ONLINE REGISTRATION OPEN

Estimating Fundamentals, Decks and Garages
April 16 & 17, 2012 (TWO-DAY COURSE) $500 per person
Covers the fundamentals of manual estimating and gives the participants a basic working knowledge of estimating decks and garages. Participants learn to calculate all the necessary components and gain knowledge of products used on these projects. 

Estimating for Residential Construction
April 18 & 19, 2012 (TWO-DAY COURSE) $500 per person
To participate in this course, you should have completed the Estimating Fundamentals course or should have experience with small project estimating at the customer service counter, or job-site experience in residential construction.

Yard Foreman – Operations Manager
April 20, 2012 (ONE-DAY COURSE) $250 per person
A one-day course focusing on the importance of a well-managed yard, storage and delivery operation to a building supply retail business. This course will help participants understand the impact of yard operations on the bottom line. It will look at the principles of efficient warehouse and yard lay-out. The day will also cover all aspects of the job – from inventory management, effective use of equipment, work-place safety – to customer service and employee management.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY!

MEMBER REBATE PROGRAM
Due to the wide distribution of members across the prairies, the north and NW Ontario, member rebates are available to offset the cost of travel and expenses to attend these courses. Rebate information and forms are available at www.wrla.org. Please note that courses must be paid in full by course date, and rebate forms sent to the WRLA office no later than 30 days from course completion date.

 

The WRLA membership year is April 1, 2012 – March 31, 2013. Renewal invoices and verification forms are in the mail!

Ensure to return updates by April 30, 2012.

The WRLA DIRECTORY & Product Source Guide will be updated and distributed to members in July 2012.



WRLA Member enquiry
Contact Susan at the WRLA office at 800-661-0253 ext. 0 or slabossiere@wrla.org 

 

If your company choses to take advantage on the WRLA Forklift rebate program through A.R.Williams please be aware that it is your responsibilty to notify A.R. Williams that you a WRLA Member. Your invoice should be sent directly from A.R. Williams to the WRLA office.

If you receive an invoice from A.R Williams for your training, please contact them and alert them that your invoice must be sent to the WRLA office.

For more information on the Forklift Rebate Program CLICK HERE

 

ATTENTION Retail Members:

The 2011-2012 WRLA Wage, Salary & Business Conditions Survey is currently being conducted. The survey closes this Friday, April 6th at Midnight! We strongly encourage your company to participate.

All survey information received from our members is confidential.  Only the summarized information totaled from all responses will be distributed.

CLICK HERE to complete the survey NOW!

All companies who complete the survey will receive a copy
of the results FREE ($99 value).

This survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete.  Prior to starting please gather all of the appropriate financial & business information.

THIS SURVEY IS OPEN TO RETAIL MEMBERS ONLY. THANK YOU.

 

The Western Retail Lumber Association Inc. (WRLA) is pleased to offer you an opportunity to increase your company’s strategic position and become "top-of-mind" with your fellow members in the industry. Sponsorship opportunities are available from $500 to $2,500. Each category guarantees; sponsor profile, recognition, and access to the WRLA Sponsorship benefits program.

Click on the links below for the WRLA Bursary Scholarship Program complete details which includes; invitational letter, Benefits of Sponsorship and Sponsorship Acknowledgement Form. Please complete the Sponsorship Acknowledgement Form and return to me either via email ckelly@wrla.org or fax 204-947-5195 no later than April 13, 2012.

For more information please visit http://www.wrla.org/education_scholarships.html

Bursary Scholarship Application Forms will be available in May

 

The Prairie Showcase wouldn't happen without the support of our sponsors.

Many Thanks to our 2012 Prairie Showcase Sponsors:

Platinum ($20,000)
Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.
JELD-WEN Windows & Doors
The Sexton Group Ltd.
Tourism Saskatoon & City of Saskatoon

Gold ($5,000)
Epicor Software Solutions
Home Hardware Stores Limited
Lancashire Distribution
Madero Distribution
Owens Corning
Ply Gem
Rona Inc.

Silver ($2,500)
All-Fab Building Components
Can-Cell Industries Inc.
Guardian Building Products Distribution
Naylor Publishing
Steel-Craft Door Products Ltd.

Bronze ($1,000)
Alliance Door
CanWelBroadleaf
Cherry Insurance
Duchesne et Fils ltee
Harris Rebar
Mitten Inc.
Morneau Shepell
National Forest Products
Resisto

Convention Club ($500)
Johns Manville Canada Inc.
National Concrete Accessories
OGC Inc.
ProfitMaster Canada
Seljax

 

 

 

Alexandria Moulding, a leading manufacturer and distributor of mouldings and related millwork products, today announced that they have acquired Royal Woodworking Co. Ltd. of Bradford Ontario (www.royalwoodworking.com), a family owned company founded in 1976 by the Rowe and Gerrits families specialized in manufacturing Hardwood solid and custom mouldings, boards and stair components.

As Andre Cholette, President of Alexandria Moulding explains, "This partnership solidifies our hardwood supply and product offering. Royal has a strong specialized team and is a cultural fit. We will leverage each other's strengths to further enhance the value we bring to our customers".

Royal Woodworking will operate as a standalone business unit providing their customers with a large selection of quality millwork products as well as leveraging Alexandria's logistics and sales network to grow their geographical coverage, while providing unparalleled support and service. Donna Gerrits, Rick Gerrits and Tom Hayes will join the Alexandria Management team and support the integration and combined businesses over the long term. One of the founding owners of Royal Woodworking Frank Gerrits has announced his intention to retire as planned.

"We have been business partners with Alexandria Moulding for over a decade.  Through our discussions with Alexandria Moulding, we believe their values and approach to business matches ours.  Our hardwood and custom moulding capabilities is a natural extension of Alexandria's existing business.  We see significant growth potential and opportunities for our combined business and people." said Donna Gerrits, General Manager of Royal Woodworking.

The integration of both companies will take place over the upcoming months. Royal's customers will continue to receive the same high quality of products and service which they have come to expect. Current supplier relationships will not be affected by this transaction.

Aurora Timberland, an Ontario based wholesale lumber distributer, in business for 23 years, is also part of the acquisition. Timberland will continue to operate as a standalone business with the founder Ted Rowe staying on board. As Mr. Rowe states, "it will be business as usual for us as we continue to supply the market with quality hardwood lumber in lifts or truck load quantities".

The Royal Wood Shop, a retail outlet owned by Frank Gerrits, is not a party to this transaction.  Royal Woodshop will continue to operate independently out of Aurora, Ontario.

 

They look a little like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that have been given a high-tech makeover.
Quick Response (QR) codes — square pixelated designs that can be scanned with smart phones — have been turning up more frequently over the past year or so in advertising and marketing materials. You might see the digital barcodes in the corner of a poster, on the back of a business card or worked into the artwork on a pamphlet.

But unless marketers use them properly, QR codes are about as relevant as the antiquated form of writing they resemble, says one of Canada’s leading Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts.
And unfortunately that’s currently the problem – the vast majority of marketers and the clients they represent are not using QR codes to track their campaigns effectively, says Scott Wilson, founder and CEO of RankHigher.ca, a Burlington, Ont.-based internet marketing and SEO firm.

"QR codes used the right way can be a fantastic marketing tool," says Wilson. "Wouldn’t it be great to be able to track your web traffic directly back to that beer coaster in the restaurant or the coupon you mass mailed to thousands of homes? That’s vital information for any marketer. The problem is that most companies are missing these marketing opportunities because of basic mistakes."

According to Wilson, these are three common QR code miscueswith simple solutions:

• Problem: Using cookie-cutter QR code patterns churned out by online generators, which are mistakenly read as direct traffic to a website by Google Analytics.
Solution: Have the QR code send traffic to a URL location where Google’s tracking software can monitor your marketing work and redirect to the desired location.

• Problem: Using long URLs in QR Codes makescomplicated codes that are difficult or impossible for consumers to scan.
Solution: Keep the URL short so your QR code will be simpler and easier for scanners to read, not to mention easier to fit on a business card.

• Problem: Using third-party services, like bit.ly, to shorten URLs attached to QR codes, leaving them vulnerable to potential technological problems or service changes.Solution: Host your QR code URL on your own domain so you have full control to quickly fix errors. If a third party URL shortener goes down, so does your entire QR code marketing campaign.

Companies making these simple QR code errors can be left unable to track any return on their marketing investment, Wilson says.

"After going to the expense of launching major marketing campaigns, it’s important to be able to trace exactly what’s generating consumer traffic and what isn’t," he says. "QR codes can do that for you — but if they’re used incorrectly, they’re really just an interesting-looking design in a little black and white box."

About RankHigher.ca:
Based out of Burlington, Ontario, RankHigher.ca was formed in 2004 under the name eMotion Picture Studios. The firm of 20 identifies Internet opportunities, builds SEO optimized web sites, runs Google AdWords campaigns, optimizes Google Places, writes and shoots marketing & training videos and provides a wide range of other new era internet services for clients like Apple, Pepsi, Gerber, Siemens, Cadbury and more.

 

To view the WRLA Education Calendar CLICK HERE

April 14 - 16, 2012
TruServ Canada Spring Market
Winnipeg Convention Center, Winnipeg, MB
www.truserv.ca

April 16 - 19, 2012
Manual Estimating
Saskatoon, SK

April 20. 2012
Yard Foreman
Saskatoon, SK

April 22 - 24, 2012
Home Hardware Show
St. Jacobs, ON

August 16-18, 2012
Orgill Spring Market
Las Vegas, NV

Tuesday, August 21, 2012
WRLA Terry Yates Memorial Golf Tournament
Steinbach, MB

Thursday, September 06, 2012
Calgary Classic Golf Tournament
Sundre Golf Course, Sundre, AB

Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Kenossee Golf Tournament
Kenossee SK.

September 20 - 22, 2012
RONA 2013 Spring Market
Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, ON
www.rona.ca

Sept 23-25, 2012
Home Hardware
St. Jacobs, ON

September 29 - October 1, 2012
Truserv Fall National Buying Market
Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg
www.truserv.ca

November 2 - 6, 2012
Sexton Member Conference
New Orleans, LA
Contact: callak@sextongroup.com