Looking to the Future After 10 Years as an Independent Trade Association Jackson Morrill Earlier this year, the American Wood Council (AWC) marked its 10th year as an independent trade association. Over this time, AWC has been guided by President & CEO Robert Glowinski, who is retiring at the end of the year. In mid-September, I had the privilege of taking the helm as... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 110
Lumber Briefs: Attitude Your Way Through Matt Layman When flipping around in trading ranges in the $300s, planning for the coming year had some sort of definable “worst case scenario” contingency plan. I’m just curious. How do you plan for next year, staring down the barrel of all-time high lumber prices and short supply? That... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 112
Why Is Our Industry So Afraid of Change? Ashley Boeckholt If we have learned anything from 2020, we must understand that change is the only thing we can rely upon, and by using yesterday’s logic to deal with tomorrow’s challenges, we will hit a proverbial wall. History teaches us that the future success of a business directly relates to its... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 114
The Importance of a Continuous Load Path — Lessons Learned from Recent High-Wind Events Keith Cullum Hurricane season is in full swing, and we’ve had a record number of named storms to date. With each one, Mother Nature has taken the opportunity to remind us of her awesome power and teach us how we can improve our built environment in preparation for the next. One of the lessons... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 126
The Last Word: The Last Word on Roof Truss Wizards Joe Kannapell Four roof truss innovators have changed our industry, from its beginning to the present day. Their names may be largely unknown now, but their work lives on and is worth assessing. The most notable is A. Carroll Sanford, whose machines are still cranking out trusses (see my March 2020... Read More October 2020 Issue #12255 Page 144
Advertiser Forum: Expecting Change (Whether You Want It or Not) Anna Stamm 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... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 6
Sixty Years of Machines, Part X: Lasers Shine Joe Kannapell CMs are still debating lasers vs. auto-jigging, 30 years after their introduction. While both have been continually enhanced, their relative performance has remained consistent. However, lasers gained traction much faster, especially after one of the most productive plants, Ron Bergeron’s... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 10
Spida PieceMaker Linear Saw — A Piece-Full Alternative Cullen Ellis I recently had the pleasure of helping our engineering installation crew install and commission the first Spida PieceMaker Linear Saw in North America. While more than 24 saws in the last 24 months have been sold and installed in Australia and New Zealand, this is the first saw to make its way... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 16
Developing Strategy When Faced with a Pandemic Ben Hershey Our roles as managers and owners sometimes feels as though we are constantly changing over the past several decades, but how we planned and strategized sped up dramatically after the 2008 global financial crisis. Managers who understood the need to be a strategic leader and a disruption... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 26
Are Your Trucks Loaded Correctly? Glenn Traylor Recently while traveling, I photographed a load of structural components being delivered to a jobsite. It was a little of a double-take to comprehend what was on the truck, because our products really shouldn’t be that curved when they’re designed to be flat. As shown in the photo... Read More September 2020 Issue #12254 Page 35