With Rosboro Treated Glulam

As the leading producer of glulam products in the U.S., Rosboro has once again responded to customer demand and is now offering a 24F 1.8E Treated Glulam.

A Product You Know and Understand

Rosboro Treated Glulam is a 24F glulam beam made from Southern Pine and treated to resist rot and decay. Installation is easy because the beam is straight, has no top or bottom, and is manufactured to match standard framing widths.

Treated by Permapost

Permapost manufactures an industrial wood preservative and waterrepellent treatment that provides chemical resistance to insects, decay, mold, mildew and bacterial grorvths. It is a clean, nonswelling and nonleaching treatment. Although the treatment is known to be non-conosive to metal. Rosboro recommends the use of hangers and fasteners specified for treated wood products.

Easy and Safe to Work With

Treated Glulam not only resists rot and decay, but with simple precautions, it is easy to work rvith. The treatment used is low in toxicity to humans and is the only wood preservative approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as registered by the EPA for treatment of wood products that come in contact with foodstuffs.

Recommended Applications

Rosboro Treated Glulam is recommended for applications such as decks, porches, trellises, and balconies where the member may be directly exposed to the elements but will not reach the equilibrium moisture content level of 167o (the threshold for wet-use). To learn more about dry vs. wet-use and specific restricted uses, visit the Rosboro website at www.rosboro.com.

Available in Common Sizes

Lensths: 48 f-eet widths: 3 | 12" and 5l l16"

Depths: g I 12', lll lg', 14-,16" and 18"

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It is what it is!

We have come to an agreement in our office that the saying "it is what it is" belongs to the male persuasion. In fact, my wife has banned me from using it, as she says it is my excuse to get out of many things that need doing. Another friend tells me that her husband uses it because he knows it annoys her.

On the other hand. this marketwhich has been declining for almost two years now-is what it is, and neither you nor I can change that. We simply cannot control what is out of our hands. But we can change how we fight and deal with it.

One thing I have witnessed over and over again is that when costs are being cut, the aspect that should be of major concern is your company's interface with its customers.

First, if any readers of this column know that their company's business is down-and this is true for many-and your company has not laid off staff, then you might well give thanks to the company owners. I know first hand that a number of my contacts are doing everything possible to maintain full employment, and they are to be congratulated. I can say from experience that this is not how many other industries operate, and yet why would I be surprised? This is the most caring of all the industries I have ever been in.

It is a delicate balance to maintain customer service levels, however, if you have laid off staff. In fact, no matter how bad the industry or economy gets, your company's interface with its customers should be the last thing affected.

Now, most managers will say that they do not have any fat in their company or department. Of course, the reality is that it is probably not true. If you went through several years of growth, almost certainly you have waste built in. A bloated Hq. staff, high inventory, inefficient delivery systems, consultants (not all), the time needed for useless reports and data requests, wasted staff and meeting time, project time and costs, etc., etc. Every business has wasted efficiencies. When business takes off again, as it will, you will see how much more business you will be able to handle with the same cost base, which will suggest how many

ALAN OAKES publisher ajoakes@aol.com

wasted resources there are now.

While it is still nor clear to me that we are in or are heading for a recession, it ls clear to me that our national media have done their very best to accentuate that there is one, which will probably be carried on until the end of this year. So in these tough times, there will be cuts that will hurt.

On the other hand, when today there is this "everything needs to be cut" mentality, you should resist trimming where you shouldn't. Anything that will impact your sales and marketing is the most costly mistake you can make. You need to stay focused on looking after the customers you have and looking for new ones. And, that is possible even in a down market. The last thing you want your current customers to see or hear about is that you have even short-term problems. They do not nccd to know about or feel them.

This is the time when all your key business executives should be contacting major customers to support their sales staffs, get feedback on service levels, and perhaps explore new product ideas and business opportunities to both solidify current existing and build new relationships. What current products are not being taken by existing customers? Why? What will it take to get that prospective new customer that has been in the sale funnel forever? Who is holding up the decision? Would your c.e.o. calling push any pending decision to conclusion?

The one thing I know is that each one of us can accept the market as is. or try to do something that is within our control. Every barrel has to be scraped, every lead mined, every business relationship should be examined, new ways should be explored to get in front of both old and prospective new customers, and anything that needs speeding up-such as new product delivery-should get full priority.

Some casualties will be inevitable. You can either do nothing or you can fight for survival and be ready for the up market when it comes, as I can assure you many of your competitors will not be.

Good sellins!