The Last Word: Coming of Age at BCMC Joe Kannapell 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... Read More October 2021 Issue #13267 Page 132
The Last Word: The Last Word on Making the Cut Joe Kannapell 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... Read More September 2021 Issue #13266 Page 142
Do You Know This Industry Trivia? Chris Scott 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... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 71
Giant on the Prowl: What BFS’ IT Investment, Other Recent Moves Mean for LBM Craig Webb BFS says roughly 100 of its 550 facilities make or add value to products, from its ReadyFrame system and truss plants to window making and door shops. BFS’ presentations to analysts regularly emphasize the company’s manufacturing and value-added capabilities, which the company says... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 106
Lumber Briefs: When Everyone Agrees: Don’t! Matt Layman The last couple of years have served up ample opportunities to be reminded of the futility of following the herd. The industry is still reeling from its hypnotic inventory accumulation at the insistence of home builders’ demands to not leave them under supplied. Some of our members took... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 110
The Last Word: The Last Word on CM Disruption Joe Kannapell Is component manufacturing ripe for disruption? Two foreign-backed entities came to our shores and tried to do just that for six years: Katerra with billions and Blueprint Robotics with many millions. Both were going to teach us how to build better, but with entirely different approaches. Out... Read More August 2021 Issue #13265 Page 142
Building Developments in the Northeast Anna Stamm On the Cover: This impressive project of mixed use retail and residential units has been fabricated by Cussewago Truss of Cambridge Springs, PA. [For photos, See PDF or View in Full Issue.] Located in Chili, NY, this project is known as Mid-Lakes Greenwood and will contain: 22... Read More July 2021 Issue #13264 Page 72
Lumber Briefs: Through the Rear View and the Telescope Matt Layman Through the Rear View Of all the lumber folk I know, I am the self-proclaimed King of checkers of rear view mirrors. I use the accuracy of frequency of past repeating patterns to give me confidence in making forecasts for the future. The FDP’s have been fine tuned year over year for 30... Read More July 2021 Issue #13264 Page 110
The Last Word: The Last Word on Commercial Trusses Joe Kannapell With surging housing demand, 1981 was much like 2021. Yet, in the midst of overflowing residential orders, a gutsy CM decided to take a chance on a different line of business. His painful memories of housing’s boom-bust cycles, and his Harvard education, told him to diversify. Ricks... Read More July 2021 Issue #13264 Page 145
Lumber Briefs: Disruption, Distortion, and Decision Points Matt Layman Minor & Major FDPs Forecasted Decision Points, FDPs, will be my legacy. These markers of when the price of lumber will rise and fall are misunderstood by at least 90% of our lumber industry. The reason is the same as why I do not understand what holds the universe together. I am... Read More June 2021 Issue #13263 Page 108