Three Faces of LBM
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 yards? Can they becategorized as easily as their companies, or is one rose of a CEO pretty much like another? Could the CEO of a small operation step in and run a giant company? What about vice versa? Read more
Talk about putting your money where your mouth is. Like many dealers nationwide, Kuiken Bros. Lumber of Fair Lawn, N.J., uses co-op dollars to support promotional mailings. But for years, Kuiken Bros. also has held what Ryan Mulkeen, director of marketing at the seven-yard dealer, calls "beefsteak dinners" for its builder-customers, at which a sponsoring supplier makes a presentation. It recently held four of these dinners, attended by nearly 900 builders, which door manufacturer Masonite supported through Bridgewater Wholesalers, its local wholesaler. Read more
Tough Notebooks
ThinkPads (a brand acquired with the purchase of IBM's personal computing division in 2005) are built with a protective roll cage that includes a magnesium alloy frame and shock-mounted hard drive, making an "air bag" for the PC. Lenovo says the 4.23-pound ThinkPad X60 tablet PC has a keyboard that swivels under the screen so you can take notes and draw sketches without the keys getting in the way. 866.426.1316. Read more
The lumber and building material industry continues to lag U.S. employers overall in terms of labor diversity, but some dealers are taking steps to recruit from a more diverse labor pool and thus narrow the gap. Read more
"That sound of silence you hear may be your own doing." This is the advice a friend of mine, Rob, received from his father when he worked for his father at their family's vinyl siding dealership. Read more
Appelmann to Succeed Hord at Stock Read more
