Material MattersMember NewsIndustry News/InformationRikka BrandonHire PowerBuilding Gurus
March 2025
Northwestern Lumber Association and Mid-America Lumbermens Association are now BLD Connection. Read About Our Transformation!
Brought to you by:
BLD Connection News
NLBMDA Releases 2025 National Policy Agenda
NLBMDA
On February 13, 2025, the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) released its 2025 National Policy Agenda, a comprehensive advocacy platform that outlines key priorities for the lumber and building material (LBM) industry in the coming year.
No More Delays: Corporate Transparency Act Reporting Deadline Confirmed for March 2025
NLBMDA
After multiple changes, the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) reporting deadline is now confirmed for March 21, 2025. Businesses must submit their Beneficial Ownership information (BOI) by this date. While exemptions may still be coming, this deadline is firm. Click below for details on what this means for your business and what’s ahead.
Potential Tariffs Could Impact the Lumber & Building Material Industry
As trade policy tensions escalate, President Donald Trump has reignited talks of imposing a 25% tariff on goods imported from Canada and Mexico. The proposed tariffs, expected to take effect in April 2025, could have significant consequences for the lumber and building material industry, especially for independent retail lumber yards and their suppliers.
What Great Sales Managers Do Differently (And How to Train Yours)
Rikka Brandon, Building Gurus
The Key Differences Between Average and High-Performing Sales Leaders
A great sales manager is more than just a top salesperson promoted into leadership. Yet, many companies make the mistake of assuming strong individual sales performance automatically translates into great management skills.
The truth? The best sales managers aren’t just good at selling—they’re great at developing and leading their team.
To provide professional development for our employees and make them more effective at their jobs, we pay for extensive training and educational courses. However, we have had three employees within the past year take the company-paid training and educational courses and then leave our company shortly thereafter, before we had a chance to earn a return on our investment. Are we allowed to implement “stay-or-pay” provisions, in which we require employees to pay back the amount of the courses if they leave our company within, for example, a year after completing the courses?