MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS
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Complete Results
The 2016 Compensation Report provides the most comprehensive source of information available about compensation and benefit practices for distribution industries.
2016 Employee Compensation Report Order Now!
BMC Stock Holdings, Inc.
Launches Consolidated Brand
BMC Stock Holdings, Inc., once of the nation’s leading providers of diversified building products and services to professional builders and contractors in the residential housing market, launched its corporate brand uniting the Company’s regional operations and trade names under the BMC brand. BMC’s logo represents the Company’s mission to be the preferred supplier, employer, partner and distributor in its communities, enabling customers to be successful by delivering what they need, when they need it, exactly how they want it – from start to finish. In connection with the unification under the BMC brand, is a single company logo, new ticker symbol and new IR website: ir.BuildWithBMC.com. The company’s stock will continue to trade on NASDAQ under the new ticker symbol BMCH beginning June 6, 2016.
Read more at BMC Stock Holdings, Inc.
William-MacRae and Company
Awarded Importer of the Year Award
On May 11, 2016 The Midwest International Trade Association awarded William-MacRae and Company Importer of the Year for 2016. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts presented the award to President Scott Burger at the annual World Trade Conference.
William-MacRae and Company is industry leading importer of wood products and industrial components. For over 25 years, William-MacRae and Company has supported American manufacturers and distributors in their effort to remain competitive in a challenging world by supplying high quality millwork and other wood components for their US operations.
For more information please visit William-MacRae and Company
WMA Member Presented Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Award
Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J. served as Superior General of the Society of Jesus from 1965 until 1983. Fr. Arrupe gave one of his most famous speeches in 1973 when he proposed the educational objective to form “men and women for others.” Jesuit High School initiated the Arrupe Award in 1998 to honor and recognize those whose service is a model of what it means to be a person for others. This year we are pleased to present the Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Award to Jeff Johnson.
WMA Welcomes New Member:
Superior Aluminum Products
For 60 years Superior Aluminum Products has been one of the country’s leading manufacturers of aluminum railings, fences, and columns. Superior products are installed in a wide array of applications including single and multi-family residential, higher education, health care, and lodging. Every project is custom-drawn by the Superior team of engineers and manufactured with pride to exact customer specifications. Each assembly is made with high quality, durable aluminum, creating a maintenance-free final product that will look just as impressive many years from now. Superior columns are proudly stocked in lumber yards and home improvement centers all across the US.
For more information please visit Superior Aluminum
HOUSING INDUSTRY NEWS
The Supply Trap
What’s it going to take to release the labor, lots, and lending headlock, to bring in would-be home buyers who can and will repay their loans?
All eyes on Wall Street fixate on what’s next for the Fed and interest rates. Funny, that’s not what all eyes on Main Street focus on at all. Here, new data from Trulia–culled as recently as last week among 2,000-plus Harris Poll online survey respondents–suggests that interest rates take a decided second-place to a bigger fear among those surveyed: the fear of not finding a home they can buy
Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
Home and Multifamily Residential Debt Expand
According to the Federal Reserve Board’s first quarter of 2016 release of its Financial Accounts of the United States report, household holdings of real estate, measured on a not seasonally adjusted basis, totaled $22.524 trillion in the first quarter of 2016, $1.140 trillion higher than its level in the first quarter of 2015, $21.113 trillion. At the same time, home mortgage debt outstanding, $9.511 trillion in the first quarter of 2016, rose by $136.4 billion over the same four-quarter period. Since the total value of household-held real estate rose faster than the aggregate amount of mortgage debt outstanding, then home equity held by households grew. Over the year, total home equity held by households grew by $1.275 trillion, 10.9%, to $13.014 trillion. Household’s home equity is now 57.8% of household real estate.
Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
Consumer Confidence Slipped Again in May
The Consumer Confidence Index, reported by the Conference Board, slipped again in May. The Consumer Confidence Index declined to 92.6 in May, from 94.7 in April. Both the present situation index and the expectations index dropped. The present situation index slipped to 112.9, from 117.1 in April, and the expectations index dropped to 79.0, from 79.7 in April.
Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
Freddie Mac: Baby Boomers pushing Millennials
out of housing market
Baby Boomers control nearly 66% of today’s home equity, so it’s no wonder so much of the market rides on their future plans. Whereas a majority of them plan to age in place, about 40% responded that they would like to move at least once more, according to Freddie Mac’s 55+ Survey.The company surveyed 4,900 homeowners born before 1961, asking about their current housing situation and their future plans. About 19 million Baby Boomers want to buy a home, with 8 million saying they want to do it within the next four years. Unfortunately for Millennials, about half of the 19 million said they are looking to pay less. With that many potential homebuyers moving into the market, first-time homebuyers could struggle with the competition.
Read more at HOUSINGWIRE
One-person Firms in Residential Construction:
Many but Small
In 2014, there were 1.7 million one-person firms in specialty trade contracting (carpenters, electricians, plumbers, etc.), 582,000 in residential building construction (e.g., home builders and remodelers), and 11,000 in land subdivision (developers of residential lots). These numbers come from the latest U.S. Census Bureau’s Nonemployer Statistics, which define a nonemployer as a business with no-paid employees, which means essentially that the business consists only of the owner. Because these one-person firms count as neither employers nor employees in the official government accounts, they can be easy to overlook, even though they are so numerous. Residential building construction, land subdivision, and specialty trade contractors are the three categories that encompass activities related to home building. Unfortunately, the Census Bureau doesn’t distinguish residential from non-residential specialty trade contractors.
Read more at NAHB Eye On Housing
Lenders More Positive on Housing
Demand growth for GSE eligible purchase mortgages over the past three months rebounded to 70% on net, compared with 20% in the prior quarter.
Lender attitudes toward the housing market are positive overall heading into Q3, having recovered from a significant decline in recent quarters, according to Fannie Mae’s second quarter 2016 Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey.
Read more at BUILDER
CODES AND STANDARDS
IGCC/IGMA Certification Program Pilots Provisional IG Certification
Glass Magazine reports that the insulating Glass Certification Council, which sponsors the IGCC/IGMA Certification Program, is piloting a provisional IG Certification program that would allow a manufacturer to sell his product pending the ASTM testing results. There are parameters, however, to obtaining this provisional certification status.
Read more at Glass Magazine
BREEAM Green Building Rating System
Expands to the US
Environmental Leader reports that BREEAM, Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology, has now arrived to the United States. It is the leading green building rating system in the United Kingdom having completed more than 542,868 certifications and registered more than 2,242,262 buildings in 77 countries. BuildingWise, a US-based LEED certification consultancy, and BRE, the London-based Building Research Establishment which manages BREEAM, announced on June 8th a new partnership that brings BREEAM to the US. BREEAM USA “will focus on the BREEAM In-Use standard to address the 5.6 million existing commercial buildings in the US that are not currently benchmarking their sustainability efforts using a ‘scientifically-based green building certification’ such as LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED EB).” BuildingWise CEO, Barry Giles, is a founding member of the LEED EB Core Committee. In an interview with Environmental Leader Giles said, “LEED EB has really only focused on the top 10, maybe top 5 percent of the marketplace, and new versions of LEED are making it harder and harder for existing buildings to get into the program….There’s this huge market that’s not currently using a building certification program and BREEAM is a perfect tool for them.”
ALERT! HOTEL POACHING ADVISORY
Beware of solicitation from unauthorized hotels and housing agencies
There are hotel booking and housing agencies contacting World Millwork Alliance members and exhibitors claiming to represent WMA; stating that the convention hotel, the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel, is sold out and offering to book hotel rooms for the WMA Annual Convention & Tradeshow in Phoenix, Arizona, this October. Attendees and exhibitors who may be subject to inappropriate solicitation from hotels or third-party housing agencies should be aware that these solicitors are not affiliatedwith the WMA Annual Convention & Tradeshow.
Poachers may offer a lower hotel rate than the rates offered in our official block. Consequently, the reserved rooms may be of significantly lower quality, cancellation polices are often intolerant.
WMA goes to great lengths to ensure that every aspect of your convention and tradeshow experience is of the highest quality and value. Poachers do not have your best interests in mind, nor are they committed to providing a high level of customer service.
WMA convention host hotel is the Sheraton Grand Phoenix Hotel located next to the Phoenix Convention Center. Always refer to the WMA website for hotel room night availability or contact WMA directly.
We encourage you to book your accommodations through the official WMA Annual Convention hotel block directly through the WMA website when you register for the convention.
Any offers from other housing agents or agencies and/or hotels not listed in our block are not endorsed by WMA. Please report any unauthorized solicitations to WMA at Mail@worldmillworkalliance.com or by contacting WMA directly (727) 372-3665.
WMA ASSOCIATION NEWS
Ron Taylor Award Nominations Being Accepted
World Millwork Alliance is seeking nominations for the 2016 Ron Taylor Award (RTA). Do you know a WMA member who gives freely without reservation, has had a positive effect on others and contributes above and beyond; who is supportive and has been active in the World Millwork Alliance and their community? Why not recognize that individual by nominating them for the RTA? Nominate a WMA Member.
