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 isn’t sending you, you should consider going on your own. If you’re like me and have hitched your wagon to this industry, you need to keep abreast of what is going on for the good of your company, and for your own good.
When I was brand new to the industry, I couldn’t wait to learn if I could build a career in it. I begged for a ride from a coworker and got to the opening of the Industrial Building Exposition (INBEX) show in Louisville in 1972. There I was struck immediately by the enthusiasm around the flashy modular home displays, in marked contrast to those of the component industry. However, the much larger component industry presence the following year yielded record machinery sales, outshining the activity at the modular industry displays, and foreshadowing a brighter future for our industry. In the next year, 1974, the economy collapsed and the INBEX Show was canceled, but the component industry was still growing and needed a central place to evaluate machinery and connector offerings.
A new venue, the Build Expo in Chicago, was selected in 1976 and, although it was homebuilder focused, it became the site of the very first demo of an in-house computer. In a small room off the main floor of the massive McCormick Place, a crowd was awed by the capabilities of Lenny Sylk’s Forest Products System. That innovation created the need for a larger and more industry-focused event, one in which component manufacturers could view actual machinery instead of just seeing videos, and where they could also see computer innovations. Thus, the BCMC Show came to life in 1980 in the brand new Commonwealth Convention Center in Louisville, and BCMC began the showcasing of industry-changing innovations and personal growth opportunities.
Throughout the 1980s, the show alternated between machinery shows in Louisville and table-top, computer-oriented shows across the country, but all were ideal venues in which to collaborate with peers. At the 1986 Louisville Show, I managed to drum up some truss sales for my faltering plant in Texas. In 1987, after I was laid off, I went to the Las Vegas Show on my own and found a new job at TruTrus in Phoenix. When my wife was wilting in the Arizona heat, I used the industry contacts I had made through BCMC and other industry events to find work at a truss plant in Virginia, where I continued to benefit from my BCMC experiences.
At the Nashville Show in 1988, one of the most consequential innovations debuted — automated puck technology. I found myself standing next to one of the industry’s titans, Dick Rotto, the owner of Trussway, who was uncharacteristically impressed with the groundbreaking Alpine AutoSet display. Although the system needed refinement, sales took off as Koskovich showed his Jet Set at BCMC in 1995, and later when Clyde Fredrickson showed his Wizard. Today, automated puck systems are standard equipment at most plants.
The 2000 Show featured a David vs. Goliath type of face off, and radically changed 40 years of established sawing practice. On one side of a show aisle was a little-known component manufacturer, Jim Urmson, with his TCT web saw. On the other side was an industry veteran equipment executive, Dave McAdoo of Alpine, with his ALS. Through an unbelievable force of will, Dave had delivered the ALS after only 105 days of development (see “One Hundred Five Days in 2022”) and he captivated the Show floor by cutting a near perfect, 36” long scarf cut on a 2x4 with a single pass. While Dave’s impressive demonstration captured the spotlight, his ALS needed another year of development, whereas Jim began cranking out orders right after the Show, and went on to develop an amazing business.
Last year in Milwaukee, we were greeted by a robot automatically picking truss plates, which actually was pioneered by Jim Urmson’s 2009 venture, TCT Robotics. And today, that technology is making its way onto the floor of several plants.
These are only a few of the game-changing advances previewed and ultimately delivered by BCMC across the country for over 50 years. With recent shows being held closer to the center of the country, ideal convention-oriented cities are now the site of this annual tradition. We as return for our third BCMC in Omaha, Nebraska, you too should make plans to attend this excellent venue.