Home Building Technology, Part VIII: The Engineering Advantage Joe Kannapell, PE Where is the best location to start a business — the easiest place or the toughest? Choosing the easiest means you may or may not “have what it takes” to succeed in the toughest markets. But, by choosing the toughest, you may “set yourself up” to market yourself... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313
Designer Hiring Blues in the Summer It’s August. The heat is relentless, the humidity unforgiving, and your design team is running as hot as a NASCAR pit crew in Alabama. Project timelines are tight, customer expectations are high, and every minute counts. So when someone suggests bringing in a new designer, it can feel like... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 98
Design Connections: Onboarding Designers: What They Really Need to Know Geordie Secord When a new designer comes on board—especially one with experience—there’s a good chance the onboarding process involves setting up their computer, pointing them to the right network folders, handing them a relatively simple job, and giving them a vague suggestion to “jump... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 104
Development Begins on ANSI/TPI 2 and ANSI/TPI 3 for the Truss Industry Jay Jones, P.E. The ANSI/TPI 1 standard is a critical document that governs the design and quality criteria for metal plate-connected (MPC) wood trusses. It serves as a guideline for truss manufacturers and engineers alike, providing the technical framework to design and construct reliable and code-compliant... Read More August 2025 Issue #17313 Page 111
Home Building Technology, Part VII: Carol Sanford’s Quantum Leap Joe Kannapell, PE Carol Sanford came of age during the 1920s, inspired by his inventive father, during one of the most inventive periods in American history. He grew up in Canton, OH, then a center of steel and stamping industries. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati and an architectural school in... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 10
How Will the Changes to ANSI/TPI 1 Impact Your Truss Builders and In-House Inspectors? Glenn Traylor As we migrate from ANSI/TPI 1-2014 to ANSI/TPI 1-2022, it is important to discuss and be aware of Chapter 3 updates. These changes impact QC inspections and should be understood by your in-house QC inspector and your truss builders. The changes are in two categories in Chapter 3 — a... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 31
Automation is Here, and It Doesn’t Need a Supervisor to Nudge It Along Steve Shrader In an industry long defined by hard work and incremental improvement, a new chapter is being written. But not everyone seems to realize it. Some are still telling companies to squeeze more productivity out of crews by reorganizing work paths, tracking stopwatch data, and optimizing jobsite... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 48
Striking Gold with Posi-Strut in Carson City Landon Boucher A large part of what MiTek’s Design Engagement team does involves meeting with Structural Engineers, Architects, and Real Estate Developers to advance the use of components. We guide them on best practices early in design so that when construction documents arrive at the truss... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 62
The New Hiring-Zone: A Smart Way to Hire in a Tight Industry Let’s face it—finding the right people in the offsite construction industry isn’t getting easier. Whether you’re searching for a seasoned truss designer, a sharp estimator, or a dependable production manager, the usual massive job boards don’t cut it. That’s... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 82
Design Connections: Beating the Big Job Board Blues Geordie Secord When you’re job hunting or looking to hire, you’ve got choices. Lots of them. You can go with the big-name job boards that everyone knows about, or you can try something different—something more personal. The experience you get depends entirely on which path you choose, and the... Read More July 2025 Issue #17312 Page 88