When “Almost Complete” Isn’t Good Enough: Building Delivery Promises That Hold Up On The Jobsite
For most lumber dealers, delivery performance isn’t measured in percentages. It’s measured in momentum. A truck pulls in. Crews are staged. Then someone realizes a single critical component didn’t make it … a hanger, an engineered joist, an accessory that “should’ve been in the package.” In that moment, a delivery that was “95% complete” becomes […]
Upgrade Your Facility & ROI
The LBM industry is no stranger to the challenges that come with persistent labor shortages, increased product costs, and trying to do more for less. The question is: How can dealers weather the storm and move forward? In a nutshell, by improving operational efficiency. There are LBM facilities—lumberyards and distribution centers—across the country that could […]
FIRING LINE: Improving Gross Margins in the LBM Industry
Unfortunately, in the LBM industry, too many companies chase sales volume while quietly bleeding margin and subsequently net profit. Everyone loves talking about record sales numbers, truckloads going out the gate, and landing large projects. But when you peel back the numbers, profitability often tells a different story. As I’ve always stated…“top-line sales are for egos—it’s the bottom line that counts.” Improving gross margins isn’t about squeezing customers or […]
Rising Star: Danielle Johnson
Location: Chicopee, MAPosition: Market Development Manager • Benjamin Obdyke How did you begin your career in the LBM Industry? I’ve been a part of the building products industry for a number of years, but began working more closely with the LBM industry when I joined Benjamin Obdyke in 2021. I hadn’t been actively looking for […]
FIRING LINE: What the Patriots Dynasty Can Teach the LBM Industry About Winning
For the past 25 years, the New England Patriots haven’t just had a good run—they built one of the most dominant stretches of success professional sports has ever seen. Year after year, they were in the hunt (with the exception of 2020-2024). They didn’t simply “get hot” for a season or two. They became a “standard.” To fans, it looked like magic. To competitors, it […]
Cost Saving Telehealth for Employers, Their Employees, and Families
As employers continue to navigate rising healthcare costs, many are searching for solutions that support their teams without adding financial strain. HealthiestYou by Teladoc, available exclusively to NRLA members, offers an affordable, easy-to-use option that delivers meaningful value to both employers and employees. For only $11 per employee per month, companies can provide staff and […]
Thriving Through Uncertainty: What Independent Lumber Dealers Must Do Next
If you’ve spent time in the lumber and building materials world, you know uncertainty isn’t new. For most independent dealers, it’s practically a business partner. Markets rise and fall. Interest rates climb. Labor becomes harder to find. Regulations shift. Yet every year, independent yards across the Northeast open their doors, take care of customers, and […]
Market Outlook: Stable but Strained Conditions Shape Residential Building
The Farnsworth Group, a customer research firm serving the building materials industry, describes the residential building and home improvement market as fundamentally sound but operationally strained. Core demand drivers, including household formation, an aging housing stock, long-term homeownership aspirations, and high home equity, remain intact. Near-term activity, however, is constrained by affordability pressures, elevated interest […]
THE AI ASCENSION: Transforming Your Organization to Accelerate Growth
Zach Williams, founder of Venveo, shared a useful framework for leveraging artificial intelligence to drive significant business growth. Titled “AI Ascension,” the presentation offered a strategic roadmap for organizations to move beyond mere adoption and achieve true transformation through AI. He emphasized that while AI is becoming increasingly intelligent, the real challenge lies in using […]
FIRING LINE: Night Shift
“When it absolutely, positively has to be there by 9 p.m. … call Steve.” It was a little after 8 p.m., and I was just settling down with a bourbon when my phone rang. If you’ve spent any time in management, you already know what an evening phone call usually means—it’s rarely good news, even when you’re running a second shift. But this one was different. It was Steve, our second-shift yard supervisor. He had […]