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So, here I sit with plenty of work that needs to be done. I began thinking of when I first started in the industry, then becoming involved in the national association, then becoming the western distributor of involved. The one constant in all of that “doing” was that as a group we...

Do you think that some of your competition has a competitive advantage because their sales teams are processing projects via the Web on tablets? If they are able to start and/or update any project information, find the current stage of any task and also review any project’s schedule, all...

From worst-case scenarios to less obvious examples, do you have general guidelines that will help you make informed decisions? For example, when faced with lumber defects on the table, do you know how the builders in your plant will proceed? More importantly, are they being supplied with the...

Construction is rebounding, and with it the need to invest in education for safe and sustainable structures is more important than ever. As manufacturers of wood products, many in our industry have the opportunity to directly engage with those on the front lines of construction who are often...

Light gauge steel trusses have been around a long, long time. Steel trusses offer the same advantages that make light gauge steel framing generally appealing for a significant segment of the light frame construction industry. Light gauge steel does not burn. It does not serve as a food source...

Snow, ice and cold sent contractors on eastern U.S. job sites running for cover the end of last week. That is not the case country wide, however it is a possibility in 80% of the continental U.S. now through the end of February. One can only ponder, in the depths of winter, how could our...

Home buyers naturally take for granted that the floor system in a new house is safe and complies with the building code—and rightly so. But home buyers also have expectations for their floors that are unrelated to safety or the building code. In particular, many home buyers are aware of...

To safeguard our work future, we need to know, and more importantly show, what we have accomplished. Rarely are we fooled about the value of our work. But how we feel may not accord with our boss’s feelings. That’s where measurement enters the workplace, to provide an unbiased...

The phone rang this morning and the caller said that “they had a real quick question.” They went on to ask if “standard truss plates could be used with pressure treated lumber?” Hmmmm…the questions that some questions prompt. It sort of reminds me of the...

Obviously, we all make decisions based on value. Cost vs. benefit. Risk vs. reward. But too often, we are all encouraged to think of value only in terms of dollars and cents. Too be sure, money plays a big part, but it’s not always simple and straightforward. Building...