Don’t miss out on a significant tax break! The Section 179 deduction allows businesses to expense the cost of qualifying equipment purchases in the year of purchase, rather than depreciating it over time. How It Works What Qualifies? A wide range of equipment can be eligible for...

The following is a summary of the seminar I gave at this year’s BCMC show on October 8th, 2024. If your mind is open, I am handing you pure gold to help your company meet the challenges negatively affecting everyone now and in the coming years. Case Study —Building Material Supply...

The Fed lowered its benchmark interest rate by half a percent in September, and our funding banks have also lowered their rates in response. This is great news for the economy as a whole, as interest rates are now lower for all forms of credit, including mortgages. From a macroeconomic...

Heading into the last quarter of the year, the US economy sent out several strong signals that is remains resilient and robust. Third quarter inflation continued a downward trend, with annualized numbers beginning to approach the Central Bank’s target. But softening of the job market over...

JobLine periodically updates our compensation calculator, and while I expect some surprises, this time, I was truly taken aback. Recent candidates have reported significantly higher compensation at their previous employers than we’ve seen for job postings. I’ve attributed this to...

Automation within the building industry has been ongoing for decades but at a slower pace than other industries. So, what do we mean by automation? Let’s focus on two types: automation for building estimation and automation for roof truss manufacturing. Both will be discussed at the...

On September 18th, the Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percent, the first cut in four years. It was a welcome development, and one that should have a positive outcome for the economy. Lower interest rates stimulate economic growth, and make lending of all types less...

Lumber is mission-critical to every component manufacturer (CM). On average, it represents two-thirds of your cost-of-goods (CoG), roughly half of the value of your product (Revenue – Pretax Profit). So, what are the market dynamics that surround the purchase of lumber? And how can your...

Millions of dollars are being lost by many companies that don’t recognize they have a problem — Does your LBM company have more than $50 million combined sales? Quantified as a ratio of sales, according to Six Sigma case studies, the cost of poor quality, defined as waste,...

Many companies took advantage of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) in 2021 by bidding on projects to rebuild the nation’s roads, bridges, ports, and broadband networks. But the economic climate of 2021 when the bids were placed was much different than the...