Joe Kannapell

Two Transformative Laborers in the Component Industry

Joe Kannapell

On Labor Day this year, I reflected on two component industry greats who escaped the drudgery of mill work that entrapped their fathers and created highly successful component businesses. Both were drawn to the nearest meccas of prosperity, Calvin Hall to Charlotte, North Carolina and David...

Joe Kannapell

He Bought the Plant to Save 10 Jobs – Now There are 150 Jobs and 4 Plants

Joe Kannapell

The tiny town of Sparta, North Carolina, turned out to honor Clint Bedsaul when he passed away in early 2021. Many among the crowd had been touched by the jobs he brought to their struggling remote community, but few knew the improbable details. And how Clint Bedsaul, the owner of a trucking...

Joe Kannapell

I-Joists or Floor Trusses? Ask a Framer

Joe Kannapell

Have you asked a framer lately what floor system they prefer? I did, after seeing a crew I’ve watched use I-joists for the last couple of years now switch to floor trusses. But I wondered why they did so only on town houses. Here’s what I observed: December 12, 2023 –...