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Many of the stories in April's ProSales echo a similar theme: To succeed, you need to get close to your customers.
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Architects who took the Myers-Briggs personality test show a strong likelihood to share a personality type that's found in just 1.8% of the U.S. population.
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The CEO of Fortune Brands Home & Security--the day-old corporate spinoff whose brands include MasterBrand cabinets, Moen faucets, Simonton windows, Therma-Tru entry doors, and Master Lock-says the company begins life strong, profitable, and contemplating acquisitions once the housing market...
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A former executive at a national supply company was sent packing for "telling it like it is" at a company board meeting. It seems the new company president didn't appreciate the honest, frank assessment this veteran manager gave during the meeting because it didn't fit his narrative and message he...
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Hazlehurst native Robert Johnson is hailed as one of rhythm and blues' most influential early artists because he was a great guitarist, songwriter, and singer. David Huntington of Huntington Lumber & Supply in Hazlehurst also is a triple-threat--in LBM operations.
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Following a U.S. Green Building Council vote that failed to pass a wood-certification benchmark, the Forest Stewardship Council's U.S. chapter has urged the council to continue to strive for a benchmark by sending out a revised ballot.
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It takes more than a picture to get a true portrait of Tim Stine.
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It may take another 42 months for employment levels to recover from the recession, a Mercer University housing economist warns. And perhaps even more worrying, the chief executive officer of Huttig says there are indications that future generations of potential homebuyers may not be nearly as...
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Glenn Miller taught himself the LBM industry beginning at 15 and went straight to work after high school.
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For several years, ProBuild senior management has worked to build an LBM operation in which decisions get made at lots of levels throughout a company that spans the country and employs 13,000 workers. The Denver headquarters operation is small, but there's no question it calls the shots. And what...
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Years ago, lumberyard owners might have scoffed at the notion of employing a chief financial officer to manage their cash flows and balance the books. Even the title sounded way too highfalutin: CFOs were for banks and companies with offices downtown, not for lumberyards out by the rail spur.
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Over the years, we have all led change initiatives, yet few of us have encountered what we are experiencing today. In many cases, we need something more than just managing change within our yards.
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It's a rare lumberyard that posts pictures of drums and cigar humidors on its Web site, but Compton Lumber does. That's because customers created the products from exotic hardwoods that the lumberyard stocks. Compton also is popular with commercial, high-end retail, and custom home and condo...
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Dan Coleman is well past the qualifying age for Social Security but still works 10-hour days running Zarsky Lumber Co., a 10-store operation that covers 300 miles down south Texas' Gulf coast and 200 miles up the Rio Grande Valley. Founded in 1928, Zarsky Lumber made much of its early income...
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We all know that construction supply companies aren't all alike and that there are important differences between LBM companies in how they are organized, which market segments they target, the ways their goods are handled, and how much money they make. But how different are the people running those...
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Tom Leppert and guests explored the future of Green building and the economic impact that can't be ignored
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Steve Kelly has done just about everything that a member can do for the Kentucky Building Materials Association, and he's about to step into the chairman's position for the National Lumber and Building Materials Dealers Association.
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Too often, salespeople are taught gimmicks and manipulative tactics for closing that usually never work. However, the good news is that you may already be employing effective closing techniques and not even realize it.
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Considering that the housing market has lost some of its red-hot sizzle this year, now is a wise time to evaluate your sustainable growth potential and focus on plans for the future.