WRLA News

Welcome to the ToolBox, your portal to WRLA member news and information within the LBM market. We invite you to learn more about what's going on within your association and the companies whose products and/or services you utilize.

Industry News

Saying Goodbye to a long-time Industry Friend and our 1995 Mr. Lumberman - Bob Mondy

Ken Sexton brought Bob on board as Sexton Group's founding General Manager in 1985 thus starting a successful business relationship that lasted for over 25 years.

Bob spent countless hours traveling throughout Western Canada, meeting with dealers and suppliers and forging relationships that lasted a lifetime. The hard work paid off as today The Sexton Group is one of Canada's largest buying groups for building material retailers.

Bob was extremely well-liked and respected for his work across the building materials industry and beyond. In 1995 he was awarded the Lumberman’s Award (now the Industry Achievement Award) from the WRLA (Western Retail Lumber Association) for his dedication, hard work and contribution to the industry.

Health issues challenged Bob for most of his life, but with positivity and a great spirit he never let it get him down. Bob retired from the Sexton Group in 2009 and continued to participate in company functions and frequently visited the office.

Bob has always demonstrated dedication, passion and service in his community. He was an active member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg West. When he wasn’t selling lumber, Bob was raising money for the various charities to which Rotary donates. Chickenfest was one of Bob's biggest fundraisers. To this day, everyone here at the Sexton Group continues to support Chickenfest.

Bob will always be in our hearts and memories at Sexton Group Sincere condolences to his partner Holly and his family. Gone but never forgotten.

To view his obituary and leave a message for the family please CLICK HERE

Get all your Employees Trained for under $300 - No additional fees, no travel expenses, strictly Education!

To develop a culture of training in your store, be sure and reward your staff for their efforts. Employees who take online product knowledge training courses in hardware and building materials from the North American Retail Hardware Association can be rewarded in a number of ways. These can include a raise at the end of the year for the hours of training they’ve completed. Many dealers are using online product knowledge training as a mandatory part of a new employee’s three-month probation period. One of the things required for keeping their job after that initial period—and for getting a raise—is to complete one of the courses.
Remember, all training and testing is done online and NRHA keeps track of each student’s progress for you. When a student successfully completes a course of training, NRHA will send them a diploma.

Create a "Wall of Fame" for your Staff
Do you have a company newsletter? If you do, why not use it to tell your staff and customers about NRHA Training courses? The newsletter will help you drive home the importance of customer training and service at your store—to both your customers and employees. The newsletter can also be used to announce the graduates from the course. You could even include a photo of them holding their NRHA diploma!

Rewarding your Staff for Taking Training
When staff complete NRHA’s online product knowledge training—which is available online to all NRHA members and their staff—you can reward them in any number of ways, including a bonus, a day off or a small raise. But be sure to make a big deal out of your graduates’ achievements by celebrating with coffee and donuts and invite all employees to join the celebration. This helps spread the message of training and its importance to all your staff.

WRLA in partnership with NRHA offers WRLA members unlimited access to a full range of training and management services when they join NRHA through the WRLA.

CLICK HERE for more information about the WRLA or CLICK HERE for more information about NRHA.

Why Most Renovations Start In The Kitchen And What Homeowners Might Be Missing

TORONTO, May 7, 2013 /CNW/ - This single room of the house is the focus of 44% of keywords filtered through the OutRank database. A conversation with contractors helps shed some light on what drives this key search term. "The kitchen is an essential room and people take pride in making sure it's stunning." said Nick Rudnicki, contractor and owner of Rude Works. "When you buy a home it's the place where paperwork is signed. It's also the reason why so many realtors are great at baking cookies. When most people call or email our company it's because they feel their kitchen is no longer in style, but I'm from the East coast and we invented the kitchen party, so I get it."

If the kitchen is the crown jewel of entertaining and the first room that many home buyers notice, it begs the question - what aren't people searching for that might drive even more value to their homes?
For Rudnicki, "There's a simple rule to keep in mind before setting a budget for your kitchen reno, take a look at the areas of your home that have gone the longest without being renovated. Kitchens are frequently updated and may not be an indicator of the overall health and efficiency of a home."

In B.C, Jim Frost of Frost Homes recommends investigating what you can't see. "Electrical is a big one, especially in heritage homes. Some older homes still have knob and tube wiring. It's essential to look at areas like these. They can be a major risk to the lasting value of a home. In fact a lot of insurance companies charge a premium if your home is still wired this way."

Even within the kitchen there is more a homeowner can do. Rudnicki suggests "a quick look for water damage or mold, especially before thinking about a renovation, can help identify big problems before you peel back a floorboard." For Frost record keeping is essential. "Keep track of jobs that have already been done, especially permitted jobs and who did them", he advises. "This information can be great to have, especially to share with a contractor before your next renovation."

OutRank recommends searching for renovators who are equipped to handle more than just kitchen renos; remodeling, refacing, remediation, redesign are unique specialties among general contractors. If you are worried about electrical or piping problems in an old house, a search for a General Contractor who is licensed to deal with these systems can make a big difference. These infrequently used search terms can go a long way to telling you how qualified your contractor is to handle problems that might be invisible when a renovation starts.

"Every search matters," says Carrie Shaw, Director Of Marketing, Outrank by Rogers. "A search can seem small, but the impact can be huge to a homeowner looking to build their dream home. Standing back and looking at the data as a whole gives context to just how big the home renovations market really is. We want to make sure that not only are we helping our contractors find the best jobs for them, but also that homeowners find the information that matters to them most in a sea of search results."
In striving to connect the best contractors with the right job, OutRank's data analysts have outlined 3 tips to help with your next Google renovation search.

Three Tips For Broadening Your Internet Search And Adding Value To Your Home

Know when to search "Licensed" vs. "Unlicensed" Contractors
Each province has its own requirements on what a contractor is required to know before becoming a provincially licensed contractor. For example an Ontario licensed contractor requires a speciality as a Master Electrician. Knowing what skills you're paying for when you search Licensed General Contractor can save you money or save you heartache.
Add specificity to your search with the 4 R's: Remodeling, Refacing, Remediation, Redesign
Each of these R's means something specific in the home improvement world and can improve your search. Remodeling refers to improving a structure, refacing refers to aesthetic changes (frequently in cabinetry and counters), remediation refers to the removal of pollution or contaminants from the home environment and redesign is normally used in reference to changes in layout and aesthetic.
Search for specialists with specific materials
Often subcontractors are necessary for a major redesign or remodel. Specifying the key trouble spots or must haves such as flooring, plumbing, or by preferred material types may help narrow down your search by more than a half million results. A search for "bamboo floors installation Toronto" will yield better results than "hardwood floors" when you know what you want.

TIM-BR MART Group Welcomes LumberZone

May 6, 2013 (Calgary, AB) – The LumberZone serves both contractors and do-it-yourselfers in southeastern Manitoba with a full line of hardware and building materials.

TIMBER MART served the Steinbach community for more than 40 years, and the owners of the original Steinbach location were among the founders of the now national buying group.

Joel Hartung worked as a TIMBER MART employee at the store for 11 years and, after a brief turn in the automotive industry, he realized he "had sawdust in his veins" and decided to open a hardware and building materials store.

Located on three acres, the store operates out of an existing 9,000 sq. ft. building that will later be converted to warehouse space. A new store is being built on the property that will add 4,300 sq. ft. of retail space.

When asked why he chose TIMBER MART, Hartung enthusiastically replied, "Because they are the best buying group! Everyone in the area is very familiar with the TIMBER MART brand, which made it an easy choice."

"We are very pleased to welcome LumberZone to the TIM-BR MART family. We are proud to support Canadian independent businesses involved in the sale of hardware and building materials, and to have a presence in the community of Steinbach once again," said TIM-BR MART Group President and CEO Tim Urquhart. In operation since 1967, TIM-BR MART Group is a $2 billion+ member-owned organization serving over 750 building material and hardware retailers, commercial dealers and manufacturers across Canada. The organization exists to help Canadian entrepreneurs involved in the sale of building materials and hardware be more profitable.

CHALIFOUR CANADA WINS SILVER COMMUNICATOR AWARD

May 6, 2013 (London, ON) – Chalifour Canada received the award for the design and marketing of its "Power Strategies" complete merchandising and marketing solution. The strategies provide a comprehensive turnkey solution to independent hardware and building material dealers, including: planograms, in-store displays, complete point-of-purchase packages, dedicated customer service, quality products in-stock, and on-time deliveries with a 98% fill rate.

The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), a 600+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Visit www.iavisarts.org for more information.

A 100% Canadian-owned hardware, lumber and building material distribution company, Chalifour Canada Ltd. serves independent home improvement entrepreneurs in every province and territory. From five warehouses and offices in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, Chalifour Canada offers full transportation and logistics services, cutting-edge product ordering and inventory management technologies, plus a dedicated national sales team providing in-store retail support. To learn more, visit www.chalifourcanada.com

Castle Building Centres Group is proudly celebrating their 50th anniversary in 2013

UA launches national recruitment campaign to attract 25,000 new piping trade members

OTTAWA, May 7, 2013 /CNW/ - The high number of workers is needed to fill infrastructure jobs now and in the near-future. Work sites in areas such as Alberta and Northern British Columbia are already seeing a shortage. Similar to other professions, trained workers will also be needed to replace those who are retiring over the next few years.

"Our clients come to us with work because our workers are the best. We believe our members have everything a professional skilled labourer needs," says John Telford, UA's Director of Canadian Affairs. "We are known for our productivity, performance and stellar record of safety. Any pipefitter out there who is working non-union, we encourage them to check us out. They'll like what they see."

The recruitment push is primarily in response to a jump in large-scale infrastructure projects in the Western provinces, but there is an anticipated increase in work in areas including the Maritimes, Ontario and Quebec as major infrastructure projects begin.

"For each and every worker who reaches out to UA, we will tell you straight up what we offer and the work we can give you," says Telford. "UA matches qualified members to jobs where their skills are highly needed."

The recruitment campaign, based on market research and member testing with focus groups, consists of billboards and online advertising in targeted locations across the country. The ads are designed to attract qualified journeymen and journeywomen who are looking for competitive wages, training, pensions and health benefits.

Further information can be found at www.joinUACanada.ca

About UA
The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) is a multi-craft union whose members are engaged in the fabrication, installation and servicing of piping systems. There are approximately 52,000 highly-skilled United Association members who belong to over 30 individual local unions across Canada.