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Rewarding relationships Incredible, simply incredible.
That’s what I kept saying to myself as I sat in the theater room of the National Aquarium in Baltimore watching the video slideshow of the remarkable project photos entered into NADRA’s 2018 contest. Every single owner, salesperson, designer, carpenter and helper who was involved with each entry should be applauded for their wonderful projects. In my book they were all winners, top-notch work, and absolutely everyone there is to be commended for their effort. I for one picked up at least half a dozen or more new design and material ideas. I highly recommend anyone interested in elevating their repertoire to take a few minutes to go on NADRA’s site and watch the video. As I sat there in awe, typing notes into my phone as fast as I could, one thing I noticed was the number of decking brands being utilized by craftsmen from all over North America. There were colors and combinations many of us would never dream of using. I also noted an amazing number of new decking brands, styles, patterns, textures, materials and colors displayed at
this year’s Expo. I could have spent a third day walking the floor and chatting with reps and still wouldn’t have finished meeting everyone. This was quite possibly the best best DeckExpo I have ever attended. With all these decking options, my brain was on overload. Truth be told, many builders pick one or two specific brands to work with, gain a certain amount of familiarity, develop a comfort level, and stick with them throughout the year. Sometimes this is a result of what our local dealer stocks or is pushing; suppliers can dictate what becomes popular in a town, development or market area. Many guys I speak with pick products and brands that are “stock” items so there is relatively no lead time, returns are accepted, and we don’t hear those dreaded terms like “restocking fee,” “back order,” or—even worse—“special order,” which is code for “this is going to cost you a lot more.” Another reason to stick with a specific brand or product is that for you, it has a great track record. Profitability is good, call backs are at a minimum (or, better yet, nonexistent), and
I was honored to have two of my projects recognized in this year’s NADRA Deck Competition.
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Deck Specialist
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Winter 2018