One July evening I was channel surfing and caught a commercial for some (stupid) movie debuting in the fall. They were highlighting cozy sweaters and falling leaves, while I wondered why anyone would be ready for autumn. Why should we be rushing to fall, and why are people always trying to rush...

The development of the 4 x 2 floor truss system revolutionized the truss industry. Plating to the narrow edge of the chord members presented some issues, but all in all it allowed component fabricators another product offering, expanding their potential business. In the original designs, it was...

In any industry, even ours, people make the difference. If one product or service in any industry was overwhelmingly better than another, there wouldn’t be a choice for very long. This is an example of entrepreneurial spirit and culture building in its very definition. Most people...

When I was young, the last thing I wanted to hear from my dad was “you don’t have much to complain about, back in my day....” Whatever it was, I was sure it had been embellished. Mom was much simpler, “Because I said so”. As I got older, I started to realize they...

Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist and bestselling author, recently featured Simpson Strong-Tie Vice President of Engineering Annie Kao on his TED original podcast WorkLife. Adam and Annie were joined by Berkeley Haas Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Jenny Chatman (full disclosure,...

A few years ago, my neighbors left their teenage daughter home alone on a Friday night…so of course she had a party. It wasn’t the kind of epic party you see in the movies, but it was fairly loud around their pool that night. I wasn’t surprised by any of that, but the surprise...

“We were pleased to welcome 77 individuals to the MSR Workshop in Salt Lake City this past April,” reports MSRLPC President George Hamilton of Canfor Southern Pine. “It was wonderful to be together again with a great group of industry members – from MSR producers, to...

As I was sitting in my sister’s ICU room hoping she would stabilize and make it through the night, people were telling me to “take care of myself” too. Well, at that time, I didn’t give a [bleep] about myself, because my focus was protecting her. The experience left me...

In a recent article in MoneyWise, the top states for relocation to and from were listed and many of them were as expected: Arizona, Alabama, Texas, Florida, which are all warm states that draw northerners. BUT, some of the states were unexpected: Idaho, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and...

Visual tools are essential throughout the different phases of design and construction. Today, 3D models play a major role in construction projects, as they help improve productivity. Component manufacturing is no exception. The 3D Viewer Tool was developed and modernized to help component...