Market Education

Parting Shots

Components play an integral role in the structural integrity of a building, but in this case, they’re used purely for aesthetics. For the remodel of a Summit Credit Union’s “Inspiration Branch,” removable façades were built inside the lobby to represent financial and life goals dealing with travel, education and home ownership.

CMs & Suppliers—Your Growth Supports Their Growth

  • A key SBC industry value proposition is to sell a value-added product by providing unique engineering and supply-chain management solutions to customers.
  • SBCA members should have passion for and speak with a united voice in advocating for supplier and supplier association initiatives that positively support the SBC industry.

A Man Who Left His Mark: Honoring Edward Callahan, Jr.

Ed Callahan, Jr. passed away on January 20, 2013, one day shy of his 80th birthday.

From a McDonald’s Napkin to BCSI: Educating Customers on Proper Installation & Bracing

  • CMs deal with customers with a wide range of skill sets, including those who have drawn their house plans on a McDonald’s paper napkin. I wish I were making this up!
  • While CMs are not responsible for ensuring that customers brace jobs correctly, they can provide BCSI documents to help customers build a better building and stay safe.
  • The BCSI book and B-Series Summary Sheets are a CM's saving grace, especially if the customer plans to install the trusses on their own or not hire an engineer of record.

Parting Shots

It was nothing but sunny skies (a first!) at the BCMC Build jobsite in New Orleans this October. In just one and a half days, a team of volunteers from the structural building components industry framed this three-bedroom home.

The "Un-socialized" Marketing Approach

A few minutes to a better understanding of the how and why behind the brilliance of local market development.
 

BCMC 2012 Show Guide & Exhibitor Preview

Don't miss all that this year's show has to offer in New Orleans!

The Old (mid) West: Heart & Littfin Celebrate 50 Years of Business

Apparently, the secret to surviving 50 years in the truss business is to begin by selling lumber, and then working your way into it. Heart Truss & Engineering in Lansing, MI, and Littfin Lumber (Truss) Company in Winsted, MN, are both celebrating half a century of success this year, and they share some common characteristics: one, they both hail from Midwestern states; two, their founders all started by selling lumber and building materials; and three, they all resisted the urge to expand beyond their means. 

The Consummate Gentleman: An Engineer of the Highest Caliber

Remembering the life and times of Bill McAlpine.

May You Live in Interesting Times

  • The inaugural Lumber Summit held May 14-15 in Charlotte, NC, brought together  key lumber industry leaders, the top five lumber producers in North America, and component manufacturers representing approximately 700 million board feet of U.S. structural lumber purchases.
  • The SBCA Lumber Collaboration Council (LCC) resulted from the success of the summit.
  • A recent industry plant tour furthered relationships with the fire service and is a strong reminder to embrace plant tours as our most effective outreach tool.