Lumber Briefs: Attitude Your Way Through Matt Layman When flipping around in trading ranges in the $300s, planning for the coming year had some sort of definable “worst case scenario” contingency plan. I’m just curious. How do you plan for next year, staring down the barrel of all-time high lumber prices and short supply? That... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 112
Why Is Our Industry So Afraid of Change? Ashley Boeckholt If we have learned anything from 2020, we must understand that change is the only thing we can rely upon, and by using yesterday’s logic to deal with tomorrow’s challenges, we will hit a proverbial wall. History teaches us that the future success of a business directly relates to its... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 114
Stop Asking Your Customers What They Want Omer Abdullah In business today, we are told to believe that the customer is always right. So surely it makes sense to ask their opinion, listen to them, and actively respond to their advice with new products, adjustments, and enhancements. This makes sense, broadly, for incremental changes. Changes... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 92
The Future of Modular Construction in (Post-)COVID-19 Gary Fleisher Shortly after COVID-19 became the most debilitating thing that has happened to the US economy in recent history, modular construction stepped up to fill the demand for temporary medical facilities. Many modules were built to meet that need, but here we are just 5 months later and that market... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 100
Lumber Briefs: Everyone Knows Why 2x4s Are $1000, Right? Matt Layman Are you feeling like we are in a great big room, pitch dark and no one can find the light switch? Well, let’s try to find one. First off, everyone knows how we got here, right? You know it’s not COVID, or the economy, or housing starts, or DIY, or interest rates, or the stock market.... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 108
Is the Dream of Owning a Single Family Home Just a Dream for Many Buyers? Gary Fleisher A little over 30 years ago along Rt 15 in Selinsgrove, PA, a modular home builder had two model homes on his lot. They were both ranch style homes, 2 or 3 bedrooms, 1 bath models. One was 28’ x 44’ and the other was 28’ x 48’ if memory serves me. The sign said he would... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 94
Lumber Briefs: Why Housing is So Artificially Strong Matt Layman Just like the lumber market, housing has benefitted from the unfortunate situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. One must wonder why? The answer is simple if we just listen to the narrative provided by builders and the usually lopsided media. Folks are fleeing to the suburbs. The pandemic has... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 102
Harnessing Technology for the LBM Industry Paul Dean I’ve been in the lumber and building materials industry for most of my career and have always had an interest in technology. It seems not too long ago when I was running seminars to display this “new thing” called the internet to dealers; at the time, nobody knew what was going... Read More August 2020 Issue #12253 Page 104
Are You Prepared to Build a Modular Factory? Gary Fleisher Over the last couple of years, a lot of new modular home factories have either opened their doors and are taking orders or are in the process of opening. It’s inevitable that many businesses fail in the first 3–5 years for a myriad of reasons, mostly from being under-financed... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 92
Lumber Briefs: Current Lumber Market is a ‘Fad’! Matt Layman Without exception, in every conversation I have had regarding the pandemic’s positive impact on the lumber market, not a single person thought this outcome was possible. On my part, I see that as a failure. My job is to detect the unexpected. When I do not, that creates the 1.4 out of... Read More July 2020 Issue #12252 Page 102