If you ever doubted that necessity is the mother of invention, take a look at the programs being created by the pro dealers that serve the largest builders and contractors. ORCO Construction Supply, the Livermore, Calif.-based distributor of hardware and tools, this year is rolling out a program to its top 200 contractor-customers that should help those customers assess the productivity of their jobsite management. Meanwhile, Dallas-based Builders FirstSource is increasing its capacity to produce trusses, panels, and millwork; New York's Riverhead Building Supply has expanded its Web services; and Ply Mart of Georgia says its salespeople are on sites so often they've become the "right hands" of construction foremen. More
