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Time sure has flown by since construction began in October 2013 on the BCMC Build house. The photos above compare the work done during the show with recent progress on the project, and the home is tentatively scheduled for completion in February.
Name: Seth Stormoen
Company: Blenker Building Systems
Position: Project Manager
Years in the industry: 14
- Everyone buying raw materials for structural components or conventional framing applications is purchasing design values and related properties for use in engineering equations to resist loads for a given load path.
- It is not well known that lumber design values are global in nature and not specific to the piece of lumber being used.
- Design values written into the building code become the law, whether they are scientifically correct or not.
- If the law is treated forthrightly as written, professional engineers have great value in the market.
On October 7, 2013, the Truss Manufacturers of Texas (TMAT) hosted a golf tournament at the Quarry Golf Club in San Antonio to raise money for Operation Finally Home and BCMC Build, who constructed a home for Pfc. Cody Nusbaum. This charity event raised $10,000 for the project.
- This year, SBC expanded from 24 to 28 pages, thanks to the commitment of our industry’s suppliers who advertise in the magazine.
- Be sure to check out the weekly email newsletter, SBC Industry News, which offers insight into general industry news and trends involving CMs, suppliers and the economy.
- If you find yourself doing something a bit differently, or you complete a project you’re particularly proud of, let SBC staff know so they can share it with the industry.
Component manufacturers (CMs) and their suppliers went to Capitol Hill this May to help their Congressional lawmakers understand how the structural component manufacturing industry can be a valuable bellwether for our nation’s economic health. Indeed, the improving economy was evident in the increase over last year’s conference attendance. This year, 59 lawmakers were visited, but more importantly, 19 states were represented by 31 attendees.
- SBCA is not your typical trade association. At its foundation is a focus on developing, sharing and promoting industry best practices.
- SBCA has refrained from participating in a “pay-to-play,” direct-lobbying approach.
- However, on issues ranging from tax reform to housing finance, there are proposals floated by lawmakers that could put many of us out of business very quickly. We have a duty to warn.
- The problem with advanced framing is there’s no mention of modern-day wall panels, raised heel roof trusses, floor trusses or the versatility of connections between the floor, wall and roof systems.
- Our products, and all the tools and materials that make our products possible, are the best way to meet the demand for efficiencies in structural performance, material use, labor and cost.
- As we look to the future, we know we can talk knowledgeably about innovative framing because we have a sure-fire way to back up our approach: the SBC Research Institute (SBCRI).
Two years have passed since we covered Integra Steel Truss (“Men of Steel,” August 2012). At that time, they were just starting out, leasing a portion of a warehouse to produce their first big job with a handful of part-time employees. Today, they lease the entirety of that original warehouse, have opened a second facility, grew their workforce to over 20 full-time employees and expanded their workload tenfold.
- My heart, as always, was to serve our members and SBCA staff to the best of my ability.
- Support SBCA with your membership, your donations, your time, and your love and passion for our industry.
- I’m turning this over to one of my great friends and mentors—a man who I have so much respect and admiration for, Mr. Rick Parrino.
It is an understatement to say a lot has happened over the past decade in our industry. In 2004, we were Revvin’ Up the Components Industry with a little over 1.9 million housing starts (see above right). Little did anyone know, the housing market would top out at 2.1 million housing starts the very next year. When BCMC returned to Charlotte in 2010 (see above left), housing starts had spent their second year under an unimaginably low total of 600,000. This year, we return to Charlotte, Standing Strong and Gearing Up for Growth, experiencing our first year over one million starts since 2007. Will we see you in our photos of BCMC 2014?
In 2015, SBC Magazine will embark on an ambitious project. In each of its nine issues, we will begin to record the history of the components industry through the eyes of several of its early pioneers.
Don't miss all that this year's show has to offer in Charlotte, NC!
At this year’s SBCA Annual meeting, held in conjunction with BCMC in Charlotte, NC, the industry’s annual awards were announced:
At 3,426 square feet, the 2014 BCMC Build project was the most ambitious house built over the weekend prior to the BCMC show. With the help of several volunteers, including a professional framing crew supplied by US Framing, the house went from a bare slab to a fully framed and sheathed building in just four days!
- The focus should be on developing a system each company can continuously evolve in order to avoid becoming stagnant as the market improves.
- In order to bring in qualified people, initially, companies need to define, write out and fine-tune a recruitment process.
- You need to develop a pipeline of candidates and not wait for the need to arise.
- Component manufacturers have to be proactive locally in pursuing those outside the industry, including building officials, members of the fire service, specifiers, framers and lawmakers.
- It’s not hard to put a value on having eyes and ears like theirs in the market, when they are willing to look out for your business while they’re doing their jobs.
- The more smoothly the installation of CM products goes, the less issues we have to confront in the field and the less we have to overcome challenging building code provisions, the more builders will want to buy and install our products.
- Inadequate communication can fragment the various trades working on a project and lead to costly mistakes and frustrating delays.
- GCs are looking to turnkey framing as a way to minimize that fragmentation and reduce waste and the potential for mistakes.
- The efficiencies of the turnkey approach with componentized framing make it the best solution going forward.
- Before a new truss designer designs their first truss, it’s a good idea to have technicians work as a helper on a truss production team.
- Understand the personal characteristics, education and knowledge of your plant personnel because often talent is there that is unexplored and unrealized.
- Training a new designer is an ongoing process that takes time. When you have good designers trained, you will want to do everything you can to keep them employed with you.
- SCORE’s focus on best practices and risk management helps protect the component business and saves CMs on precious training resources.
- In an effort to make the program and costs more understandable, SCORE certification requirements have been streamlined, while still focusing on industry best practices that matter most to CM customers.
- The new package pricing gives CMs the opportunity to meet SCORE requirements, at a reduced cost, and begin to reap the benefits from key SBCA programs and products.
The purpose of this article series is to identify truss-related structural issues sometimes missed due to the day-in and day-out demands of truss design/production and the fragmented building design review and approval process. This series will explore issues in the building market that are not normally focused upon, and provide recommended best-practice guidance.
- In order for a company to grow successfully, it needs to evaluate its current situation and costs accurately and be able to articulate what the company wants to grow into.
- To improve production areas, start with the “5S” approach: sort, straighten, scrub/sanitize, schedule and finally, score the result.
- The right people, the right customers, the right vendors, and most importantly, the right motives grow a successful business.
- Incoming SBCA President Rick Parrino sees a lot of opportunity for the industry to grow and further change the way homes are framed.
- Parrino shares his experiences getting to know local building officials, giving educational presentations and trying to be a good resource for builders, framers, specifiers, firefighters and code officials.
- Parrino’s goal is to encourage CMs to begin building more relationships with the individuals inside our local markets that can have a big impact on our business.
- When it comes to jobsite safety, fragmentation within the construction industry creates obstacles that shouldn’t be there (and don’t have to be).
- It’s very difficult for framing companies to develop a consistent culture of safety when the jobsite-specific safety plan changes from jobsite to jobsite.
- FrameSAFE provides a standardized approach to safety communication and shares universal best practices when it comes to safe behavior and jobsite hazard mitigation.
building design review and approval process, and the
issues it can create for component manufacturers.
why accurate design values are so vital to structural design.