February 2006 Table of Contents

For 13 years, Mike Brown managed Stock Building Supply locations throughout North Carolina and South Carolina, catering to the custom home builders Read more

Nearly half of the housing industry's largest production builders identify local suppliers as their primary points of contact to purchase materials and services for new-home construction. But pro dealers and distributors, which serve as intermediaries for builders and manufacturers, still can get caught in the middle between trade partners that don't always see eye to eye about their supply chain priorities. Read more

Since the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the 20th century, the mechanization of manufacturing and distribution has been at the forefront of both popular culture and business evolution. From H.G. Wells' epic 1898 novel War of the Worlds to Sony's 2005 QRIO robot that can recognize human faces, pick up boxes, and even dance, robots have captured our imagination. Read more

What began as a fishing trip turned out to be a big catch for Fidelity Capital, the Boston-based investment firm that agreed last month to acquire Lanoga Corp. and merge the Redmond, Wash. Read more

Scherer Bros. Lumber recently found itself replacing cement board siding on 60 homes, siding that had been installed by a subcontractor the dealer had hired four years ago. Back then, the Brooklyn Park, Minn. Read more

Big builders are increasingly using Web portals to streamline building processes, and tech-savvy pro dealers that take notice stand to boost their own bottom lines. Read more