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Vol. 15, No. 23, November 14, 2016  
MLA LINE
Lumber Industry News Express
Save the Date!
Our Sponsors

Blish Mize

Westfall GMC
GSWP-Yellawood

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MLA Associate
Members

All Season Bldg. Supply
Allied Building Stores, Inc.
American Wholesale Corp.
Biz Lender
Blish-Mize Company
Bluelinx Corporation
BlueTarp Financial Inc.
Boral Light Building Products
BPI - Lbr & Engineered Wood
Builders Material Company
CCM Countertop & Cabinet 
Cedar Creek LLC - St. Louis 
Continental Divide Fence
Dealers Choice Distribution
Delden Mfg. Co., Inc.
Discovery-Based Retail
DMSi Software
Do It Best Corp
ECI Spruce Computer Systems
Epicor Software
Federated Insurance
Forest Products Supply Co.
Frontier Forest Products, Inc.
Great Southern Wood Pres.
Guardian Building Products
Hardman Wholesale Co.
Hawkeye Bldg Dist., Ltd
Hiab USA, Inc.
Hixson Lumber Sales
Huttig Building Products
James Hardie Bldg Products
Klauer Manufacturing Co.
Lumber Merchandising Corp. (LMC) 
MAX USA Corp.
Metal Sales Mfg. Corp.
Mid-Am Building Supply, Inc.
MiTek Builder Products   
Modern Equip. Co., Inc. (MECO Omaha)
Monarch Cement Company
Pennsylvania & Indiana Lumbermens Mutual Ins. Co. 
PrimeSource Bldg Products
PWD, Inc.
Rader Solutions
Rollex Corp
Schutte Lumber Company
Simpson Strong-tie Co Inc
Tamko Building Products, Inc.
Tax Favored Benefits
Tennison Brothers, Inc.
The Empire Company LLC
Thomas Nielsen Wholesale 
Timber Products, Inc.
Treeline Forest Products LLC
USP Structural Connectors
Warrior Building Products
Western Builders Supply, Inc.
Westfall GMC Truck Center
Wingate Sales Solutions, Inc.

Please patronize these companies that support your Association! 

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Estate Planning Mistake: Saving Money by Not Getting Advice
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Low cost (or free) forms are readily available online, but using them for your estate plan is a clear example of "you get what you pay for." Is a simple will sufficient, or should you utilize a trust? Is your estate large enough to require specialized planning to minimize estate taxes? Do-it-yourself estate planning seems straightforward enough, but is the potential for an estate planning disaster worth the risk? 
This article provided courtesy of Federate
d Mutual Insurance Company, your association's recommended insurer.
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The Last Word

"The man with the best job in the country is the vice-president. All he has to do is get up every morning and say, 'How is the president?'"

-- Will Rogers
Meet the New MLA Board
 
President Jim Bishop thanks Guy McGillivray for his service to MLA.
At the recent MLA Fall Fling, November 10-11, in Branson, Missouri, a new Board was installed, led by President Chris Cleaver, Cleaver Farm & Home, Chanute, Kansas. Here is the complete list of Board members:
 
President - Chris Cleaver, Cleaver Farm & Home, Chanute, Kansas
1st Vice President - Adam Hendrix, Chic Lumber & Hardware, St. Peters, Missouri
2nd Vice President - Hatch McCray, McCray Lumber Millwork, Kansas City, Kansas 
3rd Vice President - Matt Graham, Miltonvale Lumber, Miltonvale, Kansas
NLBMDA Delegate - Greg Smith, E.C. Barton Co., Jonesboro, Arkansas
Secretary/Treasurer - Dan Prendergast, Moscow Mills Lumber, Moscow Mills, Missouri
Immediate Past President - Jim Bishop, Vesta Lee Lumber, Bonner Springs, Kansas
Missouri/Arkansas Director - Landon Garner, Garner Building Supply, Rogers, Arkansas
Kansas/Oklahoma Director - Ray Mueller, Clark Lumber Do it Center, Herington, Kansas
Arkansas Committee Representative - Brandie Killian, John Plyler Home Center, Glenwood, Arkansas
Kansas Committee Representative - Position currently vacant
Missouri Committee Representative - Darrell Derstler, Derstler Lumber, Richmond, Missouri
Oklahoma State Representative - Gary Smith, Smith & Sons Bldg. Center, Anadarko, Oklahoma
Associate Directors:
Terry Parker, Prime Source Building Products, Springfield, Missouri
Don Rieger, Hiab USA, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri
Nate Wedermyer , Dealers Choice Distribution, Topeka, Kansas
 
Several suppliers stepped up to sponsor the Fall Fling. We thank them for their generosity and participation!
 
Presenting Sponsor: Federated Insurance
 
Sterling Sponsors:   
  • Blish-Mize Company
  • Hiab USA, Inc.
  • Mid-Am Building Supply
Standard Sponsors:                           
  • BlueTarp Financial
  • Guardian Building Products
  • LMC
  • Mitek Builder Products
  • Monarch Cement Company
  • Treeline Forest Products
Dine-Around Sponsors:                    
  • Dealers Choice Distribution
  • Forest Products Supply    
  • Great Southern Wood Preserving
  • Simpson Strong-Tie
  • Tax Favored Benefits
  • Westfall GMC
If you missed the Fall Fling, you missed a great program. It was headlined by Dena Cordova-Jack, BlueTarp, and Thea Dudley, Guardian, speaking on "The Seven Deadly Sins in Credit and Finance." Then, Jim Welch gave an outstanding presentation on "Becoming a True Growth Leader." Finally, Robert Uhler provided an update on "OSHA's Top Ten." Dealers who attended will have a head-start on others with the great ideas picked up at the conference.
 
At the meeting, Robert Uhler became the Executive Vice President of MLA. He is moving into this role as Olivia Holcombe takes on a more active role with our management group, Western Equipment Dealers Association. We look forward to continued success for MLA with Robert's leadership.
Time to Consider the MLA MEP

MLA has offered a "group" 401(k) plan for members for over a year. It is saving participating dealers on their fees and offering a great benefit to reward their loyal employees. 

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 click here to learn more.
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. Want to try a program for yourself? Click here to view another one of our popular courses. If you like what you see, contact us for a one-week trial subscription to see the hundreds of available courses. 
Industry Update  
 
NLBMDA 2016 Election Recap... I n a stunning result, defying many pollsters and conventional wisdom, businessman Donald Trump (R) defeated former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (D) to be elected the 45th President of the United States. Although Clinton is likely to win the popular vote by a narrow margin, Trump's unexpected strength in states bordering the Great Lakes provided the margin of victory for the Republican. Read more .
Source: NLBMDA, November 10, 2016
 
Are You Ready for the New Overtime Rules?   Starting Dec. 1, more employees will be eligible for overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 per week. Even with the Republican wins last week, there may not be enough time to overturn or change the rule before its December 1 effective date. For more information about the changes, click here .
Source: U.S. Department of Labor
 
NLBMDA Calls for a New Softwood Lumber Agreement... The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association released a comprehensive overview of the softwood lumber dispute between the United States and Canada. The report details the background of the dispute, the recently expired 2006 Softwood Lumber Agreement, and the ongoing negotiations to create a new deal between the two nations.
 
After discussing the dispute in detail, the NLBMDA concludes that a new softwood lumber agreement (SLA) is necessary. Read more .
Source: ProSales Magazine, November 4, 2016