Component Connection

Greg Dahlstrom of Villiaume Industries, a US LBM company, and Mike Kozlowski of Apex, served as co-chairs of BCMC 2021. On this episode, they share the positive return on investment (ROI) available through attending the industry’s premier event of the year and share their “don’t miss” moments.

Jay Jones, executive director of the Truss Plate Institute (TPI), shares in this episode the ways in which the new partnership that has developed between TPI and SBCA will ultimately benefit not only component manufacturers but the entire construction supply chain.

Dolly Penland, owner of Business Results, LLC, and a workforce expert who has consulted the component manufacturing industry for years, talks about the most powerful tools employers have to find and keep their future employees.

Dolly Penland, owner of Business Results, LLC, and a workforce expert who has consulted the component manufacturing industry for years, shares her perspective on how employers can use some simple tools to enhance their hiring and management practices with better data.

If you are involved in the housing supply chain, the odds of you having a problem finding enough quality workers to do what you want to do is hovering right around 100 percent. It stands to reason that one of the most effective long-term solutions to this challenge is increasing employee retention. In this podcast, Jason Ward, a vice president at California TrusFrame and an expert on all things em...

Joel Fleischman and Jason Blenker of Drexel Building Supply in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, take a closer look at company culture and how Drexel has incorporated component manufacturing into its business model and why a recent $27M investment into robotics just makes good sense.

In this podcast, Joel Fleischman, president of Drexel Building Supply in Campbellsport, Wisconsin, and Jason Blenker, Drexel’s Off-Site Solutions Leader, share the journey that has led Drexel from a four-person LBM operation in 1985 to a 650-employee regional power that just announced a $27 million investment into a solar-powered, robotic component manufacturing facility.

Chris Tatge, president of the National Framers Council and a veteran framer who has recently expanded his company, Dynamic Construction, into the world of turnkey. In this episode, Chris talks about how other NFC members changed the way he thought about the framing business and discusses the value NFC offers to not only framers and component manufacturers, but to builder and GCs as well.

Most builders today are actively seeking ways to maximize the output of their onsite labor, and one of the solutions that has gained a lot of traction lately is turnkey framing. In this podcast, Chris Tatge, president of the National Framers Council and a veteran framer who has recently expanded his company, Dynamic Construction, gives his insight into the world of turnkey.

Ali Saladin, Director of Events for the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA), shares how she’s parlayed planning million-dollar weddings in NYC to pulling together the industry’s premier networking event of the year, BCMC, in Omaha, Nebraska, October 4-8. Ali also talks about what makes SBCA’s OQM so enjoyable to organize and attend.

Molly Butz, managing director of the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA), shares the journey of quickly identifying and implementing the latest technology solutions to allow the association to deliver goods and services to the industry in a way that is efficient and easy to use.

Roger Helgeson, president of The Truss Company, talks about his company’s approach to providing value-added products, and explores their motivations behind working with national builder customers.

Despite several headwinds, builders continue to be very optimistic about the future, which should drive CM growth opportunities. Roger Helgeson, president of The Truss Company, shares how his company has effectively used data to drive their expansion efforts.

Offsite construction holds a lot of promise for builders looking to do more with less. In this episode, Carpenter Contractors of America’s Howard Gauger continues this discussion by providing some examples on how his company, which controls the whole process, from building design, through manufacturing, to the onsite labor, overcomes some common criticisms and onsite challenges of offsite construc...

Offsite construction holds a lot of promise for the construction industry and who better to give perspective on this topic than Carpenter Contractors of America, a company that controls the whole process, from building design, through manufacturing, to the onsite labor. In this episode, CCA’s Howard Gauger provides some perspective on how his company approaches offsite and how it benefits their bu...

Before Jess Lohse became executive director of SBCA, he was a component manufacturer (CM) with the heart of a promoter. In this podcast, Jess succinctly shares his vision for how the association can come alongside CMs and help them promote their products, expand their markets, seize upon innovative solutions, and benefit from the quickly evolving construction supply chain.

Richard Langton at Bowermaster & Associates has worked with the component manufacturing industry for 21 years and knows intimately the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. In this podcast, Richard provides concrete examples of what component manufacturers can do that encourage insurance underwriters to provide coverage and/or give more favorable rates.

Richard Langton at Bowermaster & Associates has worked with the component manufacturing industry for 21 years and knows intimately the challenges and opportunities facing the industry. In this podcast, Richard explores the ramifications of a hardening insurance market and how manufacturers should consider responding to it.

Ryan Hikel and Jason Valis finish their discussion on how their two companies have learned how to leverage the expertise of the other and offer a collective solution to GCs in their market. In this episode, Hikel and Valis use a very prominent framing challenge to illustrate how their collaboration enables a streamlined approach to problem solving.

Ryan Hikel and Jason Valis continue to explore how their two companies have learned how to leverage the expertise of the other and offer a collective solution to GCs in their market. In this episode, Hikel and Valis talk about how they were able to complete the largest affordable housing project in Maryland ahead of schedule and under budget all while navigating the initial outbreak of COVID.

Bradley Hartmann, founder of Behind Your Back Sales, shares how companies can refocus their sales efforts to transform the relationships they have with their customers and create more dynamic sales opportunities that expand the products and services customers rely on them to provide going forward.

Bradley Hartmann, founder of Behind Your Back Sales, shares how today’s market favors component manufacturers over their customers, creating an opportunity for savvy companies to leverage their expertise and unique framing solutions to improve profitability and expand future market share.

Ryan Hikel and Jason Valis know they have a good thing going. Shelter Systems is great at making roof and floor trusses. Bruce Jones Contracting is awesome at making wall panels and framing buildings. Together, their companies have learned how to leverage the expertise of the other and offer a collective solution to GCs in their market. In this episode, Hikel and Valis talk about their value propo...

In this episode, we rejoin Dean Rana and Michael Miller who provide more insight into how they have convinced framers to move from sticks to panels. They discuss the evolving needs of framers and builders and how they have altered their wall panel business to keep up. Dean and Michael also talk about characteristics of framers who succeed using wall panels versus those that don’t, and share how th...

Dean Rana and Michael Miller have taken on the tough challenge of selling wall panel systems to Arizona framing contractors. In this episode, Rana and Miller give some insight into how they have convinced framers to move from sticks to panels and explain the value proposition they sell to the market. They also speak to how wall panels excel in a time when building material costs are rising.