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SBCA strategic planning process yields great results.
William “Al” James passed away at the age of 87 on February 26, 2015.
BCMC Sessions Focus on Doing Business Smarter
By 2016, one out of every three builders anticipate they will be dedicated to green building work on over 90 percent of residential projects, up from 17 percent in 2011.The increase in “green” home building provides an opportunity for component manufacturers to work with builders to arrive at a win-win scenario.
Ric Thompson, a senior truss designer with Millard Lumber, is used to taking on a challenge. “I don’t do small jobs,” he said. “I only do monsters.” Still, some monsters are more monstrous than others. Ask him about BLUEBARN Theatre, and it’s clear that this project stands out.
When Mandere Construction couldn’t get the trusses it needed to frame its projects, owner John Mandere went looking for the best truss folks he could find—and hired them
Editor’s Note: 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.
“Think more about the problems customers face and figure out a way you can solve it by improving upon what you already produce.”
Big C Lumber shared a lot with their guests and learned a lot as hosts. They offer a few tips for CMs looking to hold their own event.
Here’s a quick history lesson. In reviewing public documents surrounding the 2010 Final Action Hearing of the ICC with regard to proposals RB31-9/10 and RB87-9/10, one would gather the following information:
A tour can seal the deal with potential customers or cement a relationship with established ones.
- Even with its many benefits, innovative framing faces resistance. Prescriptive codes don’t directly promote innovative framing, and markets are slow to adopt for many reasons.
- The earlier in the process CMs can get in front of building designers, the greater their ability to influence the use of innovative framing techniques to design buildable structural framing.
- In order to get innovative framing ideas into the market effectively, you need to have your ducks in a row prior to approaching the building designer.
- Couple the IRC requirements with energy code requirements that are pushing more buildings to utilize a higher heel, and it is apparent the connection of high heels to walls is a key application issue.
- The SBC Industry Testing Task Group and the TPI TAC/SBCA E&T Testing Review and Vetting Group has begun to evaluate the needs and priority of testing the performance of assemblies to quantify the effect of heel blocking.
- It is clear from the very specific and isolated heel height testing already performed that there is an opportunity to provide revisions to 2009 and 2012 model code blocking requirements to transfer the lateral load resulting from wind and seismic events into braced wall lines.
- The National Framers Council (NFC) was formed as a council of SBCA to give framers a national organization that will focus on best practices in jobsite safety and building material installation.
- NFC’s goal is for each framer to leave the jobsite every day in the same health as when they arrived.
- The more framers and CMs interact, the more we will be able to identify framing and component implementation issues in the field and find solutions where both industries win.
From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Lumber Production, Grading & Design Values Part 2: From Stick to Truss”
Beyond super-sized energy efficiency, there are many other benefits to net-zero homes.
- According to an SBC One Minute Poll, CMs name finding and retaining good employees as one of their top challenges as business picks up.
- Good workers are all around us and a lot of them are still looking for a job that is worthy of their devotion and work ethic.
- Implementing recruiting strategies in and around your community can produce some of the best results with great, long-term employees.
Grab a sneak peek at the wealth of educational sessions being offered at BCMC 2011 in Indianapolis!
When PDJ Components opened its doors for a plant tour, it was an education for everyone.
Federal and state agency resources you can use to enhance business development and strengthen your workforce.
CMs are having success hiring more women in the shop
BCMC session evaluations indicated that the BCMC Committee hit a home run in choosing the topics they did. Take a few moments to catch up on what you might have missed at this year's show.
Early in the new year is always a great time to make resolutions on how to improve your life (and your business). Here’s a look at five powerful things component manufacturers (CM) can resolve to do in 2015.
“More often than not, if it’s a flat roof, it has a green roof on it.”
Last summer, Superstorm Sandy caused an estimated $65 billion worth of damage in the U.S., a total surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina in American history. Sandy was the largest hurricane on record to hit the Atlantic Coast, at over 1,100 miles in diameter. So while it hit the New Jersey shores the hardest, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, its disastrous effects were felt as far inland as Wisconsin and Michigan.
While the chaos and destruction wrought by this powerful natural force is sobering, it’s hard not to simultaneously focus on the positive stories that came out of such events. One such story is that of Cussewago Truss LLC in Cambridge Springs, PA. It’s a tale of the marvels of wood, the value of engineering and the fruits of a well-executed plan.
I had an interesting conversation recently with an engineer that I have known for at least 15 years.
From BCMC 2012 Educational Session: “Preparing for the Future of Hiring”