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Vol. 15, No. 3, February 8, 2016 
MLA LINE
Lumber Industry News Express
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Blish Mize



Westfall GMC

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MLA Associate Members

All Season Bldg. Supply
Allied Building Stores, Inc.
American Wholesale Corp.
Blish-Mize Company
Bluelinx Corporation
BlueTarp Financial Inc.
Boise Cascade
Boral Light Building Products
BPI - Lbr & Engineered Wood
Builders Material Company
CCM Countertop & Cabinet  
Central Woodwork Inc.
Continental Divide Fence
Dealers Choice Distribution
Delden Mfg. Co., Inc.
Discovery-Based Retail
DMSi Software
Do It Best Corp
East Side Lumberyard Supply  
Epicor Software
Federated Insurance
Forest Products Supply Co.
Frontier Forest Products, Inc.
Georgia Pacific Wood Prod.
Great Southern Wood Pres.
Guardian Building Products
Hardman Wholesale Co.
Hawkeye Bldg Dist., Ltd
Hiab USA, Inc.
Hixson Lumber Sales
Huttig Building Products
Jack Morgan Construction
James Hardie Bldg Products
Klauer Manufacturing Co.
Lumberyard Supply
MAX USA Corp.
Metal Sales Mfg. Corp.
Mid-Am Building Supply, Inc.  
Modern Equip. Co., Inc. (MECO Omaha)
Monarch Cement Company
Pennsylvania & Indiana Lumbermens Mutual Ins. Co. 
PrimeSource Building Products
PWD, Inc.
Rollex Corp
Schutte Lumber Company
Simpson Strong-tie Co Inc
Tamko Building Products, Inc.
Tax Favored Benefits
Tennison Brothers, Inc.
The Empire Company LLC
Timber Products, Inc.
Treeline Forest Products LLC
USP Structural Connectors
Warrior Building Products
Western Builders Supply, Inc.
Westfall GMC Truck Center
Weyerhaeuser Co.
Wingate Sales Solutions, Inc.

Please patronize these companies that support your Association! 




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__________________

The Last Word

"It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one."
 
-- George Washington

 
Here's your bi-weekly lumber industry newsletter. We hope you find this quick, responsive format helpful and entertaining. Anytime you have news or views to share with fellow dealers, please don't hesitate to contact us by replying to this newsletter.
NLBMDA Releases 2016 Policy Agenda
The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA) has released its 2016 National Policy Agenda giving focus to the lumber and building material industry's legislative and regulatory priorities.
 
NLBMDA will continue its advocacy efforts with lawmakers and regulatory agencies on behalf of the lumber and building material industry. The association's agenda includes the industry's positions on: housing & construction policy; tax & economic policy; legal reform & consumer protection; workforce policy; environment, health, & safety; product supply & trade; energy policy; transportation policy; and highway safety - and can be downloaded here.
401(k) Suits on the Rise: MLA Group Plan is Solution for Members
Class action attorneys have found a new frontier in suing 401(k) plan sponsors. These days anyone with a company 401(k) can be sued for giving "bad advice" or not achieving optimum results. MLA has offered a "group" MLA 401(k) plan for members for over a year. It provides members a safe way to offer a great benefit to reward their loyal employees, while minimizing fees and utilizing a full range of investment funds. If you haven't taken a serious look at this program, now would be a good time. Find out why smart dealers are making the move to the MLA program. Call the MLA Hotline at 800-747-6529, or
MLA Buyer's Guide 2016
 
MLA has again partnered with Overland Park, Kansas-based Strategic Value Media - a leading nationwide provider of print and digital media solutions for national, state and local trade and membership associations - to produce the 2016 edition of MLA Buyers' Guide (the "Guide") - the premier resource of relevant products and services for lumber professionals in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. This will be the third year the Guide will be produced.
New Dates for Spring Legislative Conference
Registration is now open for NLBMDA's Spring Meeting and Legislative Conference, scheduled for April 18-20, 2016 at the Renaissance DuPont Hotel in Washington, D.C. This conference is an incredible opportunity to remind leaders of the importance of our industry and advance the advocacy agenda of NLBMDA.
We promise you that your time will be well spent hearing from political leaders and walking the halls of Capitol Hill to make sure our collective legislative priorities and concerns are shared with leaders that can make a difference. No one knows our legislative challenges better than you, and through telling your personal stories you become a persuasive and powerful advocate for policies that will make the economy and our industry stronger. Click here to register today and make your voice heard!
Industry Update 

Builder Confidence Holds Firm in January... Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes held steady at 60 in January from a downwardly revised December reading of 60, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Read more.
Source: NAHB Eye on the Economy, January 19, 2016
 
Lowe's Buying Canada's RONA, Inc.... Lowe'stoday announced an agreement to buy Canadian home improvement retailer and distributor RONA Inc. in a $2.3 billion deal, dramatically enlarging the U.S. company's presence in Canada. Read more.
Source: Hardware Retailing, February 3, 2016
 
Home Depot Subsidiary Fined $37,065 for Improper Lead Paint Removal... The Denver Post reports on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's settlement with an Atlanta-based Home Depot subsidiary after it found it had been improperly removing lead paint from a home remodel in Arvada, Colorado. Read more .
Source: Remodeling, February 3, 2016
 
The Millenial Work Ethic... These are the reasons why I left your company. You view me as difficult, I say I am uncompromising. Maybe you think I am not dedicated because I prefer to go home to my family by 5 p.m. I say I put my family first. The world is changing - not slowly, but quickly. Read more.
Source: Baltimore Sun, January 28, 2016

Life Insurance Can and
Should Fit into Your Financial Plans
 
Life insurance is something that you, as a business owner, frequently hear about. Everyone says you should have it, but has anyone ever explained why or what it can do for you? Do you really need it? No, you don't-unless you want to help provide some financial security for your family and business. Read more.
 
This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association's recommended insurer.