Reduce Gredit Risk', Find New Accounts

be pursued that will involve web technologies, educational support, collateral materials, and the latest industry information always available where it is most needed.

At the company level,I have found that direct engagement with a university that supports sales-based education can produce great benefit. This, of course, takes time and effort to develop the right relationships and to make you, the distributor, visible within a school's program. It also requires a long-term commitment to the young people you bring on board at your firm, in terms of job responsibilities, further training, and career mentoring.

The advantages of refining our industry's value proposition and improving the extent and quality of our employee outreach will be significant. Many of the future's most talented people are basing their career decisions on perceptions of various industries that they formed long before their moment of decision. If we are to win the hiring battle against other high-profile and highly attractive industry choices, we will have to work for it. We will have to understand the priority that this effort must have in the allocation of our time as executives, and we must be prepared to tackle this as a long-term process, not a defined project.

As demand for lumber increases, you need a dependable and affordable resource to make the best credit decision$ and safely expand your customer base.

Blue Book Services is your solution.

Reduce Credit Risk

. At-a-glance Pay Indicators summarize a company's recent pay hist0ry

. In'depth Business Rsp0rts provide detailed pay history, augmented with Equitax C0mmercial data

Find New Accounts

Unlimited searching ofover12,000 buyers ofhardwood and softwood, including:

" secondary manufacturers

- distributors

- eoncentration yards

- lumbor yarrJs

' wholesalers

. Search for companies by:

- geographic location

- pay indicator

- business classification

- products 0r species handled, andmuch more,

Incroase revenue while prctectlng yourbottom line for as litte as $340/year.

Contaot us t0become amembertodayl l\1 icldle-rrrarkct distributors ure growing. bLrt that gfowth anrl the optirnisnr that uccon]palties it is tcntperecl bv a number of inllLrcnces. inclucling thc continLrcrl housing clisis. rising cornntoclity ltrices. cornpetition fi'ctnt low-cost-countrv vcnclors. thc hcalth care lau antl I'ultcling cconornics lrbroacl .lrccolcl ing to a ncw rcpor-t frctnt NlcClltlrcy anrl NAW Institutc fbr Distlibutiorr Exccllcncc.

My conversations with other executives suggest that the timing is right for "right now," the need is real, and the opportunity for us to do better is very realistic.

- Mark Kramer is president and c.e.o. of plastics distribution company Laird Plastics, Santa Fe Springs, Ca., and 2012 chairman of the board for the National As so c iat io n of Who le s ale r - D istributor s.

"Dcspite thcil conccrns. rlistributols are scnerally optinristic about thcir clun busirrcss prospccts in the ncxt ll nronths. w'ith 9-57c rcPortin-l that thcir orsanizatior.rs lrc thriving or holclirrg stcrrd\." sairl \,lc(iladre)''s Klren Kurck. "Distributor salcs -elencralll, ar.c growing (tt l% incr-cusecl sulcs or.'cr thc 1-lust yclrr). altltoLr-gh thcr al'c c\pectc(l to qrow at a nrucl.t sloner rltc in thc conting vear'."

N'lost clistribLltors c\|cet eosls in ntlnv Lutcgorics to incrcase in thc ncxt l2 nrorrths. particulullr in urcas such as tt-ansportiltion ancl ntachincr\'. S()ntc c\l)cct trur)spot titli()n anrl lircl costs to risc by nturc than l0%. Conscclucntlr'. rlistribLrtors urc intplcntcnting u nuntbcr ol'tlrctics t0 nilrintuin prol'itabilitl inclLrclinc lotcrins tltcir costs thnrurh opcnr tional ctficicncics (81% ) und inrltro."inu prclccsscs n itltin thcil supply chains. N4ost distributors ((.)0(l ) also plan to inct'cuse pr-iccs in thc conrin!:. months an avcragc <tf 5.1{4 fbl goods antl i.[37 lirr scrvrccs.

Othcr kcv l'inclings includc:

Finrplovment - i\ majolity o1' lirms ltlan to increasc cn.tployrncnt in the ncxt l, nrctnths. Finding ncr.r'hilc-s. thoLr-gh. coulrl posc issues lirr. sontc tlistributors. Roughlv onc-thifcl repoft that thcy fincl thc skillcd talcnt the1, re cprit'c ortly sonre ol'tl'rc tintc or rarclr'. Manr are launchirrc thcil' own t|ainin-e uncl derclopntcnl prosrallts to uclclrcss skills ulrps. Nclrll hlll' will lircus orr adcling personne I to cLlslor.t-tct scrvicc/sLrpport lunctions. With a grou ing ri ork lilrcc. o1'coursc. conlcs lut erpccted risc in costs fbr u,uges. bcne fits und othcl variahlc cctnrl-rcnsation.

Process Improvenrents - I)istr ibLrturs ri,'ill incrcasc irrvcstnrcnts in ploccss inipror.crnents this ycar conrltllcd to last. Thriving organizutions urc m()rc likclr ttr in.r'cuse thcse invcstrnents than l'ilnts that arc holding stctdy or clcclining. Thrir ing filnrs also lre ntofc likclv to hlt e increasecl productivitv in thc past vcar.

Custonrer Satisfaction - Custorner sltislaclion is l ulil)litl'\ ob.ir'r'ttre ol Ptoer's, intPt't,rL'me t)1. u illt X.l', ,,1 rcspondents lanking it at thc top ol'the list. Cost lccluction. qualitv intplovcrrcnt. enhanccd sltccd/tintcliness. altcl othcr objcctives ucrc ntcntionecl, ls wcll.

Inventories - Invcntorics ri'ill increlsc at ncurly onchalf ol clistlibutors. with 71 expccting invcntorics to bc inclcascd by rnorc than l0%. Most clistrihutors also ri ill incrcasc capital equipntcnt spcnding in thc ncxt I ? rnonths.

Inlilrmation Technology - IT is critical us distributors sro$' thcir organizltliotrs anrl broaclcn their supplv chains. Two-thircls rcl)()rt at lcast ntoclcrurte use of busincss unalvtics cornpanr,'uviclc or anrong scnior lcadelshilt. prinrurilv to lirrecast custonlcr denrand and iclentil'r' mar-kct ()pp()r'tunitics. Ovcr hall' ol'clistributors r-rsc sociul media. and slightly lcss than half usc clourl cornputing. While thcsc ancl other IT applicatiitns can posc secr.rritv conccrns. sLrrprisinglv lLu distlibutors bclicvc thcir inlirrmalion or data is at risk.

Value-Added Services - Virtuallv lrll distribr-rtol's no\\ ol'l'cr valuc-addccl scrr,iccs to custorrcrs. but thc induslrv as a rvhole is still lircused on proclucts lbr driving rcvenucsalnrost hall' of clistributors repolt that nc',', proclucts are extrcrncly inrportanl or ill|{)ltullt to co1111,,"r' growth.

Semiumin &fudyla*

Benjamin Obdyke will show HydroGap Drainable Housewrap as part of the New Products Showcase at the 2012 NAWLA Traders Market.

HydroGap is now the construction market's top-performing drainable housewrap. It drains moisture from wall assemblies at least twice as fast as the leading drainable housewrap and removes 100 times more bulk water than standard housewrap.

HydroGap Drainable Housewrap combines a water-resistant barrier and drainage system into one application. Unlike typical housewraps that are either woven or non-woven materials comprising one or two layers, it comprises a tri-laminate substrate, with the moisture barrier protected between two non-woven layers. This composition creates a product with superior strength and water hold-out vs. competitive products.

The patent-pending spacer design on the housewrap surface creates a I mm gap between the structure's sheathing and cladding materials,

Meet the Exhibitor Blue Book $eruites

A leading credit and marketing information agency since 1901, Blue Book Services has been serving the lumber industry since 2009. It provides lumber sellers with a dependable, affordable and industry-specific resource to make the best credit decisions and safely expand their customer base. The company helps clients reduce credit risk and find new accounts.

Blue Book's team of professionals collect, validate, and report information on lumber companies throughout the supply chain, including accounts receivable aging data/trends, financial ratings, company ownership changes, mergers and acquisitions, bankruptcies, and personnel changes.

Blue Book's online directory (www.lumberbluebook.com) provides comprehensive data on softwood and hardwood lumber companies throughout North America.

thereby promoting drainage that is twice as fast as other drainable housewraps. The unique design also allows for the housewrap to be installed in any direction while maintaining its positive drainage capability. It also provides excellent enhanced drainage around window sills.

HydroGap has a number of features that benefit builders and contractors. Besides the potential of labor saving based on its multi-directional installation possibilities, the convenient 500sq. ft. size rolls allow for easy oneman installation identical to standard housewrap installation. The low pro- file of the drainage space eliminates the need for design changes in the assembly. In addition, the easy-to-cut product requires no special tools for installation and does not need to be taped at the seams, further reducing cost and labor.

HydroGap drains at 967o, meeting ASTM 82213, the standard test method for determining drainage efficiency of wall assemblies. It also exceeds AC38 for water-resistive barriers, including the new drainage provision.

It is available nationally through a network of authorized distributors.

Mills, secondary manufacturers, wholesalers, retail lumberyards, and industrial accounts are all included and can be easily searched by geographic location, busrness classification, pay indicator, or spe c ie s/products handled. With unlimited search capabilities, Blue Book Members can explore new market segments and identify potential business connections.

Pay indicators, for example, are based on aggregate trade feedback submitted by each buyer's trade suppliers and offer a snapshot of pay practices for both new and existing customers. In-depth business reports provide detailed information on a company's pay trends, enhanced with Equifax commercial data.

A recommended and approved service provider of NAWLA, Blue Book's commitment to the lumber industry is demonstrated through active participation at industry events.

"Economists who have spoken at industry conventions this year all forecast an increasing demand for lumber," says president and c.e.o. Jim Carr.

"As this occurs, lumber sellers can count on Blue Book Services to help in their credit approval and monitoring processes."

Motivated by the ambition to have a broad, industry perspective not found elsewhere, a wide range of companies - handling hardwood to softwood-are contributing the necessary files, typically on a monthly basis.