The Merchant 12-2015

The

MERCHANT

DECEMBER 2015

Magazine

THE VOICE OF THE WEST’S LBM DEALERS & DISTRIBUTORS – SINCE 1922

EWP & OSB • LUMBERMAN’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE • NAWLA TRADERS MARKET RECAP

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www.building- roducts.com

Magazine

A ublication of

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Kalmus Dr., Ste. D

, Costa Mesa, CA

atrick Adams adams building- roducts.com Shelly Smith Adams sadams building- roducts.com David Cutler Alan akes David Koenig david building- roducts.com A

Special Features

In Every Issue

9 FEATURE STORY

LUMBERMAN’S HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE

12 INDUSTRY TRENDS

LATEST DISTRIBUTION SOFTWARE

14 MARGIN BUILDERS

ENGINEERED FLOOR SHEATHING TIPS

15 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

FIRE-RATED OSB SHEATHING

16 MANAGEMENT TIPS

CREDIT POLICIES THAT REDUCE RISK, WHILE ENCOURAGING GROWTH

24 NAWLA–THINKING AHEAD READY TO CLOSE THE BOOKS?

35 PROJECT SPOTLIGHT MHOUSE

SHOWCASES EWP

42 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

RIGID FOAM INSULATION

44 RECAP: NAWLA TRADERS MARKET 50 EVENT RECAP: APA ANNUAL

Online BREAKING INDUSTRY NEWS, EVENT PHOTOS, & DIGITAL EDITION OF THE MERCHANT

BUILDING-PRODUCTS.COM

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6 ACROSS THE BOARD 18 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE 20 OLSEN ON SALES 22 EVANGELIST MARKETING 28 APP WATCH 30 MOVERS & SHAKERS 32 KAHLE ON SALES 36 NEW PRODUCTS 51 ASSOCIATION UPDATE 52 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE 52 IN MEMORIAM 53 DATE BOOK 53 ADVERTISERS INDEX 54 FLASHBACK AN A Send address label from recent issue, new address, and -digit zi to address below.

A Send address changes to The Merchant Magazine, Kalmus Dr., Ste. D , Costa Mesa, CA .

SSN S S is ublished monthly at 151 200 A 92626 by Media Grou , nc. eriodicals ostage aid at New ort Beach, CA, and additional ost offices. t is an inde endently-owned ublication for the retail, wholesale and distribution levels of the lumber and building roducts markets in western states. Co yright by Media Grou , nc. Cover and entire contents are fully rotected and must not be re roduced in any manner without written ermission. All Rights Reserved. t reserves the right to acce t or re ect any editorial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it.

December 2015

Ste hanie rnelas sornelas building- roducts.com Carla Waldemar, James lsen

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Chuck Casey chuck building- roducts.com Heather Kelly hkelly building- roducts.com

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N Heather Kelly hone Fa - hkelly building- roducts.com or send a check to Kalmus Dr., Ste. D , Costa Mesa, CA A : ne year issues , Two years, Three years, N er year, aid in advance in S funds : Surface-Canada or Me ico, ther countries, Air rates also available.

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shi ing shi ing

ACROSS the Board

By Patrick Adams

Sometimes hope is not enough

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’M PROUD TO SAY that almost every morning, I wake up thankful.

Happy. Hopeful.

On this weekend morning, I got up before the sun to meet some friends for a round of golf at a beautiful course. Those of you who golf will know what I mean. As the sun comes up, you can feel how perfect the day will be. It’s brisk out, but not uncomfortable. There’s no breeze, the course looks perfect, we have the first tee time and I’m feeling great. To say we’re all competitive is an understatement, but on this morning, I have that feeling that I’m going to shoot the round of my life. Hope.

As I’ve traveled the country attending dozens of events this year, meeting so many great people and hearing the stories of how their businesses have endured the good times and bad, hope is the word that comes to mind. I think it’s what I love most about our industry; no matter what state we find ourselves in, the hope in this industry never wanes! Housing starts dip under a million, we still have hope, and when they climb over 2 million, we have hope for more still! Prices drop or margins increase? We still have hope!

They call the holidays the “silly season” for good reason. Before Halloween was even here, I looked

around and saw Christmas decorations. Before our Thanksgiving dinners were even served, people were lining up outside stores to trample each other for deals on things they don’t need. We stress about buying presents and whether the recipient will love what we got them, while we plan the details of a gathering that is centered around being thankful.

This holiday season, I hope that everyone brings the hope of our industry with them everywhere they go!

Take it with you when you are shopping and being scowled at by impatient elves, being cut off on the highway, or realizing a side dish was left in the oven too long. We all have a lot to be thankful for, and hopeful for what lies ahead! This is the “season of giving” and I’m going to try very hard to show those around me that I’m thankful, and hopeful for the future in spite of the daily news that tells me I shouldn’t. My point is this: there are countless reasons every day that we should lose hope and only one good reason to have it and that is the idea of hope itself!

But, sometimes hope is not enough.

As my morning of golf unfolded, I did indeed have a great day. However, a couple of my friends did as well and I came into the 18th hole with a one

stroke lead. It’s how all great courses should end—a long par 4 with a narrow, tree-lined fairway and a threetiered green surrounded by water.

I didn’t have my greatest drive, which left a 225 yard second shot over the water to the green. While the smart play would have been to lay up, I was feeling hopeful! I settled over my shot as I knew behind me, my “friends” were also hopeful that my good day had finally come to an end.

Hope is a funny thing because it makes you believe, in spite of all of the data you are faced with, that you will beat the odds and prevail. It was one of those shots that only golfers can understand.

From the millisecond of the club striking the ball, I knew this was a shot that I would remember. The ball exploded off the clubface and seemed to just keep climbing as it approached the end of the fairway, crossed the water, and landed on the front side of the green… only to begin its track rolling backwards. I still had hope that it would stop and that hope remained until the final second, when I saw my ball splash into the water.

I am thankful for any day filled with hope and good friends, even when it ends losing by just one stroke!

I’m thankful for this industry we work in, for the new friends I have made, and I am filled with hope for the year ahead. I believe it is hope that makes this country, our industry and our lives great!

From the bottom of our hearts, we wish you all a holiday season filled with thanks, peace and hope while we remember those who are less fortunate than us. Merry Christmas everyone from my family and the team at 526 Media Group!

“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” ― Tom Bodett Patrick S. Adams Publisher/President padams@building-products.com

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December 2015

Building-Products.com

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ThermalWood Thermally Modified Decking

ThermalWood Canada’s thermally treated white ash decking is the gold standard for ultra-low maintenance wood decking. Each plank has a slight crown to prevent cupping and water pooling, and it comes with the easiest hidden fastening system on the market. It also has the best rot warranty in the industry—25 years for decking and 50 years for siding.

Grabber Construction Fasteners

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FEATURE Story

By Stephanie Ornelas

The Lumberman’s Holiday Gift Guide

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are a great reminder of how we can show appreciation to those we care about, especially in an industry as close and unique as ours. But in an industry as busy as ours, time can be of the essence.

Need some last-minute gifts ideas to share with a colleague, friend, or family member? Check out our Lumberman’s Gift Guide for unique and practical stocking stuffers and gifts that will make any LBM professional feel right at home for the holidays.

HE HOLIDAYS

Wood Prints

WoodSnap brings photos to life through a specialized process, taking your photos and printing them directly on premium Baltic birch wood.

The finished products result in vibrant colors, retaining high quality without sacrificing clarity. By printing photos on wood, it brings more

life to your imagery, virtually creating a new memory.

Retail Price: $14.95 – $300.00 www.woodsnap.com

Tool Jewelry

Designed to be worn like a bracelet, the Leatherman Tread features 29 tools built into 10 stainless steel links. Lightweight and virtually indestructible, the customizable bracelet travels everywhere you do.

Each 17-4 stainless steel link is equipped with a tool, so Allen wrenches, screwdrivers and box wrenches are always available. Add that to your wish list!

Retail Price: $165.00 – $220.00 www.leatherman.com Building-Products.com

December 2015

Log-like Decor

Redecorate for the new year with Surreal Planters hand-painted to match the appearance of natural birch or white oak logs.

Molded of high density polyurethane, the planters are light, portable and incredibly realistic.

Their innate durability allows them to remain realistic long after natural logs would have begun to deteriorate.

Retail Price: $17.00 – $110.00 www.surrealplanters.com 

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Woody Aromas

Baxter of California’s Ash Series of soy wax–scented candles are inspired by the campfires in the high mountains, low desert valleys and coastal beaches of California.

Three distinct scents (Sweet Ash, Smoke Ash, and Wood Ash) share notes of cedar, pine, sandalwood, cade and smoky ash. The candles have fragrance notes of light leather and tea, enhanced by smoke and cedar wood chips.

Retail Price: $60.00 www.baxterofcalifornia.com

Smokin’ Hot Playing Cards

Give a deck of cards with wooden fence background and burned graphics to your fellow lumberman and heat up your next game of poker.

Molla Space art and design has created a unique woodlike feature that adds a special touch to any card game.

Retail Price: $10.00 – $15.00 www.mollaspace.com

Maplewood-flavored Delights

Treat your staff this season to 100% natural, preservative-free jerky, smoked in small batches using maple and fruit woods.

Using the finest USDA choice-certified bottom round beef, the original extra smoky natural meat with a touch of tanginess has been enjoyed since the 19th century.

Retail Price: $8.49 – $64.99 www.crazyhorsejerky.com

Multi-purpose Phone Case

TaskOne’s G3 iPhone case is the ultimate protective case, with built-in stainless steel tools. Super rugged aluminum and polycarbonate construction protect your device from serious impact.

Equipped with over a dozen different tools, including a universal reciprocating saw-blade mount, the case offers everything needed for a quick fix at a moment’s notice.

Retail Price: $59.99 www.thetasklab.com

Weatherproof Note-taking

The perfect stocking stuffer, the all-weather top-spiral notebook by Rite in the Rain is small enough to fit in almost any pocket and tough enough to survive anything Mother Nature has to offer.

The PolyDura cover defends notes

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from scratches and stains, and the notebook can survive sweat, rain, mud, snow, oil, grease and the wearand-tear of daily use in any lumberman’s pocket.

Retail Price: $3.99 www.riteintherain.com

December 2015

Building-Products.com

Lids Up

Cast iron tool bottle openers are shaped to mimic the look and feel of classic tools. Each piece is functional artwork, making for a nice decoration around the house or office.

Choose from a wrench or hammer and surprise a lumberman close to your heart.

Retail Price: $20.00 www.uncommongoods.com

Tools on the Go

Ideal for almost every LBM professional, the 686 Original Snow Toolbelt makes the perfect gift for the always-on-the-go lumberman and not just for the snow.

The full grain leather belt is equipped with a 8/10/11mm wrench loop, #2 Phillips and flathead, and has a double prong buckle/bottle opener.

The belt comes in black and brown finishes.

Retail Price: $45.00 www.686.com

Worldly Whiskey Decanters

We are an industry of travelers, and many of whom can appreciate a good glass of Scotch. So it makes sense that a globe decanter is the perfect gift for any spirits enthusiast.

As you spin the decanter, its contents will also aerate to open up the flavor and allow your wine or spirits' aromas to develop. The heat-resistant glass globe decanter features decorative etching of the world map.

Retail Price: $35.00 – $50.00 www.target.com

Magnetic Tool Wristbands

MagnoGrip wristbands are built to satisfy the requirements of the do-it-yourselfer, professional tradesman, or mechanic.

Crafted from durable ballistic polyester and embedded with strategically placed magnets, the magnetic wristband provides a clever solution to the common problem of losing your screws, bolts, parts and tools when you need it most. Add that to your list of stocking stuffers.

Retail Price: $15.99 www.magnogrip.com

Timber Timer

A modern Bluetooth wireless speaker and alarm clock, the BlueSync TYM Light is built with with a speaker and onboard controls to adjust the time, set alarms and pair to devices easily.

The clock has an extremely user-friendly design and is encased in genuine wood.

Retail Price: $54.99 www.gogroove.com Building-Products.com

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INDUSTRY Trends

By Jon Mainwaring, Oneir Solutions

Affordability is trending in distributor software

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OR MANY MID-SIZED distributors eager to expand, yet loathe to drain their budgets in the process, a new generation of fully-featured sophisticated business management software with customized modules is allowing them to utilize tools that have traditionally only been accessible to larger enterprises.

Call it multi-channel sales, inventory control, and accounting software, because these new do-it-all systems cover the bases from the manufacturer’s warehouse to the ultimate consumer. For a growing number of companies the flexibility, speed of implementation, user friendliness, and scalability of these new business management systems is impressive, particularly when factoring in lower cost offerings that drop the price tag from $50,000 or more to, in some cases, less then $10,000.

With flexibility a byproduct of the modularization of these new systems, a wide variety of businesses are embracing the trend toward enlisting wholesaling software to expand. Just in time, as the National Association of

N W bills, saving time.

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Wholesaler-Distributors reports that in the U.S., total wholesale trade sales for 2014 were up 5.1% from 2013, totaling $5.4 trillion. This growth covered nearly all segments of wholesale trade.

But keeping pace with this success means businesses can no longer suffer the lapses in accuracy that legacy systems allow. A simple keying error of a distracted employee can result in a thousand-dollar mistake, a delay in building construction or product roll-out, or even the permanent loss of a customer.

While many warehousing executives understand that end-to-end automation can reduce such costly mistakes, two misconceptions have kept them on the sidelines from reaping the benefits that technology has to offer.

First of all, they don’t realize that enterprise resource software programs are now written specifically for the wholesaling/distribution model.

Secondly, they fear that such programs are costly, inflexible, difficult to learn, and because of their proprietary nature, require expensive support.

Unfortunately, these fears are grounded in some truth.

Horror stories of exorbitant costs, high maintenance fees, and years-long implementation snafus have worked to keep many wholesalers from even considering end-to-end software systems.

Distributors are turning to providers of scalable ERP software that efficiently manages key business functions through one shared information database.

These ERP offerings, thanks in part to the use of open software operating systems based on Linux, are extremely affordable, starting at less than $5,000 for a more basic, three-user version with modest set-up and upgrade fees.

Despite the low cost, the product is robust, enterprise-wide software that is scalable to meet new challenges such as changes to the business model and new technologies.

With the use of this new software, the inventory levels for multiple warehouse locations can be instantly accessed via the Web so that customers can check stock availability whenever they have the need, rather that telephoning their sales rep directly.

Such Internet connectivity also increases the service level to contractors who can look up inventory levels 24/7, and plan their jobs based on product availability. The next step is to have orders automatically uploaded into accountBuilding-Products.com

ing systems. A confirmation can then be e-mailed to the customer, a slip produced for picking and packing the order, and the items shipped.

By upgrading, distributors are able to open and efficiently manage their warehouses. They are always online and can check stock, sales, and know what is going on in all locations up to the minute.

Efficiency via Convergence of Functions

By electronically and logically joining together what were previously separate functions, this newer approach to multi-channel sales facilitates efficiency and improves productivity.

An integrated blend of accounts receivable and payable software, general ledger software, POS software, sales order software and an inventory management system have efficiently handled the daily bookkeeping needs of distributors who process thousands of transactions a month. Many of these customer charges are processed through an integrated “Card Lock” system for billing transactions at remote locations.

With these new ERP systems, distributors can now handle payments, make other changes and print a statement if the office manager is away, and now their drivers are even doing their own bills. They are getting their statements out much faster and can go back months into their records if needed, which they could never do before.

The interoperability and scalability of these applications allows business to add robust modules as they need to fit their growth, thus overcoming the obstacles of bulky, traditional ERP systems.

When you picture a $250-billion industry giant you can see that there are a lot of aspects of their proprietary ERP system that are vital to them, but smaller companies would not necessarily need all that.

Sales order modules, provided by these new ERP systems, ups the chance of success for a company’s sales reps when making calls on customers. These guides, which can be downloaded onto the screen of a laptop or tablet, are used to inform customers of product data and, in many instances, show the customer’s order history, making it an important aid for generating repeat sales. The rep can place the order on the spot, which automatically sends an E-mail confirmation to the client and simultaneously forwards the order directly to the warehouse for picking, packing and shipping.

Ease of Implementation, Ease of Use

Much of the interoperability, scalability, and affordability can be attributed to the Linux OS that so many of these newer systems base themselves upon. As open-source software, it means that users aren’t bound to expensive—and just as important, inaccessible—proprietary systems that tie the user to one vendor. Linux’s increasing popularity also facilitates rapid implementation. After all, Linux has been said to be the “backbone” of the Internet because of its speed, security and lower cost of ownership.

Linux also interfaces well with other operating systems, further expanding the utility of these new ERP systems to users who are more familiar with consumer-oriented human-machine interfaces. For example, Linux communicates effortlessly with Windows terminal services.

It is such an easy system to use because it’s not complicated. No training or adjustment time is needed, which is unusual when going through a system transition. Usually a Building-Products.com

ALL multi-channel sales, inventory control, and accounting software because new do-it-all software systems cover the bases from manufacturer to distribution center to consumer.

company needs to set aside a lot of hours to train each of the salespeople on a new system, but with these flexible ERPs, it’s not necessary.

Lastly, the efficiency of Linux also allows smaller IP packets, thus improving transmission speed and reducing processing overhead within internal networks, as well as over the Internet. Rapid remote access through virtual private tunnels into the cloud assist management in tracking orders and metrics across the globe.

The Linux base to the software is important. It moves data around in small packets very fast, so wholesalers can see in real time the state of their inventory in multiple locations just as they can at the main headquarters.

Future Growth

Today’s new breed of modularized software designed strictly for sales/warehousing and distribution is enabling forward thinking leaders to expand their businesses.

This ERP system can opened up a bottom line for a small to mid-sized company. It’s extremely reliable and can do sophisticated reporting. The sales analysis reports that are generated from it, for example, show what percentage of a company’s sales is coming from which customers, and how that is changing from year to year. So companies can make plans for growth based on hard facts.

– Jon Mainwaring is executive vice president of Oneir Solutions, a provider of scalable ERP software that can efficiently manage key business functions through a single shared information database. Reach him via www.oneirsolutions.com or at (877) 322-3580.

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MARGIN Builders

By Tomo Tsuda, Weyerhaeuser

Help builders avoid callbacks over poor floor performance

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F YOU ASKED your builder customers, chances are many would tell you that one of their biggest challenges is callbacks from customers dissatisfied over squeaky or bouncy floors. While proper installation can help builders avoid these costly calls, it really starts with good design and materials. That’s where you come in.

New homebuyers naturally assume that their house will be “built to code.”

But that doesn’t always mean that the house will meet their quality expectations, particularly when it comes to something like a floor. Code minimum does not automatically equal comfort or satisfaction.

There are many things that can lead to floor vibration and just as many ways to help builders avoid them.

Deflection

Due to the complicated nature of floor vibration, many builders and designers start by limiting the deflec-

engineered wood design and materials revent callbacks.

(Photo by Weyerhaeuser)

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tion of a floor member to a certain code-mandated target. Typically, this means they limit live load deflection to a maximum of span/360 or perhaps a more restrictive span/480.

An evaluation of how the floor will feel during ordinary use is not a codemandated design requirement, though.

The components of a floor system that impact floor performance, such as the presence of a ceiling, floor sheathing, support elements, and partition walls, are not captured in a live-load deflection (only) analysis.

Vibration

To further complicate the issue, floor vibration is highly subjective.

For example, the homebuyer who previously occupied a slab-on-grade residence may have a different performance expectation than the buyer who has been living in the upper levels of an apartment complex. Additionally, problems not related to floor vibration, such as squeaks or sound transmission between rooms, often create the perception of poor vibration performance.

Subtle changes in floor usage or joist spans may also result in floor performance complaints. One common problem area is the kitchen island.

Based on sound and sight alone, this location is particularly scrutinized by the homeowner because of rattling dishes or ripples in a glass of water. A sudden change in joist span, such as at a bay window, may also be a trouble spot stemming from what appears to be a slightly longer joist span. Use of a short, stiff member in one place will make longer spans feel softer.

All of these concerns can be accounted for by planning and using design tools that consider the factors and details that typically produce annoying floor vibrations.

Eliminate the Guesswork

To tackle this issue, Canada and other countries have included floor

December 2015

vibration-performance checks in their building code. In the U.S., several engineered wood product manufacturers have developed tools that evaluate the performance of a floor system.

Weyerhaeuser’s TJ-Pro Rating System assigns a point value to a floor design that statistically relates to the percentage of homeowners that would likely be satisfied with its performance. The rating takes into consideration not only the span and joist series, but also the entire system, such as the ceiling, sheathing, supports, blocking and partitions. The floor system design is based on laboratory research and performance surveys, thereby accounting for both the scientific and subjective nature of floor performance.

TJ-Pro Ratings are generated by a sophisticated computer model designed to predict floor performance and evaluate the relationship between the cost and the “feel” of any given floor system.

Ultimately, the homeowners’ expectations of floor performance determine their satisfaction. If you can give homebuyers relevant floor performance information and if they understand the value of various options available to mitigate the potential for annoying floor vibrations, it is likely that the more discerning consumers will select a floor design upgrade or model that will better meet their expectations.

Floor performance is highly subjective. A floor that feels fine for one person may feel annoying for another.

But by knowing the homebuyer’s expectation of floor performance, builders and their floor system designers can use tools to predict and design floor systems that reflect the homebuyer’s input and new home preferences.

– Tomo Tsuda, P.E., is the manager of product applications and building codes at Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way, Wa. Building-Products.com

PRODUCT Spotlight

By Bob Palardy, LP Building Products

Fire-rated OSB sheathing heats up

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few years, the building industry has seen an increase in construction job starts. Now, more than ever, builders are benefiting from value-added materials that go beyond basic functionality. Along with the rise in job starts, building codes are constantly evolving.

Because of these trends, the demand for fire-rated building products will continue to grow across multifamily and single-family new construction projects. Though it may initially seem counterintuitive, wood (including engineered wood products) can present viable fire-rated solutions. For example, using fire-rated OSB sheathing on a construction project can help builders efficiently meet the needs and demands of the growing industry.

The Freedonia Group has predicted the demand for flame retardants in the construction industry will grow 8.7% annually through 2016. Fire-rated products like LP FlameBlock Fire-Rated OSB Sheathing can be used in several assemblies to help curb the costs of labor and materials, while still satisfying the required fire codes. Below are three ways that fire-rated OSB sheathing can improve the efficiency of multifamily and single-family construction projects.

VER THE LAST

Meeting code compliance more efficiently

Buildings are categorized into construction types based on height, area and intended usage (occupancy classification). The International Building Code (IBC) requires assemblies for exterior and interior walls, floors/ceilings, and roofs within buildings of each type to meet different fire-resistance ratings. These ratings specify the time duration for which a component must withstand a standard fireresistance test, ranging from 30 minutes to four hours.

In 2014, more than 400,000 multifamily construction permits were filed, and multifamily is projected to remain a third of total housing starts through 2019. Fire-rated OSB sheathing can be used in several assemblies to reduce the costs of both labor and materials for multifamily projects in Type III and V construction. Because this type of OSB combines fire resistance and structural performance in a single panel, the assembly only requires one layer of OSB versus two or three layers of gypsum or FRT. Fire-rated OSB sheathing is also a useful tool for singlefamily projects, particularly infill housing, which requires fire-rated assemblies or products if the walls of the home Building-Products.com

are within 10 feet of the property line. LP FlameBlock sheathing, in particular, is a code-compliant component of 1-hour and 2-hour fire-rated interior and exterior wall assemblies and roof decks.

Saving on materials, labor and time

The increase in construction starts has resulted in labor shortages across the industry. According to a June 2015 study by the National Association of Home Builders, nearly 70% of homebuilder respondents reported a shortage of carpenters. This is up from 63% a year prior. Likewise, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, average hourly earnings for construction workers was up 2.6% in July, compared to 2.1% for all U.S. workers.

Because of the labor shortage and higher earning rates, many builders are seeing projects take longer than anticipated to complete, which has a direct effect on both project and overall company budgets.

As the demand for skilled workers is at a premium, many builders and developers are looking for a product that can be efficiently—and correctly—installed by a lean construction crew. By using fire-rated OSB sheathing in assembles to meet code on Type III and Type V construction, workforces make use of familiar installation techniques and tools. Easier installation, due to the simplified assemblies, can save both time and cost of labor.

Increasing obsite durability

Fire-rated OSB sheathing is also easy to manage on a job site, making it a durable option prior to, during, and after installation. Compared to FRT plywood, fire-rated OSB sheathing has an Exposure 1 rating, meaning it withstands weather during normal construction delays. On the contrary, gypsum and FRT plywood don’t have that rating.

Interior gypsum, for example, must be kept dry during construction.

As multifamily and single-family infill increases, builders will benefit from using products like fire-rated OSB and other value-added engineered products that can have a profound impact on the overall success of a project.

– Bob Palardy is manager of product development and technology for LP Building Products. Reach him via www.lpcorp.com.

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MANAGEMENT Tips

By Scott Simpson, BlueTarp

Make credit policies that reduce risk, encourage growth

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have in-house credit programs, but not all have formal credit policies to support them, which can leave you open to unnecessary risk. Here are five steps you can take with your credit program to turn a potential weakness into a competitive advantage that protects and bolsters your bottom line.

ANY DEALERS

1 Set e plicit credit limits

Setting credit limits is an essential part of mitigating lending risk. If you haven’t set clear credit limits, then you really don’t have any. This fluid approach to credit can leave you vulnerable to taking on unnecessary risk. The following questions can help you determine just what your credit limits should be: • What credit line makes you nervous?

• How much are you willing to lose?

• What’s the maximum loss your business can handle?

With a clear understanding of your thresholds and the maximum credit exposure your company can withstand, you’ve got a good framework for setting your limits.

Develop clear ualification criteria

Develop clear criteria for how you evaluate a customer’s credit worthiness.

Some basic elements you should consider include: Credit minimums: What is the minimum requirement for you to approve credit for a new customer? Best-practices include: • 3+ years in business • No outstanding delinquencies of 90+ days • FICO score >685 Contractors who don’t meet your credit minimums should be designated as cash or credit card customers until they’re able to meet your requirements.

References: Ask for, and check, bank and trade references as part of every credit application regardless of the size of the company or the requested limit.

Financials: For new customers requesting large credit lines, ask for the company’s financials, a copy of their bank statement or a letter of credit from their bank.

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Contracts: When a customer asks for a bigger line to cover a job, ask for a copy of the payment bond or homeowner contract to get a better idea of exactly how much credit is needed and what the contractor’s payment schedule may be.

Deposits: Consider asking for a deposit if you have to special order materials or the order amount exceeds the customer’s credit limit.

Know when to get personal guarantees

Personal guarantees are a fairly common element on dealer credit applications. You should consider them when: • A personal guarantee may be your only recourse, such as with a sole proprietor where there is no formal business to be held liable for credit defaults.

• A company doesn’t have a very solid credit history, as an added layer of risk protection.

• You make exceptions to your credit qualification criteria, give credit to a new customer, or increase credit for an existing customer.

Keep in mind that a personal guarantee isn’t collateral Building-Products.com

and only really matters if it’s a good guarantee that you’re able to collect on if you need to.

Late penalties reduce lateness

No one likes fees. They are, however, a helpful tool to encourage prompt payment or to compensate you for the costs of incurring lateness.

There are a couple of truths about fees you should know: • People know they should pay them.

• People will pay them if you expect them to be paid.

Most contractors will pay fees without discussion. A few will require you to ask for payment. For those who “don’t pay fees,” you have to decide whether you waive them. If you hold firm, explain how you expect to be paid in the same way that they expect your deliveries to be on time. Not getting paid on time communicates disrespect for how that impacts your business.

Offer to waive fees in the future if they call ahead of time to tell you they’ll be late. Otherwise, ask they pay the fee as a sign of respect for how that impacts your business.

Don’t set it and forget it

Having a strong credit policy is of little value if you don’t properly execute it. Make sure your sales and credit teams know what your credit policy is and are enforcing the same rules. Have a clear process for if, or when, you will make exceptions and who can make them.

Revisit your credit policy every couple of years. Changes in the economy and your business may mean you now have more or less cash and can change your risk tolerance. You also want to reassess your customers periodically and adjust as needed items like credit limits and personal guarantees based on how a company meets your credit criteria today.

A strong credit policy is a cornerstone of every successful building material supplier’s business.

Implementing these best practices can help reduce your credit risk and make your credit program a growth engine for your business.

– Scott Simpson is president and CEO of BlueTarp Financial, which helps distributors grow and protect their businesses by offering professional credit management services. Reach him at (207) 7975900 or ssimpson@bluetarp.com.

Building-Products.com

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COMPETITIVE Intelligence

By Carla Waldemar

Rapids growth

L

SIOUX FALLS for the city slickers. Alan Nedved first set foot in Dell Rapids, S.D. (pop. 4,000), in February and he’s not planning on leaving any time soon.

“I love the town! It’s a great community, good schools.”

And a great job. He’s the new general manager of Dell Rapids Ace Hardware, which just underwent an expansion he’s proud to helm. (Alan’s no babe in the prairie, take note: He’d worked in Vermillion, S.D., for a different operation for eight years, then two years in Brandon at another Ace store owned by John Niederauer, who also owns Dell Rapids, along with Aces in Miller, Tea and Redfield—most of which circle Sioux Falls, but are spared that city’s hustle-bustle.

Dell Rapids, 20 miles north, is a stand-alone community buzzing, says Alan, with “new building all the time—new houses, new businesses: people love this smaller community” in which the Ace store has operated for 16 years.

And they love to shop locally, but that was getting harder and harder in the former location, just five blocks down the road. Alan’s customers are scattered all over the demoEAVE

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graphic map: “everybody from maintenance folks to farmers, contractors, professional builders and DIYers,” he states. “They don’t want to drive 50 miles. Here, you can park right at the front door—easy in and out, no hassle.”

No leaky roof, either, in the new digs. Yet a few regulars at the old haunt demanded to know “Why are you closing?”—despite ads, signs and everything short of a yellow brick road. (He announced the move through ads on radio, in the local newspaper and Sioux Falls paper, and via social media. “One of our guys does this for us, and he’s got a pretty good following.”)

The new, built-to-order, 15,000-sq. ft. site is twice as big, twice as bright and clean, and twice as lush with SKUs in each and every department, as well as (answering customer demand) entirely new categories, including ammunition, fishing supplies and licenses, and live bait.

New services, too, such as a UPS drop-off, saving locals quite a drive.

After a soft opening in July, Alan and company staged a grand reopening Aug. 7-9 featuring local celebs, chainsaw

Ace s longtime home was due for a refresh.

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re lacement store is double the size and twice as lush, attracting a record number of new customers.

carving (trust me: a South Dakota specialty), refreshments, inflatables for kids, give-aways, drawings and sales. Worth it? You bet. “We’re getting customer we’ve never seen before. In September 2015 we logged 1,000 new customers over our September 2014 count,” he reports.

And Alan was ready for them. He upped the staff to seven full-timers plus five part-timers to handle both the added space and added shoppers. With the help of Ace research (“All right: This is what you probably need for X population and growth”) with ongoing on-site tweaking to assure a good fit, shoppers were greeted with new signage, bright new lighting, clean, more spacious aisles, all-new fixtures and cash registers—and a new parking lot. “The building itself went fine, but then it rained—rained forever!—turning out lot into a lake before our opening,” Alan groans.

Dell Rapids Ace expanded its rental department, adding lawn and garden, tractors, aerators and such, to facilitate one-stop shopping, “and the rentals are doing very well for us,” he reports. “We’ve already expanding the department again, to fill requests.”

Alan also spotlighted women shoppers this round— those in the market for small appliances and kitchen gadgets. But what’s really got the ladies going wild is the greatly-enhanced paint department, especially the new Amy Howard chalk-based line for refinishing furniture. In fact, the store will soon host its first-ever (but slated to be annual) Ladies’ Night—a hands-on opportunity fueled by wine and cheese, based on suggestions from the store’s female staffers and Alan’s private guru, aka his wife.

He also plans a contractors’ night in the future. For now, these pros get favorable pricing treatment and service at a desk in the rear, as well as increased quantities of everything they seek, from plumbing to electrical. “There wasn’t room before. And if they’re working on a really big Building-Products.com

project, we have access to our enormous company warehouse, too.” Dell Rapids also offers tool repairs. “We haven’t got a full-time mechanic yet, but there’s one on tap in Brandon where we can ship stuff. And we deliver big items, like snow blowers and mulch.”

Getting his expanded staff up to speed didn’t involve a lot of corporate manuals nor motivational blah-blah. “I’m the kind of guy that throws ’em in the fire,” he laughs, adding that “You’ve got to do it yourself—mix paint, for instance—to learn. But our new hires get a tour of the store, then shadow a veteran employee for a few days.

Plus, we all have headsets, so a push of a button gets questions answered, like ‘Aisle 12 on the left,’ where we have someone sent to help.”

But the most important staff training is in attitude. “The customer is our first priority. If they aren’t happy, nothing else matters,” Alan insists. “If the door dings, we’re there!”

Alan has the freedom to run his own show. Owner John Niederauer, with five stores in his cache, gives his managers free rein on the day-to-days. And when Alan might say, “John, we need a new trailer” or another big-ticket item, the immediate answer is usually, “Okay.”

“No micro-managing. I like that a lot. We can all access each other’s inventory and transfer items daily.

It’s amazing to work here,” Alan concludes. “Am I happy? For sure. And already we’re needing more space…”

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net December 2015

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OLSEN On Sales

By James Olsen

Biased participants ume much for it to be felt by our customer. If we are normally louder in our speech, a slight lowering of tone will be immediately noticed.

The Whisper Close

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E ARE BIASED

mercial lives.

participants in our competitive, com-

Our Product

“Do we believe in our product?” If we are not passionate about our product or proposal, then we are on shaky moral ground. How can we promote an idea or product we don’t believe in? In addition, we are disadvantaged in the competitive business of sales.

Enthusiasm is Contagious

We are human tuning forks. Our customers feel what we feel, regardless of what we say. We must carry an unbridled enthusiasm into our sales calls. Self-talk is a must. We must psych-up emotionally for a couple possible no’s. We must prepare reasons why our proposal is good for our customer.

We don’t overwhelm. We are not insincere. We match our approach to the personality of our customer, all the while showing an unwaveringly positive attitude and BELIEF that our deal will get done.

Struggling sellers have bad tapes playing in their heads.

“Here we go again.” “My price is probably too high.”

They are defeated before they pick up the phone or enter a customer’s office. They infect/tune the customer with a negative vibe. The customer cannot help but feel it; they are (only) human.

Make It a Thing Using Change of Pace

Many sellers “roll through the close.” They think that by “sneaking it in there” the customer won’t be offended. This is a mistake. It is also easy to say no to. It does not call for a conclusion so the customer in many cases doesn’t even need to respond at all.

Closers make closing “a thing” by changing the pace of the conversation when it gets to closing time. Pause. Relax.

Change the pace and tone of voice and say, “John, this is a great deal for you. It works perfectly with your inventory turn, you love the quality, and the price is fantastic. How many do you want?”

We change the pace by speeding up or slowing down.

We increase the volume, slightly or a lot depending on our customer, or we can lower our tone. It is about contrast. If we are normally soft spoken, we don’t have to raise the vol-

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Don’t confuse enthusiasm with (only) raising the volume. Raising the volume is one way to get people’s attention—and it works.

Lowering the volume is also extremely effective. When we get to “closing time,” we lower our voice, take on a conspiratorial tone, and say, “Julie, we only have three left.

Everyone is out to lunch. This is our opportunity. After these, we are off the market. How many do you need?”

We are Biased Participants

The Goddess of Justice, Themis, stands before courthouses throughout the U.S. She is blindfolded to symbolize objectivity. She has a scale that symbolizes the weighing of evidence. Her sword represents punishment.

We are not the Goddess Themis. We are partial. We are biased. We have weighed the evidence and have made our decision in favor of our proposal. We advocate for our product and our position. We believe our solution is best.

Sadly, many salespeople do not have this attitude. They are tentative in their approach. They believe their objectivity will demonstrate honesty to the customer. The opposite is true. These salespeople are disingenuous; they are whitelying to themselves and their customers. WE ARE BIASED. We want the order. When we act like we don’t want the order, it is confusing at best and irritating at worst.

This “Well, what do you think, Mr. Customer” attitude does not project objectivity. It screams, “I don’t believe in my product or myself, and I don’t want your business!”

If we are on trial for our lives, (which, if we have chosen sales as our life’s work, we are, on each call) we want an advocate who is passionate about our innocence.

We must bring this same passion to our sales calls.

Many sellers “Don’t know what to say.” If the belief is there the words will come. Should we study and prepare our responses to different objections we face every day? Yes. But if our underlying belief is strong, the words will find us.

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

Building-Products.com

December 2015

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EVANGELIST Marketing

By Alex Goldfayn

How to sell more to existing customers

L

AST MONTH , I discussed how to grow your business with new customers—people you are not currently working with. This month I’ll review simple techniques to increase revenue by selling more to existing customers.

Ironically, you are much better at the latter than the former. I know, because I’ve talked to many of your association’s members in depth about their company, customers, challenges and opportunities. I know that for most of you, the vast majority of your sales come from existing customers placing repeat orders. This is a good thing, because it means your products and services are excellent. More than good enough for people to come back to you, again and again, year after year, decade after decade.

However, here’s a fascinating finding: I asked my speech audiences and clients what percentage of their overall product and service offerings was their average customer aware of. Of everything they sell, what percentage were customers aware of, on average? The answers came in at around 25%. Which means these wonderful repeat customers don’t know about three-quarters of what you offer!

So, yes, you do a wonderful job keeping customers coming back. But they could be—should be—coming back for so much more. Here are three ways you increase your business with your existing customers:

Ask Them The Did You Know

uestion

This is a simple, fast, no-cost technique that should be implemented company-wide ideally: As a matter of system, ask every customer you talk with the following question: “Did you know we also do (or make, or provide) x, or y, or z?” The product or service you choose to tell them about should complement either what they are already buying from you, or solve a problem you know they may have.

Select something they probably don’t know about. They will probably say, “No, I didn’t know.” Your reply: “Would you like to spend a few minutes talking about that now, or should we schedule something on Monday or Tuesday? What’s better for you?”

You can ask your customers this question as a by-theway during the course of a larger conversation. Or, you can choose to pick up the phone and call a customer for 10 minutes to discuss this. Schedule drinks around it, or golf, or whatever you like to do. I don’t care how you do it, or when you do it. I only care that you do it. Because if you implement this approach, your business will grow. It will have no choice.

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Build Your Lists Aggressively

Create a list of everyone you’ve ever worked with. Go back to emails, orders, invoices, and whatever records you keep. Ask your customer service and sales staff to do the same. Build a list with which you can communicate. Add everybody into a spreadsheet, because that’s the simplest solution, and the simplest approach is always the right approach. If your list isn’t growing, your business probably isn’t growing either. If you have this already, great. Move on to the next activity.

Categorize Your List of Customers

Add some columns to your spreadsheet: • Customer Past/Present, so you know if you’re working with them currently or previously.

• Company Size, because you can talk to a sole proprietorship differently than a publicly traded firm. A 20-person startup has different concerns than a mid-market closely-held family business. We probably know some of these concerns. It’s our job to address them in our marketing.

• Business Type, because, once again, we can market to restaurants differently than medical offices, and landscape businesses have different issues than retailers.

Create your own categories. The goal is to be able to quickly and easily select a group of your clients and address them directly with value that’s relevant and specific to them. That’s good marketing. Then, be sure to communicate value to the customers on these categorized lists regularly and consistently. Every two weeks is not too often.

You’re leaving money on the table with your current customers. Why not take it off the table and deposit it into your bank account?

– Alex Goldfayn is CEO of revenue growth consulting firm Evangelist Marketing Institute and author of the The Revenue Growth Habit: The Simple Art of Growing Your Business by 15% in 15 Minutes a Day. Visit www.evangelistmktg.com.

Alex Goldfayn CEO, Evangelist Marketing Institute www.evangelistmktg.com Building-Products.com

Working for you.

JD Beahm LVL Tally, 15 yrs.

Engineered Wood Products Real Wood Siding www.Roseburg.com 800.245.1115

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Lumber

Softwood Plywood |

Particleboard

THINKING Ahead

By Donald Schneidman, Sherwood Lumber

Are you prepared to close the books?

M

ANAGING YOUR COMPANY’S

financials is probably not the most exciting aspect of your business, but it is one of the most crucial. There are many approaches to how companies can keep track of the money coming in and going out of the business, and while there is not one specific way to do this, there are some general guidelines you can follow, particularly when it comes to preparing to close the books for year-end.

The year-end closing is an important piece of your operations and accounting process, and, ideally, preparations should be made throughout the year. While all leadership should have a view into the financials regularly, the chief financial officer (CFO) and/or controller are typically the individuals who are responsible for maintaining the books and records of the company. They monitor any and all account activity, making adjustments where necessary, and they should own the process of closing the books for year-end.

At Sherwood Lumber, we perform a close each month.

While this may not be the requirement for all, it certainly eases the burden of closing the books at year-end. A

Network & Learn

To learn how other leading industry firms manage their company’s financials, you are encouraged to attend NAWLA’s 2016 Leadership Summit: Where Industry Decision Makers Grow, March 1315, 2016, at the Westin Mission Hills in Palm Springs, Ca. You will build knowledge on relevant management topics and key trends in education sessions and connect with peers through multiple networking events. You will leave with proven best practices, cost-saving measures and new or renewed relationships with customers, prospects and suppliers. Learn more or register at www.nawla.org.

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monthly close, through management review and corrective action, can improve organizational profitability and cash flow, as well as reduce exposure to potential losses and fraudulent activities.

Technology is also important when managing the financials and preparing for closing out the year.

Accounting software that is fully integrated with your system and updates detailed reports along with the ledger simultaneously, allows for a more efficient reconcilement process and a quicker close.

The best software will have strong controls built in that limits users’ abilities to write transactions to the books and to alter those transactions once they have been written. QuickBooks is probably the most well-known accounting software on the market, but there are others.

No matter which one you have or choose to implement in the future, it should coincide with your company’s needs and provide useful, relevant information in a manner that is efficient for those who manage the process.

Building-Products.com

A Special Series from North American Wholesale Lumber Association

Tips for Creating an Easier Year-End Process

Every com any has a different way it handles its financials and method of closing the books at the end of the year. Here are some ti s that everyone can follow to make the rocess clearer and easier: Stay on to of the activity throughout the year do not wait for year-end to begin analysis and reconciliation.

Kee ing track of your numbers throughout the year through monthly closings, for e am le allows you to identify otential roblem areas faster and manage the year-end closing more roficiently. nvest in good accounting software that is integrated with the o erations of the com any. Though a s readsheet may hel with certain as ects of this rocess, it cannot handle every iece and, frankly, you don t want it to.

Look into software that will make the accounting for your business seamless and efficient.

Develo e ectations and concentrate on areas that fall outside of those e ectations. E ce tions from the e ected results will often identify misrecorded transactions osted during the course of the year allowing for correcting entries to be made.

Create budgets and assign res onsibilities to those budgets. Wherever ossible, make the rocess a team effort. This could rovide a better sense of ownershi for certain em loyees and can also ease the burden of re aration on ust one erson.

Be trans arent. Related to the oint above, allowing for increased trans arency can strengthen the team and rovide more clarity into the financials.

Obviously, the actual closing process at each company will vary; however, most companies will complete similar tasks, which are outlined below: • Confirming proper cutoff of purchasing/inventory and sales/accounts receivable for the period.

• Bank account reconciliations are prepared for each bank account.

• Detailed accounts receivable reports are reconciled to the general ledger.

• Detailed inventory reports are reconciled to the general ledger.

• Detailed accounts payable reports are reconciled to

Building-Products.com

the general ledger.

• Bank loan balances are agreed to bank records.

• Payroll journal entries are prepared and reconciled to payroll reports.

• Investment accounts are reconciled to statements received from broker.

• Accruals are reviewed for completeness and cut-off.

• Fixed asset schedules are updated for additions and disposals, and agreed to the general ledger.

• Depreciation entries are estimated each month and then finalized at year-end.

• Pre-paid expenses are reviewed and adjusted accordingly.

• Revenue and expense accounts are reviewed and reclassifications are made if appropriate.

• Financial statements are prepared and reviewed.

• Print all necessary year-end reports.

• Back up data to prevent any data loss.

This is by no means an exhaustive list; it simply gives an example of the steps that may be involved in the process of closing the books. Your company may have its own template; or if it doesn’t, this list can be adapted for your business.

Keep in mind that financial vigilance is key to ensure accurate reporting during year-end. The biggest mistakes business owners can make when it comes to the process of closing the books are, (a) not reconciling accounts regularly to the ledgers during the course of the year, leaving a very challenging process at year-end, and, (b) improper cut-off of sales and expenses, resulting in misstating the company’s income for the year.

No matter how your company decides to prepare for year-end, you want to ensure that your process is sound, accurate, consistent and complete. Utilize the necessary resources and plan ahead.

– Donald Schneidman is chief financial officer for Sherwood Lumber, Islandia, N.Y.

About NAWLA

NAWLA (North American Wholesale Lumber Association) is the association that delivers unparalleled access to relationships and resources that improve business strategy and performance through sales growth, cost savings, and operational efficiencies for wholesalers and manufacturers of forest products and other building materials that conduct business in North America.

Learn more about how NAWLA can help your business at www.nawla.org.

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Weyerhaeuser to Merge with Plum Creek Weyerhaeuser Co., Federal Way, Wa., has agreed to merge with Plum Creek Timber, Seattle, Wa., creating a $23-billion timber giant structured as a real estate investment trust.

Combining Plum Creek’s 6 million acres of forestland with Weyerhaeuser’s 7 million will make it the largest private landowner in the U.S. The merger is also expected to save $100 million in costs.

Weyerhaeuser’s Doyle Simons will remain president and CEO. Plum Creek CEO Rick Holley will become non-executive chairman, who will be

one of five former Plum Creek executives on the new 13-member board.

The rest of the new executive team will include Rhonda Hunter, senior VP-timberlands; Tom Lindquist, executive VP-real estate, energy & natural resources; Adrian Blocker, senior VPwood products; Russell Hagen, senior VP/CFO; Devin Stockfish, senior VP, general counsel, & corporate secretary; Denise Merle, senior VP-HR; and Tim Punke, senior VP-corporate affairs.

Under the terms of the deal, which was unanimously approved by both

boards, Weyerhaeuser shareholders will hold about 65% of the merged company’s stock, Plum Creek shareholders will own about 35%.

It should close in late first quarter or early second quarter of 2016, pending shareholder approval, and be followed by a $2.5-billion share repurchase. In the meantime, Weyerhaeuser is exploring the divestiture of its cellulose fibers business.

Central Colorado Ace Opens

Cripple Creek Ace Hardware has opened its doors in Cripple Creek, Co. Owner Maurice “Mur” Woods, Jr., has plans to expand the 5,000-sq. ft. operation in the near future to include lumber as well. Woods envisions a “one-stop shopping” experience so customers can “buy the screws and the lumber” for whatever project they have in mind.

The new hardware store opened for business on Nov. 16, offering paint, tools, key making services, and a vast assortment of screws, bolts and other hardware items individually priced in bins and ready for purchase.

SUPPLIER Briefs L

is targeting a Jan. o ening for a new lumberyard in Denver, Co.

W

W

, Eagle, d., has been o ened by longtime sales mgr. Randy roducts to Nagle, to su ly daho, tah and Wyoming. o ened a new manufacturing lant in Magna, t., to roduce wood and alternative roducts Jon Christiansen, GM of o erations . o ened a , -s . ft. discount LBM center in Aurora, Co. n New Me ico, early ne t year Habitat will relocate its ReStore in Santa Fe to a larger s ace and will also e and its branches in Las Lunas, Hobbs and Roswell. , Sacramento, Ca., has u dated its site, www.californiacascade.com.

Anniversaries: , ortland, r.,

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th.

Building-Products.com

10 OSH Stores Get New Look for New Year

Orchard Supply Hardware customers are enjoying an improved hardware experience after 10 newly remodeled stores celebrated major upgrades.

The re-openings are part of in-store celebrations at all 73 California locations that recognized the company’s significant growth this year. Ten stores celebrated grand re-openings— conversions to the new, modern Orchard Supply Hardware neighbor-

hood format. The revamped stores are in Sunnyvale, Millbrae, Redwood City, San Jose, Stockton, San Ramon, Tracy, Fresno, Santa Maria, and Woodland, Ca. The event was celebrated and promoted with special savings opportunities Nov. 21-22, not just at the newlook stores, but across the chain, according to president Bob Tellier.

The newly remodeled stores feature OSH’s new retail layout, featuring clear, directional signage, elevated and diverse inventory and customiz-

able project services available at the in-store “Workbench.”

Metsä Wood Rebrands LVL

Finnish producer Metsä Wood is rebranding its MasterPlank laminated veneer lumber as Kerto LVL in the United States.

“The rebrand of our LVL products is part of Metsä Wood’s ambition to continue to support our customers’ growth by providing them access to a readily available, high quality range of structural wood products under a globally recognized brand name,” said Kirk Nichols, VP salesAmericas.

Kerto is produced from 3mm thick, rotary-peeled softwood veneers that are glued together to form a continuous sheet. The sheet is cut to length and sawn into beams, planks or panels according to customers’ requirements.

APP Watch

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The a also makes it ossible to see detailed, close-u views of decking colors and te tures.

– Download from iTunes App Store

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New Western Distributor to Specialize in Decking

Reportedly the first wholesale distributor in California that specializes in decking and deck specialty products has been launched by Weston Leavens, longtime deck builder and inventor of the Deckmaster hidden deck bracket.

Deck Supply Warehouse, LLC has a warehouse in Windsor, Ca., stocking a full line of Ironwoods hardwoods, ZuriDeck cellular PVC, ThermalWood Canada heat-treated decking and siding, Titan building products and tools, Grabber Construction Products, and is the exclusive California distributor of Regal Ideas aluminum railings and NyloDeck, NyloPorch and NyloSheet composites.

In addition, Leavens said, “We are direct importers of hardwood decking from Central America. We will be developing a proprietary label for lumber from this source, which promises top quality decking at very competitive prices.”

All sales are to lumberyards, home centers, and building material suppliers.

TP Closes on Ampine Mill

Timber Products Co., Springfield, Or., has completed its purchase of SierraPine’s Ampine particleboard plant in Martel, Ca. “This is an exciting opportunity for Timber Products to leverage the expertise and capabilities of SierraPine’s particleboard facility with Timber Products’ Medford particleboard operation to serve the growing needs of our customers,” said Timber Products Co. CEO Joe Gonyea, III. “We are pleased to add this manufacturing facility, product

line, and team members to our company.”

Going forward the Martell facility will operate as “Ampine, a Division of Timber Products Company,” producing the same product lines.

Additionally, Jeff Johnson, formerly president of SierraPine, has joined Timber Products Co. as VP of composite panels to lead the charge of integrating particleboard operations.

Corvallis Startup to Produce Enviro-Friendly MDF, Particleboard

A Corvallis, Or., startup wants to be the first to introduce a formaldehyde-free adhesive used to manufacture medium density fiberboard and particleboard.

The innovation would be a breakthrough in the burgeoning green building materials industry, and if successful, will be likely in high demand since California implemented the world’s strictest regulation of formaldehyde emissions in 2012.

The Corvallis company, EcoPro Polymers, is working to develop a plant-based adhesive that contains no ureaformaldehyde, a chemical known to cause cancer in humans. The company has received support from Oregon State University and a nonprofit organization Oregon BEST, which is investing $124,000 of early stage funding to speed commercialization of the adhesive through collaboration of EcoPro Polymers and OSU researchers.

EcoPro Polymers’ adhesive is showing promise in lab trials and has attracted interest from SpekPly LLC, a startup that makes architectural panels from agricultural byproducts.

simplify

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MOVERS & Shakers Jack Butler, ex-California Cascade, is now a product mgr. with Capital, Chino, Ca. Katrina Storjohann has been named Phoenix, Az.based corporate controller.

Laurie Creech, ex-Simpson Lumber, is now sales & marketing mgr. for Plum Creek, Columbia Falls, Mt. Gene Cloud, ex-D Stake Mill, is new to Marine Lumber Co., Tualatin, Or., as director of operations, sales & purchasing.

Grady Mulbery will become president of Roseburg Forest Products, Roseburg, Or., Jan. 1, 2016. Allyn Ford will continue as CEO until Jan. 1, 2017, when he will retire and become board chairman, and Mulbery will add the role of CEO. Meagan Gattuccio has joined the executive team at American International Forest Products, Beaverton, Or. Matt Morrow, ex-Builders, is new to outside sales with Legacy Building Specialties, Lakewood, Co. Eric Penewell has been named CEO of bamboo composite decking producer ZomeTek, Seattle, Wa.

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Ryan Tranter, Universal Forest Products, Boise, Id., was promoted to general mgr. of operations.

Kasey Kozitza is a new account mgr./sales rep in Loveland, Co. Dennis Finnie, ex-Central Valley Builders Supply, is new to Novato, Ca.-based sales with Idaho Pacific Lumber Co. Robert Rauschendorfer has retired from the contracting business to devote full-time to his lumberyard, Sidney Woodworkers & Lumber, Sidney, Mt. Cristen Chambers is now managing the Florida sales office of X L Co., Lake Oswego, Or. Frank Owen is a new customer service rep at Ganahl Lumber, Anaheim, Ca. John Maiuri has been named president of ECi Software Solutions LBMH Division, Fort Worth, Tx. Chris Schield has been promoted to VP of marketing at Weather Shield Mfg., Medford, Wi. Jeff Kibler is now mgr. of architectural & commercial solutions, and Todd Hallstrand is VP of sales.

December 2015

Mark Beck has been named president of Jeld-Wen, Klamath Fall, Or., replacing Kirk Hachigian, who remains on the board as executive chairman.

Bertram Scott, Novant Health, has been appointed to the board of Lowe’s Cos., Mooresville, N.C. David Bem, ex-Dow Chemical, has been hired as VP-science & technology for PPG Industries, Pittsburgh, Pa. He will add the title of chief technology officer when Charles F. Kahle II retires March 1, 2016.

Steve Rhone was appointed president of Weston Forest, Mississauga, Ont. Rick Ekstein remains CEO. Dan Gust, owner, Ace Hardware, Longmont, Co., was appointed to the Longmont Area Economic Council board of directors.

Leigh Ann Purvis, creative development mgr., RoyOMartin, was named among Central Louisiana’s 20 Under 40 by Town Talk and Young Professionals Group.

Bob Sledd is in charge of winter deliveries for Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., according to co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

Building-Products.com

Conservationist to Build Sawmill

Hedge-fund manager and billionaire conservationist Louis Bacon has proposed building a large sawmill in San Luis Valley, Co., to help process timber harvested from his Trinchera Blanca Ranch, the largest contiguous ranch in Colorado. The 172,000-acre ranch has traditionally harvested about 2.5 million bd. ft. of timber a year.

The proposed sawmill could process 20 million bd. ft. of timber a year—about half of that coming from the ranch.

The timber and processed construction-ready lumber would meet the requirements of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.

Ty Ryland, manager of the Trinchera Blanca Ranch, explained how large portions of Colorado’s forests are hurting due to prolonged drought, bug infestations, and poor historic forest management practices, and these same issues are being dealt with on the ranch.

It is the forest-health issues on the ranch, along with those of the region that is pushing Bacon to act. “The best solution is to sustainably manage our forests and build this sawmill to handle the volume,” Ryland said.

The sawmill would help Bacon’s team elevate its active forestry management practices, which reduces the threat of catastrophic wildfire by thinning canopies that have grown dense under years of fire-suppression efforts. According to ranch managers, the county has granted permits for the sawmill location and timber removal. Pending final approvals, the sawmill could open in late 2016 with plans for full operation by early 2017.

Police Arrest Burglar Inside OSH

Police arrested a burglary suspect inside Orchard Supply Hardware, Portland, Or., Nov. 1. Jeffrey Guy Sass, 43, was

Building-Products.com

charged with second degree burglary, first degree criminal mischief, two counts of second degree criminal mischief, and possession of burglary tools.

According to police, officers responded to the report of a burglar alarm and observed a suspicious vehicle parked outside the store with signs that someone had broken into it. Noises coming from inside the store indicated someone was inside.

After officers formed a plan and made entry into the store to search for the suspect, they located Sass attempting to open a safe near the cash registers. Officials do not believe others were involved in the burglary.

Simpson Strong-Tie Ties into CSD

Calculated Structured Designs has struck a deal with Simpson Strong-Tie, Pleasanton, Ca., to offer a SST branded version of its iStruct EWP software.

“Our current EWP software customers will have the option to migrate to this new platform that will provide enhanced 3D modeling, precision loading and flexible output,” said Mike Bugbee, senior VP and GM of integrated components systems for Simpson Strong-Tie. Plans are underway to incorporate elements of the current SST EWP software into the new iStruct program and to leverage CSD’s software to enhance other SST programs, including Component Solutions Director and Truss Studio.

Simpson Strong-Tie will continue to support customers using its legacy EWP software until they can transition to the new iStruct platform. Current CSD clients and users will not be impacted by the new software, and CSD will continue to offer their complete line of EWP software.

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KAHLE On Sales

By Dave Kahle

Are you serious about your job?

“I

sional? More importantly, what can we do to make sure that we, and our associates, are becoming ever more professional?

According to Webster’s New World Dictionary, a professional is a person who is “worthy of the high standards of a profession.” And a profession is “a vocation or occupation requiring advanced training … and usually involving mental rather than manual work.”

There are some key words here.

WISH MY PEOPLE were more professional,” executives and managers often commiserate. Even with those who don't voice it, that unspoken yearning often hovers just-underthe-surface of their conversation.

Ah, if only the people around us were more professional. Our lives would be easier, our businesses would grow more effortlessly, we’d find our jobs more fulfilling… the list of dramatic benefits can go on and on. But what does it mean to be more profes-

Let's focus on these: High standards.

The word “standards” implies that there are discernable ways that people consistently behave that set us apart as members of our profession. And the word “high” implies that we do these things better than the average.

To consistently behave in ways that are better than the average—i.e., to achieve high standards—is not easy. In our rapidly changing, ever more complex economy, achieving high standards is not an event which

Respecting the forest, honoring the past, building the future.

A nation’s pride you can build on.

Manufacturers of 6 million bd. ft. monthly of • 5/4 & 6/4 Ponderosa Pine Shop • 4/4 Premium Pine Board Programs From everyone at Fontana Wholesale Lumber Inc.

State-of-the-Art Hewmill & Headrig Mill Contact Sheldon Howell

(509) 874-1163

Yakama Forest Products P.O. BOX 1070 – 15500 VALENCIA AVE., FONTANA, CA 92335 PHONE 909-350-1214 – FAX 909-350-9623 WWW.FONTANAWHOLESALELUMBER.COM FWL-FWP@PACBELL.NET

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3191 Wesley Rd., White Swan, WA 98952 Fax 509-874-1162

www.yakama-forest.com

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we mark, rather it is a continuous process which calls on us to persistently and positively change and grow.

That’s a major challenge. And that challenge calls for us to develop one of the foundational characteristics of true professionals: We must be serious about our occupations.

In other words, we must understand that our occupations are challenging, with high expectations of discernable standards, and we must consistently want to do better—we must be dedicated to succeeding.

There are those of your associates who make light of this foundational requirement. “The job is only a job,” they may say. “A means to an end.

Just do the basics in order to keep your boss off your back. Real life is lived outside the confines of your occupation.”

I certainly understand these sentiments. And if you share them, that’s fine. You’re just not a professional.

Understand that I’m not suggesting that you work excessive hours to the detriment of your family. It’s not about the quantity, it’s about the quality. A professional understands that we work 40 to 55 hours a week, and that we spend more time on the job than in

almost any other endeavor. Our occupations, just in terms of hours, truly fill one of the biggest pieces of our lives. To be serious about our occupations doesn’t require us to invest more time. Rather, it does require us to use that time more effectively. If we’re going to live life fully, we need to be serious about that big chunk of time.

To allow it to pass us by untouched is to waste much of our lives. To coast through, oblivious to the daily challenges to become more of what we can become, is to squander rich opportunities for personal growth. To be anything less than serious about our occupations is, frankly, a shame.

If we are serious about our occupations, we’ll see ourselves acting that out in a number of ways. In other words, our underlying attitude of seriousness will show itself in the way that we behave. Consistently, over time, we’ll act in ways that show the people around us our commitment.

Here are two indications of the degree to which we are serious about our occupations:

1. We’ll want to do better in everything we do.

Better? Better than what? Better

than we did before. We’ll exhibit a never-ending quest to improve our performance in every variable, every project, every transaction, every relationship, and every detail. I call this the characteristic of “personal discontent.” Our personal status quo is never acceptable.

That’s not to say that we can’t celebrate and enjoy our success. We certainly should. But after we’ve congratulated ourselves for our excellent performance, we then need to take a deep breath, and recommit to doing it better next time.

Here’s an example. I’ve been a fan of the Detroit Pistons professional basketball team for decades. For several years Isaiah Thomas was the leader of the “Bad Boys,” as the team was known. The team was world champions, and Isaiah was recognized as the Most Valuable Player. It doesn’t get any better than that. Most Valuable Player on the World Champion team.

But Isaiah was a “true professional.” In an interview with a news reporter, he revealed that he often had insomnia, and would get up in the middle of the night and practice shooting free throws in the gymnasium he had built in his home—practicing one

Holiday Greetings from Parr on our 40th Christmas Antonio Avina Paul Blevins Norm Boucher Edward Butz Jose Chicas Rosario Chicas Karen Currie Daniel Duran Nick Ferguson Vince Galloway

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George Parden Timoteo Paredes Ashley Parrella Michael Parrella Peter Parrella Kurt Peterson Eduardo Pierre Janet Pimentel Nestor Pimentel Yolanda Rodriguez

Leticia Roman Alex Romero Bill Sharp Lois Tavenner Melinda Taylor Peter Ulloa Enrique Vargas Oscar Villegas Robert Williams Pamela Winters

Thank you to our Customers and Suppliers Building-Products.com

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WHAT YOU WANT. WHEN YOU NEED IT. Timbers Green & K.D. Export

Dimension Lumber Treated Products Domestic

Manke Lumber Company is familyowned and has been serving the needs of the lumber industry since 1953. We take pride in milling and stocking quality lumber in a full range of commodity sizes and larger dimension timbers. We also answer your market needs for a wide variety of treated lumber products.

Our forest products are milled from carefully harvested Northwest trees ready for distribution to you—on time and at the right price.

Located in the Port of Tacoma, we have ready access to deep water shipping, rail heads or trucking terminals for longer haul loads. Manke operates its own fleet of trucks and is at your service for straight or mixed loads by truck, rail or sea.

We manufacture primarily Douglas fir and western hemlock, including • 2x4 thru 2x12, Lengths 8-20’ • 3x4 thru 3x12, Lengths 8-26’ • 4x4 and wider, Lengths 8-26’ • 6x6 and wider, Lengths 8-26’ • 8x8 and wider, Lengths 8-26’ • Timber sizes up to 12x12

Manke Lumber Company Call 1-800-426-8488

1717 Marine View Dr., Tacoma, WA 98422

Phone 253- 572-6252

Fax 253-383-2489

www.mankelumber.com

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of the most basic skills in order to improve in it.

Even at the peak of his career, he wasn’t satisfied with his performance. While he enjoyed his success, he knew he could do better. Isaiah was a career 80% free throw shooter—not a 100% shooter. He exhibited the quality of every professional—personal discontent.

That applies to managers, executives and leaders of organizations in the same way. I’m often asked if there are any attributes that identify a potential client for my company’s services. What does a good prospect look like? I’ve found one necessary trait: an executive or executive team that is ambitious for the growth of their company.

In other words, a leader who is discontent. Regardless of the degree of current success, discontent in the executive office is the surest indicator of a company on the move.

It’s true for every individual and every organization at every stage of an organization. A professional executive is discontent with his organization’s performance. A professional manager is discontent with his team’s results. A professional of any kind is continually discontent with his/her performance.

At every level, in every occupation, the professionals are always striving to do it better the next time.

2. We’ll seek opportunities and relationships that will challenge us to grow.

James Allen said, “Men are often interested in improving their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves. They, therefore, remain bound.”

That is decidedly not true of a professional. What is an observation of the mass of people does not apply to professionals. As professionals, we distinguish ourselves by our dedication to personal growth. It’s the natural and logical progression from the state of continuous discontent.

It’s one thing to be discontent; it’s another to do something about it. And, while it is possible to be discontent about our circumstances, a professional realizes that it is his skills, attitudes and behaviors that shape his circumstances.

So, the solution to changing your circumstances is, ultimately, to change yourself. A professional understands this, and seeks continually for opportunities and relationships that will stimulate him to grow.

Again, this shows itself in a number of ways.

Professionals take guidance and direction from their managers. Professionals work to implement the ideas and skills they gain from training programs and seminars.

Professionals are always reading something which prompts them to grow and develop. Professionals aren’t afraid to try something different, to stretch out of their comfort zones, understanding that the stretch, while it might be uncomfortable, will cause them to build additional capabilities.

Professionals seek cohorts that stimulate them to think by joining small groups and internet communities.

Add these two characteristics together, and you begin to gain a portrait of a true professional: Professionals are serious about their occupation.

– Dave Kahle is a sales trainer, presenter and author of 12 books, including How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime. Reach him at (800) 331-1287 or via www.davekahle.com.

Building-Products.com

PRODUCT Spotlight Engineered Wood Products

W

in the Milwaukee, Wi., area illustrates new technni ues and materials in residential construction.

Engineered wood products excel in mHouse I

“mHouse”—currently under construction in Watertown, Wi.— architect John Vetter and interior designer Amy Caman have teamed up to unite some of the industry’s finest materials and technology in new applications to demonstrate what is being called a “residential research lab.”

During the construction of the “mHouse,” open house events are showing off the design, with the goal of every room in the house and every product in those rooms showcasing the industry’s best.

Roseburg Forest Products’s RFPI Joists, RigidLam LVL, and RigidCoat subfloor underlayment were used exclusively for the mHouse’s shell and core. Other Roseburg products used include SkyPly hardwood plywood, Duramine thermally infused laminate panels, and Arreis and Medex MDF. Despite the 12 inches of rain that fell in a 13-day period as the mHouse subfloor construction began, and with the help of Roseburg’s products, the project has been able to sustain.

RigidCoat is produced with a water-repellant coating to protect the subfloor until the structure is enclosed.

“This is the first time I’ve actually gotten to use this new product, and it absolutely saved us,” said Vetter.

N THE

LL and core featured RF

Joists, RigidLam L L, and RigidCoat underlayment.

senior staff and customers begin their recent tour of the mHouse.

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NEW Products

High Performance Treated Trim

Piston Plugger

The new Simpson Strong-Tie Adhesive Piston Plug Delivery System offers a reliable, time-saving and easy-to-use method for dispensing adhesive into drilled holes for threaded rod and rebar dowel installations at all orientations and at deep embedments.

The 10 models of adhesive piston plugs are sized to provide a matched tolerance fit with the drilled hole.

The barbed fitting on the end of each piston plug ensures a secure fit to the flexible tubing that attaches directly to the static mixing nozzle.

The flexible tubing is available in 25-ft.-long rolls that can be cut to the required length.

ArmorCoat XT Wolmanized Exterior Trim from Belco Forest Products is manufactured using natural SPF (spruce/pine/fir) lumber and treated with Wolman AG, a waterborne preservative system developed to provide extended protection to wood from decay and termites in out-of-ground applications.

 BELCOFP.COM (360) 426-8900

 STRONG-TIE.COM (800) 999-5099

The Backbone of Sales

Service Enhancing Techniques

BlueTarp Financial’s new service model of their existing proven credit management service, BlueTarp Powered, provides deeper insight into account aging and the ability to drill down into past due accounts.

Suppliers can maintain their customer interactions as they do today, while BlueTarp stays behind the scenes. They also gain best-in-class A/R management tools to better manage their collections efforts.

Ritron offers several callboxes which enhance the customer experience for hardware stores, home centers, and lumberyards.

Customers can summon assistance to service areas like chain and rope cutting, lumber, paint and more, by simply depressing a large call button.

Radio-equipped personnel are then alerted to the request and the appropriate person responds.

 BLUETARP.COM

 RITRON.COM

(207) 797-5900

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(800) 872-1872

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Building-Products.com

REEL

LUMBER SERVICE

1321 N. Kraemer Blvd. (Box 879), Anaheim, Ca. 92806

Fax 714-630-3190

(714) 632-1988 • (800) 675-REEL 3518 Chicago Ave., Riverside, Ca. 92507

(909) 781-0564

Wholesale Industrial Lumber • Pine • Plywood • Mouldings

Barn Door Kits

Masonite’s Barn Door Kits are complete with everything needed to install a sliding door in one day.

Two door kit options are offered—rustic with a Zbar design and antique hardware, and West End Collection Melrose, featuring a modern design and stainless steel hardware.

Pre-drilled doors help ensure installation is easy and seamless.

 MASONITE.COM

• Hardwood Lumber

y p p a H ! s y a Holid

(800) 663-3667

Specialists in Hardwood Milling • Oliver Straitoplaner • Straight Line & Multiple Rips • Stickers

A New Look with Aged Cedar

Aged Cedar joins the Ply Gem line-up of Woodland Select vinyl fencing, delivering the details of natural wood without the nuisance of annual upkeep. Featuring a realistic variegation with black and gray overtones, Aged Cedar emulates the color and texture of naturally aged, untreated cedar.

It is the fifth color addition to Ply Gem’s Woodland Select series, rounding out the collection of Natural Cedar, Redwood, Weathered Cedar, and Chestnut Brown.

 PLYGEM.COM (800) 888-2418

Building-Products.com

• Newman Straight Knife Planer

REGAL CUSTOM MILLWORK

301 E. Santa Ana St., Anaheim, Ca. 92805

(714) 632-2488 • Fax 714-776-1673

www.reellumber.com Reel Lumber Service and Regal Custom Millwork are affiliated companies

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Jobsite Headseats

Irwin’s Vise-Grip Locking Multi-Pliers is a four- pro-toolsin-one gadget combining convenience and utility.

Its design features a stainless steel serrated fold-out knife blade and a fold-out screwdriver that includes a 1/4” bit holder with #2 Phillips and 6-8 slotted bits, so users can get more done while carrying fewer tools on the job.

Jabra STEEL, a Bluetooth headset specifically designed for tough working environments, is dust, water and shock resistant to U.S. military standards. Its supreme call quality, particularly in construction environments, makes the job easier.

The headset has been tested rigorously-exposing it to high drops on to hard surfaces, testing it for water (and other liquid, such as paint) and dust ingress.

 IRWIN.COM

 JABRA.COM

Four Tools in One

PVC Trim for Life

Versatex’s cellular PVC trim is cut with a proprietary system to keep the edges clean and dimensionally accurate with true 90° angles and a more natural surface texture to complement fiber cement and cedar.

The weather-resistant trim also has an extended warranty on the installed life of the product.  VERSATEX.COM (724) 857-1111

(800) 464-7946

(847) 821-5500

Cal Coast Wholesale Lumber, Inc. Pressure Treated Forest Products Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ) Custom Treating Selected Inventory Available

P.O. Box 673 • 3150 Taylor Drive • Ukiah, Ca. 95482 Phone 707-468-0141 • Fax 707-468-0660 info@wetreatwood.com

Sales for Coast Wood Preserving

C&E LUMBER COMPANY 1 1/2” to 12” Diameter in Stock.

SPECIAL QUOTES

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Size Matters with Deck Screws

Upgraded Nailers

For unparalleled power and precision, Paslode has upgraded its 16-gauge Straight Cordless Finish Nailing System to run on a 7.4-volt Li-ion battery platform, replacing the NiCd version.

Productivity is significantly higher, enabling it to drive up to 12,000 nails per charge and to last days without a recharge. The Li-ion batteries also have a 50% longer run time and can reach an 80% charge in only 30 minutes.

Starborn Industries has a shorter, 2” version of its Cap-Tor xd PVC and composite deck screw, to attach PVC and composite decking to rooftop sleeper systems or other applications where standard 2-1/2” or 23/4” screws are too long.

It comes with an epoxy-based polymer resin coating in colors to match most popular decking products.

 STARBORNINDUSTRIES.COM (732) 381-9800

 PASLODE.COM (800) 222-6990

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Natural Finishes PST is located in Weed, CA, the historical heart of the West’s timber country, ideally situated on Interstate 5 to service all of California and the Western U.S. • NatureWood® brand ACQ treated products • Advance Guard® brand Borate treated products • TSO (Treating Service Only) available.

• PST is ALSC quality assured by Timber Products Inspection Agency (TP) complying with AWPA Standards and the CheckMark Program.

The new Deckorators woodgrain cap rail offers a natural-looking finish without the maintenance of wood.

The product provides a perfect finishing touch for the Deckorators ALX Pro railing system, and is available in 6- and 8-ft. lengths  DECKORATORS.COM

Offering Brown tone stained treated Douglas Fir for all pressure treating applications

For more information, contact Shawn Nolan snolan@pstreating.com • (530) 938-4408 NatureWood preserved wood products are treated with Alkaline Copper Quaternary compounds or Copper Azole. NatureWood and Advance Guard preserved wood products are produced by independently owned and operated wood treating facilities. NatureWood® and Advance Guard® are registered trademarks of Koppers Performance Chemicals Inc. ©3/2015

Superior Trim

Restoration Millwork cellular PVC exterior trim by CertainTeed is available in TrueTexture woodgrain and smooth finishes. The trim features UV resistance, it cuts and mills with traditional woodworking tools and fastens with nails or screws.

The line of styles includes trim boards, beadboard, full-size sheets, one-piece corners, brickmould, drip cap, and specialty restoration millwork. It can also be heat formed into a variety of architectural shapes.  CERTAINTEED.COM (866) 877-6933

Nature-Inspired Openings

888-807-2580 Bend, OR

www.pelicanbayfp.com DISTRIBUTION LOCATIONS Colton / Fontana / Modesto / Salinas / Stockton, CA PRODUCTS & SERVICES Framing Lumber / Pallet Stock / Industrial Lumber / Softwoods Hardwoods / Cedar / Fencing / Decking / Redwood Custom Cut Stock / Treated Lumber / Tile Battens 3-Hole & Slotted Vents / Custom Cutting / Remanufacturing Heat Treating / Fire & CCA Treating

“Focused on the future with respect for tradition”

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Masonite’s Everland doors, inspired by nature are hand finished to accurately capture the grain variation of natural wood.

The doors are available in a natural finish and color to meet the desire for an authentic look of wood. The hand-staining process gives variations in its finish, adding depth and the look of natural wood.  MASONITE.COM (866) 736-7322 Building-Products.com

Fine Poly-Ash Siding

Boral is expanding its popular Siding Craftsman Collection by adding a bevel profile.

The new style combines the look of traditional bevel or clapboard siding, historically seen with cedar and redwood, with the high-performance benefits of its poly-ash composition.

Boral TruExterior Siding is the industry’s first and only polyash siding, offering a range of performance benefits that improve on both wood and wood-alternative siding products.

 BORALTRUEXTERIOR.COM

Testing for Safety

Klein Tools’ new line of test and measurement tools are made to meet the safety requirements of the industry and the durability demands of the jobsite.

Offered are professional clamp meters and multimeters, test kits, receptacle testers, non-contact voltage testers, and accessories.

 KLEINTOOLS.COM (800) 553-4876

Happy Holidays and Thank You.

With All Our Best Wishes for 2016.

(800) 526-7255

building ROCKLIN DISTRIBUTION CENTER

Tel. (800) 348-1400 • (916) 624-9293

products SANGER DISTRIBUTION CENTER Tel. (855) 348-1500

www.taigabuilding.com

Compact Wall Heaters

Berko’s redesigned fan-forced wall heater provides supplemental heat for numerous residential and commercial applications.

Manufactured by Marley Engineered Products, Berko’s new COS-E series of wall heaters features a compact universal design, dual wattage and voltage, compliance with safety standards and easy installation.

 MARLEYMEP.COM (800) 888-2418

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PRODUCT Spotlight

By Tom Savoy, Insulfoam

The latest entry in rigid foam insulation

T

AKE A LOOK around you. Whether you’re in an office, a yard, or on a jobsite, chances are a pencil is close at hand. That pencil provides a clue about a new class of rigid foam insulation for residential and commercial uses.

Polystyrene insulations have been used in buildings for decades—with numerous product options available for expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS). Now, a new type of polystyrene insulation— graphite polystyrene (GPS)—is being introduced throughout the U.S. Most building professionals know graphite as the material in pencil lead, or in some cases, as a lubricant. The material is comprised solely of carbon atoms, and is the most stable form of carbon. The chemical company BASF has pioneered another application for graphite that many builders will find useful. By integrating high-purity graphite into the polymer matrix of EPS insulation, manufacturers increase the insulation’s R-value, while providing a lightweight, thin product that is easy to install.

The graphite also provides a simple way to recognize the insulation. GPS insulation has a gray/platinum hue, which readily distinguishes it from bright white EPS or the pastel colored XPS insulations.

GPS Performance Attributes

With dozens of insulations available to them, your builder customers might wonder why there’s a need for another type of rigid foam. While EPS insulations offer many cost-saving benefits and can be used throughout the

A

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olystyrene insulations are recognized by their gray color.

(Photo by Insulfoam) 

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N

LA

N is well-suited for a wide variety of wall a lications.

(Photo by BASF)

entire building envelope, GPS expands on that performance in two key areas: R-value and breathability.

R-value. The addition of graphite to EPS results in an insulation that provides the same R-values as EPS, but in a thinner product. This makes GPS insulation ideal for use in space-constrained areas and in colder climates.

Another benefit is that the graphite in GPS insulation enhances the material’s R-value as temperatures decrease.

Similar to EPS, manufacturers produce GPS with blowing agents that do not diffuse during the insulation’s time in service, so the insulation does not experience thermal loss as some rigid foams do—meaning that the R-value at time of installation is what will be provided years later.

Breathability. If you’ve ever exercised in a nylon rain jacket or gone for a walk in an old-style rubberized rain coat, you know how quickly you sweat. In addition to getting wet and sticky, you also feel cold, which defeats the purpose of wearing a jacket. Something similar happens with insulation—moisture is the enemy of insulation performance, as it reduces the R-value.

While some insulations retain moisture, GPS has exceptional vapor permeability, making it a breathable insulation.

Because water vapor can pass through GPS, the insulation readily releases moisture from walls and foundations. This not only ensures thermal performance for the insulation, it Building-Products.com

N WL

L

G S insulation is available for residential and commercial buildings.

also helps reduce the potential for moisture degradation of structural elements.

GPS Applications

GPS insulations are available in numerous product configurations, including faced and un-faced products, for both residential and commercial applications, such as: • Wall sheathing systems • Continuous insulation • Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) and stucco systems

• Pre-cast or tilt-up walls • Retrofit/remodel • Structural insulated panels (SIPs)

GPS Cost

The maxim “you get what you pay for” is important to remember when discussing insulation options with your customers. As a high-performance insulation, GPS is priced somewhat higher than other rigid foam insulations. But, in addition to its Rvalue and breathability advantages, by achieving the same R-value with less

(Photo by BASF)

material, GPS can help save from 10% to 25% on material costs compared to XPS insulations.

As a lightweight insulation that is significantly less dense than XPS, GPS also lowers shipping costs and speeds installation times, as it reduces the need to build up layers of individual sheets. One could easily say that graphite polystyrene insulation easily “pencils out.”

– Tom Savoy is the technical director of Insulfoam (www.insulfoam.com).

Vinyl V inyl • Steel • Aluminum • Resalite™ www.rdirail.com www .rdirail.com | 1.877.420.7245 Building-Products.com

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Busy Traders Market confirms industry growth

T

HIS YEAR ’ S NAWLA Traders Market attracted 1,472 attendees— a 3% increase over last year and a sign that the lumber industry is looking forward to a positive year ahead.

“The Traders Market has become the best time to meet face to face with the people that we grow our business with," said Matt Hamilton, general manager of Klumb Lumber, Atlanta, Ga. “The industry needs this event to help deepen relationships and build a level of trust that cannot be accomplished via email or telephone.”

A packed show floor and various networking receptions allowed representatives from lumber wholesaler manufacturer firms and providers of related services to spend time visiting current and prospective business partners. Attendees from nearly 250 companies learned valuable sales techniques from sales pro Jim Pancero and, thanks to a motivational keynote

N NAWLA

5 2015

address by author and therapist Connie Podesta, learned a little more about themselves and their colleagues.

Another useful touch the association included in the show was the Millennial Q&A panel, where industry leaders were given a chance to pick the brains of a panel of six seniors from Oregon State University– forestry students who were at the show looking for future employment opportunities. One activity included a PowerPoint, which listed various traits N LA Along with eices of The Berlin Wall, this -ft.-long, , lb. center eice adorned the Hilton Anatole of Dallas, T . The art eice, which consisted of more than , amber crystals floated ft. above attendees as they walked to the tradeshow.

LL NN AL &A took lace with a anel of seniors from S , where com any leaders got inside the heads of forestry students, and discussed what both sides were looking for in the hiring rocess.

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a millennial was looking for in a company. Amongst the various traits that were listed, one of the most important aspects was continuous feedback.

“We just want to know how we can improve at our job and move forward.

Even if it’s not always positive feedback, we just want to be in the loop,” said student Dylan Gaunt.

The Q&A panel comes from an industrywide desire to raise up leaders for the future of the LBM industry.

Building-Products.com

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by The Merchant Magazine

NAWLA Traders Market recorded big-time attendance in Dallas: [1] Richard Mills, Kristie McCurdy, John Lentz, Holly Elliott, Steve Boscawen, Beth Banks, Scott Lyons.[ 2] Laurie Creech, Tom Hackman.

[3] Chris Batten, Jennifer Raworth, Norma Bird, Steve Clitheroe.[ 4] Chuck Gaede.[ 5] Marshall Lauch, Tom Atkinson.[ 6] Tonia Tibbetts, Ken Lambertson, Alden Robbins.[ 7] Randi Walker, Helena Jehnichen.[ 8] Building-Products.com

Ben Barclay, Erin DeFouw.[ 9] Tom Harley, Mary Kittrell, Larry Boyts.

[10] Bob Loew, Drew Schasny, Mikko Saavalainen.[ 11] George Hewitt.

[12] Dan Semsak, Randy Schillinger, Rebecca Richey, Matt Caissic, Jim Enright.[ 13] Darryl Loewen.[ 14] Mike Thelen.[ 15] Rob Mitchell.[ 16] Derek Dryden, James Mortimer, Garth Williams, Jason Jacobson.[ 17] Brett & Karen Slaughter. ( ore photos on ne t pa es) December 2015

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NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by The Merchant Magazine

TRADERS MARKET II (continued): [18] John Yohanan, Linnette Leger, Olga Dayneko, Jay Hudson, Nesse Blanton, Steve Cheatham. [19] Jesse Gomez, James Allen. [20] Reed Rediger, Anthony Muck. [21] Nate Jorgensen, Rick Wildman. [22] Brian Paul, Kristen Lockhart. [23] Greg Haupt, Matt Weaber. [24] Kim Pohl, Mike Moran, Lisa Martin. [25] Steve Maneri, Mel Lundberg. [26] Doug Colson, Todd Lindsey. [27] Catie Rebman, Devon Lindquist. [28] Stephanie

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Ornelas. [29] Rick Stout, Bob Bell. [30] Mike Sims, David Pearson. [31] Leslie Southwick, Lee Greene. [32] Dusty Hammack. [33] Nathan Potter. [34] Mark Tesh, Mark Young, Dave Patch, Paul Frazier. [35] Rafe Krauter. [36] Matt Hungerford, Darrell Hungerford. [37] Rob Breda, Konrad Tittler, Ken Trainor, Mark Tittler. [38] Danny Osborne, Diane & Tom Franklin. [39] Jim Pontoy, Bill Staley, Larry Hawkins, Jeremy Folden. (More photos on next 3 page) Building-Products.com

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by The Merchant Magazine

TRADERS MARKET III (continued): [40] Cliff Pfingston. [41] Jeff Tweten, Blake Bailey. [42] Chuck Smith, Wendy Gay, Josh Storm. [43] Mike & Dawn Holm. [44] Bart Bartholomew, Jim Futter Josh Goodman, Kyle Little. [45] Pat Zan, Jim Johnston, Jay Bishop. [46] Ryan Griffith, Joseph Chicoskie, Dylan Hennessy. [47] Ann Evans, Chris Burr. [48] Harris Mayo, Chuck Harris. [49] Jim Tittle, Jack Wickham, John Smart. [50] Barry Schneider, Ken Caylor. [51] Building-Products.com

Bryan Schuyler, Craig Crafton. [52] Dean Johnson, Eric Schooler, Joe LaBerge, Kevin Dodds, Aly Kingsley, Grant Phillips. [53] Rick Benton, Rose Cingari. [54] Gunnar Brinck. [55] David Hanson. [56] Jill Brewer. [57] Brian Johnson, Jason Faulkner. [58] Connie Phillips, Amy Vitek. [59] James Moore, Marty Hawkins.

[60] Robert Harris, Chris Evans, Tom Rogers. [61] Mike Boone, Michael McInnes, Jim Brady. [62] Scott Nowatzki.

(More photos on next 2 pages) December 2015

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NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by The Merchant Magazine

TM IV (continued): [63] Bryan Carnithan, James Olsen. [64] Humphrey Wildeboer, Deepak Rai, Parker Wildeboer. [65] Robin Dudrey, Paul Waldon. [66] Robb Starrett, Craig Smalley. [67] Mike & Stephanie Lobbett. [68] Ted Dergousoff. [69] Sarah Fyer. [70] Michael Kirkelie, Clark Norwood. [71] Steve Thurber, Andy Williams, Kent Marks, Ron Gardner, Brett Shuler. [72] David Stallcop, Christy Hollenback. [73] Jeff Fantozzi, Jeff Easterling. [74] Rick Anderson, Patrick Power,

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Brian Smith, David Jeffers. [75] Chris Kollwitz. [76] Steve Brandt, Jake Burns.

[77] Gary Hayes, Pat Lynch, JT Taylor, Mallory Hillhouse. [78] Doug Willis, Hex Hexberg. [79] Bill Griffith, Chuck Casey. [80] Larry Petree, Raymond Luther, Joe Petree. [81] Mark Erickson, Trent Johnson. [82] Eric Swanson. [83] Barry Darrow. [84] Megan Burch, Jeff Haley. [85] Gary Snider, JR Virnich. [86] Ryan Wolters. [87] Alex Beyer. [88] Steve Firko. (More photos on next page) Building-Products.com

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET Photos by The Merchant Magazine

TRADERS MARKET V (continued from previous page): [89] Joe Mackay, Scott Poole. [90] Amanda Vincent, Bobby Byrd. [91] Ed List, Mary Jo Nyblad, Mark Tucker. [92] Rick Anderson, Glen Frazeur, Kevin Potthoff, Tom Taylor. [93] Janne & Max Jones. [94] Lydia Smith, John Fagen, Bill McGrath, David Daugherty, Brian Benson. [95] Patrick & Shelly Adams.

[96] Richard Brignac, Mel Lundberg, Mark Richardson. [97] Gary Everett, Building-Products.com

Kevin Rooney. [98] Chris Tatro, Neville Pope. [99] Gerry Gluscic, Karl Seger, Carl Lamb. [100] KayCee Hallstrom, Joe Honochick, Mark Grube, Karl Hallstrom. [101] Michael Burley, Eric Currier, Doug O’Rourke, Mark Heyboer. [102] Steve Brown, Matt Trullinger, Tim Hummel. [103] Jack Bowen, David Warford, Matt Duprey. [104] Bob Smith, Greg Fitz, Allen Lam, Gary Fallin.

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EVENT Recap APA/EWTA Annual Meeting/Info Fair

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APA members travel back to their future

ORE THAN 450 members of APA and Engineered Wood Technology Association, staff and guests gathered recently in Coeur d’Alene, Id., for the APA annual meeting and Info Fair.

In keeping with the meeting theme, “APA Looks Back to Our Future, Driving the Road to Success,” presenters at the meeting shared perspectives on what the future holds for APA and the industry.

The general session featured a panel discussion with Dr. Thomas Maness, Cheryl Ramberg-Ford, and Allyn C. Ford, dean of the College of Forestry at Oregon State University, and Dr. Paul Winistorfer, dean of the College of Natural Resources and Environment at Virginia Tech. They shared their strategic visions for the industry and provided updates on their programs and the challenges involved in attracting students to their programs and to careers in the industry.

In his State of the Industry address, APA chairman Tom Temple reported that the association has been making progress against the four goals identified in the APA’s updated strategic plan. Membership continues to be strong, with 163 member facilities in the U.S., Canada and South America. APA now represents 85% of the structural wood panel production, 88% of glulam production, 71% of Ijoist, and 71% of LVL production. EWTA membership has grown to 108 member companies.

Temple noted the importance of looking to the future, anticipating what’s coming, and positioning APA and its members for success in the long term. “How do we invest and plan for the next 40 years? We need to identify the

A N Jonathan Martin (far ri ht) with his wife, Maggie, was resented the Bronson J. Lewis Award by A A chair Tom Tem le.

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A A N included (l r) chair Tom Tem le, S dean Thomas Maness, irginia Tech dean aul Winistorfer, and resident Ed Elias.

research and technical know-how that will support market development and building design in areas such as multistory residential and commercial construction,” Temple said.

He reviewed key activities in codes and standards, market development, and educational outreach, and emphasized the important role that the board of trustees and advisory committees play in managing APA budget and activities. “We face tremendous challenges in making forward thinking investments in the facilities and our people, while also recognizing the right scale of activity and being tempted by mission creep,” he said.

APA president Ed Elias noted the association’s past successes, demonstrating the ability to be nimble as APA adjusted to changes in fiber usage, technology and more diversified product offerings.

In the marketing advisory committee, consultant Randy Melvin reported on the innovative floor and wall systems used in the APA Inside View demonstration home built earlier this year in the Chicago area. Hans-Erik Blomgren, structural engineer, shared advancements in urban multifamily construction and provided an update on tall wood building projects.

In other presentations to the MAC committee, APA market coordinators provided updates on the strategic marketing plan initiatives and market research director Joe Elling described the industry dynamics that shaped the market forecast for 2016.

Jonathan Martin, chairman and CEO of RoyOMartin, Alexandria, La., was honored with the Bronson J. Lewis Award, recognizing lifetime leadership and outstanding contribution to the industry.

The EWTA Info Fair, a product and services exposition, featured 72 exhibitors, marking continued growth in this popular information sharing and networking event.

Building-Products.com

ASSOCIATION Update Western Building Material Association elected Charley Miller, Miller Lumber Co., Bend, Or., as its new president during its recent 113th annual convention and building products showcase in Marysville, Wa. Other new officers are vice presidents Kimberly Akre, Pacific Building Center, Blaine, Wa.; and Trent Withers, Withers Lumber Co., Woodburn, Or.; executive committee member Jeff Newenhof, City Lumber Co., Astoria, Or.; NLBMDA director Bruce Abel, Don Abel Building Supply, Juneau, Ak.; and directors Ryan Kline, Disdero Lumber, Portland, Or.; Rick Lierz, Franklin Building Supply, Boise, Id.; Ben Nesemeier, Lincoln Creek Lumber, Tumwater, Wa.; Jeff Newenhof; Matt Petersen, Bayview Building Materials, Olympia, Wa.; Phil Schumock, McFarland Cascade, Tacoma, Wa.; and Christina Tremper, IWP, Tumwater, Wa. Curtis Jack, Coquille Supply, Coquille, Or., was presented the Distinguished Dealer Award, while Boise Cascade, Woodinville, Wa., was honored with the Supplier of the Year Award.

WBMA is reminding members to save the date for part one of its three-part Leadership Series Jan. 26-27 in Portland, Or. The three-session series will provide employees with the skills they need to transition into management roles within their company. In addition to classroom content, the conferences will also include opportunities to network with fellow industry professionals during roundtable discussions, industry tours and social activities.

The first session will focus on providing exceptional

customer service and establishing a baseline for customer expectations. The goal is to provide attendees with tools to work with others in in the industry to increase customer satisfaction. orth American Wholesale Lumber Association will hold its Northwest regional meeting Feb. 18 at Riverplace, Portland, Or. Western Pallet Association is holding its annual meeting Jan. 15-19 at Rancho Las Palmas Resort, Rancho Mirage, Ca. ational Association of Home Builders is gearing up for the International Builders Show Jan. 19-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nv., to be held in conjunction with the National Kitchen & Bath Show and the annual Surfaces floorcovering expo.

Western Forestry Conservation Association is looking forward to its third annual Western Forest Industry Conference Jan. 28 at Heathman Lodge, Vancouver, Wa. This year’s theme is “Mapping the Course– Timberlands, Forest Products Processing, and Energy Issues for 2016.” ational Hardwood Lumber Association’s executive committe has begun the search process for a new executive director, as Mark Barford begins his transition towards retirement.

Barford, head for the last 10 years, will remain the executive director/CEO until a successor comes on board.

COMINg: SPRINg bUyINg ISSUE For most dealers, the weeks leading up to the beginning of spring is the time to start formulating their buying decisions for the busy season.

This February, The Merchant Magazine will be there to help, with a special Spring Buying Issue: • Tips on better buying • New tools to make buying easier, more effective • New products to keep an eye out for • Focus on DECKING & other outdoor living products • Features on OSB & Plywood

TO AdVERTISE IN ThIS MUST-REAd ISSUE, CONTACT (714) 486-2735 PATRICk AdAMS – PAdAMS@bUIldINg-PROdUCTS.COM OR ChUCk CASEy – ChUCk@bUIldINg-PROdUCTS.COM

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IN Memoriam Fabian Thomas “Dutch Andres Jr., 76, former co-owner and operator of Coeur d’Alene Builders Supply, Coeur d’Alene, Id., died Nov. 7.

The company was one of a small chain of building supply stores he owned with his friend and partner of 40+ years, Tom Vincent.

Shozo Taketa, 87, retired vice president of the lumber department for HPM Building Supply, Hilo, Hi., died Oct. 3 in Pohai Malama, Hi. Davison “Dave Castles, 95, former executive with Columbia Forest Products, Portland, Or., died Oct. 22.

After serving as a master sergeant in the U.S. Army during World War II, he earned his MBA from the University of Oregon. He became vice president for corporate development at Columbia in 1969 and semi-retired in 1979. He then became a director of Allied Forest Products, Portland.

Mike Groben, 87, died Oct. 30 in Coos Bay, Or. During summer breaks from high school, he worked for the U.S. Forest Service in Coeur D’Alene National Forest. He earned his Bachelor of Science in forestry at Pennsylvania State College in 1951 and a master’s degree in logging engineering from the University of Washington in 1953.

In 1953, he was hired by Harbor Plywood Corp. as chief forester, working old growth holdings in southwest-

ern Washington. In 1958, he joined Twin Harbors Lumber Co., Arcata, Ca., and in 1961 became area manager of Capella Operations in Ukiah, Ca. A year later, he was named chief forester and timber manager for In 1962, he was named chief forester and timber manager for Coos Head Timber Co., Coos Bay, Or. In 1967, he suffered a fall while cruising timber and became a paraplegic, but stayed on with Coos Head until it was dissolved in 1995. He then continued as a consulting forester until suffering a stroke in 2001.

He served as president of the Coos Bay chapter of the Society of American Foresters and received a Public Service Award from the Association of Consulting Foresters of America in 1993.

Dave Karp, 99, founder of Cole Hardware, San Francisco, Ca., died Oct. 25 in San Mateo, Ca., after complications from surgery.

He purchased the then-40-year-old Cole Street Hardware in 1961, originally running the entire store himself.

He gradually expanded, adding family members and employees. He retired in 1978 and sold the store to his son, current president Rick Karp, who has since expanded to five locations.

John H. McDaniel, president of the American Lumber Standard Committee, died Nov. 15 of complications from cancer.

After training with the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, he began his

ClASSIFIEd Marketplace : . er word word min. . hone number counts as word, address as .

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SALES MA AGEME T POSITIO . We are looking for the right person to join our team. Versed in lumber, doors, window, cabinets, etc. Three years minimum experience.

Ideal candidate is working in the industry and wanting a change. Good wage, medical, vacation, sick leave, bonus pay. Possible stock options for the right person. All info strictly confidential. www.mvbc-online.com. Respond to ed@mvbc-online.com. Subject—TEAM.

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43 years with ALSC, rising from 25year-old field inspector to many years as vice president of operations, and finally being promoted to president in 2014.

New Owner for Colorado Ace

A couple in Fort Collins, Co., has acquired the local Ace Hardware store for an undisclosed amount.

Tim and Julie Kenney took ownership of Clays’ Ace Hardware, Fort Collins, Nov. 1. They anticipate no big changes, and all associates will remain.

Previous owners Lisa and Jim Clay opened the 13,500-sq. ft. store in 2003.

True Value Takes a Ryder

True Value Co. is in the process of converting its fleet of leased and company-owned vehicles to now include professional drivers, routing, and scheduling services from Ryder Transportation Solutions.

Under the agreement, Ryder has begun to manage the transportation services at 10 of True Value’s 12 distribution centers across the country.

The transportation giant also plans to provide the hardware chain with access to professional drivers, specialized vehicles, and maintenance.

With the driver shortage facing the industry as a whole, it has become increasingly difficult for True Value to recruit its own drivers. The company has said it can leverage Ryder’s expertise in driver recruiting and retention so that it is better able to focus its time and resources on other important aspects of the business.

According to Rob Saper, divisional VP supply chain operations for True Value, due to the inability to lease tractors on a seasonal basis and with drivers being tougher to source, they needed a company like Ryder to step in to help better serve their retailers through greater flexibility with access to more resources.

GAF Adds Coatings Business

GAF, North America’s largest roofing manufacturer, has completed its acquisition of Quest Construction Products, North America’s largest supplier of fluid-applied roofing systems and roof-coating products, from Quest Specialty Chemicals.

QCP brands include the HydroStop family of liquid membrane products, the United Coatings line of coating solutions, and the StreetBond pavement coatings.

Building-Products.com

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istin s are often submitted months in ad an e Always erify dates and lo ations with sponsor before ma in plans to attend 29

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A L 12 Christmas arty, Five Crowns, Corona del Mar, Ca. www.lahlc.net.

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A 12 15 FenceTech DeckTech, Music City Center, Nashville, Tn. www.americanfenceassociation.com.

L A 14 15 convention & trade show, Westin Bayshore Grand Ballroom & Foyer, ancouver, B.C. www.tla.ca.

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19 22 Mandalay Bay Convention Center, Las www.surfaces.com.

Eureka, Ca.

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A 19 21 annual show, Las egas Convention Center, Las egas, Nv. www.nkba.org.

Steakhouse, kiah, Ca. barthoohoo .org.

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egas, Nv.

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19 21, s onsored by National Association of Home Builders, Las egas Convention Center, Las egas, Nv. www.buildersshow.com.

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A 15 19 annual meeting, Rancho Las almas Resort, Rancho Mirage, Ca. www.western allet.org.

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FlAShback 90 Years Ago This Month

The Roaring Twenties. It was a time of economic prosperity, a time of cultural edge, and a time when The Merchant Maga ine was just getting its legs, having been around for just four short years.

Ninety years later, we look back at some of the things our sister publication covered throughout the holidays, and closing out 1925.

• The Rocky Mountain Region had 100,000 acres of mistletoe-infected yellow pine, according to C.G. Bates, director of the Rocky Mountain Forest Experiment Station. Bates was very interested in the possibilities of a mistletoe-immune strain of pine, which he believed he had discovered and could propagate.

• Lumber was assembled into seven barges and loaded onto schooners at Gray’s Harbor for shipment to Miami. The barges were intended to constitute the nucleus of equipment for a branch of the Crowley Launch & Towboat Company in the Florida boom port.

The shipments were followed by the dispatch from California to six other larger barges in tow of two Red Stack tugs for Miami, for lightering purposes. The need for them was pressing due to the fact that the channel from the sea to the city was shallow and the vessels drawing more than 16 feet of water could not navigate the channel.

1925 issue of The alifornia umber er hant s otlighted western wallboard roducer Schumacher Wall Board Cor . n , Schumacher merged with Fibreboard Cor ., which itself was rolled into wens Corning in .

This caused much discussion in coast shipping circles. Calls were made on New York, Boston and other Atlantic ports for tugs for lightering equipment to relieve the congestion, especially of lumber awaiting discharge from ships at Miami.

• Efforts were made by the Washington Natural Parks Association to preserve Washington’s largest cedar tree and 20 smaller trees. A fund of $2000 was being raised to buy the trees from the North Bend Timber Co. The big tree was declared to be the largest cedar measured by forest authorities.

A N N 2016 years ago this month, an attractive four- age s read ad was run by Hi olito Co. Manufacturers, Los Angeles, Ca.-based roducer of screen doors and windows.

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• An exhibit of The Red River Lumber Co. attracted much attention at the California State Fair in Sacramento, Ca. The company furnished the design and materials for the cabin, which was erected by Lassen County, Ca., as their principal display.

For the exterior they used incense cedar log cabin siding in the round pattern. California knotty pine plywood panels were used for the doors and recessed panel over the fireplace.

The interior was decorated with guns and a clock on the mantel, relics of covered wagon days from Lassen County’s historical collection.

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Product • Performance • Personal Service

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160 Commerce Circle, Sacramento, Ca. 95815 • Fax 916-922-0775 (916) 922-8861 • (800) 326-1505 1955 Timber Way, Reno, Nv. 89512 • Fax 775-329-3873 (775) 329-4494 • (800) 326-4494

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