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Vol. 15, No. 4, February 22, 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

"The first step toward getting somewhere is deciding that you are not going to stay where you are."
 
-- J. Pierpont Morgan  
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.
ACTION ALERT: DOL Needs to Fix Overtime Rule Proposal
The Department of Labor (DOL) issued a proposal last summer that would significantly alter existing overtime rules by raising the salary level under which employees qualify for overtime pay from $455 per week ($23,360 annually) to an estimated $970 per week ($50,440 annually). DOL is expected to issue a final proposal in July. NLBMDA encourages all members to take action by visiting the  NLBMDA Legislative Action Center and asking their Representative to contact Labor Secretary Thomas Perez to urge DOL to reconsider the proposed changes to employees eligible for overtime pay. Read more.
Source: NLBMDA, February 9, 2016
EPA Improves Recertification Process

The E nvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced revisions to refresher training requirements for renovators as part of the Renova tion, Repair and Painting (RRP) program. The changes allow for online training every other recertification instead of every recertification. Renovators who take the online training will be certified for three years; renovators who take the hands-on training will be certified for five years. Read more. 
Source: NLBMDA, February 12, 2016
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.
Have You Checked Out the
MLA Online Campus? 

The MLA Online Campus provides you and your employees with high-impact, "real-world" training that develops your leaders, retains your best people and increases your customer loyalty. Each employee has a unique username to access the campus, which houses more than 700 courses on customer service, sales, leadership and more. Learn more .
 
Industry Update 

Take the 2016 ProSales 100 Survey... There have been so many mergers in the past year that a lot of slots on the list are going to open up in 2016. The ProSales 100 list will be published in May's issue of ProSales. You can take the survey online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016ProSales100. The deadline to submit your survey is Monday, April 4. We look forward to learning how you did last year and what you think your prospects are for 2016.
Source: Craig Webb, Hanley Wood, February 10, 2016
 
Features in Single-Family Homes in 2016... Successful businesses stay on top of what their competitors are doing. For home builders, this involves knowing what features other builders are putting in their new homes.  In December 2015, a nationwide survey asked builders about the likelihood that a number of features would be included in the typical single-family home they will build in 2016. Read more.
Source: NAHB Eye on the Economy, February 10, 2016
 
A 2016 Recession May Not be Far-Fetched After All... Some are predicting a new U.S. recession in 2016 because stocks are down 12 percent from their all-time high last summer. Never mind that the Dow Jones is still 15 percent above its previous all-time high in 2007. Others say we're headed into the tank because rising labor costs are "squeezing company profits" and "firms will slash spending and hiring in response." Read more.
Source: Greg Brooks, LBM Executive, February 18, 2016
Should You Share Investigation Files with Suspended Employees?
 
Question :   I have an employee who was suspended for insubordination. He has requested that we interview the witness, which I had already done, and he would like to review. Am I required to share the statements/documentation with him?
 
This article provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association's recommended insurer.