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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

As the end of the year approaches, we often find ourselves thinking about what we’ve accomplished in the preceding months, which tasks we feel are incomplete, and how we’ve learned a few more lessons the hard way. Things never seem to turn out the way we’ve expected, but life...