHI Facilities

Baillie Lumber, Hamburg, N.Y., has completed its acquisiton of American Hardwood Industries, Waynesboro, Va., from investment firm H.I.G. Capital LLC. AHI operates 11 hardwood mills and dry kiln facilities.

H.I.G. purchased AHI, then Augusta Lumber, in 2006.

Growth Begins at 80 for N.D. Dealer

To mark its 80th year, McKenzie Building Center, Watford City, N.D., recently expanded and is looking to grow even bigger.

MBCI added an inside drive-thru storage building “for easy pick up by customers in all types of weather and to provide all-weather storage,” said v.p. Joe Johnson.

In addition, said chairman Eric Sparrow, the company is “seeking to expand MBCI through additional acquisitions.

We are aggressively seeking to acquire other lumberyards and building material suppliers throughout North Dakota.”

And, said c.o.o. Charlie Rader, “We will be celebrating our 80th anniversary with special buys, promotions and events throughout the year, (including) our first annual customer and vendor appreciation event.”

Building-Products.com

energy-saving improvements, such as installing a quieter, clean chip-handling system, the mill recently purchased a new moulder to make wood paneling. It will be installed this summer and operational by fall.

The mill will also install a new computerized optimization system.

CertainTeed Getting New Hq.

CertainTeed Corp. parent SaintGobain will relocate its North American corporate headquarters from Valley Forge, Pa., to nearby Malvern.

The company has signed a longterm lease for 320,000 sq. ft. of space on 65 acres, which it will transform into a LEED-certified showplace by fall 2015. The larger campus will allow the employee count to grow by approximately 120 additional employees, to more than 800.

KOMMERLING is bringing a range of AMA-approved products to the U.S., including PremiDoor lift/slide doors, which feature a 19’-wide by 8’-tall sash size that can be extended to 38’ wide.

Kommerling Brings Doors, Windows to U.S. Kommerling USA will expand its PVC sheet manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Al., to produce unique window and door profile systems.

Founded in 1897 and based in Germany, Kommerling has been producing high-impact vinyl window profiles in Europe since 1967. “Now is the right time to enter this market, bringing the world’s most respected window and door profiles to

the United States,� said Dr. Peter Mrosik, c.e.o. of Kommerling’s parent company, Profine Group.

Hardwood Mill Worker Killed

A millworker at Bagley Hardwood Products, Bagley, Mn., was killed when his jacket became entangled in the pulley mechanism of a 40-ft.-wideby-20-ft.-high door as it was opened.

The cables pulled longtime worker Michael Ross Larson, 41, about 3 ft. off the ground. He died at the scene.

More Upgrades for Pine Mill

Pleasant River Lumber, DoverFoxcroft, Me., has invested nearly $1 million in the Sanford, Me., mill it acquired 18 months ago and plans another multi-million-dollar upgrade.

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Special Focus North American Wholesale Lumber Association

Traders Market returns to Chicago

F

OLLOWING AN IMPRESSIVE show last year in Las Vegas, the NAWLA Traders Market returns to Chicago for 2014. The premier event will be held Nov. 12-14 at the newly renovated Hyatt Regency Chicago, a familiar venue for regular attendees.

Since 1996, the Traders Market has held a unique position among lumber and building material trade shows, as it is the only one that is focused almost exclusively on the lumber supply chain. Unlike other shows, the exhibitors are almost always manufacturers of lumber and lumber-related products, not machinery or other equipment providers.

“The NAWLA Traders Market is the must-attend event in the forest

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products industry. It’s the one time and place where buyers and sellers of all types of wood and related building products can get together for two days and ‘talk shop’ face-to-face,” said Jim McGinnis, Traders Market chair.

This focus on supply chain partners has fostered an unrivaled atmosphere for networking. In today’s global marketplace, the Traders Market provides a chance to meet current and prospective clients face to face. In an industry where million-dollar deals are still made with a handshake, that personal networking is invaluable.

NAWLA chairman Rick Ekstein, president of Weston Forest Products, said that the Traders Market truly provides value to his company, and that

May 2014

his “purchasing team can accomplish in two days, what it would take weeks to accomplish traveling on the road.”

Last year, the show hosted 246 exhibiting companies and 1,435 attendees—its highest attendance since 2008. The attendee profile continues to be near evenly split between wholesalers and manufacturers.

The Traders Market Committee is adding a few new wrinkles to the 2014 show, but is keeping the essence of the floor experience the same as in past years, said McGinnis. “We’re expecting 1,500 or so attendees, and it promises to again be the one event of this type that just can’t be missed.”

Registration is now open. Visit www.nawlatradersmarket.com.

Building-Products.com

Special Focus North American Wholesale Lumber Association

False springs

By Ken Tennefoss, Crow’s/RISI

“T

WO MAIN REASONS markets move up: a lack of supply or the perception there is a lack of supply.”

When I was a boy, my mother planted a garden every year. Every year she would patiently wait until the days grew warmer, the trees began to bud, and the new grasses began to sprout before she would till the soil and plant her flowers and vegetables.

Some years in late February the days would get warmer, some of the trees would begin to bud, and the feeling of spring would be in the air.

During these times, my mother would wait to plant her garden, and sure enough, in a week or so another heavy frost would come and nip all the early buds from the trees. My mother would call these events a “false spring.”

To stay with my mother’s garden metaphor, the economic winter we have been in has been a long one, and we are ready for the business season to improve. Like my mother, we are

anxious to plant new seeds of commerce and begin to grow our business. We must be careful not to let our zeal overcome our caution, lest we get tricked by a false spring. In case you’re not sure what to look for, we have had a couple in the past few years. Here’s what they look like.

2010

During the last few months of 2009, lumber and panel prices began to creep higher. Each week’s market reports showed modest increases in prices. A few announcements of curtailments in production, along with a little better demand than expected, brought some buyers off the fence. By the beginning of the new year, framing lumber prices had moved up $20$25 and panel prices were $25-$30 better. January housing starts came out at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 614,000, the highest number since November of 2008.

February’s numbers were slightly

lower than January’s, but March housing starts came in at 636,000 SAAR and April’s numbers made a jump to 687,000 SAAR. Even though it was still early spring, and many parts of the country were still in the grip of winter weather, the market reacted with what was sometimes described as a “gold rush mentality,” pushing mill order files out many weeks and prices to near all time record highs. Framing lumber prices climbed $125-$150 higher in five months. OSB prices went from the mid $150s to the low $400s.

In May, housing starts dropped by 100,000 to 583,000 SAAR, and June came off another 47,000 to 536,000 SAAR. Traders dumped their long positions, building contractors canceled job orders, lumber and panel markets made a steep decline.

By the first week of June, lumber prices had dropped $75-$100 and OSB prices were $200-$225 lower.

Prices continued to drop through the month of August before showing signs of recovery and never got close to the levels seen in the spring.

2011 and 2012

Spring 2011 saw almost a reversal of events from 2010. Housing starts fluctuated between the mid-550s to the low 600s, while lumber and especially panel prices began a decline that lasted well into the third quarter.

Many said the market was “overly cautious” after the events of spring 2010.

Spring 2012 saw markets acting

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much the same as 2011, trading in narrower ranges, much more like traditional trading patterns. This continued through the third quarter before prices began to improve.

2013

In September of 2012, housing starts came out at 854,000 SAAR. The last time starts were above 800,000 was in September of 2008.

Market prices were in a general decline and did not show much reaction to the housing news.

When the October starts of 864,000 SAAR came out, the market began to take notice. By the end of 2012, lumber and panel prices had each increased by $100. They continued to increase in 2013.

Housing starts numbers continued to improve and finally broke the one million mark in March of 2013, the first time since June of 2008 that starts had been over one million units.

Prices were once again at or near record levels, with SPF 2x4 #2&Btr trading at $485 and 7/16” OSB selling for $435 FOB mill.

When the April housing figures of 852,000 units SAAR were released, the market went into a decline that

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lasted for 60 days. During that time, market prices for framing lumber and OSB lost around 25% of their value.

Since July of 2013, framing lumber prices had slowly made gains but had not been able to fully climb to the levels of the spring of 2013. OSB prices have had an even tougher time recovering lost ground and have remained in the low to mid-$200s.

Which brings us to this spring.

Since the first of the year, prices have been slowly eroding, even though housing starts ended last year at over one million for November and December, and have been over 900,000 for January and February.

May 2014

Heavy winter weather has closed job sites and stifled demand, as well as slowed transportation to a crawl in some regions.

Most buyers and sellers interviewed are optimistic about the future and feel the year will be a good one.

However, buyers time and time again site the lessons learned in 2010 and 2013 as reasons for “guarded optimism.” Perhaps this spring will not be a false start and will be the beginning of a prosperous year for all.

– Ken Tennefoss is executive editor of RISI’s Crow’s Weekly Market Report.

Reach him at ktennefoss@risi.com.

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Special Focus North American Wholesale Lumber Association

To extend or not to extend?

Effectively limiting risk and exposure when setting credit limits T of credit, so basic to any business enterprise, pivots on trust and risk. The biggest challenge a credit professional faces is deciding whether to extend credit to a client, and how to determine the proper amount of risk or exposure to accept.

Establishing credit limits is not an exact science. While some seasoned credit professionals develop a ‘gut feeling,’ others take an analytical approach to reducing risk. In either case, understanding risk tolerance and potential buyer performance patterns are essential. This article looks at what factors a company must consider when extending credit, HE EXTENSION

what is involved in the credit review process, and how to answer the standard question: “Should I extend credit—and if so, how much?”

Extending credit to customers can increase sales, improve customer satisfaction, and help build long-term customer relationships. Nevertheless, the risk of loss is always present when extending credit, so a business must establish a formal credit policy and set credit limits. Credit limits not only improve a company’s ability to collect debt, but help it minimize losses on defaulting customers.

Risk Tolerance & Exposure

A credit policy should determine not only how and when to sell on credit and the terms, but also define when terms

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should be revisited, and when necessary, the collections process. Several factors influence the amount of exposure a business is willing to take. Factors include cash flow, profit margin, and the ability to collect unpaid debt.

Cash flow is critical. When offering credit, the seller has not only paid the cost of providing the product or related service but will receive no cash from the sale to replenish operating capital until the debt is paid. When setting the length of terms, the seller needs to take into account if it has enough cash flow to cover operations until payment is received.

Additionally, a company’s profit margin is a major consideration when determining how much exposure is relatively safe. The lower the profit margin, the more conservative the credit policy. Tightening credit, however, may have a negative impact on sales growth unless the company’s product or service is in high demand. In a competitive market, a looser policy may be needed to maintain customers even if profit margins are low.

Poor economic conditions also can dampen a company’s appetite for risk, but not always. Kelly Bates, global credit director for a U.S.-based supplier, notes their company didn’t change its credit policy during the recent economic downtown.

“Sometimes we get pushback [from buyers] that other companies extend longer terms,” she concedes, “but our practices are consistent. Whether it is a good market or a poor market, we stick to the same procedures.” Bates explains that this still requires knowing their customers, monitoring pay, paying close attention to Blue Book Services credit sheets and ratings, and evaluating any changes that may occur on a month-to-month basis.

Know Your Customer

Knowing your customer’s financial stability and track record are crucial. Large or small, a company must have the ability and cash flow to sustain itself. As most credit professionals know, insolvency can strike firms of any size and have a devastating ripple effect.

There are a number of sources to obtain information on a customer’s creditworthiness, such as credit agency reports and bank references. Credit agencies can provide informaBuilding-Products.com

tion on a customer’s payment history, banking relationships, and financial performance. Bates relies heavily on Blue Book Services for timely information on pay performance and emerging trends.

“We check a customer’s background. We look at how long a company has been in business and dive into their financials,” she explains. “If what we need is not available, we will go with references, but we take them with a grain of salt.” She notes, however, that banks are a good source for references.

When calling a customer’s bank for a credit rating, standard questions include how long the account has been open, the average balance, and whether the bank has credit experience with the account. Bates says knowing the customer and understanding its

reputation in the market are critical to making sound credit decisions. “We go back to the salesperson to find out what they know about the customer. It gives us a better level of comfort for the risk (we may undertake).”

In some cases, it is advantageous to look at a customer’s operating plan.

“We request a forecast of how much they intend to purchase, and we keep the amount of credit in line with the forecast and past history,” Bates says.

Company policy is to set the credit line “to actual need as long as the financials support it. If there’s a spike in their credit line, it’s a trigger to us to go back to the salesperson (to find out why).” If a customer is asking for more credit because the company doesn’t have the required cash, Bates says, such a spike “forces us to investigate to determine what the risk is.”

Industry Pay Trends

Every month, Blue Book Services collects accounts receivable data from lumber suppliers throughout the U.S. and Canada. Confidentially maintained, this information is compiled, averaged and analyzed to help Blue Book members make safe and informed credit decisions. The following chart confirms that industry pay trends have been relatively stable for the past five quarters.

Quarter Q1 2014 Q4 2013 Q3 2013 Q2 2013 Q1 2013

Total A/R Reported $1.83 billion $2.01 billion $2.58 billion $2.28 billion $2.24 billion

% Current % Past Due 83% 84% 85% 83% 83%

17% 16% 15% 17% 17%

Average Credit Per Customer $48,958 $54,699 $58,232 $57,406 $52,743

– Source: Blue Book Services database

Not every customer has the financial stability to receive credit. “Most of the time we extend cash in advance terms if they don’t meet the criteria,” Bates says.

Equal Credit Opportunity Act

Any business checking the creditworthiness of its customers needs to be in compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) of 1974 applies to all creditors before, during, and after extending credit.

Congress passed the Act in response to the difficulty minorities, women, and the elderly had in obtaining credit and requires that creditors “make credit equally available to all creditworthy customers” without discrimination.

The Act also includes rules on certain notifications and record retention.

Applications must be worded neutrally, so as not to ask for any prohibited information. Additionally, applicants must receive a credit decision within 30 days. If credit is denied, terms have been changed unfavorably, or an increase in a line of credit had been refused, the creditor must notify the applicant, and he or she has 60 days to request, in writing, the reason for the “adverse action.” The creditor must respond to the applicant within 30 days if such a request is made.

Denied application records for applicants with gross revenues of $1 million or less must be retained for 12 months after notification, for 60 days after notification for applicants with more than $1 million in gross revenues—or 12 months if so requested by the applicant.

In addition to actual damages, court costs, and complainant attorney fees, violators can face punitive damages of up to $10,000 in individual lawsuits and up to the lesser of $500,000 or 1% of the creditor’s net worth in classaction suits.

Conclusion

The decision to extend credit and the terms of credit are different for every business. Company officials should set policies reflecting their own level of comfort with risk and perform due diligence on customers’ financial stability, reputation, operations and payment performance history.

– This article was provided by Blue Book Services, a comprehensive online directory and credit information resource for the lumber industry that has been actively involved with NAWLA since 2009.

Learn more at www.lumberbluebook.com.

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Building-Products.com

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Special Focus North American Wholesale Lumber Association

Transcending the transactional sale

By Dennis Connelly

A

FTER ALL THE advice you’ve been getting from sales professionals, managers, trainers and sales columnists over all these years, why is the transactional sale still so common?

Why don’t we swim against the tide and find a better way?

Perhaps it’s because the transactional sale is easy. Someone calls, you quote a price, you get the order… or not. Move on to the next call. What’s wrong with that? In some cases, there’s nothing wrong with it. In other cases, there’s a lot. Let’s break it down.

Transactional sales are easy and uncomplicated. That’s the irony. We love them. And that’s why your salespeople gravitate to selling transactionally even when they know there’s a better way, and even when they know that applying a sales process and better selling methodologies might give them better results.

In an ideal world, we have the best product in a category, with the best value that no one else has, and everyone in the market knows we have it.

Just sit back and let the phones ring, right? Imagine being an iPhone salesperson. I mean no disrespect to the helpful folks at the Apple store, but if there were ever a quintessential example of an order-taker, that would be it.

And if your products were like that, you wouldn’t need salespeople at your company either. Imagine if your people drove around with a hand-held order machine like those guys have.

“And would you like your receipt

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emailed to you, Mr. Campbell?”

But your products are not like that.

There is always an alternative—to your product, to your company, to your category, or even to your people (more on that in a minute). And, thankfully, this is so. It’s what makes the game fun. It gives your people a

May 2014

chance to shine, to build value, to solve business problems, and to differentiate not only their products but themselves.

You sell a broad mix of products.

Some are special. They might have a longer sales cycle as you try to get the product sold as a stock item, or at

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least regularly purchased as a tried and true product. Perhaps you’re hoping a builder always uses a particular type of decking or that a dealer stocks a certain set of railings or trim boards.

We’ve talked a lot in other articles about how to sell those items.

But what about the products that sell more like a commodity? What about the products for which customers call and say, “I need another 300 pieces.” What about the products that seem like price is the only thing that matters? That’s our domain today.

Let’s first divide the transactional sale into three categories so we can understand what to do in each case.

First we have the customer calling who always buys this product from you. Then we have the customer who sometimes buys it from you. And, finally, we have the customer who calls and never buys from you.

Case 1: In this first case, where they always buy from you, that’s as close as you’re going to get to selling iPhones. Be happy, but don’t be complacent. The key to it working long term is maintaining a great relationship with that customer. They’re not shopping you, therefore they like you.

All of the other qualifications are

Building-Products.com

there, by definition. So the only thing you can mess up is the relationship.

Put your best account managers on it and cherish them.

Case 2: In the second case, where they sometimes buy from you, you’re locked in purchasing department purgatory. When I talk to companies about this group, I’m almost always told the same thing, “They only care about price.” I remember one such dealer many years ago who was purchasing primed wooden trimboards and everyone in distribution “knew” that price was all that mattered to him.

Then one day, someone sold him

May 2014

PVC trim boards at three times the price. What happened? Different value proposition? Really? Are all primed wooden trimboards the same?

This was a missed opportunity.

The key, in this case, is not accepting that the sale is transactional at all.

They sometimes buy from you and sometimes someone else. Why? Is price all that matters? What is the product being used for? Are there alternatives? Have they ever had a problem? And what other problems did that problem cause? Does timing matter? Does having it in stock matter? What if it costs more to keep

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enough in stock to never run out?

Who else is affected by this purchase?

How often do they need it? How many more times this month? How else could we structure this to get more of their business? Why is this important? Who else cares? Should they be in the conversation?

Find out who’s wearing the decision and get to that person. The best salespeople can do this. Then, have a business conversation. If all you do is quote the price, then you’re the same as the other guy but with a different phone voice. When the product seems the same, and the service seems the

same, and the only thing that changes is the day of the week, then you need to be the difference. Slow down the call, find out what other factors are on the table, and talk about their business. Be the only one who really gets it. When your people can do that, they are the difference.

Case 3: In the third case, where the prospect frequently asks for a quote, but never (or rarely) gives you the business, we must take a different approach. It might sound something like this: Salesperson: “You call a lot asking for a quote, and you’re real nice.

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Building Products Digest

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May 2014

You say we’re competitive, and you say good things about us, but we never get the business, why is that?”

Prospect: “It’s just business.”

Salesperson: “Is it fair to say you’re in business to make money?”

Prospect: “Aren’t we all?”

Salesperson: “And if you never get the business, how can you make money, and how can you be in business?”

Prospect: “Look, I get a lot of quotes from people who don’t get the business, and I give a lot of quotes for my company and don’t get the business. That’s what it means to be in business.”

Salesperson: “That doesn’t work for me. With all this price quoting, I’m spending a lot of time and not getting paid. Tell me what it’s going to take to do business with you. If it makes sense, I’ll give you another quote.”

Often, what’s happening in this third case is that you are being used to keep someone else’s prices low. The prospect is behaving as if business is devoid of relationship, both with respect to you and to the incumbent.

And they will keep behaving that way until someone shows them a reason to change their thinking. Why not be the first one to do that? You have nothing to lose. They’re not your customer, but they called you. Seize the moment.

In summary, we tend to like transactional sales because they are easy.

But we are leaving much on the table.

We’re either vulnerable to the competition, we’re stuck in a price war and a race to the bottom that no one can win, or we’re getting walked on while letting good potential business slip away.

Can your salespeople cope with these issues and reverse the transactional tendency? Can they change the nature of the conversation and reverse the downward pressure on margins?

Can they sell more consultatively and become the primary differentiator?

Getting the answers to these questions could be the beginning of transcending the transactional sale and having your best year ever.

– Dennis Connelly is a sales development consultant at Kurlan & Associates, author of the blog series livingsalesexcellence.com, and a frequent industry speaker. Reach him at dconnelly@kurlanassociates.com.

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Special Focus North American Wholesale Lumber Association

The role of wood products in forest carbon accounting

By Suzanne Hearn, Forest2Market

T

over forest carbon accounting reminds me of the H.L. Mencken quote, “For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong.” The clear and simple answers for complex questions, such as when to start the carbon accounting clock, for example, are oftentimes fraught with error.

How should we go about accounting for the many ways a tree continues to sequester carbon after a harvest? We know forest carbon accounting systems must account for:

• Forest inputs such as fertilizer and herbicides • Moisture and material loss • Electricity used to transform raw wood material to wood pellets • Fuel (diesel) used to harvest trees and transport materials from the forest to the boiler Methods to interpret other variables that considerably affect forest carbon—forest composition, geography and past land use, for instance—are less clear. Environmental

Table 1

HE ONGOING CONTROVERSY

– Smith, James E.; Heath, Linda S.; Skog, Kenneth E., & Birdsey, Richard A. (2006).

Methods for Calculating Forest Ecosystem and Harvested Carbon with Standard Estimates for Forest Types of the United States.

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stressors such as hurricanes or pest outbreaks and economic pressures like conversion to crop land and urbanization contribute to imbalanced carbon accounting ledgers. Add to this the difficulties of applying the same set of measurement criteria to different wood markets, and we have a complex problem indeed.

Carbon Sequestration in Long-Lived Wood Products

Table 3

Table 2

One particular question that deserves an answer is how forest carbon accounting schemes account for the carbon sequestered in end-use

products. Changes in forest carbon stocks occur whenever forests are harvested, yet these changes do not mean all of the carbon sequestered by the harvested trees is immediately released into the atmosphere. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

Hundreds of products made from trees—lumber, OSB, plywood, paper, packaging and furniture, to name a few—continue to sequester carbon for decades. Table 1 (on previous page) displays the percentage of primary wood products that remain in an end use product after a specified number of years following harvest and production.

For example, column two indicates 57.9% of softwood lumber remains in an end-use product like lumber or furniture 25 years after the initial harvest. This means that as of today 57.9% of the softwood lumber manufactured 25 years ago remains “in service,” sequestering carbon in the studs, joists and floors of our homes.

After 100 years, nearly a quarter (23.4%) of softwood lumber harvested a century earlier remains in products that sequester carbon.

When considered in terms of a typical 25-year sawtimber rotation, the ongoing sequestration benefits of a harvest are staggering. Forests in the U.S. South produced 47 million tons of southern yellow pine lumber in 2012. Converting this to tonnes and taking moisture content and carbon percentage into account translates into carbon sequestration, expressed as its CO2 equivalent, of 59,190,390 tonnes.

By 2038, when 57.9% of lumber from the original harvest remains in service in products, 34,271,236 tonnes remain sequestered (Table 2).

Now let us consider the CO2 emissions from wood pellets produced from the same harvest (Table 3). If we estimate 6,000,000 tonnes of pellets

We’re growing Colville, WA – Usk, WA – Midway, BC – Eagar, AZ

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atmosphere from those pellets.

When we subtract the 9,122,571 tonnes of CO2 emitted from those pel-

lets from the 59,190,390 tonnes of CO 2 sequestered in the lumber, we have a net gain of 50,067,819 tonnes

Table 4

were produced from sawtimber harvest byproducts, we find 9,122,571 tonnes of CO 2 are released to the

– Assumes 47,000,000 green short tons of southern yellow pine harvest goes toward lumber production.

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products, such as OSB or paper.

Carbon Accounting for Wood Pellets

Just as it is illogical to believe 100% of the carbon sequestered by a harvested tree is immediately released to the atmosphere, it is irrational to include the carbon from a whole tree when accounting for carbon in the wood pellets used to generate electricity. Pellets are produced from harvest byproducts such as the unmerchantable tops and limbs of whole trees. A good portion of the carbon stored by those trees remains sequestered in lumber and other forest products.

Likewise, carbon accounting for wood pellets sourced from whole pulpwood trees (the come-along products of a sawtimber harvest) must count only the carbon sequestered by

those small trees that go into the pellet, not the large sawtimber-sized trees used for lumber and other longlived products.

An accurate forest carbon accounting system must consider both forest carbon and carbon that remains in harvested wood products (Table 5). A failure to account for carbon stores in long-lived wood products considerably inflates emissions estimates in the harvest year. We simply cannot declare wood-to-energy is a problem until we account for and explore the many challenges inherent in complex systems of carbon accounting.

– Suzanne Hearn is v.p.-sales & marketing for Forest2Market. Reach her at suzanne,hearn@forest2market.com.

Calculations in this piece are based on logic presented in Dovetail Partners Carbon in Wood Products – The Basics.

Table 5

CO2 sequestered (column 2, Table 1).

To consider these benefits across time, the amount of lumber taken in an initial harvest is multiplied by the percentage of lumber that remains in an end-use product in the years following that harvest. Immediately after a harvest, 100% of the lumber produced sequesters carbon. Within one year, 3% of that lumber is no longer in use. As a result, only 97% of the lumber produced in the initial harvest remains in use to sequester carbon in year two.

Table 4 (previous page) shows these cumulative affects at the time of harvest and one, five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years into the future. Keep in mind, this sequestration benefit is from the softwood lumber produced from just one harvest. These numbers do not account for the carbon that remains sequestered in other wood

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IN Memoriam Mark W. Burdette, 77, retired owner of United Plywoods & Lumber, Birmingham, Al., died March 18.

The business was founded in 1944 by his father, A.D. Burdette.

James J. “J.J.” Flury, 82, retired owner of Quality Lumber & Buffalo Millwork, West Seneca, N.Y., died Feb. 11.

He opened the business at age 21 and retired in 1997. He was a past president of the Northeastern Retail Lumberman’s Association and Western New York Lumber Dealers Association Lumber Person of the Year.

Elwood E. Krzyske, 90, former co-owner of Krzyske Brothers Lumber, Waltz, Mi., died March 19.

He joined the family lumber business after fighting in the war, serving as treasurer until retiring in 1987.

Robert J. Sands Sr., 89, former co-owner of Lumberman’s Supply Co., Madison, Wi., died April 1.

He joined the firm after serving in World War II, working his way up to manager and eventually part-owner.

He closed the yard in the early 1980s.

Building-Products.com

Lorn “Sonny” Lawrence, 93, retired owner of Lawrence & Sons Lumber, Nevada, Mo., died March 6.

With his father and his wife, Ruth, he ran the business for over 40 years.

Richard R. Kuiken Jr., 93, second-generation owner of Kuiken Brotheres Building Supply, Fair Lawn, N.J., died March 15, 2014.

James Richard Youngblood Sr., 75, longtime lumber inspector, died April 16 in Lufkin, Tx. He worked for Southern Pine Inspection Bureau and American Lumber Standard Committee before joining Timber Products Inspection, Conyers, Ga., in 1982.

Loren Elmer Wahlman, 90, longtime Midwest lumberyard manager, died March 24.

He began his career in 1968 with Fullerton Lumber, Vermillion, S.D., transferring to Rolfe and Latimer, Ia., before joining Consumer’s Lumber and running yards in Arnold’s Park and Superior, Ia. He retired in 1998.

Clinton Wayne Ingram, 31, comanager of 84 Lumber, Indianapolis, In., died March 11.

Nancy Daniels Aldridge, 54, vice president of Daniels Lumber Sales, Liberty, N.C., died March 9.

John F. Pond Jr., 88, longtime lumberyard manager, died March 23.

He managed Sproul’s Lumber, Chesterville, Me.; Jay Building Supply, Jay, Me.; Starbird Home Center, Strong, Me., and Hammond Lumber Co., Farmington.

Albert V. Verna Jr., 67, lumber salesman at Torres Lumber Co., Philadelphia, Pa., died April 6.

Robert F. “Bob” Jones, 73, president of three-unit Jones Ace Hardware, Shamokin, Pa., died March 12.

He became v.p. of the business in 1972 and president in 1980. In 1997, he won the Ace President’s Cup.

Selma “Semmie” Koch, 93, former operator of Koch Lumber Co., Beckemeyer, Il., died April 11.

She helped run the business with her father during WW II. She sold the

May 2014

Mark P. Ellis, 69, former mill manager at Coastal Lumber Co., Buckhannon, W.V., died March 28.

(Continued on page 59)

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NEW Products

Nailing Slate Roofing

Real PVC Decking

Reál Decking by Gossen Corp. unites the look of exotic hardwoods with the performance of cellular PVC. Both solid planks and grooved boards are predrilled for easier installation. Offered are lengths of 12’, 16’ and 20’, in a Brazilian ipé color.

Fasco America simplifies installation of slate roofing with its F24 pneumatic nailer and slate roofing hooks.

The tool is lightweight and easy to use, with the power to drive through wood knots. A rubber comfort grip ensures non-slip handling and reduces vibrations and fatigue.

 GOSSENCORP.COM

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Learn about the advantages of wood www.nordicewp.com 1 866 817-3418

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360˚ Outdoor Illumination

LED deck and railing lights from Regal Ideas Inc. are designed to add illumination and ambience to the entire perimeter of an outdoor living area, instead of merely pointing at a single area.

The lights are operated by remote control to offer different color and brightness choices.

 REGALIDEAS.COM (800) 819-4344

Preserve the View

Super View stainless steel cable systems from AllTime Manufacturing are easy to install in any decking application. No special tools are required.

The cables and fittings are made in the USA of marine-grade, stainless steel. Many sizes and styles are available, plus custom orders, as well as a full range of stainless steel and power-coated aluminum post and rail components systems.

 ALLTIMEMFG.COM (800) 248-7325

Walls of Glass

Moving glass wall systems from Milgard now offer the choice of bi-fold and pocket door operating styles, in addition to the existing stacking option.

Finishes include white and dark bronze anodized aluminum, and aluminum-clad wood with clear vertical grain Douglas fir and pine.

 MILGARD.COM (800) 645-4273

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Multi-Purpose Trim Screws

Screw Products has designed a new white head-trim interior/ exterior screw appropriate for a wide range of projects.

A proprietary coating protects against corrosion when used with ACQ and CCA pressure treated lumber.

Available in various sizes— 9x1-5/8, 9x2, 9x2-1/2, and 9x3— the fasteners can be ordered in various quantities, in jars and pails.

OMG Roofing Products’ RedLine AFR roof drain provides maximum allowable flow for gravity-based, open-channel roof drainage systems.

The device is designed to create a watertight connection and minimize the danger of pressurized flow. It can be installed by hand, on the rooftop, so building occupants are not disturbed.

Stolit Milano wall finish from Sto Corp. can be used on both interior and exterior surfaces.

The water-based acrylic finish is breathable, mildew resistant, and can be top-coated to provide additional surface protection. It is also low-VOC, requires no additives, and unused material can be stored in the sealed pail.

 SCREW-PRODUCTS.COM

 OMGROOFING.COM

 STOCORP.COM

(877) 844-8880

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Reliable Roof Drain

(800) 633-3800

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May 2014

Breathable Wall Finish

(800) 221-2397

Building-Products.com

Imported Tile Cutters

Hardware on the Slide

New sliding door hardware from L.E. Johnson is easy to install with a Phillips screwdriver, hammer and, occasionally, a drill.

Series 2200 includes a heavy extruded aluminum track, zinc-plated hangers of heavy-gauge steel, molded nylon wheels, and brass-plated pulls. A one-piece metal guide assembly adjusts laterally for a quick plumb.

 JOHNSONHARDWARE.COM (800) 837-5664

Building-Products.com

Corona Tools distributes Bellota manual tile cutters to the North American market.

Bellota Pro is designed for professional installers and big tile jobs. Bellota Pop can be used to cut common ceramic and porcelain tiles, as well as mosaic glass.

Both product lines include two solid steel, chromeplated guides to ensure maximum wear resistance, noticeably smoother gliding, and exceptional scoring straightness.

 CORONATOOLSUSA.COM (800) 847-7863

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NORTHEAST PRODUCERS Photos by BPD

NORTHEASTERN LUMBER Manufacturers Association hosted its 81st annual convention April 10-11 at Seaport Hotel, Boston, Ma. [1] Susan Coulombe, Brett Anderson. [2] Barry Hodgkin, Kimberly Haven, Don Pendergast. [3] Maria Lennon. [4] Scott Ferland, Tonia Tibbetts. [5] Alex Darrah, Tim Seale, Steve Teixeira. [6] Debbie & Peter Buckley, Deb Kelly. [7] Patty Peterleitner, Jim Robbins. [8] Bob Burns, Kevin Hynes, Matt Duprey, Jack Bowen. [9] Dan Carrier, Vincent Micale, Gil Adams.

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[10] Sylvain Lefebvre, Louis Pacaud. [11] Dan Paige, Trina Francesconi, Robert St-Laurent. [12] Ginny Pray, Jethro Poulin, Mikelle Davenport.

[13] Jeff Easterling, Diana Blenkhorn, Kim Easterling, Colin Bird. [14] Pierce Compagna, Kenny Lambertson. [15] Pierre Gariepy, Jacques Loubert. [16] Bob Bronkie, Tom Jenkins. [17] Katherine Smith, Evelyn Smith, Karl Smith, Marcella Perry, Hal Smith. [18] George Burns. [19] Terry Walters.

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

NORTHEAST PRODUCERS Photos by BPD

MORE NELMA (continued from previous page) in Boston: [1] John Smith, Jeff Desjardins, Phil Ruck. [2] Larry King, Doug Britton. [3] Richard Winemiller, Phyllis & Prisco DiPrizio. [4] Bill Ossenford, Randy Caron, Ashley Brochu, Chris Brochu, Jason Brochu, Bertha Brochu. [5] Brian Belanger, Kim Smith. [6] Lisa & Bill Edwards, Dave Fenuccio. [7] Christine & Joe Robertie, Donna King. [8] Charlie Lumbert, Elwood Building-Products.com

Lowell. [9] Ryan Satterfield, Matt Demers, Madeline Caissie, Alden Robbins, Rob Hoffman. [10] Win Smith, Julie Quitadamo. [11] Arkon & Penny Horne. [12] Doug & Katherine Britton, Dan Carrier, Shelly & Robert Moses. [13] Susan Pukall, Rich Wilson, Sheila Michaud. [14] Jamie & Jill Moulton, Jess & Scott Brown. [15] Brent Wooster. [16] Chuck Gaede. [17] Kim Drew, John Rooks. [18] Sean Covell. [19] Eric McCoy. May 2014

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NAWLA LEADERS Photos by BPD

NORTH AMERICAN Wholesale Lumber Association held its annual Leadership Summit March 30-April 1 at the Lodge & Spa at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Ga. [1] Jody & Todd Lindsey. [2] Vicki & Carl Lamb. [3] Joshua Tyler, Harris Gant. [4] Warren Reeves, Josh Goodman, Kyle Little. [5] Steve Carasso, Brandon Arling. [6] Ken Trainor, Kimmo Jarvinen, Clark Spitzer. [7] Mark Saracco, Ian McLean. [8] Robert Harris, David Brown, Richie Ford, Paul McRae. [9] Bob Bell, Philip Duke. [10]

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Mark McLean, Robyn Louderback. [11] John Stockhausen, Lawrence Newton, Jeff McLendon. [12] Frank Johnston, Donna Whitaker, Joe Brown. [13] Larry & Kathy Boyts. [14] Jim & Cindy McGinnis. [15] Dusty & Penny Hammack. [16] Kathy Price, Terry Miller. [17] Rob Hruby, Grady Payne, Tom Rice. [18] Bill & Cindy Anderson. [19] Julie & Mark Kasper.

[20] Brad Schneider, Karin Bates. [21] Mary Ann Stockhausen, Russ & Linda Hobbs.

(More photos on next two pages) Building-Products.com

NAWLA LEADERS Photos by BPD

NAWLA LEADERS (continued from previous two pages): [1] Mark Erickson, Linda & Barry Schneider. [2] Buck & Janie Hutchison. [3] Kimber & David Hutson. [4] Jim Krauseneck, Mike Mordell. [5] Bob Bratton, Bryan Smalley, Donna Whittaker, Jeff Baumgartner, Paul

McRae. [6] Kevin & Karen Rooney. [7] Joe & Mary Jo Honochick. [8] Elizabeth & Steven Rustja. [9] Laurie Creech. [10] David Jeffers, Jim Robbins. [11] Richie Ford, Mark Richardson.

(More photos on next page)

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www.grkfasteners.com 800.263.0463 Building Products Digest

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NAWLA LEADERS Photos by BPD

MORE NAWLA LEADERSHIP (continued from previous two pages) in Pine Mountain, Ga. [1] Pat Managan, Thom Black, Shelly & Scott Elston. [2] Elizabeth Rustja, Alan Oakes. [3] Craig Sichling, Ben Skoog, Dowe McNeil. [4] Curt & Julie Stevens. [5] Adrian Blocker, Scott Vande Linde, Chris McIver. [6] Todd Hixson.

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[7] Doug O’Rourke, Clarence Young. [8] Anthony Muck, John Cooper. [9] Mike Phillips, Kip Fotheringham. [10] John Quast, Heath Hutchison. [11] Andy Toombs. [12] Ricardo Roman, J.R. Virnich. [13] Patrick Majure, Anthony Muck, Warren Reeves. [14] Mary Lou Carlson, Vicki Klumb. [15] Robert Jordan, Mark May 2014

Wells. [16] Andrew Goodman, Konrad Tittler.

[17] Rob Latham, Joni Berghouse, Amy Latham, Kevin Rooney. [18] Julie McLean. [19] Ashley Boeckholt, Aaron Sulzer, Kevin Cordesman. [20] Bob McSorley, Jim Pattillo, Dave Adams. [21] Ken Tennefoss. [22] Rick & Lillian Ekstein, Shelly & Scott Elston.

Building-Products.com

ASSOCIATION Update Building Material Suppliers Association (the merged Southern Building Material and Ohio Construction Suppliers Associations) plans a summer conference July 24-27 at Wyndham Oceanfront Resort, Virginia Beach,Va.

of Connecticut, June 4 in Farmington, Ct.; New Hampsire Retail Lumber Association, June 5, New London, N.H.; Retail Lumber Dealers of Maine, June 17, Belgrade Lakes, Me., and Mid-Hudson Lumber Dealers, July 21, Newburgh, N.Y.

Northwestern Lumber Association is offering a June 11-12 blueprint reading and material take-off class, led

by Casey Voorhees, at its headquarters in Minneapolis, Mn.

Construction Suppliers Association will host a 30-hour CSA OSHA general safety program May 21-22 and June 18-19 at VNS Corp., Vidalia, Ga.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association kicks off its 26th annual Sunflower Shootout June 13 at Hesston Golf Course, Hesston, Ks. A 2014 GMC pickup truck will be awarded to the first hole-in-one on the fourth hole.

Northeastern Retail Lumber Association named Jonas Kelly, JayK Lumber, New Hartford, N.Y., as its new chair.

A spring leadership meeting is scheduled for May 20-21 at NRLA’s education center in Rensselaer, N.Y. Affiliates’ golf outings this summer include Lumber Dealers Association

Building-Products.com

Southern Cypress Manufacturers Association has elected Hal Mitchell, Atlanta Hardwood Corp., Marbleton, Ga., as president, and Linwood Truitt, Beasley Forest Products/Thompson Hardwoods, Hazelhurst, Ga., v.p.

Southeastern Lumber Manufacturer’s Association will gather July 16-19 at JW Marriott Hill Country, San Antonio, Tx., for its annual conference. Optional activities will include golf and clay shooting.

Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers’ summer conference is set for July 26-29 in Hot Springs, Va.

May 2014

Mississippi Lumber Manufacturers Association has scheduled its annual convention and tradeshow for July 9-13 at Beau Rivage, Biloxi, Ms.

In Memoriam

(Continued from page 49)

yard in 1975 and became bookkeeper for Bruemmer Lumber, Carlyle, Il. Robert G. Ulrey Sr., 91, longtime assistant manager at Randolph Lumber, Parker City, In., died April 17.

Charles J. “Chuck” Tentis, 70, retired salesman for Interstate Building Supply, Wabasha, Mn., died of cancer March 31.

Maurice “Maurie” Ellis, 79, retired co-owner of Ellis True Value Hardware, Madison, Wi., died April 7.

He opened the store with his wife, Kay, in 1961, operating it until 1990.

He then worked at a local Ace Hardware until retirement.

Dale Ulysses Mills, 76, former owner of Tietz True Value Hardware, La Crosse, Wi., died April 13.

Previously, he worked for Handy Builders Hardware, La Crosse.

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MASTERPIECES: BPD publisher Alan Oakes (front) joined the spouse/companion program “Wine & Canvas,” a wine, food and painting

class, during NAWLA’s recent leadership summit in Pine Mountain, Ga. The session was sponsored by Digger Specialties.

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

Private box, $15. Column inch rate: $55 if art furnished “camera-ready” (advertiser sets type), $65 if we set type.

Send ad to Fax 949-852-0231 or dkoenig@building-products.com.

For more info, call (949) 852-1990. Checks payable to Cutler Publishing.

HELP WANTED COMMISSION LUMBER SALES: A separate business unit of Snavely Forest Products Distribution has a unique opportunity for straight commission, independent, contract status sellers. We are looking for sales professionals with experience in lumber sales. The selected candidates will be charged with the responsibility of marketing and selling acetylated SYP to: industrial OEM’s, furniture manufacturers, molders, commercial deck and dock businesses, wholesale building material distributors. While the acetylated wood is physically located in North Carolina, the target market includes the entire United States and Intercontinental market.

This is not a full-time position as there is a finite amount of acetylated wood that is estimated to take 12-18 months to sell through. General business expenses will be reimbursed and commissions will be paid on a monthly basis. Training will be provided. Submit inquiries, questions, or resume to: bkirit@sfpusa.com.

Deadline: 18th of previous month.

To reply to ads with private box numbers, send correspondence to box number shown, c/o BPD, 4500 Campus Dr. #480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660. Names of advertisers using box number cannot be released.

PRODUCTS FOR SALE

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6x6, 6x8, 8x8, 10x10, 12x12

Reload Services & Storage Available Norfolk Southern Mainline Served Easy Access to I-40 & I-77 Company-Owned Truck Fleet (704) 278-9291 • Fax (704) 278-9304 Cleveland, N.C. email steve.twiford@gmail.com or shavers.reload@gmail.com

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

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

WANTED TO BUY

IDAHO TIMBER is seeking an energetic and experienced Sawmill Coordinator and Salesperson. Duties include managing inventory spreadsheet, assisting with sale of lumber produced at facility, and arranging transportation for product shipping. Position is in Coushatta, Louisiana, and offers competitive benefits package and opportunity for growth. To apply, send resume and cover letter to Idaho Timber, Attn.: Dave Luce, 306 Wilkinson St., Coushatta, La. 71019.

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DATE Book

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

National Hardware Show – May 6-8, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv.; (888) 425-9377; www.nationalhardwareshow.com.

North American Retail Hardware Assn. – May 6-8, convention, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 772-4424; www.nrha.org.

Paint & Decorating Retailers Assn. – May 6-8, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800) 737-0107; www.pdra.org.

National Hardwood Lumber Association – May 7, forest products marketing workshop, NHLA Hq., Memphis, Tn.; (540) 231-0978.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – May 8, regional meeting, Hyatt Regency, Birmingham, Al.; www.lumber.org.

Northeastern Loggers Association – May 9-10, equipment expo, Champlain Valley Exposition Grounds, Essex Junction, Vt.; (800) 318-7561; www.northernlogger.com.

Peak Auctioneering – May 10, LBM auction, Howard County Fairgrounds, Baltimore, Md.; (800) 245-9690; www.peakauction.com.

Wallace Hardware – May 13-15, spring market, Convention Center, Gatlinburg, Tn.; (800) 776-0976; www.wallacehardware.com.

New Hampshire Retail Lumber Association – May 15, board meeting, Bedford, N.H.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Rhode Island Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. – May 15, board meeting, Augusta, Me.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Peak Auctioneering – May 17, LBM auction, Metrolina Tradeshow Expo, Charlotte, N.C.; (800) 245-9690; www.peakauction.com.

Do it Best – May 17-19, spring market, Indianapolis Convention Center, Indianapolis, In.; (260) 748-5300; www.doitbestcorp.com.

Composite Panel Assn. – May 18-20, spring meeting, Puerto Vallerta, Mexico; (301) 670-0604; www.compositepanel.com.

Kentucky Building Materials Assn. – May 19-20, blueprint reading & material take-off workshop, Louisville, Ky.; (800) 844-1774; www.kbma.net.

Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Assn. – May 19-21, annual convention, Waldorf Astoria, Naples, Fl.; (703) 435-2900; www.hpva.org.

Western Red Cedar Lumber Association – May 21-23, 60th annual general meeting, Kelowna, B.C.; www.wrcla.org.

Northwestern Lumber Association – May 22, golf outing, Quail Run Golf Club, Columbus, Ne.; (763) 544-6822; www.nlassn.org.

Peak Auctioneering – May 31, LBM auction, Gibraltar Trade Center North, Detroit, Mi.; (800) 245-9690; www.peakauction.com.

New Hampshire Retail Lumber Association – June 5, golf outing, Lake Sunapee, N.H.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Peak Auctioneering – June 7, LBM auction, Gibraltar Trade Center, Detroit, Mi.; (800) 245-9690; www.peakauction.com.

National Lawn & Garden Show – June 10-12, Airport Crowne Plaza, Denver, Co.; (888) 316-0226; www.nlgshow.com.

United Hardware Distributing Co. – June 13-15, market, Minnneapolis Convention Center, Minnneapolis, Mn.; (763) 5591800; www.unitedhardware.com.

Peak Auctioneering – June 14, LBM auction, Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles, Il.; (800) 245-9690; peakauction.com.

Rhode Island Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. – June 17, golf, Belgrade Lakes, Me.; (800) 292-6752; www.nrla.org.

Window & Door Manufacturers Association – June 17-19, technical conference, Renaissance Hotel, Pittsburgh, Pa.; (800) 2232301; www.wdma.com.

House-Hasson Hardware Co. – June 19-21, market, Sevierville Events Center, Sevierville, Tn.; (800) 333-0520; www.househasson.com.

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ADVERTISERS Index

IDEA File Bathroom Contest Is a Winner A 94-year-old dealer in Marcus, Ia., dis-

covered a sure-fire way to increase traffic in its kitchen and bath showroom: an Ugly Bathroom Contest.

The fun event was the first ever for Marcus Lumber, which encouraged shoppers to bring in photos of their ugly bathroom. Each and every picture—of pink sinks, purple vanities, and horrendous wallpaper—was displayed in the showroom. Entrants were encouraged to ask their friends and family to come into the store and vote for the ugliest.

After one month, one of the entrants—with metallic silver wallpaper and green sink—was declared the winner. The reward was a new vanity cabinet and top, a Delta faucet, and two gallons of paint.

“We had a lot of fun with this contest, and so did our customers,” says Jim Leavitt, a bathroom designer at Marcus. “We’re excited to do what we do best: turn the bathroom from ugly 2014 Contest Winner to outstanding.”

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

Allura [www.allurausa.com] ............................................................7 Anthony Forest Products [www.anthonyforest.com] .................33 AZEK [www.azek.com].....................................................................3 Blue Book Services [www.bluebookservices.com] ....................48 Boise Cascade [www.bcewp.com]..................................................4 BW Creative Wood [www.bwcreativewood.com] ........................21 California Redwood Co., The [californiaredwoodco.com]..........31 Center-Line Group [www.center-linetrailers.com] ......................40 Chicago Suburban Lumber [chicagosurburbanlumber.com] ....18 Crumpler Plastic Pipe [www.cpp-pipe.com] ................................62 C.T. Darnell Construction [www.ct-darnell.com].........................43 DeckWise [www.deckwise.com] ...................................................32 Distribution Management Systems Inc. [www.dmsi.com]..........47 Duralife [www.duralifedecking.com] ............................................26 Endeck [www.endeck.com] ...........................................................19 Everwood Treatment Co. [www.everwoodtreatment.com].........24 Fasco America [www.fascoamerica.com]....................................51 Fiberon [www.fiberondecking.com] ...................................Cover III Great Southern Wood Preserving [www.yellawood.com]....8A-8B GRK Fasteners [www.grkfasteners.com]...............................28, 57 Hood Distribution [www.hooddistribution.com]............................5 Hutchison [www.hutchison-inc.com] ...........................................53 Lee Roy Jordan Lumber Co. [www.jordanredwood.com]...........29 Metsa Wood USA [www.metsawood.us] ......................................48 Nordic Engineered Wood Products [www.nordicewp.com].......50 North American Wholesale Lumber Assn. [www.nawla.org] .....35 Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. [www.nelma.org]...52 NyloBoard [www.nyloboard.com].................................................23 Osmose [www.osmosewood.com] ...............................................41 PrimeSource Building Products [www.primesourcebp.com] ....61 Railing Dynamics Inc. [www.rdirail.com] .....................................27 Redwood Empire [www.redwoodemp.com] ........................Cover I Regal Ideas [www.regalideas.com]...............................................15 Roseburg Forest Products [www.roseburg.com] ..............Cover II Screw Products [www.screw-products.com] ..............................30 Sherwood Lumber [www.sherwoodlumber.com]........................37 Simpson Strong-Tie [www.strongtie.com].......................25, 27, 29 Smith Millwork [www.smithmillwork.com]...................................59 Sure Drive USA [www.suredrive.com]..........................................50 Swanson Group Sales Co. [www.swansongroupinc.com].........11 TigerDeck [www.tigerdeck.com] ...................................................34 TruWood-Collins [www.truwoodsiding.com] ....................16A-16B Vaagen Bros. Lumber Inc. [www.vaagenbros.com]....................46 Viance [www.treatedwood.com].........................................Cover IV Westbury Railing [www.westburyrailing.com] ............................49 Western Forest Products [www.westernforest.com] .................44 Weyerhaeuser [www.weyerhaeuser.com]....................................39 Woodway Products [www.woodwayproducts.com] ...................61

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Building Products Digest

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May 2014

Building-Products.com

BPD

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

Building Products Digest

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