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.
The Offsite Tipping Point: What’s Holding Builders Back?
Why ‘this time it’s different’ for modular’s role in construction’s path forward: Predictability. Read more at Builder Online.
Build-to-Rent Housing Market Explodes as Investors Rush In
During the foreclosure crisis nearly a decade ago, investors plowed into the housing market, buying millions of distressed homes and turning some of them into lucrative rentals. Read more at CNBC.
Door and Window Material Prices Mixed in May, Up Year-Over-Year
Prices for materials used in door and window manufacturing were mixed in May 2019, but have increased on a year-over-year basis according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Read more at DWM.
GOVERNMENT AND LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Trump Executive Order Takes Dead Aim at ‘Barriers’ to Housing Affordability
Housing affordability has risen up the food chain of American kitchen table priorities. President Donald Trump, by executive order, declared last week that a newly-created White House council will “identify and remove obstacles that impede the development of new affordable housing.” Read more at Builder Online.
Bill Seeks To Create ‘Neighborhood Homes’ Tax Credit
HOUSING REPORTS – NOW AVAILABLE!
The State of the Nation’s HOUSING 2019 REPORT – now available! New Harvard Report Shows US Housing Supply Falls Far Short of What is Needed
CAMBRIDGE, MA – 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. The 2019 State of the Nation’s Housing report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies documents how the housing shortfall is keeping pressure on house prices and rents, eroding affordability for modest-income households in many markets according to JCHS press release. Read report.
Which Metro Areas are Building the Most Homes and Why
When talking about economic performance, there are certain sectors that are fairly good indicators of what a country has to look forward to. Read more at Fixr.
CODES AND STANDARDS NEWS
Chicago Moves to Modernize as City Overhauls Building Codes
On April 10, under former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago City Council approved an overhaul to the Chicago Building Code, the first update since 1949. This announcement has invigorated the local design, construction, and real estate industries as it brings the building code in line with national standards and promises greater affordability, sustainability, and innovation to modernize the city. Read more at Architect’s Newspaper.
Outside In: Designing Building Envelopes to Withstand Climate Change
Built to keep the outside out, the envelope ensures that our buildings are comfortable and safe. But the codes behind the envelopes were written for a world without climate change, and extreme weather makes them obsolete. Read more at engineering.com.
New York Sets Climate Standard
Led by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New York lawmakers reached a deal last week to pass a historic climate plan that would create a net zero economy, effectively eliminating greenhouse gas emissions within the state by 2050. Read more at Green Builder.
SAFETY NEWS
Practice Forklift Safety
Annual statistics compiled by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) show that there are more than 110,000 forklift accidents each year, with injuries to over 20,000 workers. Many of these injuries are regrettably preventable and operators should be aware of the risks and what their employer needs to do for prevention. Read more at Lawyers.com.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Your Lake-Woebegone Service Value
“Service is vital; ours is good!” Most distributors know/believe this phrase. But, are you living in Lake Woebegone where everyone is above average? Read more at Merrifield Act II.
8 Great Tricks for Reading People’s Body Language
Body language provides an amazing amount of information on what other people are thinking if you know what to look for. And who hasn’t wanted to read people’s minds at some point? Read more at World Economic Forum.
Keeping the Family Business Going When Family Is No Longer Involved
Family businesses, which overwhelmingly comprise the vast majority of privately held businesses in the United States, are the economic backbone of the American economy. The goal for many of these companies is to continue to perpetuate for multiple generations. Read more at LBM Journal.
PODCASTS
Putting Profit First with Tully Brewer, Littlejohn Inc.
In this episode, Jason Bader and Tully Brewer, president of Littlejohn, Inc., chat about the profit first approach and planning for a healthy succession. Listen to Distribution Talk.
