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WMA Newsletters

WMA Association & Industry News – August 29, 2019

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Attention WMA Distributor Members

Annually, WMA Distributor members must certify their company to qualify for membership in accordance with WMA membership bylaws. By now, each primary contact should have received the WMA Distributor Dues Recertification Form. Please complete this form and return it to WMA via email, fax or mail. Please be sure to confirm that all branch locations and contact information are correct.

Please feel free to contact Tim McDonald with any questions.

MEMBER NEWS

New RSL Representation- Cory Cederberg

RSL, A Novatech Company, is pleased to announce that Cory Cederberg, President of Stallion Marketing, Inc. is now representing RSL steel doors, sliding patio doors, and doorglass. Cory has long standing relationships, industry knowledge and over 25 years millwork industry experience. His territory will encompass North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota. He will report to RSL’s Director of Sales John Ricci.

Arauco Builds North American Presence by Acquiring Prime-Line

Arauco has plans to strengthen its North American presence in the moulding industry by adding Prime-Line Inc. to the global wood products producer.

Read more at DWM

Menzner Hardwoods Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Menzner Hardwoods located in Marathon, Wisconsin is celebrating their 125 year anniversary. Their main office and manufacturing facility is located on the same property as it was founded by Philip Menzner Sr in 1894. Today, 125 years later, Phil Menzner is the fourth generation in the family to own and operate the business.

Read more here

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Apartment and Condo Building Confidence Improves

Confidence in the market for new apartment and condo building improved in the second quarter of 2019, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

Read more at LBM Journal

RRI Shows Promise Even With Tight Housing Market

The national Residential Remodeling Index (RRI), a Metrostudy […]

2021-05-18T20:16:25-04:00September 3, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – August 22, 2019

MEMBER NEWS

Masonite International Corporation Names Cory Sorice as Chief Innovation Officer

Masonite International Corporation (NYSE: DOOR) today announced the appointment of Cory Sorice as Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer, effective August 19, 2019.

Read more at Masonite

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

July Single-Family Starts Continue Modest Improvement

July single-family starts increased 1.3% to 876,000 units, but a decline in multifamily production brought total housing starts down 4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.19 million units.

Read more at LBM Journal

The Onset of a Downturn is as Much a Matter of Mood As Of Money

In recent weeks the human and silicon brains at Google have registered an alarming rise in searches related to “recession”. It is easily explained.

Read more at The Economist

The Macroeconomics of the Labor Shortage

The No. 1 business issue for home builders, remodelers, and land developers continues to be access to skilled labor According to NAHB analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, as of April of this year there were 404,000 open construction sector positions.

Read more at MetroStudy

Housing Starts Fall for Third Consecutive Month

Housing starts fell 4% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.191 million, led by a 17% plunge in multifamily starts, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Commerce.

Read more at Housingwire

TRENDS AND REPORTS

Millwork Industry in the US – Market Research Report

Over the five years to 2019, the Millwork industry’s performance has been uneven. The industry manufactures wood-based architectural products such as doors, windows and flooring. Nearly 90.0% of industry products are used in residential construction, split evenly between new housing construction and renovations.

August report available from IBIS World

GREEN BUILDING NEWS

LEED-Certified Homes Are […]

2021-05-18T20:16:26-04:00August 26, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – August 15, 2019

ASSOCIATION NEWS

2019 Product & Service Guide is Here!

Please enjoy this showcase of products and services from providers for the millwork industry who are engaged as WMA Associate Members.

WMA Manufacturers and Service Providers! It is not too late to be added to the guide. Please reach out to Tim McDonald for more information.

View the guide here

2019 Ron Taylor Award Recipients: Carl Detering Jr. and Jeff Johnson

World Millwork Alliance (WMA) is proud to announce the recipients to receive the 2019 Ron Taylor Award of Integrity and Commitment; Carl Detering, Jr. and Jeff Johnson. The Ron Taylor Award committee recognizes individuals who have set sterling examples of the three key components associated with the RTA – Connection, Commitment and Contribution. The prestigious awards will be presented October 8, 2019, at the WMA 55th Annual Convention & Tradeshow in Reno, Nevada. Congratulations to Carl and Jeff. 

Read more here

MEMBER NEWS

Quanex Ohio Plant Hits 1 Million Hours Without Lost-Time Injury

Quanex Building Products’ Cambridge, Ohio, facility recently achieved more than 1 million man-hours worked without a lost-time injury—a significant milestone that is a part of the company’s overall safety culture, according to the company.

Read more at DWM

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Economic Worries Rock Financial Markets Globally

Worries about a global economic slowdown—which has been exacerbated by renewed trade uncertainties—has caused financial markets to fall dramatically.

Read more at NAM.org

GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Trump Delays Tariffs on Chinese Cellphones, Laptops, Toys; Markets Jump

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed off his Sept. 1 deadline for 10% tariffs on remaining Chinese imports, delaying duties on cellphones, laptops and other consumer goods, in the hopes of […]

2021-05-18T20:16:26-04:00August 26, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – August 8, 2019

ASSOCIATION AND MEMBER NEWS

ATTENTION: WMA Distributor Members WMA Meeting Notice – WMA Annual Distributor Business Meeting

MONDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2019
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
PEPPERMILL RESORT – RENO, NEVADA

WMA will hold its Annual Distributor Business Meeting during the WMA Annual Convention. The Distributor Business Meeting (DBM) is open to all active Distributor members who are present at the convention. Distributor members are voting delegates of the organization and will be voting at the meeting to elect new board members. The meeting agenda will include information on the Association’s fiscal status, organization operations and an update from WMA leaders.

All active WMA Distributor members are encouraged to attend the Annual Distributor Business Meeting.

WMA By-Laws Approved

On July 23, 2019, WMA Distributor members approved the revisions to its by-laws with 89% approval of the responding distributor votes. In March, the WMA Board of Directors determined a by-law change was necessary to enable the association senior executive as president/CEO to move swiftly and authoritatively with financial institutions, government and state association documents. The amended by-laws are in effect now and available on the WMA website.

BMC Announces the Acquisition of Kingston Lumber, Enhancing its Customer Base and Service Capabilities in the Pacific Northwest

BMC Stock Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: BMCH) (“BMC” or the “Company”), a leading provider of diversified lumber and building materials and solutions to new construction builders and professional remodelers in the U.S., announced today that it has acquired Kingston Lumber, a leading supplier of building materials to custom builders and professional remodelers in Kingston, Washington.

Read more at BMC

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

More Investors Take on Build-To-Rent Housing Trend

Homebuilders are stepping up to the plate and becoming landlords in the latest growing housing industry trend. According to 

2021-05-18T20:16:26-04:00August 12, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – August 1, 2019

MEMBER NEWS

Huttig Building Products, Inc. Announces Second Quarter 2019 Results

Huttig Building Products, Inc. (“Huttig” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: HBP), a leading domestic distributor of millwork, building materials and wood products, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2019.

Read more at Huttig.com

New RSL Representation

RSL, A Novatech Company, is pleased to make the following announcement. Jim and Craig Grow of JEG Sales and Randy Porter of RJ Porter and Associates are now representing RSL steel doors and doorglass. Craig and Jim’s territory will be Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. Randy’s territory will be Colorado and Utah. All three have decades of experience in the millwork industry.

Read more at Facebook

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Tactics to Attract and Retain Skilled Labor

In a recent survey for our annual Builder 100 list, respondents selected from five strategies used to attract and retain talent.

Read more at Builder Online

ATA: Trucking Industry Was Short More Than 60,000 Drivers in Meeting Demand at End of 2018

More than 60,000 truck drivers were needed by the end of last year — the most ever — to meet the country’s demands for freight services, according to a new driver shortage report by American Trucking Associations.

Read more at Transport Topics

Home Depot CFO Reveals the One Millennial Homeowner Habit That is ‘Music to Our Ears’

”[Millennials have] told us through our research, ‘We want to work on our house because we think it’s a good investment.’ So that’s music to our ears,” Home Depot CFO Carol Tomé says.

Read more at CNBC

Builders Still Worried Even as New Home Sales Rise

According to recent data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau, new […]

2021-05-18T20:16:27-04:00August 2, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – July 25, 2019

MEMBER NEWS

Endura Acquisition of Contact Industries Almost Complete

Officials for Endura Products Inc. say they’re one step closer to completing the acquisition of Contact Industries, with both organizations beginning operations under the name of Endura Products Inc. earlier this week. The step is one of many that brings the two companies toward operating as a unified entity since the acquisition began in December 2016.

Read more at DWM Magazine

RSL Inc. Announcement

RSL, A Novatech Company, is pleased to announce that Marquis Sales & Marketing, consisting of Wayne Cornwell, Joshua Kirschner, Darrell McFarland, Tony Strong, Duncan McNeill, Lynn Kundravi, and Al Mograss will now be representing RSL steel doors and doorglass, and sliding patio doors.

Read more at Facebook

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Studies Prompt Wood Door Manufacturers on How to Get Specified

More goes into selling wood doors than just high-quality products. That’s the takeaway gleaned from a study conducted by Accountability Information Management Inc. (AIM).

Read more at DWM Magazine

Residential Remodeling Growth Expected to Slow

Growth in residential remodeling spending is expected to slow considerably by the middle of next year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Read more at LBM Journal

Single-Family Starts Increase Levels Out Totals in June

Total housing starts dipped slightly by 0.9% in June with single-family gains offsetting a drop in multi-family production according to a report from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and Commerce Department.

Read more at DWM Magazine

Trade Is Still Unbalanced and Tariffs Aren’t the Fix, IMF Says

The International Monetary Fund said more work is needed to further reduce global trade imbalances amid increasing tensions, while issuing a fresh warning that such conflicts are […]

2021-05-18T20:16:28-04:00July 29, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – July 18, 2019

MEMBER NEWS

Meet the 2019 Wood Industry 40 Under 40

Congratulations to World Millwork Alliance members Michael Thornberry of Powell Valley Millwork and Greg Dilone of MJB Wood Group, Inc. for being recognized in Wood Industry’s 2019 list of 40 under 40. Read more at Woodworking Network

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Survey: Nearly Half of Homeowners Plan to Renovate

Nearly half of homeowners (48%) plan to renovate their homes in the next two years, and a third of those homeowners expect to spend more than $50,000 on their renovations, according to recent research from TD Bank. Read more at Builder

Inflation Remains in Check in June

But housing-related costs are on the upswing. 

The Consumer Price Index increased 0.1% in June on a seasonally adjusted basis, the same increase as in May, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Read more at Builder

The Age of Global Supply Chains Is In Trouble

Trade relations are fraying and so are the worldwide networks that made so many goods cheaper to produce. Read more at Bloomberg

Fed’s Powell Bolsters Rate Cut View on Trade, Global Growth Concerns

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday set the stage for the first U.S. interest rate cut in a decade later this month, pledging to ‘act as appropriate’ to defend an economic expansion threatened by trade disputes and a global slowdown. Read more at Reuters.

Leadership in the New Distribution Future

“If firms ignore the profit opportunities in the existing business, they are severely limiting their ability to take part in the new distribution future.” No one can hit you over the head with common sense in such a nice way as distribution profitability expert Dr. Al Bates. […]

2021-05-18T20:16:28-04:00July 22, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – July 11, 2019

MEMBER NEWS

Family First With 6 Generations, Going on 7 for Steves and Sons

Steves and Sons has a lot to be proud of after keeping their doors open for 153 years. Watch video at Kens5.

Plans Approved For Masonite Industrial Building

Project plans have been approved for a manufacturing corporation seeking to construct an industrial building in Genoa Township, MI. Read more at WHMI.

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Affordability, Wages and Demographics Cause Shifts in Housing Strategy

Of late, home prices have climbed while wages have failed to keep up, leaving a gap between the current housing market and affordability. Read more at DWM.

Creating a Winning Wholesale Distribution Strategy

Disruptive forces—enabled and accelerated by digital—are rapidly reshaping wholesale distribution. These forces are shifting the basis of competition, upending traditional value propositions, enabling new business models, and creating high growth opportunities for those nimble and innovative enough to capitalize on them. Read more at Deloitte.

Fannie HPSI Dips Modestly

The Fannie Mae (FNMA/OTCQB) Home Purchase Sentiment Index® decreased 0.5 points in June to 91.5 after nearing its survey high last month, up 0.8 points from the same month last year. Read more at Builder.

Fed’s Powell Bolsters Rate Cut View on Trade, Global Growth Concerns

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Wednesday set the stage for the first U.S. interest rate cut in a decade later this month, pledging to ‘act as appropriate’ to defend an economic expansion threatened by trade disputes and a global slowdown. Read more at Reuters.

GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE NEWS

White House Official Optimistic on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Deal

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow on Tuesday said he was optimistic that U.S. House of […]

2021-05-18T20:16:28-04:00July 15, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – July 3, 2019

MEMBER NEWS

Ricci Named Director of Sales at Novatech Company

RSL, A Novatech Company, is happy to announce that John Ricci has been named Director of Sales. In his new role, John, who has been with Novatech since the fall of 2017, will oversee sales of steel doors, doorglass and sliding patio doors. He will manage our independent sales rep groups in the upper Midwest, Midwest, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and from Virginia through New England. John has a lengthy track record of success and has forged lasting relationships in the millwork industry. Read more at Facebook.

Burns Takes Over as AmesburyTruth President

After receiving reports, DWM magazine has confirmed with AmesburyTruth officials that Jeff Graby will no longer serve as president and CEO of the company. Effective immediately, Bob Burns, past president of Ashland (acquired by AmesburyTruth) is appointed to take over executive leadership. Read more at DWM.

Epicor Acquires Majure Data

Epicor Software Corporation has acquired Majure Data, a provider of warehouse management solutions for the lumber and building materials (LBM) industry. The transaction closed on July 1. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Read more at LBM Journal.

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Bank of America Offering Grants of $17,500 to Homebuyers

The Mercury News reports that Bank of America recently announced a grant program to help homeowners who don’t have the funds to come up with a down payment or closing costs on a home. The Down Payment Grant program is set up to provide up to $17,500 to buyers who can qualify to make the mortgage payments but don’t have enough to put down or close the sale. The bank is offering $5 billion to help get 20,000 people into homes. Read more at The Mercury News.

2021-05-18T20:16:28-04:00July 8, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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WMA Association & Industry News – June 27, 2019

INDUSTRY AND ECONOMIC NEWS

Four Out of Five Manufacturers Optimistic About Their Own Company’s Outlook

In the second quarter of 2019, about four out of five manufacturing respondents said that they were either somewhat or very optimistic about their own company’s outlook. While that was down from nearly 90 percent who said the same thing in the first quarter, it continues to reflect a mostly optimistic sentiment in the sector.  More

The Commercial Response to Cost Volatility: How to Protect Margins Against Inflation and Tariffs

For companies that respond strategically, input-cost increases can be an opportunity to restructure pricing, upgrade sales skills, and improve account management.  More

Construction Starts Rise 10% in May

Residential building edged up 2%, with modest gains for both single family housing and multifamily housing.  More

The State of the Nation’s Housing 2019

With the nation’s economy on sound footing and incomes on the rise, the number of people forming households in the United States has finally returned to a more normal pace. Housing production, however, has not.  More

GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE NEWS

Alliance to Save Energy Responds to House’s Funding of DOE’s Energy Efficiency Programs

The U.S. House passed a package of fiscal year 2020 appropriations bills consisting of four bills that fund federal departments including Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, and Energy from October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2020. The Department of Energy will receive increased funding for energy efficiency programs and the Alliance to Save Energy has released a statement from president Jason Hartke. More

CODES AND STANDARDS NEWS

EPA and HUD Issue New Lead Dust Standards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency […]

2021-05-18T20:16:28-04:00July 1, 2019|WMA Newsletters, Year 2019|
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