What's happening and what matters in construction supply, from longtime ProSales editor Craig Webb
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If you received this because we've had past contacts, I hope you'll find the news compelling enough to merit getting more.
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How Hungry Are Companies to Buy Components Gear? 'It's Like Throwing Meat to the Lions'
Jay and Joe Halteman have rarely been so popular. Their company,
Wood Truss Systems
, helps companies buy and sell equipment used to create trusses and panels. That puts this manufacturer’s rep at the center of a mass movement in construction supply--fueled by big dealers like BFS and BMC--into component manufacturing. And from that spot, they see both boom times and challenges ahead.
More
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Q: What's LBM's M&A Score YTD?
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Answer: 127. Since Jan. 1, we have spotted 72 dealer locations involved in acquisitions, 32 greenfield openings, and 23 facilities closures. And that's not counting CNRG's plans to open a slew of new stores.
Details
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Who Will Lead PBS' Newest Yard, and 40 More Job Changes to Note
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The new
Professional Builders Supply
branch serving the Greenville-Spartanburg, SC, market will be led by
Charlie Coggins
(pictured here) as market president. PBS also appointed a branch manager, purchasing manager, and office manager.
Check out these and other job changes.
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Coming This Fall: Webb Analytics Boot Camps on Marketing and PR for Construction Supply
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Promoting a building material dealer is no easy feat. The game plans that retail operations use don't apply well to you. And the skills needed to stock and sell products are far different than what it takes to create social media, write press releases, organize events, and respond to reporters during a crisis.
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That's why Webb Analytics is teaming up with regional lumberyard groups and other organizations to launch a series of
marketing and PR boot camps across the country. Starting this fall, these one-day events will show how you can take advantage of free and low-cost options to boost your company's reputation ... and its sales! You'll walk away with dozens of ideas and examples drawn from some of the best dealers in the country and from my 45+ years of experience as a reporter, editor, and marketer.
Plans already are under way for boot camps this September and October in California, Indiana, Michigan, and Colorado. Visit
webb-analytics.com for details and to register.
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Latest Mass Timber Census Now Totals 545
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This
just-released map from WoodWorks shows a total of 545 mass timber projects in 47 states and the District of Columbia as of March 3. Of those, 198 have been built or are under way, while 347 are in design. For many people, mass timber is a synonym for cross-laminated timbers, and this map shows 97 completed CLT projects and 171 CLT jobs under way. But WoodWorks says mass timber projects also include jobs featuring nail laminated timber, dowel-laminated timber, heavy timber decking, and post and beam construction. All this is happening despite a lack of mass timber production facilities in the U.S.
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Hear My Webinar on What Contractors Want
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On May 9, I teamed up with ECi/Spruce to tackle the question of what contractors want from you. We came up with a half-dozen ideas that you can employ to win and keep today's new breed of builders and contractors. Register to listen
here.
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Public Dealers’ Key Expectations: Higher Profits, Robust Capex Spend, Better Tech, New Stores
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LBM’s latest earnings reports and analyst calls revealed that the biggest publicly traded dealers are betting on investments, efficiencies, and new tech features to keep expanding faster than modest construction growth would suggest. Above you'll see how those public companies have performed over the past 12 months. And
click here
for details on the future developments that matter most.
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LBM Threats and Opportunities: Worth Reading
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No Time to Scan the Horizon? We Can Help
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Threats and opportunities are coming your way that could upend your business. Use Webb Analytics’ new
Alerts Service
as your personal spotter. Twice a year, I'll visit you to deliver a customized report on trends most likely to affect your company.
Contact me
for details and rates.
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LBM Discoveries: Broadway's Lumber Link
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Construction supply folks have a special reason to watch the Tony Awards next month honoring Broadway's best. Jeff Daniels, nominated for Best Leading Actor in a Play for his starring role as Atticus Finch in
To Kill a Mockingbird, comes from the family that owned and still helps run Michigan's
Chelsea Lumber. Brother John Daniels is a co-owner of Chelsea, which has yards in Chelsea, Saline, and Bridgewater, Mich.
Jeff and John's father, Robert Lee Daniels, started at Chelsea Lumber in 1955, became president in 1970, and worked there full-time until his death in 2012. He also served a term as mayor of Chelsea.
"My dad was an Atticus Finch," Jeff Daniels (pictured at right) said in a recent
po
dcast
. "He was the guy everyone in town went to to get advice. There was right and there was wrong, there was how you treat people, and he was that glorious Republican moderate who hired the poorest person in town to clean the lumber company. ... I wish he were alive to see this."
This is Daniels' third Tony nomination; he won once before. He also has won two Emmy awards for his work on TV, appeared in several dozen movies, written at least 15 plays, and performs regularly as a musician.
(Julia Cervantes photo)
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Need LBM Research? Data? A Speaker?
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If you want to run a better LBM company, Webb Analytics can help.
Webb Analytics
was created by Craig Webb, who for 12 years served as editor-in-chief of ProSales, the nation's most-honored publication for construction supply executives.
Webb Analytics alerts dealers to trends, threats, and opportunities from around the globe to help LBM insiders and investors make better decisions. He does it through personal visits,
custom research, data, strategic consulting,
speeches, roundtables, board work, and business development services.
Prior to joining ProSales, Webb worked as an editor and reporter at The Wall Street Journal in Brussels and New York. He served as chief economics reporter for United Press International, covered Congress and the White House for McGraw-Hill, was trade editor at the Journal of Commerce, and worked for other organizations in newsrooms from Indiana to Italy.
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Webb Analytics LLC | 202.374.2068 | cwebb@webb-analytics.com | www.webb-analytics.com
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