Joe Kannapell

Wall Panel Technology Prequel: Birth of the Component Industry

Joe Kannapell

Prefabricated wall panels made their first big impact under a government program in World War II. In 1942, the federal government began contracting with 50 existing prefab housing plants to deliver dwellings for 42,000 wartime workers. Since this work was highly repetitive and required rapid...

#16296 Cover image
March 2024
Issue #16296
Page 10
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Concrete Truss Machine

Joe Kannapell

New inventions may fade away, but most provide valuable lessons, like the concrete truss machine. Not many of these were built, but they seemed to Cal Jureit to be the logical match for his new truss plate, and they set the course for all his future machines. Jureit had to have been...

#15293 Cover image
December 2023
Issue #15293
Page 134
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Last Word on Our Veterans

Joe Kannapell

Wars seem to surround us today, but this has been the case since the founding of our country and our industry. While we are troubled by today’s calamities, we should stop and reflect on those who have fought these wars, especially on this coming Veterans Day, November 11.   Take...

#15292 Cover image
November 2023
Issue #15292
Page 138
Tracy Roe

Celebrating Success at BCMC 2023

Tracy Roe

This year’s Building Component Manufacturers Conference and Framers Summit (BCMC | FS) in Indianapolis will be remembered as one for the record books. Attendance was great and you would be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t have a good time. My key takeaway from this show is the...

#15291 Cover image
October 2023
Issue #15291
Page 43
Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part IV: Second Generation Machinery

Joe Kannapell

Seeing floor trusses for the first time, Dick Rotto immediately pursued an order, even before he had a floor machine or the know-how to build floor trusses. He and his young crew at Trussway had many questions though, as did every CM taking on this intriguing new product. What kind of table...

#15290 Cover image
September 2023
Issue #15290
Page 10
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Last Word on Seventy Years of Service

Joe Kannapell

As we celebrate SBCA/WTCA’s forty years, let’s also recognize the entrepreneurs behind them, especially these twelve who made outstanding contributions. While each of them added something unique, their work was interrelated, and formed the foundation for today’s truss industry....

#15290 Cover image
September 2023
Issue #15290
Page 139
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: Two Titans: Denig and Toombs

Joe Kannapell

With the recent passing of Tom Denig, which was not long after Gene Toombs’, we should take a moment to reflect on their stunning success, gained while working separately and together. They both took over highly technical companies in the early 1990s, Denig at Trus Joist and Toombs at...

#15289 Cover image
August 2023
Issue #15289
Page 136
Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part II: Early Machinery

Joe Kannapell

It wasn’t enough for Jack Schmitt, President of Truswal, to introduce wood-web floor trusses. He also had to demonstrate how to build them, and that required a special machine. Schmitt turned to his trusted associate, Carl Virta, to come up with a process, and Carl knew who could help him....

#15288 Cover image
July 2023
Issue #15288
Page 10
Joe Kannapell

The Last Word: The Rise of the Floor Truss

Joe Kannapell

Among the first advocates for floor trusses were two men who would later create an acclaimed component plant. Dwight Hikel and Chris Ditzel made early inroads at Fort McHenry Lumber, such that Ditzel declared in 1972, “I think we will be eventually doing 2-1/2 times the volume in floor...

#15288 Cover image
July 2023
Issue #15288
Page 132
Joe Kannapell

Floor Truss Technology, Part I: Parallel Chord Trusses

Joe Kannapell

Floor trusses have been golden for the component industry for over half a century, and their origin is worth recounting and celebrating. Because of their flexibility and utility, wood trusses dominate apartment construction and have taken it up to 5 stories. Getting there, however, has required...

#15287 Cover image
June 2023
Issue #15287
Page 10
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