When you get a moment between getting product out of the yard and answering questions from contractors and sales staff, close your office door and think about what you'd do if you could do it all over again. Read more
Edward Hines Lumber of Buffalo Grove, Ill., has sold to commercial and industrial accounts for decades. But in early 2006, when the slowdown in housing demand reared its head in the Chicagoland markets this pro dealer's yards serve, Hines got more serious about the commercial side. Read more
There's an unmarked parking spot at McCoy's Building Supply headquarters in San Marcos, Texas, that goes unused nearly every day. It was where Emmett McCoy parked his vehicle in the days when he oversaw much of the dealer's vast growth across the Southwest and then kept an eye on the company after his retirement 11 years ago. Poor health keeps him away nowadays, yet none of the employees has taken over the spot, even though room in the lot is tight. Only Emmett's wife Miriam pulls into that space when she makes an occasional visit. Read more
Professional rountables help LBM managers learn different means of business, such as new ideas, methods to approach difficulties, and professional development. Read more
Remember TV's "Fantasy Island"? Herve Villechaize's "Tattoo" character would point to the sky, exclaiming "De plane! De plane!" to Ricardo Montalban's "Mister Roarke" character, the mysterious overseer of the island. The plane then lands and out pop all that episode's guest stars. Read more
84 Lumber Marks First Profit of '08 / Nine New Members Join SBMA Board / And more... Read more
Feeling the heat? Go to Gunnison, a county seat in Colorado whose location (30 miles west of the Continental Divide) and height (7,700 feet above sea level) mean the average high hits just 75 degrees Fahrenheit in August. There, three lumberyards hustle for business, even though the county has just 14,300 residents and is nearly 80% federal land. But Roxie Rule is used to hard work. She has been part of Western Lumber for 32 years: the first 29 while her parents ran the place, and the last three managing the office. Here's how Roxie keeps things hopping at this 10-person, $2.5 million operation: Read more