Library

In our May issue, I began this series From the Road, inviting everyone along the course of our cross-country adventure to connect with me for an in-person visit. Recently, I was pleased to tour Merrick Machine Co. in Alda, Nebraska, the home of Triad Machinery. Arriving at the industrial park...

Only a fortunate few in our industry knew Paul Robertson, who succumbed to Covid September 7. But those of us who did know that he stood for the values that has made this business great, honesty, humility, and hard work. Paul was a nuts-and-bolts guy in a nuts-and-bolts business. Yet he was able...

My rhetoric has been leaning towards the bearish side because buyers should not even be looking for lumber in October. The strategy of buying in late August to cover through early November was to avoid having to buy right now, the end of September. The lumber market should have been going up...

Since the introduction of strength design for post-installed anchors in IBC 2000, determining the designed capacity of anchors has become increasingly complex. Dozens of variables, such as geometry, concrete conditions, and the specific properties of different anchor types, make a quick,...

What I experienced at the truss industry’s first trade show was the bare bones beginning of fifty years of industry progress. But, at first glance in 1971, it didn’t seem so, as I found only a handful of 8x10 booths, tucked in the corner of the Louisville Fairgrounds. Yet plenty of...

Every time a company adds “new and improved” to the label of something I am buying, I have a moment of fear and frustration. I bide my time until I try using this “improved” product, whatever it may be, and then I will assess if the improvement is something I will...

In the 1990s, two small town entrepreneurs tackled vexing cutting problems, but from very different angles, and their innovations set the table for today’s linear saw industry. Jim Urmson, working in Mt. Dora, Florida, population 14,000, started from the ground up, aiming to automate his...

Recently, in lieu of my 15-year-old son destroying my personal vehicle while working through drivers education, I decided it was safer to purchase a vehicle specifically for him. For several months, I browsed the internet, visited car lots, and test drove cars. Eventually, this became such a...

Chronic employee staffing shortages can be a blatant sign that a company’s employment practices need improvement. One should be very hesitant to blame external forces beyond a given reasonable period. Too many companies are simply blind to their overall company’s poor employee...

Let’s face some facts. Eventually your truss building equipment needs repair or replacement. Exactly when do you pull the trigger? When do you take the big jump? In a perfect world with endless resources, it’s an easy calculation—replace or repair the equipment when there is a...