It’s worth recounting the 25 productive years that culminated in the establishment of WTCA/SBCA. Thanks to the leadership of some outstanding men, and their early embrace of technology, the component industry came together to claim its rightful place in the building industry, but it wasn’t easy. Many fine firms succumbed to the multiple housing downturns that racked homebuilding and component plants.
But those who did survive developed tremendous staying power, like Jack Littfin at Littfin Lumber Co. Jack started his truss business in 1971, while the economy was recovering from an oil price shock, and initially enjoyed a strong demand for trusses. At the end of his first year, housing starts began teetering, and then suddenly took the steepest and deepest plunge in industry history. Jack stayed with his new venture through this recession and two additional downturns and joined the group of CMs who launched WTCA. And Jack stayed at the helm until his 80th birthday.
Many other individuals who struggled mightily and whose companies didn’t survive went on to become great contributors, like Jack Dermer who experienced the devasting Texas downturn of the 1980s but stayed in Houston when Shelter Systems closed. During the very slow comeback in that largely stick-framed market, Jack started his own business, American Truss, and has persevered until this day. For his industry dedication along the way, he was elected to the SBCA Hall of Fame in 2013 and ascended to its presidency in 2017. Countless others who had to change jobs during these tumultuous times carried their hard-earned experience to other component plants and fortified these businesses.
Aiding industry growth were several new technologies that came to market and would change the way CMs did business in the pre-WTCA period. The personal computer brought design functions in-house, and, with the introduction of ethernet technology and Windows for Workgroups, made data accessible across the plant. The mouse and graphical user interface greatly simplified and optimized the design of complex trusses.
CMs who took advantage of these advances boosted their competitiveness and enhanced their service to builders. Lenny Sylk offered his own complete software package on the HP 9836 desktop computer. The late Tom Moore, owner of Tri-City Components’ four plants in the Carolinas, developed his own in-house design software system. Staton Douthit of Associated Truss was an early adopter of floor trusses in the Dallas area, and Ricks Wilson, owner of Truss & Component Company, introduced door and window components into San Antonio and surrounding markets.
CMs also brought in outside experts who advanced the state of the art of manufacturing. Dave Chambers and Don Hershey engaged John Houlihan’s industrial engineering expertise to advance manufacturing and estimating systems. They also were the first to install barcode readers at each machine for labor tracking. Paul Heckman of Engineered Building Components and Nick Linsmayer of Villaume Industries brought Jerry Koskovich into their operations and contributed to the development of the first computerized saw, the Auto-Omni. Other advancements assisted CMs, like the availability of overnight delivery by FedEx and the increased economy of cell phone service.
As industry leaders took advantage of the latest technology and resources, they raised the stature of the component industry, so that it became an essential part of the building process. Together they answered the call of a leading housing economist of the 1960s, George Cline Smith, who highlighted, “…the urgent need to improve construction productivity…through the labor-saving techniques…of prefabricated components…(or else) the single family house could easily price itself out of the market.” In other words, the component industry came of age and well deserved the launch of a strong industry association.