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SAVE THE DATE!
Nov. 6-7MLA Fall Fling

January 9 - Missouri Winter Meeting - Columbia, Missouri

January 22-23 - Kansas Winter Meeting - Junction City, Kansas

March 23-25, 2015 - NLBMDA Spring Meeting & Legislative Conference - Washington, D.C.

Visit www.TheMLA.com for more information!


OUR SPONSORS



Blish Mize



Westfall GMC

GSWP-Yellawood
Associate Members

Associate members are an important part of the MLA mission. Do business with these members that support your Association!

All Season Bldg. Supply
Allied Building Stores
American Wholesale Corp.
Basys Processing
BPI - Lumber & Engineered Wood
Blish-Mize Company
Bluelinx Corporation
BlueTarp Financial
Builders Material Company
CCM Countertop & Cabinet Mfg
Cedar Creek Wholesale
Central States Insulation Wholesale
Central Woodwork, Inc.
Continental Divide Fence
Dealers Choice Distribution
Delden Mfg.Co., Inc.
Denver Southwest
Discovery Based Retail
DMSi
Do it Best Corporation
East Side Lumberyard Supply
Federated Insurance
Forest Products Supply Co.
Georgia Pacific Wood Products, LLC
Great Southern Wood Preserving
Hardman Wholesale Co.
Hawkeye Building Distribution
HIAB USA, Inc.
Hixson Lumber Sales
Huttig Building Products
Jack Morgan Construction
James Hardie Building Products
Klauer Manufacturing Co.
Lee Wayne
Lumberyard Supply
McCray Lumber Millwork
Mid-Am Building Supply
Midwest Low-E Insulation
Modern Equip. Co., Inc. (MECO)
Monarch Cement Co.
Pennsylvania & Indiana Lumbermens 
        Mutual Insurance
PrimeSource Building Products
PWD, Inc.
Roberts & Dybdahl, Inc. - Now Cedar
        Creek!
Rollex Corp.
Schutte Lumber Company
Service Partners dba Denver SW
Simpson Strong-Tie
Tamko Building Products
Tax Favored Benefits
Tennison Brothers, Inc.
The Quikrete Company
Thomas Nielsen Wholesale
Timber Products, Inc.
Treeline Forest Products
USP Structural Connectors
Valspar
Warrior Building Products
Westfall GMC Truck Center
Weyerhaeuser Co.


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.

The information in this newsletter is provided without any representations or warranties, expressed or implied. You must not rely on the information in this newsletter as an alternative to legal advice from your lawyer or other professional legal services provider. If you have any specific questions about any legal matter, please consult your lawyer or other professional legal services provider.
Vol. 13, No. 21, October 21, 2014
Welcome to the MLA mobile newsletter!
You're receiving this online newsletter because you've subscribed through the MLA website (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.
Sign Up Today for MLA Fall Fling!
A conference can be a moment to escape. Or it can be an opportunity to gain invaluable insights that will literally change the trajectory of your life. Don't waste the experience. -Michael Hyatt 

 

Plan now to attend the MLA Fall Fling,  

November 6-7, at the Hilton Promenade in Branson. The convenient location enables members from all parts of our territory to attend.

 

We don't promise it will change your life - but you could make a connection, learn a new concept, have an experience that could change your perspective. We encourage ALL members to seize the opportunity to gather with other dealers, step back for a moment from your day-to-day activities, and return with ideas to improve your operations.

 

Complete information is on our website at www.TheMLA.com. Register today and plan to be with your fellow members in Branson on November 6-7.

Senators Send Letter to EPA on Lead Paint Test Kits

Sen. Mark Pryor, along with three other Senators, has sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Gina McCarthy, seeking more information as to why the Agency has discontinued its efforts to identify a lead paint test kit meeting the standards in the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule. In the letter, the Senators also ask the Agency to "make the development and recognition of a compliant test kit a priority."

Neither of the two commercially available test kits approved by EPA for RRP compliance meets the rule's false positive standard more than four years after the rule took effect. According to EPA, the two test kits currently approved by EPA have a false positive rate between 22.5 percent and 84 percent. The rule requires that a test kit have a false positive rate of 10 percent or less.

NLBMDA, along with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), continues working with House and Senate offices to raise awareness of the ongoing challenges with the RRP rule and the need for congressional oversight.
Click here to view the letter to EPA.

HR Webinars for Members
Sign Up Today!

gotowebinar reg

MLA, in conjunction with other LBM associations, is offering a series of five webinars to help you up your game in the HR arena. The first webinar is set for Thursday, November 13, at 1 p.m. CST, on "How to Conduct a Legal Interview." Click here to learn more.  




How to Sell Quality over Price
17th in Series by Bill Sharp

In a previous article, we spoke of how the use of visual aids can reduce the amount of "talk" required to make a successful presentation.

 

In this chapter, we will further minimize the number of words required to help customers make buying decisions by using the powerful technique of talking in terms that help customers see what your product or service will do for them... answer the "So What?" Read more.


Bill is the author of an extended series of articles that will appear in our newsletter. He has been an independent consultant, speaker and friend of our association since 1981 and the only trainer ever to have been simultaneously endorsed by NBMDA, NLBMDA and 12 state and regional LBM dealer associations in the U.S. and Canada. 



Other Articles of Interest

New Class-Action Lawsuit Filed Against Lumber Liquidators...A retirement trust fund has filed a class action lawsuit against Lumber Liquidators. The lawsuit, the sixth filed against the company since fall, alleges Lumber Liquidators issued false and misleading press releases, financial statements, SEC filings and statements during investor conference calls. Read more.

Source: Hardwood Floors Magazine, September 22, 2014

 

NLBMDA's Forklift & You Training Now Online... Purchase the NEW Forklift and You Online Training Course today! For a limited time the Forklift and You Online Training Course will be available to NLBMDA members at a special introductory rate of ONLY $25.00! So don't delay and click here to make your purchase today before this offer expires. Read more.

Source: NLBMDA, October 13, 2014

 

Weyerhaeuser Distribution Offers Free Siding Resources for Dealers...

Weyerhaeuser Distribution has released a free Siding Resource Kit for LBM dealers with installation videos and how-to articles designed to help them sell more siding and provide helpful resources to customers. In addition, the content can be shared with builder and remodeler customers in a variety of ways, including as PDF printouts and social media. Dealers can access the free Siding Resource Kit via a quick signup form here.

Source: NRLA LC SupplySide, October 16, 2014

 

Coalition Urges OSHA to Withdraw Recordkeeping Regulation... On Oct. 14, ABC submitted comments to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requesting that it withdraw a proposed rule and supplemental notice requiring employers to electronically submit detailed injury and illness records to the agency. For the first time, OSHA plans to make this information publicly available on the Internet through a new searchable database, as well as use the data for enforcement purposes. Read more.

Source: AED News, October 20, 2014

Simple Mistakes Burn Businesses to the Ground

Thousands of fires accidentally occur each year in businesses around the country. Many of these fires could have been prevented. None of these business owners meant to have a fire. Just like you, they were focused on their business, the economy, and their employees. Then, one day it happened - a fire engulfed their building and they were faced with the process of recovery. Read more.

 

This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association's recommended insurer. 

the last word
"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there'd be a shortage of sand."

- Milton Friedman