Special Delivery
Five Star Group of East Hanover, N.J., distributes paint and accessories in a 13-state area to a customer list that includes such pro dealers as Builders General, Somerville Lumber, and Riverhead Building Supply. It's a mutually beneficial relationship. Some of these dealers generate "several hundred thousand dollars" in annual sales from these products, says Joseph Leven, Five Star's senior vice president of operations. Read more
Does Safety Matter?
Johan van Tilburg doesn't mind being on the losing end of an ongoing bet. As a matter of fact, the president and CEO of Tindell's Building Materials gambles every time he steps onto the grounds of the company's commodity center in Halls, Tenn. If he catches employee Stephen Hayes operating a forklift with his seatbelt buckled, van Tilburg pays him a dollar. If Hayes is unbuckled, van Tilburg is the victor. Read more
For Jay Breard, responding to the sharp rise in fuel prices may require a paint brush. Over the years, Breard's Rufus Deering Lumber Co. in Portland, Maine, has become so committed to the idea of free delivery that it even paints those words onto the sides of its trucks. But as a result, when diesel prices shot up more than 50% since last summer, Deering largely had to eat the extra expense. But Breard is going to stick with the free-delivery policy--at least for now. Read more
Fuel prices soaring? Housing sales in the tank? Commodity prices squeezing your margins? The state of affairs in the field is rough, to put it mildly. But rather than forcing a retreat, these hard times are even more reason to make sure your sales team is as capable as possible of closing a deal. Read more
Custom Conversation
While consolidation among the nation's largest home-building firms may grab the headlines, custom builders remain the bread-and-butter of the residential realm. Not only do small-volume companies account for 42% of NAHB's total builder membership, they make up 37% of the customer base of the largest LBM suppliers, according to the latest ProSales 100 research, the largest share by far among all customer types. Read more
Firm Brings On Riddick as Investment Adviser Read more
Chandler McCray
Chandler McCray is used to preparing for rough weather, given the tornadoes that roll through the Midwest. But during this housing slump, McCray isn't burying his head. Read more