The WRLA office will be closed July 1st but open on July 4th!
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This Is Our Association’s Greatest Honor
The WRLA Industry Achievement Award is celebrating its 39th Anniversary this year. This award recognizes members of the WRLA who have contributed to their business, the building supply industry, the WRLA and the communities in which they live.
The WRLA wants to recognize the individual who is or has been actively involved in the building supply industry, who has faced challenges and recognized opportunities, and who wishes to share best practices with the association. This individual has received the respect of fellow members of the association through contributions to the industry, the community, and the WRLA.
We invite you to honor your mentor, colleague, vendor, competitor, or a friend. Nominations are now being accepted - Deadline is September 9, 2011
Click here to download the 2011 Industry Achievement Nomination Form
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Let us know about your new products and we will feature them in the YardStick or the ToolBox for FREE!
A brief description and high resolution photos are required!
Email ckelly@wrla.org with your new products, questions or request for more information.
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2011 FALL Courses
Manual Estimating Program
October 3 - 7/11 - Edmonton
October 17 - 20/11 - Winnipeg
Online Health & Safety Couses - ongoing
The WRLA in partnership with the Lumber and Building Materials Association of Ontario (LBMAO) and EAGL Enterprises is pleased to offer an extensive web based Health and Safety Training program.
Click here for complete details
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Company on Track to Meet 2012 Goals, Raises Bar with New Set of 2020 Goals
TOLEDO, Ohio, June 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Owens Corning (NYSE: OC) today released its fifth annual Sustainability Report, which outlines the company's environmental footprint reduction performance relative to seven key aspects of resource consumption, waste and air emissions. The company also announced a new set of 2020 goals designed to raise the bar on its commitment to sustainability.
"Our 2010 Sustainability Report demonstrates Owens Corning's continued focus on – and progress toward – improvements in greening our operations and products, and accelerating energy efficiency and renewables penetration in the built environment," said Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer Frank O'Brien-Bernini. "We have met three of our seven goals already and are confident that six of the seven goals will be achieved by 2012."
O'Brien-Bernini said the seventh goal, involving footprint reductions in volatile organic compounds, has generated a 14-percent improvement since 2002 and has already begun to benefit from the company's recent conversion to the manufacture of its revolutionary EcoTouch™ insulation. EcoTouch™ is a new class of high-performance residential and commercial insulation made with a minimum of 99 percent minerals and plant-based compounds and is third-party certified to be a minimum 50 percent recycled content and formaldehyde-free.
Among the key accomplishments highlighted in the report is a 24-percent intensity reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to 2009 levels. The company removed 950,000 metric tons of CO2e from its operations in 2010, which is equivalent to eliminating the carbon dioxide-related impact of more than 170,000 passenger cars. The report highlights additional information on GHG emissions, as well as progress toward intensity reductions in energy usage, nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, particulate matter, waste-to-landfill contributions and water usage.
Having significantly reduced its environmental footprint over the past eight years, the company also announced a new set of footprint reduction goals in the report. These 2020 goals target reductions in energy, greenhouse gas, water, toxic air emissions, particulate matter and waste-to-landfill measures, as well as supplier sustainability and life cycle assessments.
"These new goals raise the bar on our commitment to sustainability and reflect an increasingly holistic approach that encompasses how our company operates, the attributes of our products and our desire to affect change by partnering with our customers and suppliers to deliver sustainable solutions," O'Brien-Bernini added.
The 2010 report also features the company's caring for its employees through its continued quest for an injury-free workplace. In 2010, the company improved its rate of injuries by 23 percent, marking its ninth consecutive year of safety improvement. In addition, the report highlights information about the Owens Corning's community involvement and increased accountability for sustainable operations and behavior.
Owens Corning expanded its sustainability presence with several important developments. In 2010, the company:
- Earned placement in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, an elite listing of the top 10 percent of the world's 2,500 largest companies based on long-term economic, environmental and social criteria.
- Joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative. With its emphasis on sustainability and responsible business practices, the U.N. Global Compact provides the company a strong platform for embracing good corporate principles in the areas of human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption.
- Was named to Corporate Responsibility Magazine's "100 Best Corporate Citizens™" list, reflecting its continued progress and dedication to balancing economic growth with social progress and environmental stewardship.
Owens Corning's 2010 Sustainability Report is consistent with Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) guidelines know as GRI-G3. GRI's Sustainability Reporting Guidelines set a globally applicable framework for reporting the economic, environmental and social dimensions of an organization's activities, products and services.
The full report and a downloadable summary progress report are available online at: www.sustainability.owenscorning.com.
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RONA OPENS NEWEST STORE IN ST. JOHN’S AREA
Torbay Road Store built to meet LEED criteria St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, June 29, 2011 – RONA inc. (TSX: RON, RON.PR.A), the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, renovation and gardening products, has officially opened its new RONA store in St. John’s today. Existing St. John’s Chester Dawe operations on Torbay Road are being transferred to the new RONA store located at 710 Torbay Road. This new outlet represents a $20 million investment and created 50 local jobs in addition to the 35 existing positions from Chester Dawe Torbay location.
This newest RONA St. John’s store features a retail sales area of 44,000 square feet and approximately 30,000 products dedicated to both professional contractor and ‘Do-it-Yourself’ renovator. The store will also have an impressive 46,000 square foot outdoor drive-through lumberyard, a 9,700 square foot garden centre and a 23,500 square foot covered lumberyard.
Please click here to read the complete news release
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Their consensus plan will help keep Canada's economic recovery on track, keep its workers working, and create new opportunities for youth and those who are underrepresented in the construction industry, including women and aboriginals.
"We saw in that period up to 2008 how a shortage of skilled labour could negatively impact our work, delay projects, and increase costs. And, we saw how little any one company or organization could do about it," said Steve Williams, chief operating officer of Suncor Energy Inc.
With Canada's Construction Sector Council forecasting a need for more than 300,000 new workers - approximately 25 per cent of the industry's current workforce - by 2019, the time to act is now.
"As construction owners, we decided to band together and commit to work with contractors, labour groups, government, educators and trainers to address these workforce challenges," said Williams. Part of that effort entails training for unemployed Canadians, retention strategies for older workers, and the importance of Temporary Foreign Workers in the short-term.
Construction and maintenance workers in Canada build, install, maintain, repair and renovate more than $220 billion of infrastructure annually. The construction industry employs 1.2 million workers, accounts for six per cent of total Canadian employment, and generates more than 12 per cent of the country's gross domestic product. "So, the opportunity for work is there," continued Williams. "And, when you consider Canada's aging workforce, an increasing investment in new infrastructure, and a greater need to maintain that which we already have, the need will only grow."
As part of the solution, Ed Martin, CEO, Nalcor Energy said, "We are committed to focusing on educating youth about potential career paths within the skilled trades, and the potential career paths within the industry. This requires a commitment by owners, contractors and governments to support apprentices during upswings as well as downturns in the economy. For Nalcor, the investment in our workers is the best investment we can make for the future."
Suncor COO Williams added, "The plan will also help to attract more aboriginals and women, and facilitate the integration of recent immigrants into the industry. Ensuring our workplaces afford opportunity for all is critical to our success." David Podmore, Chairman and CEO of Concert Properties - a developer of residential, commercial and industrial properties supports the coordinated effort. "This plan recognizes that many stakeholders have a role to play but we must move forward as quickly as possible and avoid duplication of effort." Construction owners contributing to the strategy included B.C. Hydro, Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Irving Oil, Nalcor Energy, Nexen Inc., Ontario Power Generation, Shell Canada, Suncor Energy, and Syncrude Canada Limited.
Their work has been published as "Meeting Construction and Maintenance Workforce Challenges: Construction Owners Strategy, 2011 to 2016," which includes a summary of actions and an implementation plan. The strategy and implementation plan is available for download at www.constructionforecasts.ca .
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Marathon Forest Products Ltd.
2nd Floor, 136 West 3rd Street
North Vancouver, BC V7M 1E8
Phone: (604) 985-2129 Phone
Toll Free: (800) 665-8119 Fax: (604) 985-6129
Contact: Brent Brownmiller Brent@marathonforestproducts.com
www.marathonforestproducts.com
(Distributor) Lumber, plywood, OSB, timbers, pallet stock, cedar and other related specialty wood products.
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