Thursday May 2, 2019
WMA ASSOCIATION NEWS
WMA Leadership Conference Kicks Off In Tucson
WMA members came together this week at the Ignite Leadership Conference for three days of social networking and education at the JW Marriott Starr Pass in Tucson. The conference program kicked off with WMA’s Golf Tournament. Congratulations to 1st place golf tournament winners Dan Schaffer and Tim Minnema, Reeb Millwork; John Ridder, Alliance Door Products; and Michael Heary, CDS Logistics. Members engaged in roundtable discussions identifying industry challenges, solutions and sharing best practices. Afterwards, all headed off to be challenged in a team building event where member groups tempted a panel of judges by creating their own signature chili concoction and used their marketing abilities to brand and promote their special recipe. Today, attendees will recognize and overcome the obstacles in business strategy and environment, management and operational effectiveness and employee development in an interactive education session with industry expert, Dr. Michael Workman. As the sunset disappears behind the picturesque Tucson Mountains, attendees enjoy an evening of southwestern cuisine and say “adios” to fellow WMA members.
MEMBER NEWS
Masonite Names Howard C. Heckes President and Chief Executive Officer
Masonite International Corporation announced that Howard C. Heckes has been named President and Chief Executive Officer, effective June 3, 2019. He will also join Masonite’s Board of Directors at that time. Mr. Heckes succeeds Fred Lynch, who previously announced his intention to retire.
Huttig Building Products, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2019 Results
“Our sales performance in the quarter was consistent with our results in the prior year despite lower residential construction activity and severe weather across the majority of our service areas,” said Jon Vrabely, Huttig’s President and Chief Executive Officer.
Masonite International Corporation Reports 2019 First Quarter Financial Results
“We are pleased with our first quarter performance. Adjusted EBITDA margin expanded both year-on-year and sequentially, despite slower end market demand and anticipated inflationary pressures,” said Fred Lynch, President and CEO.
INDUSTRY NEWS
Let’s Get Real about the Skills Gap and Start Solving It
Yes, the skills gap is real and a two-pronged problem. First, manufacturing does not have the advanced training programs needed to produce the high skilled workers they need. Second, young people, their parents and counselors do not see manufacturing as a good career.
$5.8 Million Kentucky Plant Will Engineer Hemp Into Wood
Fibonacci, the company who makes HempWood, a reverse-engineered and patent-pending wood substitute, will lease a 11,230-square-foot facility for its first manufacturing operation. Production will begin this summer.
Read more at Woodworking Network
ECONOMIC NEWS
US Economy Grows By 3.2% in the First Quarter, Topping Expectations
First-quarter gross domestic product expanded by 3.2%, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said Friday in its initial read of the economy for that period.
Mortgage Rates Rise For Fourth Straight Week
Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, out Thursday, showed that fixed mortgage rates posted a fourth consecutive week of increases.
U.S. Mortgage Applications Post Biggest Fall in Four Months
U.S. mortgage applications to buy a home and to refinance one recorded their steepest weekly decline in four months as some mortgage rates increased to one-month highs.
CODES AND STANDARDS NEWS
The International Code Council kicks off Building Safety Month 2019
Starting May 1, the International Code Council, together with corporations, government agencies, professional associations and nonprofits, celebrates the 39th annual Building Safety Month.
Why Do Builder Associations Fight Energy Efficiency Improvements?
Part 4 of Code Watcher’s series on the IECC, addresses the fact that Americans want homes with permanent efficiency improvement, so why do builder associations fight them? Two significant surveys by the National Association of Homebuilders should make it the strongest efficiency proponent in the land.
ASHRAE Weighs in on Window-Related Retrofits for Historic Buildings
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) weighed in on windows and glazing recently, through a new guideline aimed at increasing energy efficiency among historic homes and buildings.
TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Providing Technology to Customers: Is It Worth the Investment?
Technology is the strategic opportunity that allows distributors to walk in the door with more than just donuts. It opens the discussion up to everything from consumption to strategy. Investing in technology that links distributor operations with those of their customers helps distributors compete, grow margin and offer the relationship-based partnership that customers are looking for.
Read more at Industrial Disruption
The Importance of Managing Your Online Reputation
Reputation is one of the most important business assets. However, in the digital age, doing high-quality work and providing excellent service aren’t enough. In the world of Google, Yelp, and Houzz reviews, it is quite easy for people to publicly tarnish reputations with a single bad review.
GREEN NEWS
Could Transparent Wood Become The Way We Build And Heat Our Homes?
Researchers at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm have developed a way to chemically treat wood so that it not only becomes opaque—even completely transparent at times—but also stores and releases heat during the course of a day.
SAFETY NEWS
Don’t Become ‘Numb’ to Workplace Deaths and Illnesses, AFL-CIO President Says During Workers’ Memorial Week
AFL-CIO released its annual report detailing the hazards workers face every day. Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect was published April 25 during Workers’ Memorial Week (April 22-29), which honors workers who have lost their lives on the job, and ahead of Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28).
Read more at Safety and Health Magazine
ARTICLES OF INTEREST
How Much Personal Value-Add Can You Deliver?
There are two separate and distinct types of value-adds that customers and prospects consider when deciding where to buy: the first is the one that is talked about the most, the value customers perceive they will receive from their supplier. The second is the one the salespeople are personally responsible for providing, and that is the value they are able to add over and above that of their respective company.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in a Profitability Overhaul
Distributors can examine their business models, recognize ways their priorities are affecting the company’s bottom line and develop new tools and strategies to execute a more profitable approach. Part of that process involves examining where and how things may have gone off course.
