Today, senior designers working in the office are involved not only with designing day to day projects, but also with providing training, solving problems for lower level designers, and working with customers. Their experience and knowledge are invaluable in many respects. But, consider this:...

In late January, one of our contributors, Ben Hershey, posed a question on LinkedIn: “If you had to pick the top skill or trait in running a successful business, what would it be?” My immediate answer: “Listening.” Listening for Problems When you hear...

 “Why should I seek outside financing for an equipment purchase?” “How difficult is it?” “What should I expect?” — These are just a few of the questions which can be answered by Carl Villella of Acceptance Leasing and Financing...

Ask yourself this question, true or false: The most resistant group of employees in many component and LBM companies is the frontline employees? If you answered true, like most people you guessed incorrectly. It’s not our frontline employees who resist change the most, it’s the...

At Eagle Metal, our business has been built on relationships. We pride ourselves in listening and responding to the needs of our customers. Having served the component industry for more than 30 years with high quality connector plates, structural design software, engineering services, and...

Whether your company is large or small, west coast or east coast, or anywhere in between, there are plenty of opportunities to practice responsible building. Established in 2007 and headquartered in Central Point, Oregon, Pacific Wall Systems is a family-owned enterprise with 80 employees and...

Let’s start out by saying NO to traditional New Years’ Resolutions. That’s a NO to fad diets, new exercise machines, and that new vacation savings account you always planned to open. Blasphemy, you say? What if you were to forget fad diets, over-hyped self-improvement programs,...

I love stopping at Chick-fil-A, not only for the food but also to see how organized and disciplined every store is. The food isn’t bad either. It occurred to me that there must be a secret to their success that modular home factory management could use to ramp up their sales...

Writing this column as one year ends and a new year begins, I started to wonder about what I hoped to see and experience in the coming months. Although a new year always brings us both possibilities and pitfalls, I prefer to focus on the positives as long as I can. So, here are 20 words that...

Bringing in a new cutting saw – even a high-tech version – is a surprisingly straightforward experience, but it succeeds or fails based on the quality of service and know-how. From purchase through installation to on-going support, Spida will help you automate successfully. One...