Discount the Most Recent Past How should we process the cumulative life experiences that determine our next course of action? We might say, “That depends on the circumstance.” If I got mugged today for the first time in my life, it is likely I am going to be more aware of...

A sign that could have appeared in any town has caused quite a stir. The message is direct: “Stimulate your ass to work—Every business in town is hiring.” [For image, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] For business leaders, it aptly voices their frustration when trying to compete...

Economic studies prepared by the multinational professional services company, KPMG, show that the pace of job gains has slowed due to the Delta variant and is leading to a reduction of economic activity in the 3rd Quarter of 2021. KPMG lowered its 3rd Quarter GDP growth numbers from 6.4% to...

At least two months of hard work remain before you can finally ease up and enjoy the Holiday season. Between now and then lie numerous tasks, some ordinary (next year’s budget) and some unusual (COVID vaccination rules). Here are four vital challenges you’ll confront in coming weeks,...

I’m hearing two conversations. Mills wonder where all the wood is going and buyers wonder if there is going to be pull back to buy, particularly in the south. Granted those are not abundant conversations because most folks are sitting fat and sassy; perfectly comfortable. Will we get a...

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article written by Josh Mitchell, the economy is holding up quite well. “Resilient” is the word he used to describe the situation. “Households have plenty of money,” he quotes a chief economist as saying. While travel has...

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...

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...

Why did most of today’s saw technology come from small shops and not from large machinery companies? And how could just a handful of not well-known people, working in remote locations, make such a difference? Until recent years, they didn’t make much money. Most sold their businesses...

The Olympics are underway, football is around the corner, and that means trade show season is about to begin. Everyone loves a good competition on sports trivia, so why not one on industry trivia? It’s time to test your industry knowledge! Who invented the first metal truss connector...