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Everything old is new again…or is it? This year’s contest polls our readers on some old-time favorites that are appearing again. Have they made a return in your home?  Hanging tinsel on the tree?         ​Yes        No Stringing...

Though our industry has served millions of homeowners through the years, four (and soon to be a fifth) very special individuals stand out; those wounded heroes we have honored through Operation Finally Home. Through the generosity of SBCA members, we have provided beautiful homes, free and...

Apparently, some things can never be said too many times. We are stronger together than apart. United we stand, divided we fall. In unity, there is strength. The Pressure to Divide These days, the approach of divide and conquer seems to appear everywhere. In many facets of our lives, we...

Part IV: In-House Computers Ten years after we installed our first computer, our turnaround of truss designs remained unacceptable. But one evening in the late Seventies, I saw daylight when a red, white, and blue van pulled up to our St. Louis office. I recall my wonderment back then, while...

The trip home provided for some much-needed quiet time to reflect on the most successful B.C.M.C. of modern times. I believe the equipment displayed well represented the advancements made by our industry over the last decade or two. It also offered a glimpse into the future where automation in...

“Good judgement comes from experience. And experience? Well that comes from poor judgement.” Some of us are old enough to remember Dean Martin. Whether he stated this quotation about experience and poor judgment, I will never know. But let’s face facts—it has...

Roof and floor trusses are important components that need special consideration to insure their correct manufacture. Components built to the IRC and IBC require the manufacturer to adhere to specific requirements. These requirements provide a blueprint to facilitate the manufacturing of a...

By the time you read this, the dust will have settled after an incredibly successful BCMC Show in Milwaukee, WI. What a privilege to talk with so many of you last week and see many of the exciting new automation products we can use in our operations to make us far more efficient, and, more...

Not quite 20 years ago I interviewed for a position of managing a metal plate connected wood truss manufacturing plant for Anderson Lumber, in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. For several years Anderson had been losing money from their truss operation and higher ups were searching for someone who...

How to handle prior contact is a subject that comes up a lot at The JobLine. What is it? How do you manage it? Why would some employers rather miss a great candidate than deal with prior contact and recruiters? Prior to JobLine presenting an application, we ask the candidate if he/she has had...