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2009/2010
Regional Meeting Sponsor
Sponsorship Form
Several types of sponsorships are available for NAWLA Regional Meeting: Speakers; educational programs; food; receptions; onsite programs; meeting announcements; brochures; or contact NAWLA for other ideas.
Regional Meeting sponsors receive recognition in pre-event mailings, emails, website, publication, in the onsite schedule of events and announcements during the event.
Becoming a Regional Meeting sponsor helps NAWLA keep costs down for Regional Meetings and obtain better speakers and provide better programming during the event.
Contact
Mark Palmer at:
mpalmer@nawla.org
for sponsorship
information
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Wolseley Agrees Joint Venture over Stock Division LONDON -- Plumbing and heating products distributor Wolseley said Wednesday that it is entered into a joint venture with Gores Group covering its U.S. Stock Building Supply business. Wolseley said its sold Stock in exchange for 49% of a new joint venture company and a nominal consideration. Gores has committed to make further investments conditional upon the approval of a reorganization under a Chapter 11 pre-packaged agreement. Wolseley said the joint venture structure preserves Wolseley's shareholder participation in long-term value potential, while deconsolidating losses and conserving cash. Wolseley shares rose 8.5% on news of the deal for Stock Building, which has entered bankruptcy proceedings. NAW Smartbrief |
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Weyerhaeuser considers REIT move Faced with overwhelming financial challenges, Weyerhaeuser Co., the nation's biggest producer of lumber, is looking into the possibility of turning itself into a real-estate investment trust. Executives believe the move would help reduce tax costs, although the change might require the liquidation of some non-timber assets. NAW SmartBrief - Bloomberg |
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"The 2009 edition of Green Book’s Softwood Marketing Directory is available ONLINE! This service gives Softwood lumber sales representatives instant access to over 4,400 woodworking and industrial plants’ Softwood lumber purchasing needs. It is a free service with a qualifying Ad program in The Softwood Forest Products Buyer. Without an Ad program, it can be accessed for $900 per year. Each listing includes species, grades, thicknesses and quantities of lumber purchased regularly. It also gives the lumber buyer’s name, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web address. The 2009 edition of Green Book’s Hardwood Marketing Directory is also available for lease in both a printed version and ONLINE! It is filled with over 7,200 woodworking plants and distribution/concentration yards throughout North America. This directory contains the same type information as the Softwood directory and can be accessed for $1,900 per year, or at a discounted rate with a qualifying Ad program in National Hardwood Magazine or Import/Export Wood Purchasing News. For more information on either Green Book, contact Charlene Jumper at 901-372-8280 or greenbook@millerpublishing.com.”
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| Builders tie the knot For Pulte Homes and Centex Homes the marriage is all about size and diversity. If the two production builders complete the expected merger in the third quarter, the combined company will be the largest home builder in the United States, with a portfolio of entry-level, move-up and active-adult homes spanning 59 markets. But for Pulte and Centex suppliers, the deal is all about the supply chain. Or more specifically, whether the new company changes the way it purchases building materials. LBM dealers and manufacturers are also wondering about that $240 million in projected annual savings in corporate and field overhead: Will they recognize any of the heads that roll once the consolidation starts? On an April 8 conference call with analysts and investors, executives from both companies said there would be “significant overlap” in functions as well as head-count reductions. They also seemed to be in a hurry to streamline the two organizations. “The faster that we move as combined companies, the better off we are going to be to position ourselves for the future,” said Pulte president and CEO Richard Dugas. Pulte’s CFO, Roger Cregg, said the companies had not yet looked at combining their buying offices or construction divisions. “We don’t and have not included in our [$240 million] estimates anything on the purchasing synergy side or the production efficiency side,” Cregg said. Keith Hughes, an analyst who follows the LBM industry for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, notes that the Pulte-Centex deal “is more about survival than synergy.” But that doesn’t mean the two companies won’t try to throw their new weight around, he observed. “If they want to take advantage of the [combined] buying power, they’re going to have to do things on a more centralized basis,” Hughes said. “But builders have struggled with that. So much of the decision-making is done on a regional basis” One way around this obstacle is to partner with a national pro dealer with locations in numerous markets. George Finkenstaedt, a former senior VP supply chain for ProBuild, notes that the game has changed now that builders are consolidating or downsizing their staffs. “There might have been some regional offices that were resisting in the past, but now they might cease to exist,” said Finkenstaedt, who now heads a mergers and acquisition firm, M&A Advisors, with another former ProBuild executive, Bill Brakken. “If somebody at headquarters says ‘Just do it,’ you’re not going to argue over how to acquire OSB.” The new entity, which will use the Pulte banner and be headquartered outside of Detroit, is expected to have a strong presence in Florida, Phoenix, Southern California and Las Vegas, all red-hot markets during the building boom, all paying the price now during the downturn. But Pulte and Centex were focused on reducing labor and supply chain costs even before the crash, observers say. Dealers who can plug into this outlook may find themselves with a competitive advantage. Pulte operated its own turnkey construction crews in high-volume markets like Arizona and Florida, as well as a manufacturing plant in Manassas, VA. Centex worked with consulting firm McKinsey & Co. and developed its own network of distribution centers called CTX Builders Supply. At one point, Centex was directly sourcing commodities and products from China, assembling them into building packages and delivering them to job sites. Things began changing in 2007 as the housing market worsened. That September, the VP purchasing and distribution at Centex, Paul Dodge, left to join ProBuild as the senior VP of its supply chain. A year later, Centex sold its entire CTX division to ProBuild, adding six distribution points to the nation’s largest LBM chain. Pulte closed its Manassas, VA, component plant in 2007 and began focusing more on value engineering its existing home models. Centex, an early adopter of value engineering, has also brought in its trade partners to further refine those techniques. National builders have become very aggressive when it comes to pricing; many are demanding “cost visibility” that reveals a dealer’s margins. When Centex awarded ProBuild its “Vendor of the Year” in 2008, the Dallas home builder commended ProBuild for being “very proactive with upfront invoice pricing as well as help[ing] us create and capture value in the supply chain.” Source: Home Channel News
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The 117th NAWLA Executive Conference was held April 26-28, 2009 at the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort. Despite a challenging economy, numerous participants joined NAWLA in the desert for Stacking the Deck for Your Business Success. Most attendees were quite pleased with the event. More than 80 percent of survey respondents rated the Conference as “good” or “excellent” and more than 90 percent of survey respondents rated the educational program, timeliness of topic to the industry and the speaker’s ability to teach the subject as “good” or “excellent.”
The event began on Monday with the Exhibitor Showcase and Committee meetings in the morning, followed by a NAWLA Board of Directors meeting in the afternoon. The very first NAWLA Chairwoman’s Reception & Banquet included the presentation of the 2009 NAWLA Mulrooney Award to Aubra H. Anthony of Anthony Forest Products as well as the passing of the gavel to NAWLA Chairman, George G. “Buck” Hutchison of Hutchison Lumber and Building Products. Tuesday afternoon included the General Session and Exhibitor Showcase. Dr. Adam J. Fein of Pembroke Consulting, Inc. shared his Strategies for Surviving the Recession and offered his insights into the U.S. Economic Stimulus Package for wholesale distribution. The event concluded with a Farewell Reception and Dinner – Moroccan-style. NAWLA appreciates the generous support of the companies below
Conference Sponsors Conference Exhibitors For information on future NAWLA events, please visit www.nawla.org NAWLA Presents the Industry’s Highest Honor, The NAWLA Mulrooney Award to Aubra Anthony, Jr. Anthony Forest Products
Aubra Anthony, Jr. serves as President and Chief Executive Officer of Anthony Forest Products Company, a four generation family owned timber and forest products business. The company is headquartered in El Dorado, Arkansas. They operate two sawmills, two wood chip mills and two wood laminating plants with locations in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and Arkansas. The Company manages 91,000 acres of timberland. They are third party certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative. As the CEO of Anthony Forest, Aubra has been an innovative leader with a North American perspective. Aubra is a Director of the American Forest & Paper Association and recently served as Chairman of the organization. As the Chairman, Aubra brought unique Washington public policy experience and political skills to bear on such critical issues as illegal logging, eligibility of wood building products under emerging green building standards to protect our markets, as well as the opportunities for the industry in the emerging climate change policy debate. Aubra and Anthony Forest are ardent proponents of the value of wholesale distribution and are proud members of NAWLA. Aubra is an excellent role model for forest product leaders as they evolve from lumber producers to innovative “value-adders” who must adapt to the changing markets we face. Notable Contributions and Achievements in Civic Life Education Background Family About the Award and John J. Mulrooney The NAWLA Mulrooney Award was created by the North American Wholesale Lumber Association Board of Directors in 1979 as a testimony to the life and career of Jack Mulrooney and particularly the contribution he had made to the forest products industry in North America. The Award is to be presented to some person who has made a significant contribution to the forest products industry, especially with reference to distribution. The recipient need not even be in the forest products industry as long as the industry has been the beneficiary of the person’s service. This award is not intended to be an in-house award honoring one of our own. Candidates must also have demonstrated in their personal life the highest contributions of their time and talents in their own communities in service to others.
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NAWLA Regional Meetings A Big Hit! NAWLA has just completed recent Regional Meetings in Boston, MA; Portland, OR; Vancouver, BC; and Southern California. The meetings were all well attended with over 200 attending the Vancouver meeting and roughly 80 people in Portland. Each of the meetings was unique in its own way. The Boston meeting, hosted by Jed Dawson of L.R. McCoy and Jim Robbins of Robbins Lumber, was a breakfast meeting and focused on 10 Group discussion type roundtables. The Portland meeting, hosted by Tom LeVere and Monique Bauer of North Pacific, featured John Mitchell, an economist and LaVonda Wagner, a Basketball Coach and motivational speaker. The meeting was a dinner function, held at the Portland City Grill and had excellent attendance. The Vancouver meeting held April 30 offered three presenters: Mike Wisnefski, Bloch Lumber; Ken Shields, Conifex; Paul Quinn, RBC Forest Products Analyst. This meeting began at 3:30 p.m. and ended with an outstanding reception where big screen TVs were playing the Vancouver Cannucks – Chicago Blackhawks hockey game. Although the Blackhawks lost the game, they won the series. The Southern California Regional Meeting was held in Monrovia, CA and was hosted by Doug Hanson of Sierra Forest Products and Tim Cheney of Neiman Reed Lumber. The meeting was a dinner function. The presenter was Robert Prolman on the topic of Climate Change and Carbon Sequestration. Meeting attendees were of the feeling the experience was extremely valuable. Other Regional Meetings held earlier this year were Statesville, NC and Birmingham, AL. NAWLA will continue its offering of regional meetings next year. Thanks go out to Susan Fitzsimmons, Snavely Forest Products and Immediate Past Chairwoman and Buck Hutchison, Hutchison Lumber & Building Products and current NAWLA Chairman who, between them, attended all meetings.
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| NAWLA Announces the Election of its 2009-2010 Officers
The North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA), recently elected their new officers for 2009-2010. Those elected were: George (Buck) Hutchison, Hutchison Lumber & Building Products, Chairman; Chris Beveridge, Skana Forest Products, First Vice Chairman; Gary Vitale, T.W. Hager Lumber Company, Second Vice Chairman; Bill Barnett, Marathon Forest Products, Secretary/Treasurer; Susan Fitzsimmons, Snavely Forest Products, Immediate Past Chairwoman and Mark Palmer, NAWLA, Executive Director & Interim CEO. |
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NAWLA Annual Report NAWLA has had a busy 2008 and 2009. Susan Fitzsimmons, NAWLA Chairwoman, led the association through many intiatives. Follow this link to see the NAWLA 2008-2009 Annual Report. |
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NAWLA Celebrates the 25th Anniversary of Sheila Smith Sheila Smith, NAWLA Office Manager, celebrates her 25th anniversary with NAWLA in the month of May. Sheila began her career at NAWLA as the accountant with then NAWLA staff Executive Vice President, Pete Niebling. “Accounting was done much differently back then without the aid of computers” says Smith. She learned and progressed through most of the positions here at NAWLA through the years. “Sheila can answer most questions for anyone here at the office and the membership, be it a registration question, Traders Market, membership, data, marketing and… where the bodies are buried” commented Mark Palmer, NAWLA Executive Director and Interim CEO. Sheila has been through much with NAWLA and has seen it all. She was the catalyst for bringing the NAWLA database into the 20th century with the advent of computers in the mid 1980’s. Since then, she has become familiar with databases, desktop publishing programs, all Microsoft software products and e-mail marketing platforms. Congratulations Sheila! We all appreciate your longevity, continued hard work and dedication to NAWLA. |
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Richard Hall Martin, 91, former salesman at Parksite died Saturday, April 11, 2009. For over 50 years, Dick was employed as a wholesale lumber salesman, first for Guernsey Westbrook Lumber Company in West Hartford, Conn., and then for Plunkett-Webster Lumber Company (now Parksite) in New Rochelle, N.Y., calling on sawmills and lumber yards throughout the Northeast. |
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| Weston Forest Products announced the addition of Rayelle Vigneux to their Purchasing team. Rayelle has more than ten years experience in the forest products industry, including several years with Bluelinx Canada.
Hugh Pietersen, Product Manager of Weston Forest Products said, “Rayelle brings terrific product knowledge and experience to Weston and will add tremendous depth to our team while helping us continue to diversity our business. We are very happy to welcome Rayelle to the Weston team.” |
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Wood Biomass Market Report RISI's Wood Biomass Market Report is the only comprehensive source of market information and wood biomass feedstock pricing for the North American biomass market - featuring monthly updates on North America and international new biomass business development & capital investment, government incentives, regulations and policies, and other factors that are affecting markets. The Wood Biomass Market Report is a monthly newsletter that provides the following:
Each Regional Market Review will include coverage of topics such as:
Why choose the Wood Biomass Market Report?:
Related Products: Emerging Biomass Industry: Impact on Wood Fiber Markets - a comprehensive analysis of the continued growth in demand for wood fiber from the biomass industry, how this growth will impact wood fiber prices and examine how each sector of the forest products industry will be affected. International Woodfiber Report - a monthly newsletter providing the latest news and information on woodfiber prices, supply and demand, environmental legislation affecting timber rights, and regional as well as global news - an essential resource for executives who need to keep up-to-date on raw material supply concerns.
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| U.S. ports look to consumer for recovery
By Nick Carey - Analysis There have been recent signs the U.S. economy may be stabilizing after a deep dive, offering hope a recovery could be on the horizon. But U.S. import numbers still paint a grim picture and few economists or transport industry executives are banking on a recovery in the level of goods coming into the United States without consumers regaining some of their old shopping habits. Consumer spending has in recent years contributed about 70 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. When the economy is booming that means a lot of consumer goods are sucked in from overseas but when demand slips, imports tend to suffer. "What will drive imports is the U.S. consumer," said Jim Young, chief executive of No. 1 U.S. railroad Union Pacific Corp. "We're not optimistic that consumers will start spending again in the near term." Like the other major U.S. railroads, Union Pacific hauled a growing number of containers full of consumer or finished goods when the economy was stronger -- shipments referred to as "intermodal" as they use standardized containers that can be interchanged between ship, truck and train. But with the downturn, containerized trade has plummeted. Union Pacific reported a 23 percent first-quarter drop in intermodal shipments. Indeed, the speed, scope and scale of the U.S. decline after the collapse of Lehman Brothers last fall -- which nearly took down the financial system with it -- has been breathtaking, with stunning first-quarter freight declines. "February is generally not a good month, but this year it was awful," said Mike Keenan, head of harbor planning and economic analyst for the Port of Los Angeles, which together with the Port of Long Beach makes up America's largest port. In February, container traffic at the port fell nearly 33 percent from a year earlier. While Los Angeles port saw a daily average of 16 container ships in 2008, that fell to 13 to 14 a day in February. According to Paris-based shipping consultant AXS Alphaliner, the drop in containerized trade has left around 10 percent of the global container ship fleet idled. GLIMMERS OF HOPE But there are signs the economy could be near a bottom. For instance, container traffic at the Port of Los Angeles in March was down slightly under 10 percent from a year earlier. A modest recovery in consumer spending in the first quarter after it collapsed in the second half of last year may have helped. NOWHERE TO HIDE But the possibility of America's economy being near the bottom does not necessarily mean a recovery on the waterfront is that close. IHS Global Insight forecasts containerized imports at U.S. and Canadian ports down 20 percent in the eight months to the end of August, with declines slowing to 9 percent by December. "The slower pace of decline will be due partly to having a lower base to grow from," said Andrei Roudoi, international trade forecasting manager at IHS Global Insight, "but also to slight improvements in the economy." Growth may be slow returning because this is a global recession. In localized recessions a country can export its way to health, but Simon Johnson, a senior economist at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, said this downturn was pernicious because there is nowhere to export to. IHS Global Insight forecasts global containerized trade will fall 5.8 percent in 2009 and is predicting declines in every region around the world. "I'm not sure if Mars is open for business," Johnson said, adding that growth once the economy begins to come out of the recession will be subpar. What would make a real difference is if the U.S. consumer -- the engine of the global economy -- started shopping again, creating orders for manufacturers in other countries. Uri Dadush, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former director of international trade for the World Bank, said that when the recovery comes it could be fairly robust as stock markets and house prices could rise quickly from their lows, creating a "virtuous circle" that would boost consumer confidence. "But it could go either way," Dadush said. "It's marginally more likely we'll get a recovery this year or in 2010. But it's also entirely possible we end up deeper in the hole." But James Pressler, an economist at Northern Trust, argues that "deleveraging" by overextended U.S. consumers -- cutting back spending while boosting savings -- is likely to be a lasting phenomenon. Consumers who took on too much debt and now find their houses are worth less than they paid for them or have big credit card bills to pay off, are going to be prudent about how they spend. Those who have lost their jobs or fear they could only add to the cautious sentiment. "Those exporters relying on the once vibrant U.S. consumer should start looking for a new market," Pressler said. "This side of the Pacific is not going to be as friendly as it used to be." "It is going to be hard times for the West Coast ports," he added. (By Nick Carey – Analysis with additional reporting by Emily Kaiser in Washington DC; Editing by Martin Howell and Matthew Lewis) |
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| Consumer confidence jumps
Consumers this month seem to be more optimistic about the economy. The Conference Board says its Consumer Confidence Index rose more than 12 points in April to 39.2. It was the highest reading of the year, the Board said. By Paul Teague, American City Business Journals
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Survey: U.S. recession might end in second half of the year
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| Building Teams The Strengths to Confront Tough Times Why the strengths-based approach is more relevant than ever |
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| Convince customers they need to see you again and again
The best sales professionals realize they have to develop strategies to influence their customers to see them again and again to fulfill their needs. The customer must receive something of value that justifies their investment of time with you, and some of the most important benefits for them can include those that help them do their job more efficiently. Click on - DaveKahle.com for more…. NAW SmartBrief |
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| Five principles for improving manufacturer-distributor relationship |
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Manufacturers and distributors tend to have love-hate relationships, feeling they can't live with each other and can't live without them. But the two can follow some principles to reinvent their partnership -- communicate and be open about topics such as coverage, create a joint formal customer satisfaction review program, jointly develop a strategic sales initiative and identify an effective sales process. For more, please go to Supply House Times Online |
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The North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA), recently concluded their Executive Conference. The NAWLA Mulrooney Award was presented to Aubra Anthony, Jr. during the conference.
