What's happening and what matters in construction supply, from Webb Analytics President Craig Webb.
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The Stories Behind the BFS-BMC Merger: CEO Changes, Covid Concerns, and a Rival 'Party X' |
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Surprising as the news might have seemed at the time, the merger of BMC with Builders FirstSource actually capped an effort that stretches back to April 2018. The backstory features a rival suitor for BMC, several CEOs, extended haggling over money, and a surprise arrival (aka Covid) that temporary stopped the deal. Here's how it happened
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Source: Home Innovation Research Labs |
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Polls Done 13 Months Apart Suggest Covid Is Nudging Builders Toward Off-Site Construction |
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Watching change in construction practices can feel like watching a glacier move, but if you're patient, you can tell things are happening. The Home Innovation Research Labs is doing that now through surveys of builders' attitudes regarding off-site construction that were done last year, last April, and last month. See the results
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Source: Remodeling Futures Program
at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies
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Expect the DIY Spending Boom to Taper Off by the Middle of 2021, JCHS Forecasts |
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This year's Covid-induced boomlet in do-it-yourself spending ultimately will slow in 2021 because of two powerful forces, according to the latest forecasts by the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies. As a result, JCHS' latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity--LIRA--shows the annual growth rate in U.S. renovation and repair spending to rise to about 4.1% in the first quarter but then soften to a 1.7% four-quarter growth rate by the July-September period. More
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LBM Deals, Openings, Closures Keep Rising |
The LBM industry has seen a total of 219 facilities involved in deals, greenfield openings, or closures since Jan. 1, Webb Analytics' database shows. That's before we take into account the impact of the planned BFS-BMC merger. More
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111 People, 63 Firms: The Latest LBM Hires |
Our latest roundup of notable job changes in LBM features new executives at Kodiak Building Partners, SRS Distribution, Hammond Lumber and the American Wood Council; a market VP at Carter Lumber; a purchasing director at Nation's Best, managers at L&W Supply; and a VP at Woodtone. Also featured: Linda Hawkins (pictured here) of AO Door, who received Kodiak's first Chairman's Award for achievement. Who else is on the list? Check 'em out
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We Asked for the Business Books Inspiring You Now. Here Are Your Recommendations |
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Webb Analytics Report readers are an eclectic lot. When you were asked which business books you would recommend a colleague read this coming holiday season, your suggestions ranged the gamut from well-known classics to an out-of-print collection of Asian poems. Some of the 13 are shown above. And the others? Here's the list.
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Need LBM Research? Data? A Webinar 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 (and online) 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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Washington, DC, USA | www.webb-analytics.com
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