MLA Logo
Volume 12, No. 10
May 6, 2013
Lumber Industry News Express
You're receiving this online newsletter because you've subscribed through the MLA web site (www.TheMLA.com) or you're an Association member. We'll send a new issue every two weeks to let you know what's happening in the industry, at your MLA, and in the world that affects your business. We welcome your opinions and ideas. If you have information you'd like to share with other members, we'd be happy to include it in our next issue. We welcome both personal and industry-related news - members would love to hear your news and views - so don't hesitate to email us with information.
MLA Buyer's Guide:
An Important Part of Your Toolbox   

The all-new MLA Buyer's Guide is a handy reference for dealers. Are you using it?  

 

It includes all the suppliers you need. These are the fine companies that support your Association through membership and support of important member programs - companies such as Blish-Mize, Federated Insurance, BlueLinx, Roberts & Dybdahl, and more. Check it out and visit regularly: http://www.lumbermenbuyersguide.com/  

 

Together, we're making Mid-America the best place to do business.

Plan Now to Participate in MLA Meetings! 

No matter where you are in the MLA territory, there's a date and a place to meet with other MLA members in the next few months. Plan now to participate - and if you're an industry supplier, call now to get involved as a sponsor.

 

Kansas Sunflower Shootout - Now in its 25th year, the Kansas Sunflower Shootout will take on a  new location in McPherson, Kan. It's scheduled this year for Friday, June 14. Click here for more information.

 

Missouri Show-Me Scramble - Rain date! The annual Missouri scramble was a rain out, so we're rescheduled for Friday, June 21. If the May dates didn't fit your calendar, plan to participate in June! For more information, contact Robert Uhler - [email protected].  

 

Arkansas Fishing Event - Planning is still under way for the Arkansas trout fishing event, tentatively planned for September 26-27. More information will be available in a few months.

 

Getting together with fellow building material dealers is always a good idea. Get with the program and register today!

MLA Member News 

Welcome New Member: Denver Southwest... Service Partners, LLC. dba Denver Southwest is the newest MLA Associate member. Service Partners, headquartered outside of Richmond, Virginia, is the largest distributor of residential fiberglass insulation and related contractor accessories in North America. Through their network of distribution centers, they supply insulation, insulation accessories, fireplaces, gutters, roofing, drywall, acoustical material and other building products to thousands of contractors and retailers nationwide. To learn more, contact their representative Eddie Howard, at 800-411-7835 or [email protected].  

 

Fisher Lumber to Purchase Andale Lumber...Another local lumber company is being sold, but this time it's not because of the economy. Fisher Lumber is buying Andale Lumber in a deal that is expected to close in late May. Reichenberger incorporated in 1973 as the Pat Reichenberger Co. and later changed the name to Andale Lumber. The company has about 15 employees, which is down from 35 in 2008 before the economy tanked and the construction industry in particular took a hit. Fisher Lumber has 23 employees, which is down from about 38 a few years ago. Read more.   [Source: The Wichita Eagle, April 30, 2013]

LUMBER MATERIAL DEALER SURVEY

NLBMDA Logo We are requesting your help in gathering additional information on the availability and price movements in building material costs. Our two organizations [NLBMDA and NAHB] have heard members concerns about rising costs and have observed price movements from government and private sources. To better speak on your behalf with objective statistics, we encourage you to complete the short questionnaire. A similar questionnaire is being administered to builders in order to complete the picture. Your individual response will be held in strictest confidence and only aggregated statistics will be reported.

 

Use the following link to open the survey in a new browser window. Please remember to hit "submit" after completing your response.

 

Lumber Material Dealer Survey

 

If you have any questions, feel free to call or email: David Crowe (202) 266-8383 or [email protected] and Michael O'Brien (202) 367-1169 or [email protected]  

REMINDER: GET POSTERS FROM MLA 

 A member informed us last week that he received a call from "Nationwide Compliance" insisting he needs their posters to the tune of $109.99. This is to remind you that MLA sends out federal posters free of charge to current members. In addition, links to the required state posters are available at no charge on our website at: http://www.themla.com/MembersOnly/Regulations.html These are in the members-only area of our website. (If you need the username and password, simply contact MLA at 800-747-6529. This information was sent to members earlier this year.)

OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Moving Out and Buying In: Single Ladies Emerge as Homeowners... It's hard to remember that just a few decades ago it was difficult, if not impossible, for a woman alone to take out a mortgage. Federal legislation changed that.

 

And yet, it's still surprising to learn how dominant single women have become in the housing market today: Their share is second only to married couples, and twice that of single men. Read more.

[Source: NPR.org, April 22, 2013]

 

Marketplace Fairness Act Clears Hurdle... The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from president and CEO Matthew Shay: "NRF applauds today's Senate vote on the Marketplace Fairness Act, and we commend Senators Enzi, Durbin, Alexander and Heitkamp for their skilled leadership in moving this legislation ahead." Read more

[Source: Home Channel News, April 23, 2013]

 

New Home Sales Turnaround... New home sales made a U-turn after falling 4.6% in February to 411,000 homes sold. The sales of new single-family homes inched up 1.5% in March to 417,000. Read more.

[Source: HousingWire, April 23, 2013]

 

Growth Item: Biscuits for Builders... Pittsburgh-based Versatex Trimboard now offers a PVC-compatible plastic biscuit for builders who biscuit-join PVC trim components. Read more.

[Source: Home Channel News, April 22, 2013]

 

Big-Ticket Remodeling Spending to Speed Up in 2013... Spending by homeowners on major projects will accelerate through 2014 to the point that we'll end the year with $150.1 billion in spending, up 20.2% from last year's total, the Remodeling Futures Program at Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies forecast today. Read more.

[Source: ProSales Business Update, April 24, 2013]

 

Housing Rebound in U.S. Hampered by Success... Even as U.S. housing rebounds from its worst downturn since the 1930s, production bottlenecks are pushing up building-materials costs, land prices are rising and skilled labor ready to begin work is hard to find. Read more. 

[Source: Bloomberg News, April 24, 2013]

 

Businesses Poised to Hire Again... The country's business activity in the first quarter of 2013 grew at its strongest pace in a year, according to the assessment of 58 business economists (11 of whom work for companies in an industry group that includes construction) polled by the National Association of Business Economics, which released its April report on Monday. Read more.

[Source: Builder Business Update, April 24, 2013]

 

OSHA Crane Rule Explained... NLBMDA held four webinars covering the OSHA Crane Rule. If you missed the webinars, guidance is available here. If you still have questions, please contact Frank Moore, NLBMDA Regulatory Counsel at [email protected].

[Source NLBMDA, April 25, 2013]

 

Counting to 90: ACA and the Waiting Period... Under the Affordable Care Act, once we decide who we have to offer coverage to, then we have to decide when they get the coverage. Generally the new rule is that a waiting period for coverage cannot exceed 90 days. More recently, the IRS has given us proposed rules on the 90-day waiting period. As with all proposed rules, they are not final until they are final, but these do give employers some additional guidance on how to maintain the correct waiting period. Read more.

[Source: Employee Benefit News inBrief, April 26, 2013]

 

NAHB Tells Congress to Retain Incentives... To meet the nation's growing need for affordable rental housing and homeownership opportunities, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) today called on Congress to maintain its support for vital housing tax incentives, including the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, the mortgage interest deduction and real estate tax deductions. Read more. 

[Source: NAHB, April 25, 2013]

 

Pending Home Sales Rise in March... The National Association of Realtors said on Monday its Pending Sales Index, based on contracts signed last month, rose 1.5 percent to 105.7. Activity in recent months has shown modest improvements, and contracts last month reached the highest level since April 2010. Read more.

[Source: Reuters, April 29, 2013]

 

Handy Faces Future as Private Distributor... Handy management intends to explain the changes to current Handy dealers at a series of town hall meetings in the coming weeks. Read more.

[Source: Home Channel News, April 29, 2013]

 

Lumber Prices Up Sharply on the Year... Indexes for framing lumber, plywood, and OSB maintained by the authoritative Random Lengths Lumber and Panel Market Report show a sharp increase this year, the newsletter reports. The Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price stood at $434 (per 1,000 board feet) on April 19, up from $302 a year earlier. The Random Lengths Structural Panel Composite Price, a weighted average of 11 key products, was at $509, up from $345 a year earlier.

[Source: Builder Business Update, April 30, 2013]

 

Making Up for Retirement Shortfall... You may find that you haven't saved enough for retirement. There are different strategies for making up the shortfall. In this issue, we give you a few. One way is to reduce spending during accumulation years. In this issue you will also find ways to cut expenses.  Read more.

[Source: Tax Favored Benefits, May 2, 2013]

 

EPA Fines 17 Companies... EPA announced it is taking enforcement actions against 17 companies for violations of the Lead Renovation, Repair and Painting rule (RRP). Alleged violations include failure to obtain certification prior to performing or offering to perform renovations on homes built before 1978, where lead is more likely to be present, and failure to follow lead-safe practices. Read more.

[Source: Hardwood Floors Magazine, May 6, 2013] 

 

Industry Dashboard for May 6, 2013... Consumer confidence improves in April, and so does unemployment - but only slightly. Sherwin-Williams continues to lead the stocks on the Home Channel Stock Roundup. Click here for dashboard.

[Source: Home Channel News, May 6, 2013]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Us

Mid-America Lumbermens Association (MLA) serves independent lumber and building material retailers in Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. We offer a variety of services and products to our members, as well as events throughout the year to provide educational and networking opportunities. 

 

We're proud to be affiliated with the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA), which gives us a connection to the industry at large and provides representation in Washington, D.C. on federal legislation and regulatory issues.

***** 

"In the spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours." 
                           ~Mark Twain    
In This Issue
MLA Buyer's Guide
Plan Now to Participate in MLA Meetings!
MLA Member News
Lumber Material Dealer Survey
Reminder: Get Posters from MLA
Other Articles of Interest
Our Sponsors
Save the Date!
The Last Word
Is OSHA a Mystery to You?
Take the mystery out of OSHA compliance. Call Robert Uhler, MLA Regional Manager, for a safety tune-up in 2013 - 800-747-6529.
Quick Links

Contact Us
Our Sponsors
Blish Mize

Westfall GMC

GSWP-Yellawood
 
Save the Date!
June 14 - Kansas Sunflower Shootout - McPherson, Kan.

June 21 - Missouri Swing-into-Spring Rain Date

Sept. 26-27
Arkansas Trout Fishing Event

Nov. 7-8
MLA Fall Fling - Location TBD
Go to the MLA Web Site
for more information.
MLA Logo
These Suppliers Support Your Industry Association!
Please support them!

All Season Bldg. Supply
Allied Building Stores, Inc.
American Wholesale Corp.
Blish-Mize Company*
Bluelinx Corporation
BlueTarp*
BuilderLink, LLC
Builders Material Company
Cargotec USA - St. Louis
CCM Countertop & Cabinet Mfg.
Cedar Creek Wholesale, Inc.
Central States Mfg., Inc.
Continental Divide Fence
Delden Mfg. Co., Inc.
Denver Southwest - New!
DMSi
East Side Lumberyard Supply*
Federated Insurance*
Forest Products Supply Co.
Frontier Forest Products, Inc.
Great Southern Wood Preserving*
Hardman Wholesale Company*
Huttig Building Products
Jack Morgan Construction
Lee Wayne
Lumberyard Supply
McCray Lumber Millwork
Mid-Am Building Supply
*
Midwest Low-E Insulation
Modern Equip. Co., Inc. (MECO)
Monarch Cement Company
Moulding & Millwork Inc.- Midwest
Neff Packaging Systems

Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual
PWD, Inc.
Roberts & Dybdahl, Inc.
Rollex Corp
Schutte Lumber Company
Tamko Building Products
Tennison Brothers, Inc.
Thomas Nielsen Wholesale
Timber Products, Inc.
Treeline Forest Products
Warrior Building Products
Westfall GMC Truck Center*

*MLA 2013 Event Sponsors

MLA Logo  
Need Envelopes or Other Supplies?
MLA is your one-stop source for letterhead, envelopes, forms, and ad specialty items (such as yardsticks, aprons and pencils). 

Contact De at 800-747-6529.
 
Go to the MLA Web Site
for more information.
The Last Word

FEDERATED INSURANCE REINSTATES RECENT AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WEBINAR

 

Federated Insurance, your association's recommended insurance carrier, recently hosted a webinar for over 600 business owners regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). Facilitated by Federated's in-house PPACA professional, webinar participants were treated to information on current healthcare legislation and what it could mean for the future of their health insurance program.   

 

Due to overwhelming response, Federated Insurance has chosen to offer the recorded version of the webinar to association members once again. This webinar is offered to members at no charge, regardless of insurance affiliation.


Link to access the 35-minute recorded presentation.

 

You will need to register to view the recorded presentation, but you will be able to watch immediately and as often as you want.

 

Whether you participated in the original webinar, have already viewed the online content, or are a first-time viewer, you won't want to miss this opportunity to educate yourself on this important topic.

 

Go to the MLA Web Site
for more information.