MLA Lumber Industry News Express
|
|
Here's the new issue of the Mid-America Lumbermens Association online newsletter. We'll send a new issue every two weeks to let you know what's happening in the industry, at your MLA, and in the world that affects your business. We welcome your opinions and ideas. If you have information you'd like to share with other members, we'd be happy to include it in our next issue. We welcome both personal and industry-related news - members would love to hear your news and views - so don't hesitate to email us with information.
|
|
Dealers Talk Wood, Tort Reform, Lead Paint and Workers
|
Softwood lumber, product liability, lead paint, and domestic as well as foreign workers topped the list of concerns that building material dealers from across the country brought to Capitol Hill today as part of their legislative conference. What dealers push during their visits to the Senate and House varies annually, and this year’s “asks” mix old and new concerns.
Read more
.
Source: Craig, Webb, ProSales Magazine, March 20, 2018
|
|
Swing into Spring
It's time to get ready for the Missouri Swing-into-Spring event, set for May 3-4 at beautiful Lake of the Ozarks.
Call the MLA office at 816-747-6529 to register or for sponsorship information. We'll see you there!
|
|
Three Ways Your Credit Program Can Give You a Competitive Advantage
Your products, pricing, and customer relationships are likely the cornerstones of how you attract and keep your customers. But have you ever considered how your credit program could provide you with a strong competitive advantage? If you are like many companies, your credit program probably doesn’t make you think about growth and competitive advantage. In fact, it probably does the opposite — bringing on thoughts of long pay cycles and manual, time-consuming credit processes. But it doesn’t have to. Consider these three ways your credit program can deliver a competitive advantage.
Read more
.
Source: BlueTarp
|
|
Time to Consider the MLA MEP
|
MLA has offered a “group” MLA 401(k) plan for members for more than two years. 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
.
|
|
|
Lumber News
Fed hikes rates and raises GDP forecast again...
Interest rates are going up again, thanks to a well-telegraphed Federal Reserve move Wednesday. Central bankers, led by Jerome Powell in his first meeting as chairman, approved the widely expected quarter-point hike that puts the new benchmark funds rate at a target of 1.5 percent to 1.75 percent. It was the sixth rate hike since the policymaking Federal Open Market Committee began raising rates off near-zero in December 2015.
Read more
.
Source: CNBC, March 21, 2018
Derailed...
Perplexing is not a bad description of the situation right now. The U.S. economy added 313,000 new jobs in February, labor force participation ticked up from 62.7 to 63 percent, and the University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index hit 102.0 in March. That's the third consecutive monthly increase and the highest level since November 2000. At the same time, retail sales have fallen each month since November while the S&P 500 has been slipping since late January.
Read more
.
Source: Greg Brooks, LBM Executive, March 21, 2018
NAHB releases new home building employment estimates by state...
The new NAHB study presents the most recent and comprehensive estimates of home building employment, including self-employed workers, by state. NAHB Economics estimates that out of 9.8 million people working in construction in 2016, more than 3.8 million people worked in residential construction, accounting for 2.5 percent of the U.S. employed civilian labor force.
Read more
.
Source: Eye on Housing, NAHB, April 2, 2018
|
|
Opportunities after the new "Tax Cuts and Jobs Act"
The “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” which was passed by Congress in December 2017, made significant changes to individual, business and estate taxes, and became effective as of January 1, 2018. While the business-related provisions are considered permanent, the individual and estate tax provisions only remain in effect until December 31, 2025, when they are subject to a “sunset” and will revert back to 2017 law. Here are a few of the major changes that could impact you and your business in the coming year.
Read more
.
This service provided courtesy of Federated Mutual Insurance Company, your association’s recommended insurer.
|
|
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 an example. If you like what you see, contact us for a one-week trial subscription to see the hundreds of available courses.
Learn more
.
|
|
The Last Word
"
A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty
."
- Winston Churchill
|
|
Mid-America Lumbermens Association | 800-747-6529 | 816-561-1249 (fax)| ruhler@themla.com |
Website
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
