In his article on page 39, Glenn Traylor uses an excellent Trumanesque phrase while addressing people in leadership positions — “In the truss business, the ‘puck’ stops with you.”  Of course, we all know that the phrase, “the buck stops here,” is...

The urge to follow our habits is natural for everyone, but sometimes it’s important to think about what exactly those habits are and if they really are something that we need/should do. For example, given the context of recent events, I am wondering how far beyond Oklahoma this car-washing...

As the holiday season recedes to our memories, I find myself wondering: “Will I ever receive my missing Christmas cards?” Yes, I know for a fact that at least two Christmas cards are still out there, somewhere. Maybe they’re in a sorting facility. Maybe they were...

So many people are so anxious to say goodbye to 2020, it seems only fitting to stop a minute to say: “But, remember to remember the good things that happened this year.” Like so many (too many) things in life, the good only comes alongside an ample serving of bad. We learn lessons...

When it comes to reflecting on our families and lessoned learned, there is no better time than the end of the year holidays. As we prepare for and celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzza), our thoughts are filled with warm memories of the past. There is never a wrong time...

Every month, I encourage our advertisers, industry professionals, and others to write what they would like to say to you. That, plain and simple, is the purpose of the open forum program we began 5 years ago when I started at The Advertiser. And, you are invited to say what you would like to...

Last month, Joe Kannapell took us on a terrific tour of BCMCs past in his column, The Last Word on 2020 BCMC – Virtually! Because we cannot attend an in-person BCMC show this fall, I’ve been thinking about ways to capture some of the spirit of BCMC. Step 1. See Products Without...

The other day, I heard an “expert” on the television say, people will do anything they possibly can to avoid change. Even though I was preoccupied with whatever-it-was I had been doing, that jumped out at me and I started listening to that yammering in the background. This person was...

So often, perhaps too often, we read along with various facts and figures on our computer screens, process the data, and then look to the next topic. Every once in a while though, something will jump out at us and remind us how much facts are (only) relative. A Picture of Housing...

We’re all adults, so we can admit that we all make our share of stupid mistakes. I’m not talking about important mistakes that have real consequences. I’m talking about the small, annoying, obnoxious mistakes that make us shake our heads and wish we could go back and correct...