Will ‘Too Little, Too Late’ Define Your Company? Todd Drummond Building history facts: Before the 2008 financial crash, there were about 2,100 wood truss and wall panel component manufacturing (CM) companies across North America. The vast majority of the locations were independently owned and operated. When the worst of the effects of the recession finally... Read More May 2023 Issue #15286 Page 27
The Advantages of Using a Broker Carl Villella If there is a lesson to be learned from the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in March, and the ripple effect that caused a run on Signature Bank, along with the staggering declines in the share prices of First Republic Bank and PacWest Bancorp, it is this: it’s unwise to depend... Read More May 2023 Issue #15286 Page 67
Design Connections: Training New Designers Geordie Secord Last month’s article, “The Designer Shortage—Where Can We Find Them?”, offered some suggestions for finding new component designers. This month, I have some suggestions for training those new hires effectively. And bear in mind, as I mentioned last month, I think it is... Read More May 2023 Issue #15286 Page 80
Positive Trends Provide Hope for a Late Year Recovery Lesko Financial Services Team At the start of a new quarter, the economy is continuing its bumpy ride toward recovery while still showing mixed signals. Forecasts going forward are for slower growth throughout the next two quarters before picking up steam in the latter part of this year and going into the next. There are... Read More May 2023 Issue #15286 Page 86
A Message of Caution to New Component Manufacturers Todd Drummond This message is for the new component manufacturers (CM) who have recently and will shortly be entering the component manufacturing industry for wood trusses or wall panels. First, welcome to the industry – it is very rewarding, but I must caution you about this new endeavor. It is not for... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 25
How High Will Interest Rates Go? Carl Villella A question everyone has been asking lately – how high will interest rates go this year – got a new possible answer in March. As usual, the predicable became unpredictable again. This time, it is the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), and the ensuing danger it posed for the... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 65
Design Connections: The Designer Shortage—Where Can We Find Them Geordie Secord A challenge for the component industry is brewing no matter if you are located in an area where new home construction continues to be strong or your market is slowed by the combined effects of high interest rates and stubbornly high inflation. Be it single family or multi-family, new designers... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 78
The Last Word: LBMs and the Component Business Joe Kannapell The contemporary consolidations within the Lumber and Building Materials (LBM) business were prompted by consolidations within the home improvement retail industry. Home Depot started the movement in 1979, and its dramatic growth forced Lowes to follow it, converting its stores into mostly... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 136
Why Asset-Based Financing? Carl Villella Why should you use asset-based financing? This is a question we get quite often. Prospective buyers of commercial equipment wonder what advantages there are to asset-based financing, if any. First and foremost is the advantage of not having to outlay a lot of cash upfront to have use of the... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 63
Deals Report 2022: Tracking the Openings, Closings, and Acquisitions Craig Webb Where you wanted to be and what you wanted to sell both figured mightily as factors in construction supply’s acquisition, openings, and closures activity in 2022. Deals were almost as numerous as in 2021, but big deals were rarer. Meanwhile, greenfield openings were far more... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 90