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Wednesday, June 7, 2017
 
World Millwork Alliance (WMA), an acknowledged leader in the millwork distribution industry, will hold the 53rd Annual Convention & Tradeshow October 7th – 11th, 2017, in Charlotte, NC. WMA’s premier event attracts industry leaders and key decision makers; including millwork distributors, manufacturers of products and services, and sales representatives. Over the course of three days, millwork industry professionals will come together in networking and education events, attend business meetings and visit exhibits at the Charlotte Convention Center and at WMA’s host hotel, The Westin Charlotte Hotel. The convention program schedule provides this years’ line up of education speakers, featured keynote speaker, forum groups, networking events and exhibit hall hours. Visit the Event Website
MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
MJB Wood Acquires 2 PacTrim Plants
MJB Wood Group Inc. of Irving, Texas has purchased Pacific MDF Products Inc. of Arkansas and Pacific MDF Products Inc. of South Carolina, collectively doing business under the brand Pac Trim. The acquisition will make MJB the largest MDF millwork manufacturer in the U.S. and expands its distribution capabilities to markets across the South and Northeast. Read more at DWM
GREEN BUILDING
Nation’s Tallest Timber Building to Rise in Portland
The nation’s tallest wooden high-rise will soon take shape in Portland, Oregon. Funded by a $1.5 million-dollar award from the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition, the innovative timber building, named Framework, will be built from domestically sourced and engineered wood products. LEVER Architecture designed the mixed-use high-rise as a beacon of sustainability with its use of low-carbon materials, green roof, and resilient design. Read More at Inhabitat
High-Performance Building Week Focuses on Buildings as Part of Infrastructure
This year’s High-Performance Building Week, set for June 5-9 in the nation’s capital, seeks to inform and stimulate discussion about the benefits — water/energy conservation, improved safety/environmental quality — derived from high-performance buildings and practices. The focus and theme of this year’s event is to help policymakers understand “The Critical Role Buildings Play in America’s Infrastructure,” according to Contractor Magazine. Read More at ProudGreenBuilding
Green Organizations Team to Accelerate Green Building in Canada
Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) and Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) have signed an agreement to form a Canadian joint venture called Green Business Certification Inc. Canada (GBCI Canada), with final terms anticipated to be agreed upon this summer. Read More at ProudGreenBuilding
CODES & STANDARDS
WMA 100 Revisions
WMA’s Voluntary Standard, ANSI/WMA 100-2016, “Standard Method of Determining Structural Performance Ratings of Side-Hinged Exterior Door Systems and Procedures for Component Substitution” is undergoing a 5-year revision cycle pursuant to ANSI’s periodic standard maintenance requirements. The draft standard, incorporating several revisions proposed by WMA’s Industry Standards and Certification Committee (ISCC), is now available for public comment until June 19, 2017. Comments should be emailed to Jessica Ferris, WMA Director of Codes and Standards. Draft Revisions to the ANSI/WMA 100-2016
HOUSING INDUSTRY
Mortgage Rates Fall
Following 4 consecutive monthly increases, results from the Mortgage Interest Rate Survey (MIRS) released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) indicate that mortgage rates fell in April 2017, its second consecutive month of declines. Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
Can You Guess the Best 6 Cities for Middle Class Americans to Buy a Home?
As home prices continue to soar in many cities across the U.S., SmartAsset put together a list of cities that are best for Americans earning the average income. Read more at HOUSINGWIRE
Who’s Powering the Housing Market? Surprise! It’s Millennials
Millennials are growing up, settling down and looking to buy a house – for the extra room and the investment opportunity. Read more at NBC News
HUD Secretary Carson: Homeownership is the Foundation of the Economy
In honor of the first day of National Homeownership Month, the Department of Housing and Urban Development hosted a housing forum, replete with an appearance from HUD Secretary Ben Carson. Carson spoke of the importance of homeownership and HUD’s efforts to ensure that “every hardworking and credit-worthy American enjoys a fair chance at becoming a homeowner.” Read more at HOUSINGWIRE
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
The Employment Situation in May – Job Gains Down, Another Slow Day for the Labor Force
The BLS released the Employment Situation report for May. Payroll employment increased by 138 thousand, and the prior two months were revised downward by a total of 66 thousand. The unemployment rate fell to 4.3% from 4.4% in April, but only because the number of people in the labor force declined faster than the number of people employed in the household survey. The labor force participation rate slipped to 62.7% from 62.9%. Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
Report Shows Home Prices Up 6.9% in April
CoreLogic recently released its CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI) and HPI Forecast for April 2017 which Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased year over year by 6.9% in April 2017 compared with April 2016 and increased month over month by 1.6% in April 2017 compared with March 2017, according to the CoreLogic HPI. Read more in LBM
Hammer Time
Construction needs to look at–and learn from–other industry sectors to understand and ultimately solve its skilled labor shortage challenges. Read more at BUILDER
GOVERNMENT
President Trump’s Decision to Withdraw from the Paris Climate Deal Could Be a Step Back for U.S. Energy Job Growth
Trump slammed the global agreement as bad for U.S. jobs despite its widespread support from corporate America. That’s because it cracks down on coal and other old school energy sectors. But the climate goals would also stand to promote job growth in cleaner industries like wind, solar and natural gas. Already, job growth in those cleaner energies is outpacing that of coal and other big carbon-emitting fuels in the U.S. Read More at CNN Money
Tax Reform to Grow Our Economy and Create Jobs
Congress held a hearing regarding the current state of the economy and its future. Here are the big takeaways from that session. Read more from The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning, Inc. |
  
WMA Website Resources
RTA NOMINATION
DEADLINE JUNE 30, 2017
Can a Millwork Professional Make the Right Contact at Your Company?
Update your company and employee profiles in the membership portal of the WMA Website.
Need Assistance, contact WMA.
WMA CONVENTION SPONSORS
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UPCOMING WEBINARS
IOT+ How Distributors Are Improving Their Bottom Line with Technology In 2017
Presented by
Industrial Distribution
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
2:00 PM EDT
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Free On-Demand Webinar:
HOW TO CREATE AN EXCEPTIONAL DIGITAL CATALOG
Presented by
Handshake
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Why E-Commerce Isn’t as Daunting as You Think
Presented by
Industrial Distribution
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
2:00 PM EDT
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Top OSHA Recordkeeping Mistakes of 2017: How to Interpret What’s Recordable and Avoid Costly Citations
Presented by
BLR Events
Thursday, June 15, 2017
1:30 PM EDT
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Tax Reform to Grow Our Economy and Create Jobs
Presented by
The Center for Financial, Legal and Tax Planning, Inc.
Wednesday, June 21, 2017
11:00 AM CST
Watch Here
Evaluating the Centralization of Vacuum Systems
Presented by
Blower & Vacuum Best Practices
Thursday, June 29, 2017
2:00 PM EST
Register Here
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