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It’s been some months now since most people have been talking about getting back to normal. But, many are looking to create their new normal, thinking on their feet, ready to pivot, working hard and imagining where the next landing place will be. Most are trying to decide how to...

The building industry is once again on fire, and too many are stating, “I don’t have enough time” all too often. If your group is always talking about needing more people, equipment, and time, improving time management would undoubtedly benefit you. Improving time management...

The way we evaluate a stick of lumber may be changing, but that is not without risk. I’m reminded of a song written by Baker Knight and recorded by American country music artist Mickey Gilley in the 1970s. You might remember the tune, but I wanted to update you on some new...

No two operations are the same. Software flexibility in managing your plant isn’t a luxury, it is a necessity. You need to manage everything from customers to deliveries, and you need to do it efficiently. And, you should be able to determine exactly how you want things done in a software...

The building construction industry faces several challenges created by traditional building methods. One of the bigger challenges is that each trade is largely siloed from the other trades on a project, which can lead to schedule conflicts and communication gaps. MiTek sees the Design, Make,...

When choosing who to partner with for production solutions, most would say their leading factors are price, lead time, and performance. While those are all important, what happens after installation and paperwork is equally as important. Post-installation and maintenance service makes a huge...

Mid-Life Crisis? Maybe, but not if you consider that I’ve been “remote” since 1992. Sure I’ve had offices, all home offices, but who is to say they can’t have wheels? I had a false start in 2017 when I bought the RV and truck, then headed to Naples, Florida. It was...

As a follow-up to our January 2021 All Things Wood article by Frank Woeste and Don Bender, “Hybrid Lumber” Grade Stamps Require Special Attention, we are pleased to report that additional information is now available for designers and code officials. The following article appears...

As climate patterns continue to shift, an increasing number of communities around the globe are not only experiencing extreme weather events with increased frequency, duration, and intensity, but also some are experiencing these hazards for the first time in their histories. As a first line of...

Many of the problems we hear about and actually see on jobsites, both offsite and site built, involve the poor quality of standard SPF #2. When I was the General Manager of a large lumber yard back in the 1980s, it wasn’t much better. I can still remember the yard men cutting the steel...