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

The future of the lumber business is in good hands

Sydney Stroud, age 3, granddaughter of Nu Forest’s George & Kris McConnell

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July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

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6 TOTALLY RANDOM

LBM SHIPPERS TACKLE TRUCK SHORTAGE

10 INDUSTRY TRENDS TRANSLOADS EASE ROAD TO RECOVERY

12 FEATURE STORY UPSELL TO ENGINEERED FRAMING PACKS

20 OLSEN ON SALES 22 OVER THE COUNTER 42 MOVERS & SHAKERS 42 IN MEMORIAM

14 COMPANY FOCUS COMMERICAL EWP GIANT REDBUILT

16 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE ST. LOUIS CHAIN CHOOSES “NOT TO PARTICIPATE” IN RECESSION

18 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT PRESSURE TREATED WOOD

28 SPECIAL FOCUS: APA 14-PAGE SPECIAL SECTION DEVOTED TO APA & ENGINEERED WOOD TRENDS

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43 TALK BACK 44 NEW PRODUCTS 51 ASSOCIATION UPDATE 52 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE 53 DATE BOOK 54 IDEA FILE

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TOTALLY Random

By Alan Oakes

We are in a Greecy spin

O THERE WE WERE all feeling good about ourselves for a change as business started to pick up. I myself attended a number of industry events and watched the economists’ pointers going in an upwards movement, and I felt good that 2011 looks to be the year. In late April, we at The Merchant could hear the sighs of relief and sense broad grins on the phone as we called round. From your feedback, business in March and April was pretty good (well, at least comparatively). Then May came along to spoil it. I think that sums up the state of our economy. While technically the recession has been decreed over, it just doesn’t feel like a recovery, and a consumer-driven economy such as ours will continue to be gloomy for some time. It is such an uneven rebound that none of us can predict with any certainty where it will go. Many of us are frustrated that we seem to be in a U-shaped trough with no clear way how to get out. In all my business life in the U.S., I have never seen or felt the misery index to be so high. There are so many concerning open-ended issues around the world that I think will still greatly impact continued recovery here at home. While writing this column in early June, the new jobs report came out and the markets tumbled immediately. The private sector is still in a non-hiring mode, and the picture for the immediate future may not be as rosy as spin doctors are saying. What the report also confirms is that, with about 15 million unemployed (more than double the number when the recession hit late 2007), government spending has done little to improve the situation. When government spends $3 for every $2 that comes in, no budget can survive for long unless in the short term it creates the results that spending was intended for. From my vantage point, I cannot see a return. I’m fed up with hearing about all the new energy jobs that are being created. Great (although I think that is even debatable), but what about the rest of industry? Like many, I am concerned about how much national debt has been created for so little return. You can spin it any which way you like, but current policies are just not cutting it and aren’t going to get us back on the right track. And, when we have already wasted billions of dollars, we do not have the means to boost the economy with real tax cuts. For me as a business owner, what encouragement is there to invest, with credit impossible to get and the risk/reward ratio offering no incentive to do so. In fact, I have never seen a time less compelling to invest one’s life savings in starting a business with so much uncertainty amid an anti-business climate. So what has happened recently to hinder the recovery? Two things: the news of Greece’s financial woes and on May 6 an already edgy stock market plunging 1,000 points in a matter of minutes followed by wild swings almost every day since—more down than up. So why is such a small country and market (sorry, to my Greek readers) playing havoc on the world economy? Many will say, so what if it goes bankrupt? Our economy has been doing okay and recovering slowly, but one tiny blip on the radar suddenly sends the whole worlds stock markets in a tizzy. The Euro drops at record pace and may continue to fall. Except for us tourists, a high dollar is not a good sign, as it will greatly impact exports and certainly encourage more imports. Of course, the real issue becomes who is next on the list? Spain? Portugal? Why not closer to home? Perhaps a U.S. state, such as my own, California? And what if the Chinese economy slows? We now more than ever are interminably linked globally. Since many European governments have done even less than we did to prop up the economy, the price they’ll have to pay will impact their economies for years—perhaps decades—to come. Their citizens are in for a great shock because, as many of you saw on TV, Europeans are not prepared to give up the great social benefits that are unsustainable with an aging population. Cutting benefits will drive up unemployment and the spin down in the rest of the European economies will multiply. All these things will not help our business overseas and will have an impact here at home. These two issues have again turned the psyche of us consumers. While I sincerely hope I’m wrong, the mood of the country just does not feel right! With such uncertainty, you cannot but question yourself on every expenditure your family makes, and it is that uneasiness that drives up the level of the misery index, maybe fueling even more unemployment and certainly not encouraging people to move and buy new homes. And, yes, that is what impacts us!

Alan Oakes, Publisher ajoakes@aol.com

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

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There’s no wood quite like redwood.

Scott Padgett, designer/builder at Padgettdesign.com.

There’s no company quite like The California Redwood Company.

When you partner with The California Redwood Company, you’re not just getting a unique and beautiful wood product, you’re getting the experience and innovation only a company that’s been around for 120 years can bring. This year, we’re continuing with our spirit of constant improvement with the addition of two newly designed wood products, along with enhancements to our current products. We’re also launching a new marketing campaign, including a completely new website, a new identity and collateral system, and a robust in-store training program. The campaign, entitled “Build history” tells the rich story of The California Redwood Company and inspires homeowners to build something truly special — all of which translates to new and higher margin opportunities for you.

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PREMIUM BLEND

INDUSTRY Trends Transportation Woes

Haul Gone

LBM distributors grapple with trucking shortage

of building materials have stung those who produce and sell them—as well as those who ship them. In fact, with the severe drop-off in freight, an estimated 200,000 trucks have been pulled off the road over the last two years. That translates into more than 3,000 trucking firms going out of business in 2008 and more than 2,000 going under in 2009. Analyst Donald Broughton, Avondale Partners, predicts another 2,000 trucking companies will close this year due to higher operating costs and lower demand. And, as lumber distributors painfully discovered during this spring’s uptick in business, fewer trucks mean more work to find a shipper and higher freight rates. Just imagine the hassles once the lumber industry finally does rebound. The Merchant asked several industry professionals for their insight on the current transportation challenges: RASTICALLY LOWER SALES

LONGER DELAYS Jim Vandegrift, sales mgr., Bennett Lumber Products, Princeton, Id. “No doubt trucking has become substantially more expensive and more difficult to procure. Our customers all arrange their own trucks, but what used to be a two- to three-day delay between release and pickup of an order now averages eight to 10 days.” D-I-Y: DRIVE IT YOURSELF Bob Quickstad, Hills Products Group, Spearfish, S.D. “We have had more difficulty hiring inbound and outbound trucks the last two years. In some areas we have had to run our own trucks round-trip to keep deliveries going.”

TRANSPORTATION PROBLEMS Butch Bernhardt, Western Wood Products Association, Portland, Or. “I’ve heard from some of our mills that getting trucks is more difficult now. There also have been a lot of centerbeam lumber rail cars that railroads parked when markets dropped that are slow to move back into service. “We predicted that transporting lumber to market would be an issue once things pick back up. So far, shipments are Building-Products.com

only up 11% from last year, which was one of our lowest years for volume. And look at the transportation problems that rise caused. Once home construction activity comes back for real, it may uncover more problems like this.”

MANY COMPLAINTS Dean Sturz, sales mgr., F.H. Stoltze Land & Lumber Co., Columbia Falls, Mt. “We don’t control the trucking out of our facility, we sell FOB Mill. I have heard many complaints, though, from our customers on the subject, and we have seen that it takes longer for our customers to find trucks for their purchases at our mill because there are less trucks on the road to choose from. They have also mentioned that freight rates have increased, in some cases dramatically.”

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE Heidi Pierson, logistics assistant, Sun Mountain Lumber, Deer Lodge, Mt. “Arranging the freight for outbound loads is my daily task. In the last three months, since I have started arranging trucking, the availability of haulers has been greatly reduced. Trucking companies and brokers have gone from providing trucks in a day or two down to not being able to provide trucks for up to two weeks in some cases. One factor that is driving the shortage is diesel prices. This rise has caused truckers to demand more money per mile. “Another factor is the destination of each load. We have had many loads going into the Dakotas and are finding it almost impossible to arrange freight into these states. I am told by many truckers this is due to available materials and loads returning from there—pretty much nothing comes back this direction. Truckers would rather wait for another available load than take one into North and South Dakota, even though they are offered more money per load. “Another trend was the lumber market took a long rise the past couple of months, driving demand up. We had buyers wanting large volumes of material due to the price they were receiving from consumers. This caused freight all over to be in large demand because buyers needed materials quickly before the market started to fall off. Now that July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

the market has started to fall, I am seeing less demand for materials and freight. We have gone from arranging several trucks a week down to one, two at most—although I am still finding some of the shorter hauls hard to arrange freight for. Truckers are waiting to take longer hauls, causing our cost to rise, as well. “On the other side, I am receiving inquires from many smaller trucking companies looking for possible loads, telling me things have slowed down dramatically—but not enough to get truckers to loosen up and take loads. Hopefully, freight will free up somewhat, allowing mills to move materials they have sold cheaper and more quickly. All in all, it has been a rollercoaster ride in the freight world with so many ups and downs in recent weeks. It has been very difficult to predict freight availability and price from one day to the next with all the uncertainty.”

NO REGULAR ROUTES Steve Ondich, operations mgr., Commercial Forest Products, Fontana, Ca. “Inconsistency in sales volume has caused erratic shipping schedules. Many truckers do not have regular routes anymore. We’re doing more LTL work and using more carriers than we used to. If we had to rely on only a couple of haulers to move material, we would have a lot of disappointed customers.”

YOU NEED PARTNERS Terry Baker, sales mgr., Tri-Pro Cedar Products, Oldtown, Id. “Our long-range transportation model works in times like these. We use only a few trucking firms, with whom we have set formulas, fuel rates, etc. We work hard to keep them busy in the slow times and they work hard to cover our needs when trucks are tight. If we have to go outside the circle of our normal truckers, then, yes, it’s very difficult and expensive to get the loads covered.”

DEALING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES Steve Merchant, Landstar Carrier Group, Birmingham, Al. “The lumber business has for the most part been addicted to back-haul rates, heavy loads, and in many cases their shipments require 8-ft. tarps. Unless one has ever tarped a load in winter or summer conditions, I can tell you it is one of the worst parts of flatbed movements, and drivers will choose not to tarp and take different freight when they have the choice, as they do in current market conditions. “Very few lumber mills have developed real relationships with those carriers that have capacity, because in the past few years the market collapsed for trucking companies. Customers were able to find trucks at mercenary rates, which the mills took advantage of. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have done this, but as with any decision there is a

Transloads help LBM shippers ramp up

By Patricia Schlaeger

ICK UP A PAPER, read a business journal, or check your electronic data, and get a dose of gloom and doom. Figures show the slump in construction continues in residential and non-residential. The seasonally adjusted volume is the lowest recorded in seven years. There is light at the end of the tunnel, albeit a little dim, but for those in business who survive they may find a pot of gold as well. The recession causing the dominos to fall has taken its toll. Housing is in a slump, and the forest industry closed mills, laid-off workers, and sold inventory to avoid bankruptcy. Hundreds of empty lumber rail cars from throughout the West are parked indefinitely along miles of sidings in Washington, California and Montana, to the chagrin of residents and sportsmen who live with the vagrants and negative graffiti they attract. Trucks are idle with no drivers. It’s a bad scene. Although LBM inventory is down, transload facilities are warehousing, storing inventory, and providing shortterm staging. Products are moving, but are hampered by equipment shortages. What about all those miles of stored railcars? Many railroads are re-positioning stored cars to put them back in service. It’s all about demand, logistics and getting the cars rolling again. BNSF is returning about 1,100 railcars to service. Some cars have been stored on the rail line for three years because of the economic downturn. Although the railroads are having problems getting back “on track,” consider the trucking industry. The American Trucking Association recently completed a study that shows there is a shortage of 20,000 truckers in the growing trucking industry. If this continues, the number of truck drivers needed to keep pace in the expanding

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

industry will reach 114,000 by 2014—a sobering figure in light of the amount of the goods transported by truck across the country every hour of every day. The total tonnage to be transported by truck is expected to grow to 13 billion tons by 2014. Without enough drivers there’s no way to move this by truck. Many trucking companies have shut their doors because they’ve been unable to attract qualified drivers. The ATA study predicts the need for over 200,000 new long-haul drivers in the next 10 years. To satisfy the need for drivers, leading employers are targeting women and minorities. It’s “business as usual” at many transload facilities. Transloads provide numerous integrated transportation services for LBM between manufacturer and final destination. They ship railcars of product, handle the truck freight, transloading, warehouse/yard storage, documentation and rail freight all in a seamless transaction. Many transloads provide value-added bundled services such as high-production surfacing, detailed moulding and sticker patterns, special cut orders, mix and match, T&G and customer patterns, custom milling, and lumber resurfacing to service needs in optimum volumes required by contractors and builders. Most transloads operate a fleet of trucks and offer custom load building, job site packaging, cut packs, and inventory management for JIT delivery. “Distribution services are the values added that make the difference between a building owner and a service provider,” says Chuck Kantner, c.e.o. of Ohio’s AIP Logistics. “We are in the transportation business for one reason only—to provide a dependable and comprehensive logistics program for our customers. We keep our wheels turning and your costs down.” Building-Products.com

consequence. They are now experiencing that consequence. “Many of those trucking companies that hauled freight at rates that did not cover their operating expenses succumbed over time and left the market due to hauling freight at unsustainable rates. The market has flipped over the last few months to where transportation demand is up and the total number of trucks available has declined. We continue to provide capacity to customers who treated us as partners. While prices have gone up, our partners still get preferential pricing. Those that call us trying to be our new friends are put at the bottom of the list, and charged accordingly. “We have a long-term outlook for our business, and we do not focus on loads, but rather providing consistent quality service to those businesses that will in return treat us fairly. That does not describe the average lumber broker from the perspective of the trucking industry. The mills for the most part have always lived by cheap rates and relied on the desperateness of the trucks for freight. Thus, in times when the market flips, they are left in a bad situation.”

FEWER SMALL FIRMS Rick Kitch, Silver City Timber, Chattaroy, Wa. “I do see fewer trucks available, but I think more due to smaller independent guys getting out of the business. I used to have quite a list of truckers who had just one to five trucks and would work hard to keep shippers happy. Many

of the trucks we see now are part of bigger concerns, and their equipment is heavy or not equipped with tarps. “We have seen the rates move up over the last six months due to fuel increases, but as of late we have been able to back that down a little because fuel has come down. “We have had to change the way we chase trucks in order to move our loads.”

CAUGHT IN A LUCKY SPOT Janet Corbett, Warm Springs Forest Products, Warm Springs, Or. “We are lucky to have local trucking companies close by in Central Oregon that have been very available for our shipping needs. We also have many wood manufacturing companies around us that have products hauled in to remanufacture, and those truckers need to get back out of the area and are very receptive to calling on us for outbound loads. (That’s) not to say that I am not calling a lot during the day to find them and coordinate the effort, but we have been able to find trucking for our prompt timeframes to meet with ship loadings. “At one point California was a tough destination, as no trucks were going that way from our area. But at this time, all seems to be fairly smooth. We do not ship by rail any longer, as we just go over the mountain to Portland with export, so trucks are our best option.”

AIP also specializes in “fill-in” work, taking on short Commodity diversity and providing value-added serhaul or plant support work to keep their drivers and equipvices during the recession has helped transloaders keep ment pre-positioned. They work with customers to design their doors open. Cascade Warehouse operates three facildelivery schedules, while maintaining flexibility for ities in Salem, Or., for railcar loading, handling plywood unscheduled services. and lumber boxcars. They provide inside warehouse space Transloaders bundle integrated solutions for the unique for storage, along with current orders for timely shipment. supply chain needs of builders: from distribution centers Lumber can be handled in a variety of ways: standard to special retail packs, from truckload to LTL deliveries. inbound/out-bound, mixing materials from various mills, Transloaders have the capabilities to develop turnkey and stock in storage waiting for sale. Cascade also has logistics programs. facilities in Chehalis, Wa.; Junction City, Or.; Las Vegas, Saddle Creek Transportation, a transload with operaNv., and Colton, Ca. tions from California and Colorado to the East Coast, pro– Patricia Schlaeger is executive director of the Transload vides customers additional capacity during business Distribution Association, West Linn, Or. Reach her at (503) surges to optimize traffic patterns and control costs. They 656-4282 or transloadmeeting@ yahoo.com. Find a transload in your area via TDA’s directory at www.transload.org. offer asset-based and non-asset-based transportation/distribution solutions to accommodate increasing demands of competitive markets. Saddle Creek helped fiber cement siding manufacturer Nichiha USA when the company opened its first U.S. plant. Nichiha needed a strong logistics partner to build momentum and meet its business goals. Saddle Creek became an extension of Nichiha’s image in everything from product handling in the warehouse to driver conduct at time of delivery. Equipment shortages have been eliminated by transloaders who have their own fleet of railcars and trucks. Westran Services Ltd., New Westminster, B.C., has made it a priority to eliminate equipment bottlenecks by acquiring sufficient equipment to meet customer’s needs. Their system includes 225 railcars of varying capacities and types to handle any demand. Being adjacent to BNSF gives them flexibility to switch twice daily and provide rapid TRANSLOAD FACILITIES, such as Cascade Warehouse, Salem, Or., are strategically located along major transportation routes to offer distribution by truck, rail or container. transload between truck and rail. Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

FEATURE Story By Jeff Buckley, iLevel by Weyerhaeuser

5 tips to upsell structural framing packages

Hendrix once said, “Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens.” No doubt he wasn’t thinking about his local lumberyard, but he makes a point all of us in LBM should remember: When interacting with customers, take time to fully comprehend their challenges before offering solutions. Understanding the advantages that specialty lumber and engineered wood products provide over commodity lumber can help a sales team recognize customer challenges, needs and goals. Such information provides a foundation for listening effectively for ways to add value to the builder. To this end, below are five tips regarding higher-performance framing material options to better meet customers’ needs and land the sale. UITAR LEGEND JIMI

Fulfill unrecognized needs

If you ask builders what new framing material types would benefit them, they may or may not have a clear answer. For example, all have experienced the frustration of culling through stacks of commodity lumber to remove defective boards, but may not have considered that affordable alternatives are available. With advances in forestry, manufacturing, testing and grading, some manufacturers are now offering higher performance lumber. New features include boards that are much less likely to warp after installation, “crown up” labels that remove the need for visual inspection or guesswork on the jobsite, and application of mold inhibitors at the mill. Such features help products look great in the yard and perform well during construction, reducing time and money currently used to cull commodity lumber and helping reduce the risk of call-backs. Another potentially unrecognized

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

ENGINEERED LUMBER reportedly is much less likely to warp after installation.

need is tall wall construction. For walls over 10-ft. high in entries, foyers, and great rooms, builders are accustomed to platform framing (i.e. stacking shorter walls since longer lumber lengths may not be available). This creates a hinge point that is susceptible to drywall cracks and leaks, especially around windows. Several engineered lumber products, including laminated strand lumber and parallel strand lumber, provide solutions that enable single-length studs in walls up to 30 ft. high, while meeting load-carrying requirements and providing clean wall lines.

Paint a picture

Specialty lumber and engineered wood products may be unfamiliar to some builders and homeowners, so explaining the benefits in clear, concrete terms they recognize can be helpful. For instance, someone in our company was speaking with a friend who had a valuable art collection and wanted to showcase it in his new home. The friend had never heard of LSL or thought about structural framing, but after a brief conversation about how LSL studs could provide straighter walls on which to hang his collection, said he would ask his Building-Products.com

builder to use them. A visual representation can also underscore the benefits. Some dealers have built simple, side-by-side comparisons of higher-performing framing materials versus commodity lumber to show how framing material selection is critical to craftsmanship of the finished home.

Emphasize quality and value

While price is still often king, builders may be willing to purchase an upgraded framing package if there is a clear benefit, such as a higher-quality finished home, fewer call-backs, less labor or a product warranty. Specialty lumber and engineered wood products can support these goals for homes of all types. For example, since custom builders stake their reputations on craftsmanship, higher-performance framing materials can help ensure quality construction throughout the home. The products’ greater consistency and straightness can help ensure smooth and even walls, in curving staircases and in rooms with millwork and other high-end finishes. Production builders may wish to incorporate engineered lumber throughout a home or to balance performance and cost by using different products in specific locations. This could include LSL in kitchens and baths, where straight and even walls are most important; specialty lumber in other visible interior walls such as living rooms, bedrooms and hallways; and commodity lumber in closets and

LSL offers greater consistency and straightness to help ensure smooth and even walls.

other locations where finish is less important.

Put price in perspective

When customers focus on the perstick price, relating the incremental cost of higher quality materials to the overall framing package or total home cost can be helpful. This could include calling out facts specific to the project, such as “high-performance LSL wall framing throughout this home could add less than 1% to the total cost” or “for $500 more, you can get top-quality framing in this $30,000 kitchen.” Higher-performance framing also lends itself well to packaging with other products. For example, you may wish to offer LSL or specialty lumber

PARALLEL STRAND lumber can enable single-length studs in walls up to 30 ft. high, meet load-carrying requirements, and provide clean wall lines. Building-Products.com

studs with cabinets and reiterate to the builder how straight studs can help reduce labor costs.

Take solutions to next level

Because builders are under increasing pressure to streamline the construction process, the market for selling pre-manufactured framing components is growing. Consider supplying precision end-trim and labeled kits of framing materials. These can help speed installation and improve quality, and provide a way to evolve your services into panelized framing components, if desired. The process does not need to be difficult, since your wood product manufacturer may be able to assist with consultations on equipment, software and operations. Another way to show value to builders is to highlight how high-performance framing materials can fit into green building. Such materials may be SFI certified or carry other independent evaluations such as the NAHB’s “Green Approved” products rating or ICC-ES SAVE program (Sustainable Attributes Verification and Evaluation). Manufacturers can provide details on their products’ certifications, and what these programs mean for builders. Product options are always increasing, and framing is no exception. The range of performance characteristics available provides dealers ample opportunities to develop packages that best meet customers’ specific needs.

– Jeff Buckley is the southeast division general manager of wood products for iLevel by Weyerhaeuser, www.ilevel.com; (888) 453-8358. July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

COMPANY Focus RedBuilt, LLC

Commercial EWP provider returns to its roots R

EDBUILT, THE FORMER

commercial division of Trus Joist, is celebrating its predecessor’s 50th anniversary by getting back to its roots: providing innovative engineered wood products for commercial projects. The new focus was instituted last August, when Atlas Holdings LLC partnered with a group of former Trus Joist leaders to buy the unit from Weyerhaeuser, rename it RedBuilt, and move its headquarters back to Boise, Id. Trus Joist was founded in May 1960 by wholesale lumberman Harold “Red” Thomas and inventor Art Troutner. When its parent, TJ International, entered into a joint venture with MacMillan Bloedel in 1991, the company became Trus Joist MacMillan. Weyerhaeuser bought the company in 1999 and the focus shifted to residential building. “Trus Joist enjoyed significant growth during the housing boom when it adapted its innovations to fit the needs of residential builders, but these groundbreaking products were initially designed for commercial construction,” said president and c.e.o. Kurt Liebich, who oversaw commercial and industrial operations at Trus Joist for Weyerhaeuser before serving as the division’s chief executive. Tom Denig, who was president and c.e.o. of Trus Joist MacMillan, is now chairman of RedBuilt. According to Liebich, Weyerhaeuser’s business model was not a good fit when it came to the needs of the commercial construction industry. “Theirs is production-and-distribution system that delivers an array of relatively standard engineered wood products to dealers who then sell to residential builders and contractors,” he said. “Little is ‘standard’ in commercial construction. Success in this arena demands a high degree of consultative, personal service and technical engineering

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

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skills, coupled with state-of-the-art manufacturing and distribution facilities.” Liebich added that being a stand-alone business allows RedBuilt the flexibility to make decisions and design processes based solely on customer needs. “We have a unified team comprised of technical representatives and engineering and production associates that shepherd individual projects, not products, through the entire construction process from design inception to manufacturing to jobsite support,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is providing our customers with not just the best products, but with the best solutions that meet their building needs.” RedBuilt operates commercial manufacturing plants and design centers in Chino, Ca., Hillsboro and Stayton, Or., and Delaware, Oh., a design center at headquarters, and 13 design and sales offices located across the United States. Products include open-web trusses, Red-I Joists, and RedLam LVL that is used for beams, headers, forms, and scaffold planks. “Because we don’t share manufacturing with other businesses, our facilities are focused on meeting our customer’s project specific needs—not on building large inventories of standard products,” said Liebich. “We are small and nimble, which means we don’t need permission to act on our ideas,” said Randy Ruim, senior vice president of sales and marketing. “If an idea is intriguing and has merit, we are free to pursue it. Within the first 10 months of our existence, we’ve established the framework of our new business, launched the RedBuilt brand, and designed our RedSpec sizing software, which is available this month.” The company currently has 234 employees, but Liebich expects that number to grow as the economy rebounds. “With the help of our loyal customers, we will remain a leader in engineered wood products for another 50 years— and beyond—by building on our legacy.”

RED-I-JOISTS proved an important component of this major commercial project near downtown Los Angeles, Ca.

REDBUILT’S team provides support through the entire construction program, from initial design through manufacturing and jobsite support. Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

COMPETITIVE Intelligence By Carla Waldemar

Fighting with a sword “R

ECESSION?” DECLARES Rick Pogue, general manager of Arrowhead Building Supply. “We chose not to participate in it.” “Everyone is looking for ways to cut costs,” he observes. “But we take a different approach. Arrowhead fights with a sword, not a shield.” So April was as good a time as any to expand to a fifth St. Louis-area location, this one in Hollister, Mo. The exterior supply company was founded in 1997 by Rick’s dad, company president and owner, who brought with him years of experience in a previous yard. Rick signed on in earnest (“I’ve been here all my life”) 10 years ago and started right in making changes. “Oh yeah,” he acknowledges that dust-up with a satisfied smile you can hear across the telephone wires. “We had 35 employees and no plans for expansion, but having built a good team, I could plan ahead and not spend my time on the day-to-day nuts and bolts of the operation.”

He pushed for a second store in 2001, a third operation in 2006, number four in ’08, the fifth this spring, and the end’s nowhere in sight. Says Rick, “We’ve got a model we can take anywhere: Whatever market we enter, we can do well.” “Our model is the best there is,” he continues. And it’s not a fancy, Harvard MBA-type scheme. It’s simply this: “We don’t tell our customers what they want; they tell us. We don’t dictate. We listen.” And what Arrowhead hears, over and over again, is: Time is money. Contractors need those shingles (or whathave-you) yesterday. And right there on the rooftop, so they don’t have to hoist them from the mud. “Everything we do is built around expediency,” Rick spells out what he’s mandated as the company’s unique niche. “For instance, we design and build our own truck equipment, including a pull-and-lift bed so workers don’t need to climb on and off the truck.” Expediency also is the basis of Arrowhead’s marketing mantra, touted via its 3/15 slogan. Call in your order, and Arrowhead pledges to deliver it—not same day, how old is that? Even Arrowhead’s competitors now can make that happen—but within three hours, a feat others haven’t got the fleet of vehicles to match. Likewise, a contractor can phone in his order for a box of nails with no need to park and cool his heels at the counter. It’s waiting at Hollister’s brand-new drive-in window in 15 minutes, the McDonald’s of the industry. This kind of out-of-the-box thinking is nothing new to

ARROWHEAD’S large, free-wheeling 40-truck fleet allows it to guarantee delivery within three hours.

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

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Rick. In 1992—again, with his contractors’ needs in mind—he came up with the idea of offering dumpster service to roofers. It works like this: Buy new shingles from Arrowhead and they’ll haul off, grind up and recycle the old ones. And it’s free. “It’s a neat idea,” its author agrees. “I developed it to steal customers from our competition, and it’s working. Last year it brought in $1 million in business.” Neat idea? He’s full of them. How about this one? Rick pulled an inside salesman off the floor, gave him a list and a phone, and turned him into a telemarketer. The man’s job is simply to call existing customers and thank them for their orders. “It’s amazing how much new work you get out of that,” says Rick—the “oh, while we’re on the phone” $4,000 orders. He also reaches new customers via radio ads. Hey, wait a minute! How Old School is that? As he explains, “A friend—the biggest contractor in town—talked me into it, and it’s drawn a lot of new people. It’s paid off, and I’m happy. You can’t be afraid to try something new”—including Facebook, where Arrowhead now boasts a page. Oh, but here’s one modern device you won’t encounter (thank goodness): voicemail. “I won’t allow it,” the boss is adamant. “Everyone gets to talk to a real, live person.” And on its website, it now includes another smart-thinking feature: a link to the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration weather reports. As Rick instructs, “Storms bring lots of business to our contractors; they love ’em. So they watch to see when and where, and then head over.” The website also acts as a match.com service to unite homeowners looking for professional help with a vetted list of contractors. Plus, the new Hollister showroom allows these pros to bring in their homeowner customers and turn them over to Arrowhead’s staff. Arrowhead also offers a bit more structured instruction through Arrowhead University—just “don’t call them workshops! That has a bad name!” Here, the company presents new products and practices, such as how to install a skylight or metal roof, as well as techniques for sales in the home—“and our contractors love them. We offer 20-25 a year and 15 to 40 contractors show up.” And get a swell free lunch, besides. Another big reason to do business with Arrowhead is its Builders Club affiliation, rewarding every $10 purchase with two points to apply toward a free vacation. “It costs us 1.2%,” says Rick, “and it’s well worth it.” Clearly, Rick walks the walk. He also talks it. As a member of an 185-company-strong buying group, he’s seen both good independent businesses and others doomed to fail. To encourage the laggards to commit to change, he’s written a pamphlet called “A Declaration of Independents,” which warns owners that “You can’t just wait around for something to happen. Home Depot will always offer lower prices, so do something different to compete. “Independents have the advantage over the chains by being able to adapt to change—make a quick command decision—while places like ABC take years, like steering a battleship. And independents can take each customer on a case-by-case basis, not having to look to corporate policy.” Yet, he laughs, “Home Depot and Lowe’s aren’t Arrowhead’s competitors; they’re our customers. They can’t get the roofing material onto the roof, so they buy from us and we use our equipment. Same for other lumberyards: Instead of them buying a whole carload of shingles, which sits around as it’s doled out, little by little, simply Building-Products.com

MISSOURI CHAIN offers services other dealers can’t, aided in part by equipment it’s custom-designed itself—including the Load Warrior, which transfers recyclable shingles from its fleet of 200 rental containers to larger containers.

buy whatever amount you need from us: We’ll deliver it so you never even have to touch it, while you’ll still make $100 or $200 on the order.” In fact, Rick has created two market networking groups to share job leads and go after new business in Missouri, and Arrowhead has gained over $2 million of that new business through these groups. This GM’s not just talkin’. When you pin him down to numbers, be prepared to be impressed. As he says, “When the recession started in 2007, our competition closed branches and laid off people; they walled up and protected their top customers. We do just the opposite. We went after everybody’s customers to add contractors, even if their business was slow. Later, they’d remember us. So in the past 18 months, we’ve added 700 new accounts. In the past two years, our sales have been the best ever. We’d had our best year ever in 2002 at $22 million. By 2008, we hit $25 million, and then $27.5 million last year.” Another reason is that Rick hires astutely—“by attitude, not experience. I look for someone who’s positive, magnetic, passionate. I don’t want to babysit my employees. We have the very best salespeople in the business, and I have my own list of what I critique them on—the six As: attitude, ambition, autonomy, assertiveness, awareness and accuracy. Their job is to get new customers to try us. Once they do, we usually have their business going forward because we meet and exceed their needs.” More innovative schemes ahead? “Well, I’ve got dad breathing into a paper bag. His hair’s turned white,” Rick laughs. But, it looks like his retirement home won’t be the poorhouse. Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@comcast.net

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

PRODUCT Spotlight Pressure Treated Wood

Treated wood helps d-i-y yards turn the corner

solution—treated lumber—to their “Pressure treated lumber has always switchneeds seems to be winning over the provided exceptional value when it ing to a strict pro focus during the other alternative products.” comes to choosing products for outbuilding boom of the late 1990s are Yet price alone won’t make the door building. In addition to being once again wooing consumers, and sale. “In a tight economy, consumers economical, it offers fantastic pressure treated wood has become a longevity and is a renewwinning lure. able resource. New preserv“With the slowdown in ative processes also helped new home construction, raise the bar when it comes many yards have turned to to performance, both prodthe d-i-y market—primarily uct and environmental, and outdoor landscaping and overall appearance.” remodeling,” confirms That said, pricier highDennis McWhirter, sales tech plastics, composites, manager at Exterior Wood, hardwoods, redwood and Washougal, Wa. cedar continue to sell well McWhirter notes that in certain markets and are recent trends in treated poised to regain their shares wood—Good Housekeepas fortunes rebound. ing Seals and other environ“The composite producmental merit badges, next ers,” Layton points out, generation preservatives that, among other attributes, TREATED WOOD, affordably priced and easy to install, may be standing up “have continuously upgraded the performance of their look prettier on a retail stronger in the recession than higher-priced alternatives. products over the years, and rack—are particularly con– Photo of ProWood Micro from Universal Forest Products I have no doubt that in the sumer friendly. future, a less cost-conscious Treated wood also offers will be less apt to make impulse purconsumer will return to their normal easy installation, without special chases and more likely to spend time purchasing habits as soon as the econtools, clips or caps. researching purchases in order to find omy shows signs of long-term But the primary selling point is the best value,” stress Steve O’Leary improvement.” that, in the middle of a severe recesand Kim Sheehan, authors of the new sion, treated wood is priced signifibook Building Buzz to Beat the Big cantly less than most other alternative Treated Wood Sales Ammo Boys: Word of Mouth Marketing for materials. (from the RealOutdoorLiving Small Businesses. “People have been under financial “Treated Wood Sales Sheets”) Consequently, dealers should be distress for much of the last 18 • Pressure treated wood is the most affordarmed with the latest sales tools to months,” observes George Layton, able material for outdoor building projects. make the case for treated wood, general manager, treated lumber at including warranty information, safeCanfor/New South, Myrtle Beach, • No other material is as easy and functional to work with (no special tools or skills ty sheets, and installation guides. S.C. “What they would like to spend required). Effective “Treated Wood Sell Sheets” on a project has been balanced with can be downloaded as PDFs from what they feel they can afford to • Nothing is maintenance-free. Simple, www.realoutdoorliving.com. spend, knowing that a return on capiyearly maintenance is all that’s needed to keep treated wood looking natural and James Riley, chief marketing offital through home appreciation is highbeautiful. cer for Great Southern Wood ly unlikely for the foreseeable future. Preserving, Abbeville, Al., notes: Thus, a resurgence of a less expensive UMBERYARDS THAT BEGAN

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

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July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

OLSEN On Sales By James Olsen

Increase your sales velocity “W

not. Nothing derails sales velocity more than working accounts that do not fit our profile. If our “ideal” customer isn’t exactly clear to us, we: • Look at our current best accounts. This is a great place to begin to define our ideal target. • Look at the great sellers around us. What kind of accounts are the monster sellers doing business with?

E’RE ALL GOING to be millionaires; it’s just a question of how long it’s going to take us to do it.” – Sven Melbo

How do we make things happen faster? I work with salespeople who are great once they get in front of the customer, but it takes them too long to get in front of the customer! Not only does it take them too long, they have a tough time moving the process along with the customers they do get in front of. We’ve talked about the fear of being “pushy.” The difference between master sellers and those that struggle is that the struggling seller thinks about being pushy and the master seller thinks about helping customers and winning. Master sellers aren’t pushy; they’re persistent. How we are persistent is our choice but the non-persistent salesperson doesn’t exist. At every step in the sales process, with existing or new customers, there are steps we can take to increase our sales velocity. One way to think about sales velocity is to think about our sales career as a boat that has a constant leak. The master seller bails (sells) faster than the leak, the good seller bails at about the same rate, and the struggling seller doesn’t even know they need to bail until the boat hits the bottom of the ocean.

Prospecting: Be Prepared.

We need a good list. Many sellers prospect one at a time. They get on the internet, look up a company, and call them. When this call is done, they look up another and do it again. This is slow work. We need to create a good list first, during non-selling time. After the list is created, we keep it in our “Prospecting” file for ready use.

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Prospecting: Scripts

Scripting gets a bad name. We don’t want to sound like robots, but writing out the objections we will face and our best responses will accelerate our sales process. The majority of sellers we compete against will shirk this basic but major velocity tool. “I already know what I’m going to say,” “I don’t want to sound mechanical,” and other excuses are used to avoid this intellectual leadership sales preparation. Don’t be one of them. Nothing will make us sound more natural and confident than being prepared. We don’t read our scripts. Scripts are the preparations we make to move through initial resistance more quickly. If we want to set ourselves apart from the crowd, we need well thought out responses to common objections. Preparation allows for improvisation. The act of thinking through and putting our responses in writing will give us the conviction it takes to sell well, to convince others quickly. When asked, most sellers say they are “relationship sellers,” which means they act nice and hope for the best. Master sellers act nice and prepare for all possible sales situations.

Prospecting: Qualification

We must know exactly which customers we can help and which we can-

Measuring Sales Velocity

“How long will I call an account without an order before I move on?” “What is a profitable account?” “Which accounts are too small?” “Which fish is too small to keep in the boat?” Without answers to these questions, we will spend hours of wasted time and energy on accounts that are too small to ever help us.

Connect All Calls

We must connect all calls. Phone sellers are easy to forget and blow off, road salespeople cannot afford to miss an appointment. When we finish with any call, we simply say, “Susan, when should I call you back on this?” Or the more assumptive, “John, I’ll call you back today at 2:55. Will you be around then?” Be specific. Tomorrow morning isn’t good enough. Tomorrow at 8:55 a.m. is. Building relationships and trust takes time. Working on sales velocity in our sales process will help us reach our goals faster! James Olsen Reality Sales Training (503) 544-3572 james@realitysalestraining.com Building-Products.com

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July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

OVER THE Counter By Mike Dandridge

Build up your sales counter

VERY ELEMENT in the sales counter can be a tool of mass persuasion or an instrument of sales prevention. Whether customers feel like welcome guests or troublesome pests depends upon how well these elements are engineered. First, understand that everything matters. From the broken caster on the display to the empty toilet paper dispenser, customers unconsciously grade your company on a mental scale that weighs their expectations against the service that you actually deliver. The performance of most dealers falls sadly short of customers’ expectations. No one sets out to make a poor impression. A newly launched sales counter, well organized with productfilled shelves and walls, underscored by the smell of fresh paint, is something to behold. But then the phone

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Photo by Johnstone Supply

rings and customers are waiting and it just happens over time—dust gathers, signs fade, and paint peels. It occurs gradually, but the impact is immediate. Customers believe that you no longer care as much you once did. That’s when it’s time to stand back and take a look at what the counter has become. This article will help you

transform an aging sales counter into a tool of mass persuasion. While most of the suggestions will seem familiar and easy, it’s their simple nature that makes them so often overlooked or deemed unimportant. To recognize just how critical these elements are to major players in the construction industry, take a surveillance trip to Lowe’s, Ace Hardware, or Grainger. You’ll see that these businesses show a healthy appreciation for the elements of persuasion. Now, for the health of your own branch, here are seven ways to amp up your sales at the counter: Price it. Traditionally, items sold at the sales counter are not priced, but this could change if consultants and marketing experts have their way. Citing research from surveys and statistics, both groups make a convincing

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case that in sales counters where the merchandise is priced, sales climb as much as 20%. The reason for this is twofold: first, some customers will not ask a salesperson for a price so they just don’t buy the product, and second, some customers believe if it’s not marked, it must be expensive. Adding price tags overcomes both of these objections.

Clean it. The downside of growing up is that mom’s not around to tell you when it’s time to clean your room anymore. So, take a good hard look at your counter area. Is there dust on the displays? Cobwebs on the ceiling? Abandoned soda cans and cups of moldy coffee on shelves? Wipe down all horizontal surfaces and anywhere else dust gathers. Buy a shop vac to reach the corners and under displays. Don’t forget to clean the mud and fingerprints off the front door. Cleaning is a task that is never complete. Make your mom proud; take out the trash before it overflows.

Paint it. If the walls of your store still look dingy, faded, and tired, it’s time for a fresh coat of paint. It’s an inexpensive and fairly easy way to give any sales counter that newand-improved appearance. Light, neutral colors are best for persuasive environments. Special note: If your sales counter is still sporting brown pegboard from the ’60s, it’s time for a makeover. A bucket of paint provides a lot of bang for your buck.

Move it. Even positioning a gondola a certain way can make a difference in product sales. Don’t get stuck in an old-school merchandising rut. Be bold and innovative. Moving displays around every other month or so gives your sales counter a new look and keeps your customers alert to make new discoveries.

Upsize it. If high school kids can persuade customers to “add fries to that burger” then anyone can learn how to “upsize” orders at the sales counter, too. Some may think that selling add-ons is too “high-pressure,” but the truth is most customers appreciate the extra attention. Trust is essential in add-on selling. Avoid recommending an item unless there truly is a benefit to your customer. Selling up creates a professional image that identifies you as a specialist in your industry. It pays to sell up.

Reduce it. Most branch managers equate “having a sale” with “taking a loss” on old products. But, with careful planning, a sale can be a moneymaking opportunity. Instead of displaying only obsolete products, mix in some new products as well. Before the scheduled sale, take advantage of vendor promotions and buy for the sale. Display the new products at a slight discount alongside the sale goods. Throw it out. If it’s damaged and not returnable, or if it’s an obsolete item that survived the sale, get rid of it. Scrap it, give it away, whatever. Don’t tie up inventory dollars and valuable shelf space with material that’s going to be written off at your next inventory anyway. This isn’t a one-time fix, but an ongoing maintenance plan. Relentlessly focus on the elements of persuasion to ensure that the performance you deliver exceeds your customers’ expectations. Mike Dandridge mikedan@mac.com

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Simpson Acquiring Mason County Mills

Mason County Forest Products has agreed to sell its mills in Shelton, Wa., to Simpson Lumber Co., Shelton, Wa. In anticipation of the changeover, Mason County gave notice that it would be laying off 130 workers at the large-cutting and small-dimension mills July 31. Simpson Lumber has mills in Tacoma, Shelton and Longview, Wa.; Meldrim, Ga., and Georgetown, S.C.

California True Value Reopens

Miles and Cina Sorensen, owners of Sorensen’s True Value, Los Banos, Ca., since 1975, have reopened Modesto True Value, Modesto, Ca., which closed in February. “We had heard that they were closing and that 12 people were going to lose their jobs and that it was a good store,” said Miles. “We’re just hoping

that people really do appreciate having a hardware store in their neighborhood that has excellent service and competitive prices.” The Sorensens took over the lease from longtime operator Gladys Setliff in March and have been remodeling ever since. Both the interior and exterior has been repainted; fixtures, racks, signs, and many displays have been replaced, and inventory has been increased to include more tools, piping, hardware, and other items. Half of the closed store’s staff has been rehired, including manager Debra Cook. “Everyone has a specialty,” said Cina Sorensen. “Some are really good at plumbing, others lawn and garden.” A grand-opening celebration is planned for July 17. “This economy is really scary,” said Miles. “But we took the chance because there is no doubt in my mind that it will turn around.”

SUPPLIER Briefs

Sister companies Allweather Wood and Humboldt Redwood Co. will open a 141,000-sq. ft. distribution center by Aug. 1 in Woodland, Ca. The compaines have been operating in temporary quarters next door.

Western Wood Preserving, Sumner, Wa., has converted from MCQ to Osmose’s micronized copper azole (MCA), to treat 2” dimensional decking and ground contact material.

iLevel by Weyerhaeuser is now distributing Armor Coat trim and fascia—factory-primed, water-borne acrylic-coated whitewood products made by Belco Forest Products, Shelton, Wa. iLevel is also distributing CMPC’s Selex radiata pine plywood and beaded paneling across the U.S. Capital Lumber Co., Phoenix, Az., is now distributing Fiberweb’s Typar weather barriers, accessories, and Surround SR roofing underlayment throughout the West.

Boise Cascade, Boise, Id., has received Forest Stewardship Council chain-of-custody certification for its line of engineered wood products, including BCI Joists, AllJoist I-joists, Versa-Lam LVL, Versa-Stud LVL lumber, and Versa-Rim rimboards.

Northwest Paint, Missoula, Mt., has leased and relocated to Stimson Lumber’s 12-acre former plywood mill in Bonner, Mt. The producer of specialty paint applications needed a larger site to secure and fulfill a multi-state contract with Louisiana-Pacific.

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The Merchant Magazine July 2010

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Idaho May Get First Reload

The six-month-old Boise Valley Railroad is considering building a transload in Boise, Id. “There’s no transload facility in the state of Idaho,” said Boise mayor Dave Bieter. “You have to go as far away as Ogden and Portland to be able to get that service.” A feasibility study should be completed within the next six months, hopefully permitting the freight transfer center to be built within “the next couple of years.” In addition, Boise Valley Railroad—a division of Watco Inc.— agreed to maintain the 20 miles of track owned by the city of Boise.

DEALER Briefs

Longfellow Lumber , Chico, Ca., closed June 11 after more than 50 years.

Parr Lumber , Hillsboro, Or., opened a leased 2-acre pro yard with 5,700 sq. ft. of warehouse space in Spokane Valley, Wa. Tim Kellar, yard mgr.

Western Building Center , Kalispell, Mt., acquired Stevensville Building Center, Stevensville, Mt. Hambleton Lumber, Washougal, Wa., shut down for most of June to reorganize.

The Mill Yard will move to a new, larger location in Arcata, Ca., with a 20,000-sq. ft. warehouse and more than 9,000-sq. ft. for offices and retail.

84 Lumber is liquidating its stores in N. Auburn and Modesto, Ca.

Hess Lumber, Malad, Id., held a grand opening celebration June 10-12 for its newly relocated 9,000-sq. ft. facility.

Anderson’s True Value Hardware is closing its two-year-old

store in Barstow, Ca., this month. Manager Jeff Carlson will then transfer to manage its store in Hesperia, Ca.

Star Ace Hardware , San Marcos, Ca., held a liquidation sale and closed, after owner Bill Slay sold the site to the city for $5.4 million for a redevelopment project.

Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

84 Fined over Wages Dispute

California’s State Labor Commissioner has decreed that 84 Lumber and one of its framing sub-contractors, Russell/Thompson, must pay $1.3 million in wages and $200,000 in fines for failure to pay proper prevailing wages on a housing project at the University of California, Davis. “Our investigation uncovered serious wage violations in this case,” said Labor Commissioner Angela Bradstreet. “We believe the employer intentionally underpaid its workers.” The investigation uncovered evi-

TRIM

FASCIA

dence that Russell/Thompson falsified payroll records, failed to pay overtime, and misclassified workers by identifying them by lower-paying positions rather than higher-rate, skilled positions they actually worked. “Prime contractors cannot plead ignorance when their subcontractors fail to follow California’s labor law,” said John C. Duncan, director of the state’s Department of Industrial Relations. “Our enforcement efforts are intended to help fight California’s underground economy and help compliant businesses compete fairly.”

SIDING

SUPPLIER Briefs

Interfor last month temporarily idled its stud mills in Molalla, Or., and Port Angeles, Wa., and dimension mill in Beaver, Wa. Restarts are being evaluated on a weeky basis.

The sale of 3 Rivers Timber’s defunct Kamiah, Id., sawmill, including equipment, has been approved to commercial fisherman Michael Burns for $2.65 million.

USP Structural Connectors

has acquired an equity interest in construction design software developer Structural Soft, Palo Alto, Ca.

TimberTech launched a Color Visualizer feature on timbertech.com that presents multiple deck styles with a full range of colors and product options.

Cook & Boardman Group , SBS Commercial Door & Hardware, Charlotte, N.C., has acquired

NATURE’S DESIGN TECHNOLOGY’S A SSURANCE

including 13 locations among four divisions— Architectural Building Supply, Salt Lake City, Ut.; Martin Architectural Products, Raleigh, N.C.; Hollow Metal Specialists, Sarasota, Fl., and Precision Doors & Hardware, Alexandria, Va. SBS’ Chris Robinson joined Cook & Boardman as executive v.p. and c.o.o.

www.lifespanoutdoor.com

Based in Annapolis, MD, Fletcher Wood Solutions® is the largest manufacturer of defect-free, appearance grade radiata pine products in New Zealand. Distributing our clear boards, mouldings, LIFESPAN® treated wood, and lumber to the North American market through our proven and completely integrated supply chain, Fletcher Wood Solutions® maintains direct access to one of the largest FSC certified® pine plantation forests in the world.

Plum Creek Timber Co. , Seattle, Wa., repurchased $50 million of its common shares, completing a $200-million share repurchase program authorized by its board. The company will seek permission from directors for a new open-market share repurchase program.

Arch Wood Protection has had the Good Housekeeping Seal extended to include all forms of Wolmanized wood products. Since August 1, 2005, the Seal has applied to certain types of Wolmanized Residential Outdoor wood.

California Redwood Association has relaunched its website,

1 . 8 6 6 . F S C. W O O D 26

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

making www.calredwood.org easier to use and increasing emphasis the species’ green attributes. Among the new features: d-i-y project plans, how-to videos, photo gallery, FAQs for deck/fence buyers, and dealer locator.

Building-Products.com

Wedding Bells Chime at Depot

A Home Depot in Lake Forest, Ca., hosted the June 12 marriage of two of its employees. More than a 100 family, friends, co-workers, and customers witnessed the event and enjoyed wedding cake in the staff meeting room afterwards. The bride was Carolyn Weatherly, who handles major renovation project services at the store, while her groom, Audwin Mosby, drives a forklift and re-stocks inventory during the night shift. Weatherly’s son and Mosby’s daughter also work at the store. Store manager Alex Taylor got corporate permission for the event and arranged for employees of nearby Depots to fill in so co-workers could take part in the ceremony. He said it was the first wedding in a California Home Depot and the second nationwide, after one in Alaska. “Carolyn is just such an amazing

associate and an exceptional person,” said Taylor. “It was really easy to do something nice for her.”

Fremont Store Gets Stimulus

Dale Hardware, Fremont, Ca., has received $8 million in federal stimulus money, which will be used to remodel and expand its 40,000-sq. ft. store. “We’re very appreciative,” said owner Garth Smith of the locally administered program, which issues tax-exempt bonds. Since bank loans have become harder to obtain, the

bonds provide a different way for businesses to finance expansions. Because the bonds are tax free, investors are willing to accept a lower yield, allowing Smith to pay lower interest rates than he would have with a regular bank loan. Dale Hardware, which opened in 1955, hopes to begin the expansion in September and be finished in 10 months. Plans include a 56,000-sq. ft. expansion with two new garden centers, offices, retail space, and an enclosed, drive-thru lumberyard.

DEALER Briefs

Sutherland Lumber Co.

closed its 38-year-old yard in Boulder, Co., at the end of June. Some inventory is being moved to Sutherland’s eight other stores in the region. The Boulder unit will reopen temporarily later in the summer to liquidate the rest.

Cedar Building Supply , Cedar City, Ut., is closing this month after 63 years.

Johnson-Madison Lumber, Great Falls, Mt., has added a new kitchen and bath showroom.

Lowe’s expects 1st quarter 2011 openings for a 117,000-sq. ft. store with 32,900-sq. ft. garden center in Oxnard, Ca., and a 94,000-sq. ft. store on a Covina, Ca., site that Home Depot relocated from two years ago. In addition, Lowe’s is negotiating to buy a site in San Leandro, Ca., from Peterson Tractor; applied to build a 120,000-sq. ft. store on 11 acres in Poway, Ca., and received approval for a 139,000-sq. ft. store in Fairfield, Ca., with hopes to begin construction this summer.

Habitat for Humanity opened a ReStore discount LBM outlet July 1 in Breckenridge, Co. Steve Shockey, store mgr.

Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

APA SPECIAL SECTION

Studies in sustainability

Wood is demonstrating its green credentials by example

today that the sustainability movement and green building in particular are here to stay. Green building criteria are now codified in numerous building codes and national standards, and increasing numbers of local jurisdictions are adopting green building requirements. Nor can there remain much doubt—given both the objective data and a growing body of real world case studies—that wood, and engineered wood in particular, makes an important contribution to the worthy goals of sustainability and green building. The common sense and scientific support for the green credentials of wood is substantial, long-standing, and well documented. • Wood’s strongest suit is perhaps its most obvious—wood is the only naturally renewable building material. That fact is made all the more compelling by the corollary truth, contrary to common misperception, that forest growth in North America has exceeded forest harvest for decades. • Advancements in wood product manufacturing technology continue to improve wood’s sustainability quotient. The industrial output per unit of wood input has increased 40% over HRE CAN BE NO DOUBT

By Jack Merry

the past half century. That trend has accelerated with the advent, acceptance and wide use in recent years of modern engineered wood products, which use more of the available resource with less waste and can be produced from fast-growing, underutilized and less expensive wood species. • Wood products are made from forest resources harvested under a number of internationally recognized certification programs, including the Forest Stewardship Council, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Canadian Standards Association, and American Tree Farm System. The programs assure that wood fiber resources are sustainably grown and harvested. • Life cycle assessment (LCA) research shows that by a number of “cradle to grave” sustainability measures, wood is substantially more environmentally friendly than alternative construction materials. Wood products, for example, make up 47% of all industrial raw materials manufactured in the U.S., yet consume only 4% of the total energy needed to manufacture all industrial raw materials. • Wood products are recyclable, a fact of increasing importance and relevance to carbon sequestering efforts.

THIS PRIMARY SCHOOL in Gunter, Tx., is a 60,000-sq. ft. wood-frame structure.

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

• Wood can be and today is easily and commonly incorporated into residential and nonresidential building designs recognized under a number of green building rating systems. Despite all of the above arguments, uninformed bias against the green merits of wood still exists in some quarters. But for skeptics looking for proof, they need not look far. Take the Environmental Nature Center in Newport Beach, Ca., completed in 2008 for a nonprofit of the same name that serves as its community’s foremost authority on ecological responsibility, sustainable practices, and environmental education. The 8,500-sq. ft. mixed use complex contains administrative offices, classrooms, a museum, and gift shop—all protected and aesthetically enhanced by an exposed wood roof system and wood-frame shear walls. The complex—a main building housing public areas separated from an administrative building by a breezeway—uses Structural I APA Rated exposed plywood roof sheathing, dimensional lumber subpurlins, glulam purlins, and wood I-joist roof framing. Wood shear walls employ dimensional lumber studs and plywood sheathing. Budget considerations were a factor in many of the design features. The exposed wood roof framing reduced the need for traditional ceiling materials and finishes. In some areas, partial-height wood wall studs also were purposely left exposed to showcase the structure’s dedication to design efficiency and low environmental impact. This not only helped lower initial construction costs, but also minimizes ongoing interior maintenance expenses. The many sustainable features of the center, including the structural wood envelope, are themselves now a highlight of the ENC’s educational programming and are identified in Building-Products.com

GLULAM BEAMS and framing support the roof of Gunter Primary School. The largest beam is 12 inches wide, 7 ft. deep, and 82 ft. long.

APA-TRADEMARKED 14-inch deep I-joists were used for the Gunter Primary School rafters.

signage placed throughout the structure. One exhibit notes the structure’s LEED Platinum designation, the highest level of LEED certification and a first in the county. The project earned 55 out of 69 possible LEED certification points, and met or exceeded standards in six LEED categories. In Annapolis, Md., the Chesapeake Bay Foundation also used wood in pursuit of sustainability goals for its Philip Merrill Environmental Center. The foundation, a nonprofit devoted to protecting Chesapeake Bay, wanted a design that supported its sustainability message by minimizing the impact on surrounding habitats. “Our philosophy is that the greenest building is the least amount of building we truly need, built with the fewest number of materials,” said foundation president William Baker. To that end, a variety of structural-

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

ly efficient engineered wood products was used—plywood subfloors, parallel strand lumber, wood I-joist framing, and structural insulated panels faced on both sides with OSB. Much of the wood is left exposed to both capitalize on the aesthetic qualities of the material and reinforce the “less is more” sustainability message. Completed in 2000, the 30,000-sq. ft., two-story Philip Merrill Environmental Center was the first to receive the LEED Platinum rating and continues today to be recognized as one of the world’s greenest buildings. It also was the second highest rated building among a survey of 20,000 occupants of 150 buildings for overall building satisfaction, including aesthetics, acoustics, light and air quality. “The facility is a major recruitment tool,” said Mary Tod Winchester, the foundation’s v.p. “It has been a mag-

net for the audiences whose building projects we want to influence.” Schools, too, are a natural end-use market for wood design because when completed they can themselves be used as dramatic case histories and effective teaching tools for broadening understanding of the sustainability attributes of wood building materials. Gunter Primary School in Gunter, Tx., serves as one such example. Completed in 2007, the 60,000-sq. ft. facility includes classrooms, a computer lab, kitchen, cafeteria, gym and offices. The school’s unique design employs wood in both exposed and hidden structural applications. APA Rated wood structural panel sheathing was used to enclose the building’s walls. Wood I-joists were used for rafters in combination with glulam timber support beams. And a laminated lumber decking with T&G edges was used in combination APA Rated plywood sheathing for diaphragm strengthening in the roof system. “I’ve been in business for 35 years, and I enjoy doing projects with wood,” said project superintendent Donald Hampton. “I’ve put up large buildings before, but with the overall building height and length of spans, it (Gunter Primary) was different. One of the glulam beams is 12 inches wide by 7 ft. deep and 82 ft. long.” Although the project was not certified under a green building program, its abundant use of wood satisfies sustainability goals by several measures— use of energy efficient materials, quality of indoor environment, durability, low maintenance, and availability of materials regionally produced to lower transport energy consumption. Gray Middle School in Tacoma, Wa., underscores another way to achieve sustainability through the use of wood—recycled material. In this case, the product was glulam beams— more than 200 of them—that were salvaged from an old high school that formerly occupied the site. The beams support the primary roof structure for a new commons area, science rooms, and central gallery. The recyclability of wood is a material attribute likely to assume greater importance as the nation’s inventory of residential and nonresidential buildings ages and is replaced. Products that were once relegated to the waste stream are increasingly viewed as viable, valuable elements of sustainable design strategies. The sustainability of wood conBuilding-Products.com

struction is equally relevant to the residential market, even in areas where non-wood practices have traditionally held sway. Along the Gulf Coast, for example, raised wood floor construction is gaining new appreciation as an alternative to concrete slab on grade practices. Key reasons are improved performance under storm surge flood conditions, better accommodation of expansive soils that prevail in some areas, and growing awareness of the sustainability benefits of wood. An instructive example of raised wood floor construction is the winning entry of a design competition co-sponsored recently by The Rice Design Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of architecture, urban design, and the built environment in the Houston region, and the Houston Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The competition, part of the city’s effort to revitalize older inner-city neighborhoods using public and private funds to build new housing units, set as key requirement that designs, once built, be offered at a maximum sale price of $99,000. One criticism of green building, regardless of materials used, has been the belief that sustainable construction is of necessity more expensive and thus prohibitive to all but high-end residences. The 99K House, as it is called, helped prove that sustainability and affordability can go hand in hand. The winning design, since built as a prototype in Houston’s Fifth Ward, was submitted by Owen Richards Architects and HyBrid Architecture, both of Seattle. Their entry, called

CORE, was a 1,250-sq. ft., two-story, wood-frame structure featuring a raised wood plywood floor, plywood shear walls, and wood roof system. While some might assume that a slab-on-grade design would be the only way to meet the project’s low cost requirement, architect Owen Richards said his team quickly determined that a pier and beam raised wood floor was the better approach. “A raised wood floor design was best for Houston’s soft soils and allowed for better natural ventilation,” he said. Raised floor construction is also environmentally superior in terms of embodied energy, a major factor in determining sustainability. A wood joist floor system consumes less than half the fossil fuels required for a concrete slab and just 20% of that consumed by a steel joist floor. Bob Clark, APA’s Gulf Coast raised floor project manager, found it interesting, though not surprising, that three of the five competition finalists used raised wood floors. “Most low budget homes in the Houston area are built using slab on grade,” he said. “However, these architects started with a raised wood floor, took all the pennies out of it, and made it very cost effective.” Houston AIA’s Barrie Scardino said sponsors were not surprised either to see wood play such a big role in the winning design, or in so many of the 184 other entries from 16 countries. “Wood is a versatile, affordable building material,” she said. “We were pleased to see how creatively people used wood, which shows that good design doesn’t need to be expensive.”

HOUSTONʼS 99K House features raised wood plywood floor, plywood shear walls, and wood roof.

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Building-Products.com

APA SPECIAL SECTION

Raising floors builds profits

of raised wood floors in the Southeast has begun to pay dividends for the wood products industry. The Raised Floor Living campaign was launched just two years ago but it has already directly resulted in incremental wood product use valued at $2.9 million. An additional $25.8 million dollars worth of prospective builder conversions from slab-on-grade to raised wood floor foundations are targeted. Builder conversions equate to more dollars spent on wood products, the end goal of Raised Floor Living. The program aims to get those conversions by delivering construction strategies, product support, and educational outreach to home builders and buyers in a broad-based effort to increase awareness, acceptance and use of raised wood floors. The campaign targets the Gulf Coast and other Southeastern U.S. markets where the risks of storm N EFFORT TO EXPAND THE USE

flooding and expansive soils make raised wood floors a natural choice over traditional concrete slab-on-grade construction. The Raised Floor Living initiative is a joint effort by the Southern Pine Council, APA–The Engineered Wood Association, their member manufacturers, and other industry partners. Although some of the oldest homes in the U.S. are built on raised wood floors, interest in the system peaked just a few years ago following the massive flooding and property damage caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Compared with other options—concrete slab atop dirt fill or slab on a backfilled perimeter wall, for example—the raised wood floor system often is the most practical and cost-effective way to protect buildings and meet local building ordinances in areas prone to flooding. Growing consumer preference for

sustainable houses has also drawn favorable attention to wood as a green building material. Wood products are manufactured from a renewable resource, and the manufacturing process is energy efficient. Woodframed foundations are built to last and meet both the structural and sustainable requirements of new home construction. The raised wood floor system provides numerous other benefits as well, including excellent insulating properties, ease of improving or repairing utility lines and mechanical systems, durability, uplifting comfort, classic style, and enhanced curb appeal. The prospects for increasing wood industry share of the residential floor market is strongly supported by the results of a National Association of Home Builders consumer preference survey. For the U.S. as a whole, 42% of consumers prefer wood-framed first

THE RAISE the Floor Design Challenge winning design, under construction in Northeast Florida, features a pier-and-beam foundation system and advanced 2x6 wood wall framing.

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

floors, compared with 25% for concrete slab, according to the survey results. The remaining one third had no preference, were unsure, or didn’t know. While the preference for concrete slabs was only 25%, concrete represents 53% of total first floor area, suggesting a wood floor promotion campaign, such as that now being conducted by Raised Floor Living, could yield positive results. In Northern Florida, for example— a recent target of the Raised Floor Living initiative—wood currently commands just a 1% share of the single-family first floor market, providing a substantial target-rich opportunity for market share gain and hence greater demand for wood products. A home with a wood first floor in lieu of a concrete slab creates approximately one-third more business for the dealer. The Raised Flooring Living program employs a wide variety of educational tools and promotional tactics, including professional seminars and training events, demonstration projects, trade and consumer publicity, advertising, local television coverage, publications and a website (www. raisedfloorliving.com) that features comprehensive raised floor details, construction tips, and other informa-

tion. APA activities are aimed at educating builders, framers, designers and building code officials about the merits of wood construction, while SPC is working both to create consumer awareness of raised wood floor features and benefits and to complement APA’s design and construction education efforts. Campaign updates are at www.apawood.org/raisedwoodfloors. Direct interaction with the building community through face-to-face meetings, educational events, and sales calls is a key to building awareness and acceptance of raised wood floors. Last year, Raised Floor Living launched its market development efforts in North Florida with the Raise the Floor Design Challenge, inviting home builders and designers to compete for the chance to design and build an award-winning raised wood floor home. The competition, co-sponsored by the Northeast Florida Builders Association (NEFBA) and the Florida Wood Council, kicked-off with a promotional event at NEFBA headquarters that drew more than 200 building professionals. Twenty-three designers entered the contest. Construction of the winning raised wood floor home design began on April 1. The building site is doubling

LOOKS LIKE WEATHER

as a demonstration home—a classroom for educating local builders, designers and material distributors about innovative products and energyefficient building systems. The first two open houses, which showcased the raised wood pier-and-beam foundation system and advanced 2x6 wood wall framing, drew an audience of more than 110 building professionals, thanks in large part to NEFBA, the local American Institute of Architects, the local chapter of the American Institute of Building Designers, and the local Residential Engineers Associa-tion, all of which widely publicized the events. A third open house is scheduled to highlight energy-efficient building systems. The positive response to last year’s design challenge led Raised Floor Living to coordinate two mini design competitions this year in Houston, Tx., and Charlotte, N.C. Although smaller in scale than the original design challenge, the corresponding Design Your Dream Home promotion for consumers—in which one homeowner from each market was awarded design fees for a raised wood floor home—was heavily promoted through a series of in-depth television features that highlighted the benefits of build-

ing raised from the homeowner’s perspective. From 2009 through the first quarter of 2010, Raised Floor Living hosted 69 educational events, demonstrations and seminars in markets like Houston, Charlotte, and Pensacola, Fl., with a total attendance of over 2,400. According to post-seminar surveys, 69% of attendees said that they were more likely to build or specify raised wood floors because of the seminar. Another 19% said they were possibly more likely to build or specify raised wood floors. Raised Floor Living is targeting national builders and regional builders of all sizes in its effort to influence conversions from elevated concrete slab foundations to raised wood floors. Value-engineering, custom evaluations that help to debunk misconceptions about the economies and longterm performance advantages of wood construction, is a key strategy. Raised Floor Living’s value-engineering services can include a customized cost-comparison report between raised wood floor and concrete slab construction, computer-generated design comparisons, or assistance creating a complete set of archi-

RAISED WOOD floor system often is the most practical and cost-effective way to protect buildings and meet local building ordinances in areas prone to flooding.

tectural and engineering plans. Though these services represent a significant commitment of time and resources, the effort is validated when a builder decides to convert. “Displacing concrete slab floors, particularly in traditionally concrete

markets, is a long-term challenge,” said APA project manager Bob Clark. But the program is gaining momentum, and “we’re seeing tangible results in terms of both awareness of the raised floor alternative and actual conversions.”

APA SPECIAL

New standard eases glulam use SECTION

NEW PERFORMANCE STANDARD for stock glulam beams has been published by APA. In response to customer requests for a simplified product offering and reduced SKUs by distributors, the association worked with its member glulam manufacturers to develop APA PRG-305 Performance Standard for APA EWS Stock Glulam Beams. With an emphasis on 1.9E-2400Fb and 2.2E-3000Fb design properties, PRG glulam can be easily compared to the design properties published for other commonly used engineered wood beam and header products. In addition, PRG-305 glulam offers the following benefits: • Standard widths of 3-1/2” and 51/2” to match conventional 2x4 and 2x6 framing

• I-joist compatible depths (IJC) of 9-1/2”, 11-7/8”, 14”, 16”, and 18” • Balanced layups that have the same load-carrying capacity irrespective of the beam orientation • Zero camber • Framing appearance classification • Meets the national product standard and building code requirements By dialing in on two common framing widths in the 1.9E and 2.2E design combinations, building material distributors can reduce the number of SKUs while offering and substituting PRG IJC glulam. The standard also streamlines the selection and specification process for building designers who are working with common framing applications. Since most of these applications are in concealed floor, roof, and wall locations, a fram-

ing appearance classification was determined to be suitable. PRG-305 stock glulam beams are classified based on a “true E” rating, similar to the system used by most IJC engineered wood products. This makes it easier for building material suppliers and their customers to compare and equate the design properties and cost of PRG-305 stock glulam beams with other I-joist compatible engineered wood products, including LVL, PSL, LSL, and OSL. “While the PRG standard is new, IJC 3000F glulam has been a mainstay of the glulam industry and we are improving on long-established sizes for beams, and putting more emphasis on the value proposition and availability of beams in I-joist compatible depths,” said Kerlin Drake, vice president of marketing for Anthony Forest Products and chair of APA’s glulam management committee. “The manufacturers are committed to producing and supplying the range of products that our customers want, but the standard enables us to offer a simplified approach for common beam and header applications. By focusing on the 1.9E and 2.2E beams, we can work with our customers to ensure the

WEATHER OR NOT,

REVOLUTIONIZES FLOORING.

beams that are used and sold for these typical uses are easy to specify and readily available.” The I-joist compatible depths mean that builders can install floor systems with flush framing and don’t need to invest extra time and materials in special furring. The balanced layup eliminates the concern of the “right side up” in simple-span or multiple-span installation, and means the glulam can be installed just like lumber and other engineered wood products. The connections between the wood components are simple, too, since they are basic wood-to-wood connections that can be made with common carpentry tools and fasteners. For customers looking for glulam in other sizes and configurations, the products are still available from manufacturers. One of glulam’s greatest attributes is that it can be manufactured in a wide range of shapes, sizes and configurations. Whether the designer is looking for high appearance quality for exposed applications, curved members to meet the requirements of a unique design, or camber to meet the requirements of a long span, glulam manufacturers are able to produce the right product for the job. Some of the more popular features

GLULAM BEAMS produced under the new PRG-305 standard come in I-joist compatible depths.

include the ability to choose from appearance classifications that range from framing to industrial to architectural classifications, the ability to notch and drill beams in recommended locations, cantilever and multi-span capabilities, the availability of preservative treated product, and custom options for curves, long spans, fabrication services, and specialty species such as Alaska yellow cedar. Whether ordered in the simplified sizes of the new standard or in custom configurations, glulam delivers excellent value for builders who are looking for green, sustainable building materials. Glulam meets many of the criteria

stipulated under green building standards and rating systems, including the National Green Building Standard, ICC-700. Nearly all glulam beams sold in North America are manufactured with wood that is harvested from managed forests and certified under FSC, SFI, CSA, or ATFS. Glulam also meets the green building standard requirements for resource-efficient materials, is made with energy derived in part from renewable resources, and scores well in Life Cycle Analysis. The new standard, along with additional design and product information, can be found at APA’s glulam web page: www.glulambeams.org.

Get ready for a whole new approach to dealing with edge swell: pointSIX™ from Ainsworth, an engineered subfloor solution designed to accommodate whatever wet stuff the weather serves up. It does so thanks to a patented tapered-edge technology that actually offsets the effects of prolonged moisture exposure. The result: floors that go down flat and stay that way—no sanding required.

PointSIX takes its name from research results indicating a minimum .6mm taper depth to be most effective in reducing edge swell.

APA SPECIAL

APA honors mills for safety SECTION

P’S OSB MILL in Tomahawk, Wi., earned the coveted Innovation in Safety Award in the latest Safety & Health Awards Program sponsored annually by APA for the structural wood panel and engineered wood industry. The LP plant took the innovation prize for designing and deploying a special outside debarking and conveyor system for stringy bark species that mitigates debarker discharge plug ups and the risks associated with clearing the raw material bottlenecks by hand. Among the criteria for the Innovation Award is demonstration that the innovation reduced occupational injuries or illnesses. Norbord, Toronto, Ont., and Stark Truss Co., Canton, Oh., also won Safest Company Awards in their respective categories. Norbord, a leading North American manufacturer of OSB, earned top honors among companies with four or more mills with a 2009 average Weighted Incident Rate (WIR) of 4.58. Stark Truss, which produces glulam timber and wood I-joists, won with three or fewer mills. The company posted a perfect 0.00 WIR for 2009. The awards program, begun in 1982, honors the managements and employees of companies and mills with the lowest severity-weighted incidence rates based on guidelines established by the U.S. Occupational Safety & Health Administration. It employs a Weighted Incident Rate that is

calculated using both the number and severity of recordable incidents. Since 2008 was the first year that WIR was used, awards and reports for 2009 continue to also show Total Incident Rate (TIR), the measure used in previous years. Ninety-three APA members participated in the 2009 program. Sixteen mills representing seven members— Anthony Forest Products, Georgia-Pacific Wood Products, LP, Norbord, Rosboro, Shelton Lam & Deck, and Stark Truss—took home awards. While the program awards are limited to APA members, data is collected from both member and non-member mills in order to provide a broad-based industry performance benchmark. A total of 118 mills reported data for 2009. The 2009 industry TIR and WIR were 2.18 and 10.64, respectively, up slightly from 1.99 and 10.02 in 2008. Winners will be recognized and their safety accomplishments celebrated during the chairman’s dinner at APA’s

Look for standard pointSIX Flooring (turquoise edge) to deliver solid performance when costs count, and premium pointSIX Durastrand Flooring (purple edge) for projects that demand the “best of the best.”

Cost more? No. Work better? Yes. End of story.

annual meeting in October in Tucson, Az. The 2009 program was the second year under a revitalized safety effort spearheaded by an APA Safety & Health Advisory Committee comprised of several APA member company safety professionals. Under the committee’s guidance, three main goals were established: make the APA program the industry’s premier safety awards program, encourage the sharing of best practices to improve the industry’s safety culture and programs, and, most importantly, improve the industry’s overall safety performance. To those ends, several new initiatives are under way, including holding safety workshops (the first to immediately follow the APA annual meeting), developing an industry safety professional database to share best practices and safety alerts, and expanding the safety and health section of the APA website to make it a more useful industry safety information clearinghouse and networking tool. INNOVATION IN SAFETY AWARD LP (Tomahawk, Wi.) for outside debarker and conveyor system SAFEST COMPANY AWARDS Companies with 4+ mills Norbord

Companies with 1-3 mills Stark Truss

Average WIR* 4.58 0.0

ANNUAL SAFETY AND HEALTH HONOR ROLL Hours WIR Division I (Under 400,000 hours) LP (Panguipulli, Chile) 320,966 0.00 Norbord (Nacogdoches, Tx.) 294,889 0.00 LP (Roxboro, N.C.) 245,528 0.00

Average TIR** 1.12 0.0

TIR

0.00 0.00 0.00

Division II (400,000+ hours) Norbord (Cordele, Ga.) G-P (Camden, Tx. ) G-P (Warm Springs, Ga.)

409,982 1,162,974 653,509

0.00 0.17 0.31

THREE-YEAR SAFETY AWARD (2007-2009) Avg. Hours Avg. WIR Division I (Under 400,000 hours) LP (Wilmington, N.C.) 261,777 0.33

Division II (400,000+ hours) LP (Panguipulli, Chile)

417,208

0.00 0.17 0.31 Avg. TIR

1.12

0.33

0.11

SAFETY IMPROVEMENT AWARD Division I (Under 400,000 hours) WIR and TIR from 2007 to 2009 LP (Carthage, Tx.) 100% improvement

Division II (400,000+ hours) LP (Panguipulli, Chile)

100% improvement

INCIDENT FREE HONOR SOCIETY Hours Norbord (Cordele, Ga.) 409,982 LP (Panguipulli, Chile) 320,966 Norbord (Nacogdoches, Tx.) 294,889 LP (Roxboro, N.C.) 245,528 LP (Carthage, Tx.) 234,243 G-P (Fordyce, Ar.) 221,131 G-P Grenada (Duck Hill, Ms.) 182,637 Anthony (El Dorado, Ar.) 129,405 LP (Wilmington, N.C.) 113,979 LP (Red Bluff, Ca.) 102,735 Stark Truss (Beach City, Oh.) 46,374 Shelton Lam (Chehalis, Wa.) 34,872 G-P (Ocala, Fl.) 31,554 Rosboro (Springfield, Or.) 27,212

WIR 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

* WIR: Weighted Incident Rate, ** TIR : Total Incident Rate

TIR 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

FORECAST:

PEACE OF MIND. The tapered-edge treatment on pointSIX™ Flooring is small, but the difference it makes in dealing with edge swell is huge. What’s more, Ainsworth offers unprecedented delamination guarantees, warranting pointSIX Flooring for 25 years and pointSIX Durastrand Flooring … for life.

Learn more and download your free white paper by visiting

www.pointsixflooring.com

MOVERS & Shakers

Greg Reed, ex-Pacific Coast, is new to outside sales at Taiga Building Products, Rocklin, Ca. Scott Ballantyne, ex-Weyerhaeuser, and Elaine Mak, ex-Aspen Planers, have joined the sales team at Interfor, Bellingham, Wa. Mark Riley is new to lumber sales at Idaho Timber, Boise, Id. Jim Alexander retired from Precision Lumber, Vancouver, Wa., after 34 years in the industry. Connie Virell, ex-North Pacific, is now mgr.-transportation and reload logistics for Talon Forest Group, Portland, Or.

Wade Gregory is now western region sales mgr. for particleboard and MDF at Flakeboard, Albany, Or. Lorrie D. Scott, ex-Weyerhaeuser, has been named v.p, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Potlatch Corp., Spokane, Wa. She replaces Pamela A. Mull, who retired after 20 years with Potlatch. Chris Killgore, ex-Hampton Lumber Sales, now handles U.S. softwood lumber sales at Tumac Lumber, Portland, Or. Ian Heller, ex-Grainger, is now v.p.marketing & merchandising at HD Supply White Cap, Costa Mesa, Ca.

Dale Verseput, ex-Linde Material Handling, has been named director of sales at Myers Select Material Handling, Santa Ana, Ca. Donald A. DeVisser has been appointed acting executive v.p. of the West Coast Lumber Inspective Bureau, Tigard, Or. He replaces Brad Shelley, who has retired after 33 years at WCLIB. Owen Yu is the new accounts payable mgr. at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., report owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

IN Memoriam

John Shirley, 68, co-owner of fiveunit Barr Lumber, San Bernardino, Ca., died of cancer April 28. After working for Barr for eight years, he acquired the chain’s name and four of its eight locations with Buck Byers in May 1998. Prior to the purchase, he worked for Boise Cascade and Western Lumber. David William Mehl, 62, former broker for North Pacific, Portland, Or., died May 25 in Portland. He spent 36 years with NorPac.

Arthur Hans Christiansen, 90, former owner of Pyramid Lumber, Denver, Co., died June 20 after a lengthy battle with Parkinson’s Disease. During WWII, he served in the U.S. Army for the Secret Service. He operated several businesses, including Pyramid Lumber, from 1950 until 1965. In 1966, he moved to California to become a general contractor.

Dorothy Marie Willis Firkins, 87, former bookkeeper and co-owner of Monte Vista Lumber, Monte Vista, Co., died June 19 in Cañon City, Co. She and her husband, Walt, acquired the yard after moving to Monte Vista in 1956. Dale Allen Sommer, 92, retired supervisor for the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau, Bellevue, Wa., died May 29. He worked as a lumber grader, inspector, supervisor and instructor during his 34 years at PLIB.

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

John Ross Hurst, 67, operator of Hurst Ace Hardware, St. George, Ut., died June 16 in St. George. After joining his mother in management in 1968, he helped grow his family’s variety store into a chain of seven Ace Hardwares across Utah. Building-Products.com

TALK Back

GLULAM SHAKE-UP The glulam product line is currently receiving some much-needed publicity. Glulams are the most cost effective solution for beams and headers on the market today. However, we would like to note that Rosboro’s launch of the X-Beam has polarized the industry (see May, p. 10-11). That polarization is based on one issue—the appearance of the fullframing-width beam and the raw material it takes for the rest of us [glulam manufacturers] to achieve that appearance. Rosboro touts an architectural appearance; the rest of us specify framing appearance, efficiently utilizing available raw material. Based on feedback and questions we’ve received since the release, several points need to be clarified. While Rosboro preempted the rest of the manufacturers with its product launch, APA members have been working on the PRG 305 for some time and reached consensus in January of 2010. PRG 305 standardizes glulam specification to directly compete and be positioned with other engineered wood products. The PRG standard was never intended to be for architectural application. Glulams that match standard framing and other engineered products have been on the market for several years. The fact is, two-thirds of the applications for glulams today are concealed and do not require an architectural appearance. Ask yourself,

when was the last time a customer used LVL for an exposed beam? As the article states, time will tell if the X-Beam gains traction. How-ever, the major suppliers of lamstock lumber universally stated they were not going to change sawing sizes to accommodate this product. For the

rest of the glulam industry, that means the X-Beam is a single-source situation. We do not believe that benefits the industry over the long haul.

Steve Killgore Calvert Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wa. steve@calvertglulam.com

Distributed By

(541) 535-3465 • Fax 541-535-3288

(800) 365-4627 • www.normandist.com

Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

NEW Products

A Radiant Choice

Enerflex radiant barrier from Universal Forest Products helps save energy and qualifies for the American Recovery Tax Credit for insulation. The barrier can be installed between rafters on the underside of the roof, in both new and existing homes. It reportedly blocks up to 96% of radiant energy and keeps attics up to 30% cooler.

ENERFLEXFOIL.COM (800) 598-9663

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Under the Roof

TAMKOâ€™s new Peel-N-Stick Felt underlayment makes installation easier. A release-film backing allows direct installation on roof decks; no cap nails or staples are needed.

TAMKO.COM

(800) 641-4691

Building-Products.com

Solid Oak Flooring

Improvements in Insulation

GREENRIVERLUMBER.COM

ROXUL.COM

Red oak is the latest addition to Green River American Hardwoodâ€™s Classic series of prefinished solid hardwood flooring. The flooring features tongueand-groove styling, end-matched construction, and micro beveling on all four sides. Color options include natural, merlot, gunstock, vintage brown, and saddle, in a full range of thicknesses and face-widths. (866) 549-3344

Building-Products.com

Roxul has added R28 insulation to its ComfortBatt stonewool insulation lineup. The product reportedly is easy to cut with a serrated blade, allowing for optimal fit around electrical boxes, wiring, plumbing, and ductwork. A semi-rigid batt structure reportedly produces a snug fit between studs and joists, to reduce energy loss. (800) 265-6878

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

Respecting the forest, honoring the past, building the future. A nation’s pride you can build on.

Producing 2,000,000 bd. ft. monthly of 5/4 & 6/4 Ponderosa Pine Shop/Industrials 1x4 thru 1x12 Ponderosa Pine Commons 1x4 thru 1x12 Premium Halfpack Commons 5/4 Radius Edge Decking Programs State-of-the-Art Hewmill & Headrig Mill Contact Sheldon Howell

Yakama Forest Products 3191 Wesley Rd., White Swan, WA 98952

Tel.

(509) 874-1163

Fax 509-874-1162 • www.yakama-forest.com

Clear VG Engineered Panels

Pacific Cedar Supply’s CedarTec engineered panels are produced from 100% western red cedar or western hemlock. The lightweight panels are offered in brushed, Vgrooved, or smooth-sanded face textures, with threeply or edge-glued construction in sizes ranging from 20” x 48” through 48” x 96.” Both FSC and SFI chain-of-custody certification are also available.

PACIFICCEDARSUPPLY.COM (909) 633-4107

WHOLESALE ONLY • MILL DIRECT & LCL

WHERE QUALITY IS AGELESS Anfinson Lumber is the clear choice for Quality Redwood and Western Red Cedar Dimension, Boards, Patterns and Timbers

CALL SALES AT (800) 400-8383 • (951) 681-4707 Rick Anfinson • Carol O’Connor Outside Sales Darin Curran

(949) 412-1894

Colorful Fiber Cement Coatings

Visit our website:

www.anfinson.com

Fontana, CA Office and Mill: 13041 Union Avenue, Fontana, CA 92337 Fax: (951) 681-3566 • E-mail: sales@anfinson.com

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Woodtone has added three new colors to its RusticSeries fiber-cement coating program. With the introduction of mountain cedar, coastal gray and evergreen, eight unique color palettes are now available.

WOODTONE.COM (800) 663-9844

Building-Products.com

Exclusive Northern California distributor of New

Scientifically Enhanced Performance Lumber

In The Moment

Simpson Strong-Tie expanded its line of pre-engineered Strong Frame moment frames. Available options now include a 16’ tall column and 14’, 18, and 20’ wide beams. Custom sizes use current plate girder geometries. Downloadable software can create a list of available frames, ranked by price, with anchorage options.

STRONGTIE.COM (800) 999-5099

• UL Zero Flame Spread Index Class A Fire Rating • Produced from sustainable forests • Highly water resistant • Highly insect resistant • Rot resistant • Will not deteriorate • Carries 20-year warranty • FSC Chain-of-Custody certified • 5/4"x6" decking will span 24" • Colors: Sequoia (redwood) and CapeCod (gray)

Also Northern California distributor of WindsorOnePlus FJ sidings & trim • 30-year warranty • Proprietary priming process • SCS air quality standards, indoors & out And carrying complete lines of Redwood • Double Primed, Clear Redwood FJ trim & siding. All sidings VG. • High-end Green & Dry solid lumber.

COMPASS LUMBER PRODUCTS Cotati, CA • 1-800-773-9125 • www.compasslumber.com Specialists in lumber products for Elegant Outdoor Living

PROUDLY SERVING THE FOREST PRODUCTS INDUSTRY SINCE 1896

WOOD PRESERVING

CONVENIENTLY LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST “TREATING COASTAL DOUGLAS FIR IS OUR SPECIALTY”

TSO MARKETS & APPLICATIONS SERVED

Composite Railing

Integra Rail was designed by Green Bay Decking for commercial and residential applications. Formulated with Fibrex, the composite railing has a two-piece top rail, hidden bracket system, and mechanically attached balusters. Kits include 6’ or 8’ lengths, with connectors and hardware, in colors to match GeoDeck composite deck boards.

GEODECK.COM (877) 804-0137

Building-Products.com

GENERAL & HEAVY CONSTRUCTION • HIGHWAYS & BRIDGES MARINE/AQUATIC • AGRICULTURE/AQUACULTURE MILLWORK • EXPORT • SAWN LUMBER & TIMBERS ROUND TIMBER PILING (MARINE, FRESH WATER, & FOUNDATION) GLUE-LAMINATED BEAMS, COLUMNS & ARCHES THE INDUSTRIAL TSO SPECIALIST

ACQ CHEMONITE® ACZA PENTACHLOROPHENOL TYPE A 50-50 CREOSOTE PETROLEUM CLEAN CREOSOTE (P1/13) SALES & ACCOUNTS MGR. JERRY FARLEY 1-503-618-9155 JFarley@JHBaxter.com

CUSTOM TREATING KILN DRYING (KD & KDAT) HEAT STERILIZATION • WWPI BMPS 5 RETORTS: FROM 50’ TO 156’ RAIL SERVICE (UP & BN)

EUGENE, OREGON 1-866-960-9703 www.JHBaxter.com

CUSTOMER SERVICE MGR. MARTY MARTIN 1-541-689-3801 x2 MMartin@JHBaxter.com

JHBaxter & Co. is WBE Certified Affiliations: AWPA • IOHH • LACN • PCCHM&PM • PWLA • WCLIB • WWPI July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

PCBC 2010 Photos by The Merchant Magazine

PCBC 2010 arrived at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, Ca., June 911. [1] Charley Hobbs, Barry Schneider. [2] Jim Reyes, Mike Moran, Jeff Sturdivan. [3] John Clark, Haley Hansen. [4] Chris Wischmann, Mike Bland. [5] Jeff Qualle, Elizabeth Borelli, Erik Benson. [6] Bob Palacioz, Miquel Gutierrez. [7] Rob Mitchell, Gord Catherwood. [8] Len Kasperski, Lisa Martin. [9] Don Barnes, Cami Waner, Tom Von Moos, Brian Hurdle, Kevin Paldino. [10] Kevin Seward, Shannon Mott, Chad Bleeker, Rob

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Bivens. [11] Darin Bartoletti, Brett Collins, Mike Pidlisecky, Josh Hall, Dave Stallard. [12] Heather Burbank. [13] Kelly Lusa, Larry Stonum. [14] Matt Hamilton, Michael Oâ€™Dell, Beth Wright, Paul Walters, Duanne Dreiling. [15] Tom Mark, Denny Huston, Tom Couch. [16] Eric Sigmon, Phil Lail. [17] Carol Kelly, Alan Oakes. [18] Chuck Casey, Bill Ross. [19] Trent Balos, Rich Mills, Patrick Zan. (More photos on next page) Building-Products.com

PCBC 2010 Photos by The Merchant Magazine

MORE PCBC (continued from previous page) in San Francisco. [1] Arden Fuller, John Green. [2] Darby Darbyshire, Don Danka. [3] Bill Hayward, Ray Santana. [4] Jason Behunin, Seamus O’Reilly, Rick Richardson. [5] David Crandall, Lyle Brief. [6] Emily Martin, Ingeborg

Andersson, Risë Krag, Nicole Chacon. [7] Gary Maulin, John Hedges. [8] Mark Williams, Steve Burdick. [9] Ken Dunham, Micheyl Barnett. [10] Titch Titchen, Mirco Walther. [11] Randy Robins, John Murray, Mark Sutherland. [12] Bill Conlan, Daria Lott, Matt Perry.

We turn natural resources into natural advantages. Get the right lumber for the right job.

Gemini Forest Products Industrial Lumber Specialists Los Alamitos, CA .- Redding, CA .-

Gemini Forest Products

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

P.O. Box 673 • 3150 Taylor Drive • Ukiah, Ca. 95482 Phone 707-468-0141 • Fax 707-468-0660 Gene Pietila

Sales for Coast Wood Preserving

Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

AWPA Photos by Arch Wood Protection

THEY WALK AMONG US: Some unexpected visitors turned up at the American Wood Protection Associationâ€™s annual meeting May 23-26 in

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Savannah, Ga., claiming the mostmiles-traveled award. [1] Pat Thomasson. [2] Mikee Johnson. [3] Susan Thomason, Kim Merritt. [4] Craig Forbes. [5] Marty Olhiser. [6] Steve Shields & Patty WoodsShields. [7] Rodrigo Elizondo, Guillermo Garza, Bill Latunen. [8] Randy Deweese. [9] Les Lonning. [10] Ken Laughlin. [11] Bessie Woodward. [12] Hap Person, Mark Manning. [13] Grady Brafford. [14] Charlie Faulds. [15] Dan Brimhall. [16] Bob Palacioz. [17] Greg Campbell. [18] Patti & Ross Worsham. [19] Herb Guerry. [20] Darrell Smith. [21] Cliff Eddington. [22] Mike Freeman. [23] Hollis Ervin.

Building-Products.com

ASSOCIATION Update Lumber Association of California & Nevada’s 2nd Growth group is ready to kick off its annual summer conference July 15-16 at Hotel Solamar, San Diego, Ca. A golf tournament followed by a reception, dinner, and an educational program will fill the first day. Day two features more educational programs, followed by dinner and a baseball game at Petco Park. Southern Oregon Lumberman’s Association will hold its 48th annual golf tournament July 29-30 at Rogue Valley Country Club, Medford, Or. Proceeds will benefit the association’s college scholarship program, which has awarded 343 scholarships worth more than $165,000 over the past 14 years.

Police Address Yardʼs Dangerous Mail

On June 1, a HazMat crew were called to Ganahl Lumber Co., Anaheim, Ca., to investigate an envelope filled with white powder. Testing revealed that the powder was methamphetamine. The letter was addressed to someone who doesn’t work at Ganahl, so police will try to track down the sender and the person it was addressed to.

Building-Products.com

Mountain States Lumber & Building Materials Dealers Association is offering safety webinars on blood-borne pathogens July 15, personal protection equipment Aug. 10

and Aug. 26, and housekeeping Sept. 14 and Sept. 30. MSLBMDA’s fall conference is set for Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at Sonnenalp Resort, Vail, Co.

DOMESTIC SALES: Jerry Long, Michael Parrella, Janet Pimentel, Pete Ulloa, George Parden, Vince Galloway, Chris Hexburg, Matt Wright, Brad Applegate, Scott Crutchfield. INTERNATIONAL SALES: Nestor Pimentel.

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

CLASSIFIED Marketplace Rates: $1.20 per word (25 word min.). Phone number counts as 1 word, address as 6. Centered copy or headline, $9 per line. Border, $9. Private box, $15. Column inch rate: $55 if art furnished “camera-ready” (advertiser sets the type), $65 if we set the type. Send ad to Fax 949-852-0231 or dkoenig@ building-products.com. For more info, call (949) 852-1990. Make checks payable to Cutler Publishing. Deadline:

POSITION WANTED

18th of previous month. To reply to ads with private box numbers, send correspondence to box number shown, c/o The Merchant Magazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660, or dkoenig@building-products.com. Names of advertisers using a box number cannot be released.

FOR SALE

MANUFACTURERS OVER-RUNS Oak and Hemlock turned balusters Starting @ $0.69 / ea. mrspindle.com or 800-487-9663

MANAGEMENT POSITION WANTED General Manager with over 25 years of experience in the building supply industry seeking challenging career position. Successful work history in business development, management and analysis with a background increasing profits and setting sales records. Building industry experience includes sales, marketing, purchasing, advertising, estimating, budgeting and accounting. Motivated, professional candidate with superior leadership skills willing to relocate for the right opportunity. Contact Mike at mike_slore@charter.net.

CARPENTER PENCILS 3,000 at at 16 19¢¢ each 7,000 each NAIL APRONS 1,000 89¢ each each 1,000 at at 95¢

HELP WANTED

LUMBER TRADER We are a wholesale lumber company looking for an experienced trader. Any species. No restrictions on mills or customers. No relocation. 60% split for trader. Call John at Lakeside Lumber at (623) 566-7100 or email lakesidelumber@cox.net.

PRINTED WITH YOUR LOGO

L.I.INDUSTRIES

800-526-6465

FAX 718-793-4316

BPD

Building Products Digest

JUNE 2010

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

OFFICE & WAREHOUSE FOR LEASE: Northern California Sacramento region. Approximately 2,000-sq. ft. office attached to 30,000-sq. ft. warehouse. Warehouse clear span height 20 ft. Office & restrooms ADA accessible. Warehouse includes three-man doors with large 20-ft. roll-up door. 220V power available. Fire sprinkler system throughout. Truck shop facilities provided, including minor repair work, oil changes, steam cleaning, etc., at favorable rates. Ample truck parking space in back of facility. If additional space is needed, an option on additional 30,000-sq. ft. warehouse will be available soon. Office & 30,000sq. ft. front warehouse available at .29¢ per sq. ft. Option for rear warehouse .25 per sq. ft. If interested, please call Tom Williams, (530) 742-2168, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

SUBSCRIBE to The

MERCHANT Call

apronaz@aol.com www.apronsupply.com HI-TECH APPS FOR LBM GUIDE TO HOUSEWRAPS SIDING FORECAST

FACILITIES FOR LEASE

MERCHANT

HI-TECH APPS FOR LBM GUIDE TO HOUSEWRAPS SIDING FORECAST

The

JUNE 2010

Magazine

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

(949) 852-1990

Magazine

Special promotional opportunity for wholesalers, manufacturers and service affiliates The North American Wholesale Lumber Association is teaming with the lumber industry’s leading trade magazines to offer an exclusive marketing vehicle — The August 2010 issues of both BPD-Building Products Digest and The Merchant Magazine will feature an extensive special section devoted entirely to NAWLA and its members. Benefits: • Your ad message reaches all NAWLA wholesalers & their dealer customers. • Discounted ad rates • All ad rates include FULL COLOR • Free ad design • Support your association • Branding your company’s identity with NAWLA’s • And MORE!

Reserve your space by July 19. Call (949) 852-1990 52

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Building-Products.com

DATE Book

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

Western Building Material Association – July 14-16, mid-year board meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wa.; (360) 9433054; www.wbma.org.

Lumber Association of California & Nevada – July 15-16, 2nd Growth annual summer conference, Hotel Solamar, San Diego, Ca.; (800) 266-4344; www.lumberassociation.org. North American Retail Hardware Association – July 19-20, annual convention & conference, Savannah, Ga.; (317) 290-0338; www.nrha.org. Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. – July 20, WOOD Council golf tournament, Ranch Golf & Country Club, Westminster, Co.; (800) 365-0919; www.mslbmda.org.

Southern Oregon Lumberman’s Assn. – July 29-30, dinner & golf, Rogue Valley Country Club, Medford, Or.; (800) 633-5554. Humboldt Hoo-Hoo Club – Aug. 6, golf tournament, Baywood Golf & Country Club, Arcata, Ca.; (707) 268-3082.

Orgill Inc. – Aug. 12-14, fall dealer market, McCormick Place, Chicago, Il.; (901) 754-8850; www.orgill.com. Southern California Hoo-Hoo Club – Aug. 18, dinner & meeting, Orange County Mining Co., Orange, Ca.; (760) 324-0842.

International Woodworking Fair – Aug. 25-28, Atlanta, Ga.; (770) 246-0608; www.iwfatlanta.com.

Black Bart Hoo-Hoo Club – Aug. 27, trap shoot & BBQ, Black Point Sports Club, Petaluma, Ca.; (707) 621-4852.

Remodeling & Decorating Shows – Aug. 27-29, South Town Expo Center, Sandy, Ut.; Aug. 28-29, Pasadena Conference Center, Pasadena, Ca.; (818) 557-2950.

Fred C. Holmes Lumber Co. “YOUR REDWOOD SPECIALISTS”

We offer an extensive inventory of fine redwood products including Fencing, Decking, Siding, and Premium Timbers. Whether your order is by the piece or truckload, our goal is to ensure the highest quality and service. CLEAR ALL HEART HRT BEE CLEAR AYE BEE SELECT HRT CON HRT CON COMMON

AIR SEASONED KILN DRIED GREEN ROUGH & S4S

Wholesale

lumber products

CUSTOM MILLING AVAILABLE

REDWOOD INSPECTION ®

SIZES FROM 1X4 TO 12X12

Fred Holmes, Steve Holmes, Phyllis Hautala, Steve Hautala, John Gould

P.O. Box 800, Fort Bragg, Ca. 95437 • Fax 707-961-0935

(800) 849-0523

Building-Products.com

July 2010 The Merchant Magazine

ADVERTISERS Index For more info on advertisers, call themdirectly or visit their websites [in brackets].

Advantage Trim & Lumber [www.advantagelumber.com] .......................45 Ainsworth [www.ainsworth.ca]..............................................................36-41 Anfinson Lumber Sales [www.anfinson.com] ...........................................46 Auto-Stak Systems [www.autostak.com] ........................................Cover III Bear Forest Products [www.bearfp.com]...................................................22 Boise Cascade [www.bc.com] ....................................................................32 Cal Coast Wholesale Lumber......................................................................49 California Redwood Co., The [www.californiaredwoodco.com] ................7 California Timberline......................................................................................4 Calvert Co. Inc. [www.calvertglulam.com].................................................29 Capital [www.capital-lumber.com]..............................................................45 Compass Lumber Products Inc. [www.compasslumber.com] ................47 Fasco America [www.fascoamerica.com]..................................................29 Fletcher Wood Solutions [www.tenonusa.com]........................................26 Fontana Wholesale Lumber [www.fontanawholesalelumber.com] .........54 Fred C. Holmes Lumber Co. ........................................................................53 Gemini Forest Products [www.geminiforest.com]....................................49 Hoover Treated Wood Products [www.frtw.com] ...........................Cover IV Huff Lumber Co. ...........................................................................................27 Huttig Building Products [www.huttig.com]..............................................23 J.H. Baxter [www.jhbaxter.com] .................................................................47 J.M. Thomas Forest Products [www.thomasforest.com] .........................51 Keller Lumber Co. ........................................................................................42 LP Building Products [www.lpcorp.com].....................................................5 Matthews Marking Products [www.matthewsmarking.com]....................21 Norman Distribution Inc. [www.normandist.com].....................................43 Nu Forest Products [www.nuforestproducts.com] .....................................3 Osmose [www.osmose.com] ..............................................................Cover I Pacific Wood Preserving Cos. [www.pacificwood.com] ..........................44 Parr Lumber ..................................................................................................51 Quality Borate Co. [www.qualityborate.com] ............................................19 Redwood Empire [www.redwoodemp.com] ................................................8 RISI [www.risiinfo.com/crows]....................................................................50 Rosboro [www.rosboro.com]......................................................................33 Roseburg Forest Products [www.rfpco.com]............................................31 Royal Pacific Industries...............................................................................53 Screw Products [www.screw-products.com] ............................................14 Simpson Strong-Tie [www.strongtie.com] ......................................Cover III Siskiyou Forest Products [www.siskiyouforestproducts.com] ...............25 Sunbelt [www.sunbeltracks.com]...............................................................42 Superior Wood Treating [www.superiorwoodtreating.com] ....................43 Swanson Group Sales Co. [www.swansongroupinc.com].......................35

The Merchant Magazine July 2010

Thunderbolt Wood Treating [www.thunderboltwoodtreating.com].........21 Utah Wood Preserving Co. ..........................................................................24 Van Arsdale-Harris Lumber Co. [www.vanarsdaleharris.net] ..................24 Viance [www.treatedwood.com] ........................................................Cover II Yakama Forest Products [www.yakama-forest.com]................................46

IDEA File

Over the last two years, Classy Promotion

Franklin Building Supply, Pocatello, Id., has had to sell to a customer base with a lot less money to spend—contractors with fewer projects to buy for and homeowners with less disposable income for renovations. So when local public school officials recently learned that their wages would be cut by 6.9%, Franklin began advertising that it would offer a discount to make up the difference. In late May, the yard posted a sign reading: “We support teachers. All public school employees qualify for a 6.9% discount.” Most customers graded the deal an A. “We’ve got some employees that used to work here that are now teachers, and all of us have friends and family that are now teachers,” said general manager Bryce Luker, whose mother-in-law is a local high school teacher. “We were talking about what could we do to show our support. We’ve had to take pay cuts working in the building industry. We just feel for them and wanted to show them we’re all in it together.” He hopes other businesses will offer similar discounts for school workers—or at least just post a sign of support, as was done at one neighborhood restaurant. Although Franklin targets pro’s, teachers purchase lumber, flooring and other supplies for projects in their own homes. Several teachers also work in the building trade during their summer break. In addition, the sale isn’t limited to teachers, since administrators and other school staffers have also had their pay or hours slashed. Unfortunately, not every customer is a fan of the promotion. “Since we’ve done it, we’ve heard other people say, ‘What about me? I took a 10% pay cut from where I work,’” Luker said. “We kind of wondered how our contractors would react. So far, they’ve been supportive. But we’ve seen a little bit of people coming in and saying, ‘Where’s my discount, because I’ve been hurt by the economy?’”

Building-Products.com

One-sided fastening – it’s a cinch.

The Strong-Drive® SDW structural wood screw fastens multi-ply truss assemblies and engineered-wood applications without gapping or flipping heavy girders. The thread design firmly cinches together 2, 3 and 4-ply trusses or 1 3⁄4" engineered lumber from one side. Unlike typical hexstyle screws, the SDW features a large, flush head which makes installing drywall and connectors much simpler since the head doesn’t protrude from the girder. The deep head recess also reduces spinout and makes driving faster and easier. To learn more about the benefits of the Simpson Strong-Tie® SDW screw, visit www.strongtie.com or call (800) 999-5099.

The

MERCHANT

Magazine