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Simpson Strong-Tie, the leader in engineered structural connectors and building solutions, marked the grand opening of its newest manufacturing plant, located in Gallatin, Tennessee, with a ribbon cutting, celebration, and tours on Thursday, January 15, 2026. The 500,250-square-foot, $125...

Early design decisions have a lasting impact on how efficiently and effectively a building is constructed. By engaging the professionals who make those decisions, the structural building components industry can create better plans, stronger partnerships, and new opportunities for...

The name “Bill McAlpine” has such resonance in the component industry that when ITW acquired the company and removed his name, they soon found value in returning to the Alpine moniker. There are many reasons McAlpine earned that singular honor, but one of the least recognized is...

Six years ago, I wrote “20 Words for 2020.” I remember it very well, carefully choosing those 20 words that I wished for everyone in the coming year. In many ways, that seems like a very long time ago. That was before the pandemic stole millions of lives from the world. That was...

As housing demand accelerated in the 1960s, builders increasingly turned to trusses. But, lacking better equipment, truss shops had trouble scaling up to fill their orders. Early shops had little more than radial arm saws to cut members and wood tables to assemble them. They had exhausted every...

Early in my career, I had the opportunity to teach woodworking. For five years at North Carolina State University, I served as both a student and a faculty member within the University Student Center. I arrived with extensive knowledge of woodworking, and during my first week, I met two...

As we start a new year, many frame and truss manufacturers are focusing on a familiar challenge – how to support their teams, maintain output, and continue delivering a quality product in a labor market that’s tighter and more competitive than ever. While technology and automation...

As we enter 2026, with the excitement of the holidays behind us, we ask ourselves, what do we need to do to ensure that the best is yet to come? In reflecting on the start of another year, we have asked ourselves, what do we need to do to succeed? How can we do things better? How can we be...

In 2013, I launched LimTek Solutions with a clear mission: to promote, market, and sell Enventek’s groundbreaking truss manufacturing technology, first developed in 2007. For over a decade, it’s been full steam ahead and we have cultivated an impressive Feed the Beast! customer base....

Chapter I: The Idea One day a certain builder had an idea for a spec house that would be a sure winner. So, he got together with the best architect in the area and began to describe what he wanted. “Mr. Architect,” he said, “I want the house to have a studio...