Northwestern Lumber Association and Mid-America Lumbermens Association are now BLD Connection. Material Matters is our monthly newsletter. Its focus is on valuable industry news and important member updates. Watch for Material Matters in your inbox the first Monday of each month. |
BLD Connection Mill Tour - Oregon September 22-27, 2024 |
Join BLD Connection this September for an unforgettable Mill Tour in the scenic and geographically diverse state of Oregon! With moody coastlines, windswept beaches, rugged mountains with lush forests, vineyard-filled valleys, dunes & desert, breathtaking waterfalls, hip cities, charming small towns and so much more, we can see why this is a bucket list destination for so many. Add in an incredibly rich timber history (Oregon is the largest producer of softwood lumber in the country), that makes it a no-brainer choice to return to for a Mill Tour! |
Corporate Transparency Act Impacting Small Businesses with 20 Full-Time Employees or Less Enacted by the US Department of Treasury & Financial Crimes Enforcement Network |
Effective January 1, 2024, small businesses with 20 full-time or less employees – including building material dealers and suppliers – are now required to file a Beneficial Ownership Report with the US Department of Treasury and its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) as part of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA).
This law was passed in 2021 and aims to combat illicit activity including tax fraud, money laundering, and financing for terrorism by capturing more ownership information for specific U.S. businesses operating in or accessing the country’s market. |
R.P. Lumber Acquiring Schrock Lumber, Strengthening Its Iowa Presence |
R.P. Lumber Co., Inc. continues to grow with the pending acquisition of Schrock Lumber Co., a 60-year-old family-owned hardware, lumber, and building materials retailer located in Mediapolis, Iowa. The transaction will close on Friday, March 1. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. |
NLBMDA Releases 2024 National Policy Agenda |
On February 21, 2024 , the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) released its 2024 National Policy Agenda, a comprehensive advocacy platform that outlines key priorities for the lumber and building material dealer industry in the coming year. |
NLBMDA Announces Partnership with John Burns Research and Consulting |
The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) and John Burns Research and Consulting (JBREC) are excited to announce a joint Lumber and Building Material Dealer Survey partnership. |
Elevate Your Interviewing Skills: Uncover Candidates' Potential with the Right Mix of Questions Rikka Brandon, Building Gurus |
Want to make the process of interviewing job candidates more productive? The trick is to ask the right mix of questions—questions that truly help you determine not only the candidate’s experience, but their ability to do the specific job you’re hiring for. We break down interview questions into three categories—functional, behavioral, and situational. Here’s how they work. |
Note - this is the fifth article in a series of 12 from Rikka Brandon. Read the next article in the April/May issue of BLD Connection Magazine. Join Rikka's free webinar The #1 Thing You can do to get more qualified job applicants on April 9.
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Referrals are the most efficient form of prospecting, but many sales pros don’t use them.
It’s getting harder and harder to cut through the clutter and reach influential decision makers.
That’s why referrals have never been more valuable than they are today. |
Creating Strength Based Cultures
Dena Cordova-Jack, Vice President of Organizational Development, Misura Group
See Dena in person at the Wisconsin Connection Conference |
In the workplace, conventional management wisdom follows a similar path. Weaknesses are brought into laser focus and must be “fixed” before focusing on strengths. Kevin O’Leary is right when he says, “The hard truth is, you aren’t going to be great at everything. No one is; it just isn’t feasible.” Humans are not built that way, and trying to be so creates frustration. Happiness, in both our personal lives and professional careers, requires finding the juncture of our passions and our strengths. |
Disregarding Safety Instructions From Federated Insurance |
Question One of our employees is constantly disregarding safety instructions. He recently injured himself at work and filed a workers’ compensation claim. This is the third time in the past two years this has happened, and it will probably continue because he doesn’t follow safety rules. Are we allowed to discipline him when workers’ compensation is involved? I don’t want to keep having these claims when it’s his own fault for not following directions. |
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