One of the most important effects of the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC) is that it brings people together in one place for a few days each fall. In this digital age, being in the same building with this many friends and colleagues presents countless opportunities! From...

I really enjoy local county fairs and local attractions, because they give us an opportunity to see cool things from the past or something related to the area (and our fair has fresh roasted corn!). Recently at our local fair, the Stanwood Fair, I walked into a building showcasing tools used by...

So, there is an interesting discussion by some in the CM Industry to create a universal truss software standard. In some circles, this “standard” is merely an effort to integrate and simplify.  Others worry it is an effort to monetize design software, and to some this...

What makes Acceptance Leasing and Financing Service, Inc., of Moon Township, Pennsylvania so special? It has to be our President, Carl Villella. An active participant in the financing arena since 1992, Carl is a Certified Financial Lease Professional (CFLP), the preeminent professional...

Why aren’t your trussers designing walls and EWP too, as we said they would twenty-five years ago? To pave their way, we would deliver more intelligent (“IntelliBuilt”) and optimized (“OptiFramed”) software, and builders would provide flawless “BIM”...

We’ve all been there—hurrying to finish one thing while juggling a dozen other things. We don’t want to let anyone down, disappoint someone who’s expecting something of us, or fail to meet our own expectations for ourselves. Unfortunately, the more we try to do, the more...

Recently, a Pastor at our church, Morgan MacPherson, shared a teaching from the Book of James talking about how our Actions Speak Louder. Though there was a lot of “meat on the bone” from what he shared, one of the additional thoughts I brought home was how important our actions are...

How did this Australian component manufacturer become involved in offshoring? It started with a trip to Vietnam in 2004, and it ended much differently than I would have expected! I had been operating my company in Australia, Truss-Rite, for 16 years, selling prefabricated wall framing and...

When, out of the blue, two very fit trussers are slowed by heart issues, and I discover my own, I must speak up! Especially since none of us fit the high-risk profile: we don’t smoke, consume much alcohol, or carry much extra weight. Fortunately, thanks to our exercise routines, we are...

The component industry’s biggest event is only 3 months away! This year’s Building Component Manufacturers Conference will be held on October 22–25 in Columbus, OH. Will you be there? Exhibitors are readying their booths, speakers are preparing their sessions, and...