A Case Study for Transforming Profits Through Employment Practices Todd Drummond The following is a summary of the seminar I gave at this year’s BCMC show on October 8th, 2024. If your mind is open, I am handing you pure gold to help your company meet the challenges negatively affecting everyone now and in the coming years. Case Study —Building Material Supply... Read More November 2024 Issue #16304 Page 26
Is Customer Service Still Important? In the past, businesses prided themselves on exceptional customer service, especially in addressing warranty claims and service lapses promptly and effectively. Unfortunately, recent years, particularly since COVID, have seen a significant decline in this vital aspect of business. Take, for... Read More September 2024 Issue #16302 Page 98
Celebrating Do What You Can Day: Our Partnership with ACE Mentorship Karissa Louie We’re thrilled to announce another successful Do What You Can Day, our annual companywide event dedicated to giving back to our communities. This year, we’re especially excited about our partnership with the ACE Mentor Program of America, which aligns perfectly with our commitment to... Read More September 2024 Issue #16302 Page 122
Straight Talk About Labor Shortages and Costs Todd Drummond I have had the same conversations with so many executives concerning the tight labor market and rising labor costs. There is good and bad news concerning this subject. First, the good news is that you can be assured that high labor costs and a tight labor market are not only affecting your... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 24
Is The Customer Always Right? Landon Boucher I was taught early on in my career something referred to as the “Four Nevers of Customer Service”: Never Argue with The Customer. Never Make a Big Deal Out of a Complaint. Never Put The Customer on the Defense. Never Make Excuses. I was also taught something called... Read More December 2023 Issue #15293 Page 62
What Makes a Good Salesperson? Landon Boucher Some might say what makes a good salesperson is the results they deliver. In fact, I imagine this may be the most common response. I suppose I would have to agree, but I do think it matters greatly what results we are measuring. Are we merely considering revenue generated that can be directly... Read More October 2023 Issue #15291 Page 84
Will ‘Too Little, Too Late’ Define Your Company? Todd Drummond Building history facts: Before the 2008 financial crash, there were about 2,100 wood truss and wall panel component manufacturing (CM) companies across North America. The vast majority of the locations were independently owned and operated. When the worst of the effects of the recession finally... Read More May 2023 Issue #15286 Page 27
Advertiser Forum: Rationalizing Our Habits Anna Stamm To some degree, we are all creatures of habit. We all have routines that we repeat on a regular basis. What differs between us is how many routines, how much repetition, and how much they do or don’t matter to us. So occasionally, it’s good to step back and evaluate whether our... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 6
A Message of Caution to New Component Manufacturers Todd Drummond This message is for the new component manufacturers (CM) who have recently and will shortly be entering the component manufacturing industry for wood trusses or wall panels. First, welcome to the industry – it is very rewarding, but I must caution you about this new endeavor. It is not for... Read More April 2023 Issue #15285 Page 25
Does Your Plant Have a Culture of Quality? Glenn Traylor Quality, productivity, and speed are intertwined and impact each other. My previous article, Where is Your Focus on Manufacturing?, emphasizes that improving quality starts with implementation of the ANSI/TPI 1 standard—and, with that process, you will improve proficiency and speed. The... Read More March 2023 Issue #15284 Page 35