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The Baltimore Carpentry Task Force brings students together to explore construction careers
My grandfather was a general contractor, and my mother is one, too. I was toted around jobsites from a young age, and today the smell of fresh cut lumber and construction dust still brings me back to the good ol’ days.
- SBCA President Scott Ward grew up in the business and credits industry pioneers for laying the foundation CMs can continue to build upon today.
- As the housing market improves, CMs need to focus on bringing new and skilled labor back into the industry.
- Technical schools, community colleges, high schools and wfd.sbcindustry.com are excellent resources for finding employees.
SBCA President Jack Dermer reflects on the past year and encourages members to get engaged as the organization embarks on a new year and new approach to quarterly meetings.
At the inaugural summit, 71 participants, including 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, attended.
There was general agreement by those in attendance that the short-term goal of this group was to prepare for upcoming and anticipated Southern Pine design value changes. The aim was to forego the traditional adjustment process that can take years and is typified by the circular questions of component manufacturers asking, “what grades and sizes can you sell me?” and lumber suppliers replying by asking, “what grades and sizes do you need?”
Focusing on that short-term goal, summit participants discussed creating a series of standard grades or design value ranges that manufacturers could use and lumber producers could readily produce.
- CMs need to develop new strategies for hiring, given the tight labor supply to fill the jobs available in the SBC industry.
- There are a wide the range of jobs and great opportunities for advancement in the SBC industry; spread the word.
- SBCA's WorkForce Development site, wfd.sbcindustry.com, could save CMs a tremendous amount of time and money when hiring new employees.
Spend a few minutes with the thoughts of CMs doing business in markets where business is picking up and make sure your company is ready for recovery when it comes.
Charlie was one of the original “four pillars” of Alpine and served as a mentor to many throughout the industry in his almost 50 years in the business.
- A series of test concepts have been suggested. SBCA needs your input on these concepts to ensure the industry testing conducted in SBCRI helps improve market opportunities for CMs.
- The goal of industry testing in SBCRI is to tackle the daily design and framing challenges CMs see, and find solutions that make components even more reliable and cost effective.
- SBCRI was developed and built specifically for this purpose.
Timberlake TrussWorks LLC, Helena, Oklahoma
I got into the industry by starting out in retail lumber with Wickes. They had a yard near my house and in high school I cleaned the facility and stocked the shelves.
Take an “acquirer’s view” of your company to understand its value
TheTrussCo takes its workforce development efforts outside the box—and onto the airwaves.
The use of quantitative assessment tools can help ensure you’re putting the right person in the right seat on the company bus.
Quality. It’s the word you want each and every one of your customers to attribute to your products. It’s a word that implies reliability, a characteristic that builds trust and respect. It’s also a concept that points to superior craftsmanship that differentiates you from your competitors.
How often do you contemplate your scope of work (SOW), as it’s formally defined in ANSI/TPI 1 Chapter 2? That standard was originally published in 1995 and has essentially become law with its adoption into the International Residential and International Building Codes.
“Internships are a perfect way for us to get to know an individual and for the individual to see what a career in the component manufacturing industry would be like. If both sides come to the conclusion that it’s a good fit, it’s a win-win situation and an opportunity for both parties to be successful,” says Mike Petrina, plant manager at Wisconsin Building Supply. “The internship exposes them to a lot of different projects and you can figure out what their strengths and weaknesses are in designing and determine where their passion lies.”
Local school or community events that connect employers with job-seekers provide a focused opportunity to talk with many potential employees in a short period of time and can be a valuable way to promote why your company is a great place to work.
Implementing employee evaluations effectively can improve collaboration.
- 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.
- It takes a creative approach to using material to meet customer’s needs, while still providing good quality structures.
- Once innovative framing methods are learned, and framers experience the ease of installation, and discover how all the parts of the framing fit together well, they quickly become comfortable with the techniques.
- Framers must be involved in creating industry standard details, because we are the ones most familiar with actual building construction.
The purpose of changing the dues policy is to ensure everyone contributes on a more even footing to the organization.
- The Occupancy Category designates the nature of occupancy for a building, which affects the required design loads for the structure.
- There is a direct relationship between the Occupancy Category and the Importance Factor—a low category will result in lower loads and a high category will call for an increase in loads
As valuable as time is, SBCextra contributor Jess Lohse can’t figure out why our industry gives so much of it away.
- By conducting its own ASTM E119 floor assembly fire testing, SBCA has the data it needs to effectively fight the controversial IRC Section R501.3 code provision and help preserve CMs’ market share.
- SBCA has drafted template best practice language CMs should consider using in their TDDs, customer contracts and submittal documents to counter the efforts of the lumber industry to shift liability onto end users.
- Through Framing the American Dream and WorkForce Development efforts, SBCA is actively engaged in helping CMs successfully navigate today’s labor challenges and grow their businesses.
Do you know how a crayon is made? How about a Hostess Twinkie? If you or your kids have ever watched Mr. Rogers, chances are you probably do.
Mr. Rogers has a great approach. “Will you be my neighbor?” is a simple question. Kids around the world (possibly including you) accepted his invitation and learned a great deal about life through his half-hour shows. One of the most intriguing and memorable parts of his show are the brief glimpses he gives us of the various facilities, laboratories and studios where things are made.
The 2018 Major League Baseball season just got underway a few days ago, and with it, opportunities for component manufacturers across the country to get together, share best practices, learn about new trends, socialize and relax.
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