Let’s give thanks to this component industry, for still paying us after all these 50+ years. While so many others have been laid off or retired early, we are still standing tall. Even as the lifeblood of our industry, housing starts, are down 50% since I came on board. Even as four major housing recessions devastated our industry. Even as we have suffered personal and family dislocations. Let’s celebrate our strengths as we continue to…
- Frame the American Dream to satisfy one of mankind’s most essential human needs: the need for shelter. Kudos to SBCA Hall of Fame honoree, Lenny Sylk, for capturing this sentiment 40 years ago by changing the name of his company from Material Fabrication to Shelter Systems. And this great appellation is continued in grand style by two other SBCA Hall of Famers, Dwight Hikel (R.I.P.) and Joe Hikel.
- Build a strong, enduring, well-engineered product that has continually adapted to the needs of homebuyers.
- Provide major components of the most affordable housing in the world.
- Optimize use of the most renewable resource in the construction industry.
- Frame huge monolithic structures containing thousands of components.
Look at some of the magnificent trussed structures rising all around us. Their beautiful appearance rivals any steel or concrete structure. Reflect on the amazing accuracy of such work, given the daunting complexity of structures like that shown. Recall that even a simple run-of-the-mill house requires precision assembly of hundreds of different pieces of material. Aren’t we fortunate to work in an industry where we can see the results of our work all around us?
Finally, we should be thankful that there is no near-term substitute for wood trusses, insuring plenty of good jobs far into the future.