Joe Kannapell, PE

Home Building Technology, Part IX: The Great Connector

Joe Kannapell, PE

Cal Jureit’s truss testing experience was but the first of three consequential steps that led him to invent the modern truss connector plate. Jureit’s second step was joining Truss Fabrications, Inc. (TFI), which furthered his knowledge of truss manufacturing, and focused his efforts...

#17314 Cover image
September 2025
Issue #17314
Page 10
Carl Villella

How New Signals From the Fed Will Affect the Component Industry

Carl Villella

Jerome Powell’s late August speech at the Jackson Hole Symposium signals a potential shift in monetary policy that could significantly affect equipment financing for the building component industry. Powell’s remarks, which opened the door to a possible interest rate cut at the...

#17314 Cover image
September 2025
Issue #17314
Page 101
Thom McAnally

Designers are Stirring, But Employers Remain Cautious

Over the past several weeks, recruiting activity in the truss and wall panel design space has picked up in a way that’s hard to ignore. More design professionals are registering on The JobLine and exploring opportunities. The increase is not overwhelming—skilled candidates are still...

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September 2025
Issue #17314
Page 114
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Last Word: Why Go to the BCMC Show?

Joe Kannapell, PE

Even in slower years, you can benefit, both professionally and personally, from attending the Building Component Manufacturers Conference (BCMC), as I have. Some gains may accrue over a longer period of time, but there are always people to meet and things to see at the Show. Even if your company...

#17314 Cover image
September 2025
Issue #17314
Page 186
Joe Kannapell, PE

Home Building Technology, Part VIII: The Engineering Advantage

Joe Kannapell, PE

Where is the best location to start a business — the easiest place or the toughest? Choosing the easiest means you may or may not “have what it takes” to succeed in the toughest markets. But, by choosing the toughest, you may “set yourself up” to market yourself...

#17313 Cover image
August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 10
Carl Villella

Strategic Capital Investment: Leveraging Section 179 Expansion and Multi-Entity Structures in the Building Component Manufacturing Industry Post-OBBBA

Carl Villella

The recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), signed into law on July 4, 2025, marks a transformative moment for U.S. tax policy, particularly for capital-intensive sectors like building component manufacturing. This comprehensive legislation significantly expands Section 179...

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August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 83
Lesko Financial Services Team

Economic Outlook: Resilience and Uncertainty

Lesko Financial Services Team

The first half of this year ended with the U.S. economy showing a resilience that forecasters weren’t expecting. Solid growth in earnings and jobs, plus a rebound after the chaos of early tariff announcements, powered past the pessimism and steep market declines of April and helped the...

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August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 92
Joe Kannapell, PE

The Last Word: Finding Your Place in a Great Industry

Joe Kannapell, PE

Touring two plants in July, I couldn’t help wondering which would be a better place to work in the current slowdown. Both are privately owned businesses that are being managed by second-generation owners. Plant “A” is in a stable, rust belt market, and plant “B” is...

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August 2025
Issue #17313
Page 176
Anna Stamm

Advertiser Forum: Employment: Livelihood or Commodity?

Anna Stamm

Last month’s article by Thom, “The Cost of Convenience: How Offshore and Remote Design are Undermining the Future of the Truss Industry,” generated a fair amount of feedback, and that feedback was generally fair. But, let’s unpack some additional dynamics. The central...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 6
Joe Kannapell, PE

Home Building Technology, Part VII: Carol Sanford’s Quantum Leap

Joe Kannapell, PE

Carol Sanford came of age during the 1920s, inspired by his inventive father, during one of the most inventive periods in American history. He grew up in Canton, OH, then a center of steel and stamping industries. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati and an architectural school in...

#17312 Cover image
July 2025
Issue #17312
Page 10
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