Mention accessibility and most contractors are apt to imagine grab bars, curbless... More
Universal Forest Products slipped into a net loss of $3.7 million in the first quarter from net earnings of $1 million a year before. Sales slipped 1.5% to $387.2 million due to a rough winter, lower retail sales, and last year's rise in lumber prices. More
There's an old joke in the news business that describes a newspaper as a carefully crafted, multimillion-dollar product that is entrusted to a 12-year-old paperboy--who promptly tosses it into the bushes. Today, that joke might describe a manufacturer that spends millions on development and then gives the end product to bad salesmen and worse distributors. More
Universal Forest Products Inc. announced net earnings of $124,000 for the fourth quarter 2010, which was a huge swing from the $663,000 loss the company took during the same period in 2009. The company also posted net sales of $378.7 million for the quarter, an increase of 12% over fourth quarter 2009's numbers. More
October traditionally is the time when, now that the summer business frenzy has ebbed, you can spare a few minutes from daily concerns, look to the future, and ask "What's Next?" We've been asking that question, too. This month, we report on seven trends that we believe will influence what and how you'll sell. Some trends will take years before they become big deals. Others will have an impact as early as January. All deserve to be tracked on your personal radar. More
When we put the call out for nominations several months ago for the ProSales' annual Public Service Leader award, our hotline to take in responses was chilly and silent. It became apparent that with tough times come tough choices. Proud dealers with mission statements that always included giving back were no longer able to do so with the same resolve. Dealers we contacted as possible Public Service Leaders turned down the offer to be recognized, citing the downturn in their staff levels. More
Be it with money, support, or service, the companies providing the bulk of systems software used by LBMs definitely aren't responding in lockstep to the housing slump. About the only thing that's consistent is the feeling among the trailing companies that this crisis might deliver an opportunity to erode Activant's standing atop the league table. More
Universal Forest Products Inc. reported a loss of $1.2 million in the first quarter of 2009, about a quarter the $4.6 million loss it incurred in the opening three months of 2008, even though net sales dropped 26% to $361.7 million from $489.5 million in the year-earlier quarter. More
Alot of dumb people work at lumberyards, and they're getting dumber every day. That's the crude version, anyway, of what I'm hearing on the road. Salesmen never were taught how to make sales presentations. Executives haven't learned how to pull potentially vital data out of accounting systems. Yard workers lack core skills they need to advance to supervisory jobs and office positions. More
