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WTCA 2005 Regional Workshop & Conferences

Adventures in Advocacy - Backyard Advocacy

BCMC 2005 - Focus on Customer Relations

  • One of the three educational tracks for component manufacturers will spotlight customer relations: Building Relation-ships for Business Growth. 
  • Industry veterans Mike Ruede, Joe Hikel and Craig Plummer will each present one session within the track. 
  • BCMC sessions and the concepts covered within them are created by component manufacturers for component manufacturers.

Builder Banter

Code Connection - Building Code Adoptions

  • Thirty states, Washington DC, the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the National Park Service and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the IBC.
  • Twenty-seven states, Washington DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands have adopted the IRC.
  • While monitoring state, regional or local code activities may sound as fun as watching paint dry, the effect of bad code adoption can be profound.
  • Our industry goal is to facilitate an effective monitoring process. The more knowledge we have, the more power we will have in shaping our industry’s future.

Knowledge Is Power - Who Is This ALEC?

  • WTCA recently became a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
  • ALEC is made up of over 2,400 current state lawmakers.
  • ALEC’s task forces give private enterprise a voice with lawmakers through drafting model legislation.

Publisher's Message - Advocating Change

  • This issue of SBC Magazine focuses on Legal & Legislative issues.
  • The majority of the building components industry feels they have little or no control over things like the transportation regulations.
  • Can local advocacy be worth the work? One WTCA chapter believes it is. Read Adventures in Advocacy to learn how they rallied for change.

WTCA Update - Introduction to The Load Guide (TLG) - Part 1

  • WTCA has created a spreadsheet program that is essentially a comprehensive CODE CALCULATOR. 
  • The goal of TLG has been to provide a standardized format that can be used:
  • To quickly and easily define the loads to be applied to trusses and structural building components.
  • By jurisdictions that require loading summary pages to be produced as part of the construction project submittal process.

Important Tax Relif for Manufacturers

Legislative Conference, Plant Tour Helps CM Establish Relationship with Lawmaker

  • How does a man with no interest in politics end up hosting a plant tour for Senator Chuck Grassley? 
  • The benefit of being involved is there may come a time when you will get a chance to have a direct voice and make a difference.
  • There are great opportunities to get involved in local political activities and serve on committees that are looking into issues that are vital to our industry.

2005 SBC Legislative Conference - Building Momentum!

Trussway's Perfect Storm

  • Trussway provides a perfect industry business case study on the high energy acquisition craze of the 1990s, what can go wrong and what one can learn from it.
  • Centralization, thought to be a cost savings business approach, can potentially hurt a company’s customer service.
  • Listening to and serving customer needs fully is always a great business strategy.

Adventures in Advocacy - Knowing the Courts: Part 1 of 2

BCMC 2005 - Focus on Manufacturing Costs

  • Do you have a handle on the costs of operating your plant? Discover some of your peers’ methods with the Ideas for Understanding Your Manufacturing Costs track at BCMC 2005.
  • Make sure your manufacturing staff doesn’t miss the Quick Response Man-ufacturing session, which will explain how to push product through your plant more efficiently.

Builder Banter

Economic Environment: Reading the Tea Leaves: A Regional Focus

  • The focus of this article is to direct component manufacturers where to find accurate regional, state and metro information sources for crucial economic data and analysis.
  • Economic conditions at the national level and local/regional level may are likely to exist due to factors such as demographics and weather.
  • Regional economies and their trends can differ dramatically. Component manufacturers may find it necessary to adjust their business strategies from region to region.

CM Lumber Usage Stats Revealed at Annual MSR Lumber Producers Council Workshop

  • The 11th Annual MSR Lumber Producers Council held a workshop in early June.
  • In one session, an industry panel discussed topics on labor, grade stamps, mold, the availability of 2x3 lumber and ANSI/TPI 1’s new repetitive member factor.
  • In another session, Francois Robichaud of Forintek East Canada, highlighted the results of a lumber usage survey distributed to component manufacturers.

Publisher's Message - Manufactuers Combine Old & New Automation for Best Results

  • Telling a good story, a technique called narrative teaching, can make your safety training meeting come to life.
  • Look for interesting "props" that can drive home points in both a humorous and graphic manner.
  • Always ask specific questions to get training interaction started. Avoid "war stories."