Lumber Briefs: Labor and Lumber Demand are “Coming Back” Matt Layman For the past three years, the housing industry has bemoaned labor as its primary deterrent to increasing productivity, i.e., housing starts. Framing crews suddenly vanished when detainment and deportation of undocumented workers became more prevalent. The initial impact on the housing... Read More May 2019 Issue #11238 Page 78
The Last Word: The Last Word on Wall Framing Joe Kannapell Finally, from top to bottom, the building industry is moving to panelize. National builders, like Pulte, are mandating it. Local building supply yards, like 84 Lumber’s, are building them in backyard sheds. And in between, BMC and BFS are shipping knocked-down versions. We laid the... Read More May 2019 Issue #11238 Page 105
The Hiring Zone: Missing the Point Missing the point could cover a lot of things, but this month it means considering different perspectives during an interview. Employers and candidates can get trapped into looking at things from just one side. Employers are thinking: What skills and abilities do I need in a candidate, does this... Read More April 2019 Issue #11237 Page 74
Lumber Briefs: The Repeating Lumber Market Cycle Matt Layman It is my belief that the lumber market trades in a repeating, predictable pattern. That pattern is created by the interaction between production and how the supply chain lumber dealers, component manufacturers, wood preservers, and wholesale distributors collectively prepare for seasonal... Read More April 2019 Issue #11237 Page 78
The Last Word: The Last Word on Attached Housing Joe Kannapell Now that one third of owner-occupied housing is tightly packed into metro areas, several challenges face our industry. Estimating requires more attention to architectural features and options. Engineering is critical on taller structures, and often requires consideration of mechanical... Read More April 2019 Issue #11237 Page 105
The Hiring Zone: Remote Design in 5 Years As I gaze into my crystal ball, conjuring up a future based on my 27 years of recruiting and industry experience, I can see big changes ahead for our industry and Remote Designers. Come with me and let’s see what my crystal ball shows…. The Year is 2021: As the mist in my... Read More March 2019 Issue #11236 Page 74
The Last Word: Knowing Your Customers at IBS Joe Kannapell To grow closer to your customers is the reason to attend the International Builders Show (IBS). If you coordinate in advance with your local builders and pay attention to the educational sessions, you may not be overwhelmed amongst the 100,000 attendees. You may also witness the latest... Read More March 2019 Issue #11236 Page 103
The Hiring Zone: Career Moves Before remote design was “the new thing,” designers would relocate to advance. Not just a promotion, but for better pay, better benefits, and stability for the long term. While remote offers flexibility in everything from scheduling to attire, it lacks one thing—proven... Read More February 2019 Issue #11235 Page 78
Lumber Briefs: Building a Bullish Lumber Base for Rising Housing Starts Matt Layman In both the lumber and stock markets, there are more disruptions coming in 2019. The immediate influences of government shutdown, mass exodus from stocks, on-going trade war, volatile oil market, fight to suppress interest rates, President Trump’s legal issues, and global economic and... Read More February 2019 Issue #11235 Page 84
The Last Word: (Another) Last Word on Southern Pine Joe Kannapell Despite our reservations about Southern Pine lumber, the timber industry is betting billions that we’ll buy it. Soon the output of SYP mills will race past other domestic species. Fortunately, technological improvements, both at the saw mill and in our component plants, aim to overcome our... Read More February 2019 Issue #11235 Page 109