Building Supply Update
ABSDA Updates

 

ABSDA is requesting your participation in the 2017 Human Resource Salaries & Benefits Survey.

Objective of the Survey:
The primary objective of this survey is to provide a benchmark of the compensation and benefits currently being provided in the building supply industry sector in Atlantic Canada.

The summary information in this report provides a basis for comparison. Participating firms will receive a copy of this report following final tabilation. All survey responses will be kept strictly confidential and will be destroyed after tabulation.

Please respond to this survey by October 20, 2017. You can download and print a copy of the survey by clicking on the link below.

 http://www.absda.ca/userfiles/file/2017%20Human%20Resource%20Survey%20Questionnaire.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

Employees of ABSDA Member Firms are eligible for personal Home & Auto Insurance Savings with Johnson Insurance. Some Member employees are already taking advantage of significant savings.

To inquire simply contact Johnson Inc. toll free at 1-877-742-7490 and provide Group ID Code 1E 

 

ABSDA Retail Members are reminded there is still time to participate in the ABSDA Business Conditions Survey as of August 31, 2017. The survey closes on September 27, 2017. ABSDA respects the confidentiality of all survey data submitted.

To take part, click on the link for your corresponding province below:

New Brunswick                         https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YZ35QT5

Newfoundland & Labrador        https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Y55BQCX

Nova Scotia                               https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2889CC6

Prince Edward Island                https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/285PDSR

Tabulated results will will be shared following the close of the survey.

 

Home Hardware Stores Ltd
Castle Building Centres

 

The Canadian Retail Building Supply Council (CRBSC) recognized the opportunity to transform our highly successful Estimating Fundamentals workshop to an online format to address several issues: the cost of travel from remote locations; valuable time spent away from the store and offering a learning experience for those staff already engaged in the internet.

The Estimating Fundamental Online program is a collaboration of the Canadian Retail Building Supply Council (CRBSC) made up of the Building Supply Industry Association of BC (BSIA), the Western Retail Lumber Association (WRLA), The Lumber and Building Materials Association of Ontario (LBMAO), the Quebec Hardware and Building Supply Association (AQMAT) and the Atlantic Building Supply Dealers Association (ABSDA).  Under the direction of the CRBSC, Stan Burkholder, a well-respected CRBSC and industry facilitator, has worked with one of Canada’s leading developers of on-line programming to translate the two-day classroom CRBSC Manual Estimating Fundamentals Course to this online platform. Our vision is for the online course to match in intensity and relevance with what the classroom course provides.  

We have eliminated the time and cost to travel to a learning center to participate in the traditional 2-day Estimating Fundamentals Workshop. While containing the same information as the workshop, this new platform delivers a learning experience lasting approximately 8 hours that is accessible anywhere, anytime from a desktop, laptop or tablet.

This course is ideally suited to any building supply retail staff member either directly or indirectly involved in the estimating process for decks, sheds or garages.

Module 1: The Sales Process

Module 2: The Deck Estimate

Module 3: The Garage Estimate Part 1

Module 4: The Garage Estimate Part 2

Deck Exam

Garage Exam

The modules and exams should take no longer than 8 hours to complete once you sign in and pay there is no time limit.  The cost of this online program is $425. plus HST. To register for this online program click on the link below:

https://crbsc.skillbuilder.co/pages/home-page

 

Un-level the playing field
IKO Industries Inc
You know what it takes to be successful. It starts with elevating your game and we’ve raised ours to give building material dealers, like you, an even greater advantage. We’ve engineered insightful, no-nonsense products like our architectural shingles, which are heavier and larger than most competitors’ comparable products. Because, like you, we believe in going above and beyond. Go ahead. Take it to the next level.
https://www.roofingelevated.com/
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Industry News

 

AFA Forest Products Inc. is pleased to to make the following announcements:

Christie Tidman has joined the company as the new Outside Sales Representative for the Valley South Shore territory. Christie has recently graduated from Acadia University and will be a great new addition to the AFA team.


Amber Camus has joined AFA as the new Commodity Trader for AFA Atlantic. She has recently graduated from St. Francis Xavier University. Amber is bilingual (English and French) having completed the DELF Certification Program (Diplôme d’ Études en Langue Française).

 

Igor Halencak

 

Sylvain Prud’homme, President and CEO of Lowe’s Canada, is pleased to announce the appointment of Igor Halencak as Senior Vice President, Central Merchandising and Global Sourcing at Lowe’s Canada.

In this capacity, Mr. Halencak will oversee a new center of excellence responsible for leveraging merchandising best practices across the entire Lowe’s Canada network of banners and supporting divisional merchandizing teams in the future. The new structure will also simplify vendor relationship management through the establishment of a single contact point for vendors supplying more than one of Lowe’s Canada’s banners. Mr. Halencak joined Lowe’s Canada in 2013 as Head of Merchandizing and Marketing, Lowe’s Big Box. In his more recent role, he was Vice President, Central Merchandizing, Procurement and Global Sourcing.

 

Sexton Group Ltd.
TIM-BR MARTS Ltd.

Many in the industry are familiar with the names Peter Kohler Windows & Entrance Systems name in the Atlantic Provinces and Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems outside of Atlantic Canada.

When this brand strategy several years ago, the long term plan was to trade under the Kohltech name. The Kohltech name is a hybrid of Kohler and Technology and was designed to keep a component of the brand name and capture our passion for continuous improvement and technology. The Kohltech name and their K logo are both trademarked.

Their plan is to transition the Peter Kohler brand to Kohltech by promoting both brands in their messaging over the next 16 months. This will enable them to move to Kohltech and transition displays, signage and other promotional material to Kohltech while supporting both brands.

This fall, Peter Kohler Windows will transition to the Kohltech Windows & Entrance Systems by Peter Kohler brand.

This is the next step in their shift from Kohler Windows and Entrance Systems which began in 2005.

The new marketing material will look familiar. Kohltech’s branding keeps its Kohler roots with the signature K trademark and colours. The company has created a transitional Kohltech logo with “by Peter Kohler” to present the change externally. Communications materials and advertising will use the transitional logo until the 2018/19 Winter Window Event. However, long-term materials like in-store displays and clothing will only use the Kohltech logo beginning immediately which they have slowly introduced on invoices, packing slips, trailers and other related material.

With a new name and logo also comes a new website, launching in September, PeterKohler.ca and PeterKohler.com will greet visitors with a message about the name change and be redirected to Kohltech.com

 

Do you comply with CSA Standard A440.4-07?
Resisto Division of Soprema
From now on, under the National Building Code of Canada, the installation of windows, doors, and skylights shall conform to CSA Standard A440.4-07. RESISTO has the right product to conform to this standard: the REDZONE membrane. This self-adhesive membrane seals the edges of the anchors that pass through windows or doors, ensuring compliance with CSA Standard A440.4-07.
www.resisto.ca
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On Monday August 28th 2017, Castle staff and their Vendor Partners gathered again at the picturesque Club at North Halton in Georgetown for the annual Castle Vendor Appreciation Golf Tournament. The pristine greens and rolling hills made for a beautiful backdrop for another day filled with enjoyment on the perfectly groomed private golf course in the city of Georgetown, ON.

A national selection of Castle supplier representatives from across Canada enjoyed a fun-filled day of golf with some exciting charity challenges along the way. Over 150 vendor participants attended the event and had the opportunity to donate to a worthy cause, win great prizes and enjoy the picture-perfect day on the Club at North Halton’s award-winning course. Castle welcomed a very special guest to the event this year. NHL hockey legend Darryl Sittler and former captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, spent the afternoon at the 9th hole greeting each team and posing for commemorative photos with the golfers. Following the tournament, players enjoyed a gourmet meal and awards presentation in the dining room overlooking the 9th hole.

“Castle recognizes the importance of acknowledging the contribution of our supplier network to the success of Castle. We understand that our efforts to further strengthen our relationships will contribute to the success our members and our group. It is important to show gratitude to our suppliers for their dedication and their commitment to Castle.” - Ken Jenkins, President

Following dinner, special guest Darryl Sittler sat down with Castle President Ken Jenkins to share some memorable highlights from his NHL career with the group, recalling his journey to NHL stardom. Darryl gave a heartfelt message about being true to yourself amidst adversity, the importance of staying humble and giving back to the community and beyond.

For eight years now, Castle’s annual charity golf function has benefitted the SickKids Foundation and with the generosity of their attendees, the event was another unbelievable success. The 2017 tournament raised an all-time record amount of $27,000.00 in charitable donations thanks to the generosity of Castle Vendor Partners and a corporate match. SickKids is a health-care community dedicated to improving the health of children by providing the best in family-centred, compassionate care. Castle is a “Patron” on the wall of donors and following the unbelievable success of this year’s tournament, Castle has raised over $200,000 for this incredible foundation.

Castle Building Centres Group would like to thank their Valued Vendor Partners for the generous donations at this year’s charity event and for making the Castle Golf Tournament an enormous success.

 

Training & Upcoming Events

 

ABSDA offers a series of on-line Training Videos for Members and Staff. This on-line training program is specifically designed to promote sales skills & customer service and is available on the ABSDA Website as a Member Benefit.

The series incorporates five programs listed below, each with a compliment of videos which last between 6 minutes and 15 minutes in length.


• A.C.E.S. – Around Customers Everyone Sells - 14 Videos

• Contractor S.A.L.E.S. – Skills and Attitudes Leading to Exceptional Selling - 13 Videos

• Building A Championship Team - 18 Videos

• On The Bottom Line - 17 Videos

• The Big 8 Most Important Selling Skills - 8 Videos


You and your staff can access these programs on the ABSDA website (www.absda.ca) or by clicking on the following link.

http://www.absda.ca/online-education-program

 

ECi Software Solutions, Inc.
Downeast Plastics Ltd.