Take the Webinar on New Business Opportunities

Register now for this webinar!

New Business Opportunities…..Increase Your Market Share with Jon Davis, Davis Consulting
Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 3:00p.m. (EST)
$139.00 per logged on computer

Areas of discussion will include:
Emerging Long Term Marketing Trends
New Business Opportunities – Increasing Your Market Share
 Vendor Market Development Funds (MDF)
 Aggressive Marketing Plan funded with MDF
 Increase your market share with Home Builders – Existing & New Customers
 Diversification – Strategic Initiatives for other targeted Customer Classes
 Commercial
 Multi-Family
 Remodelers
 Government/Institutional & Manufacturers
 Package Homes and Garages – direct sale to consumers
 Acquisitions

This webinar provides you the opportunity to learn from one of the leaders in the industry without having to leave your business. No travel, no time away from the office. The price is just $139 per logged on computer. To get the most bang for your buck, gather all your managers around one computer and use a speaker phone.

The webinar is being hosted by Turnkey Programming. Prior to the webinar, you’ll be contacted by them with the webinar phone number and password, as well as instructions for logging onto the website to view the webinar live.

Click the picture to enlarge and print to use for registration. Please fax completed registration forms to 770-752-9726. Thank you.

Red Flags Rule: How to Use the How To Guide

If you click on the picture, it will take you to a PDF of the How-to Guide for Business. Once there, you will find the most helpful how to information beginning on page 14 of the Guide.


HOW TO COMPLY: A FOUR STEP PROCESS

Step One: Identify relevant red fl ags. Identify the red fl ags of identity theft you’re likely to come across in your business.

Step Two: Detect red fl ags. Set up procedures to detect those red fl ags in your day-to-day operations.

Step Three: Prevent and mitigate identity theft. If you spot the red fl ags you’ve identifi ed, respond appropri- ately to prevent and mitigate the harm done.

Step Four: Update your Program. The risks of identity theft can change rapidly, so it’s important to keep your Program current and educate your staff .

Get the free guide here. (Remember - the really helpful info starts on page 14!)

Overview of Red Flags Rule

This is an excerpt from the Fighting Fraud with the Red Flags Rule How-to Guide for Business

The Red Flags Rule sets out how certain businesses and organizations must develop, implement, and administer their Identity Theft Prevention Programs.

Your program must include four basic elements, which help you to address the threat of identity theft.

#1 - Policies and Procedures for Identifying Red Flags
Your program must include reasonable policies and procedures to identify the "red flags" of identity theft you may run across in the day-to-day operation of your business.

Red flags are suspicious patterns or practices, or specifi c activities, that indicate the possibility of identity theft.

For example, if a customer has to provide some form of identifi cation to open an account with your company, an ID that looks like it might be fake would be a "red fl ag" for your business.

#2 - Detection of Red Flags
Your program must be designed to detect the red fl ags you’ve identified.

For example, if you’ve identified fake IDs as a red flag, you must have procedures in place to detect possible fake, forged, or altered identifi cation.

#3 - How Will You Deal with Red Flags?
Your program must spell out appropriate actions you’ll take when you detect red flags.

#4 - How Will You Re-Evaluate Your Program and Modify It, As Needed?
Identity theft is an ever-changing threat so you must address how you will re-evaluate your program periodically to reflect new risks from this crime.

Just getting something down on paper won’t reduce the risk of identity theft. That’s why the Red Flags Rule sets out requirements on how to incorporate your Program into the daily operations of your business.

Your board of directors (or a committee of the board) has to approve your first written program. If you don’t have a board, approval is up to an appropriate senior-level employee.

Your program must state who’s responsible for implementing and administering it effectively.

Because your employees have a role to play in preventing and detecting identity theft, your Program also must include appropriate staff training.

If you outsource or subcontract parts of your operations that would be covered by the Rule, your Program also must address how you’ll monitor your contractors’ compliance.

The Red Flags Rule gives you the flexibility to design a program appropriate for your company – its size and potential risks of identity theft.

While some businesses and organizations may need a comprehensive program that addresses a high risk of identity theft in a complex organization, others with a low risk of identity theft could have a more streamlined program.

Red Flags Rule In Effect May 1, 2009

The Red Flags Rule requires many businesses and organizations to implement a written Identity Theft Prevention Program designed to detect the warning signs – or "red flags" – of identity theft in their day-to-day operations. Are you covered by the Red Flags Rule? Read Fighting Fraud with the Red Flags Rule: A How-To Guide for Business to:

*Find out if the rule applies to your business or organization;
*Get practical tips on spotting the red flags of identity theft, taking steps to prevent the crime, and mitigating the damage it inflicts; and
*Learn how to put in place your written Identity Theft Prevention Program.

By identifying red flags in advance, you'll be better equipped to spot suspicious patterns when they arise and take steps to prevent a red flag from escalating into a costly episode of identity theft. Take advantage of other resources on this site to educate your employees and colleagues about complying with the Red Flags Rule.

To learn more, visit this website put together by the Federal Trade Commission.

The full guide is here as a PDF file.

This article by The “Red Flags” Rule: Are You Complying with New Requirements for Fighting Identity Theft? by Tiffany George and Pavneet Singh is an easy to read explanation of who must comply and how they must do it.

The Scope of the Lumber & Building Material Industry

Pre-Order Your Copy Now

The Scope of the LBM Industry Report explains why building material dealers operate the way they do and how they have evolved in response to the marketplace, noting valuable benchmarking data for all members of the building industry, especially in today's tumultuous economy.

The Scope of the LBM Industry Report will feature important qualitative data focused on fundamental practices, including:

*How dealer businesses are structured
*How dealers go to market
*What kinds of customers dealers serve
*What products and services dealers offer
*Purchasing practices and inventory management
*How dealers use technology

Prepared by Greg Brooks of The Building Supply Channel, the report also details important quantitative data on the state of the industry, including: Size of the industry; Number of companies; Geographical concentration; Number of employees; Payroll expenditures; Taxes paid; Sales by customer type; Dealer/retailer sales by product category; End use by end-user category; Employee productivity; Product line market share by dealer type; Inventory productivity; and Manufacturing capabilities. To pre-order your copy, download an order form here.

From NLBMDA Legislative Affairs Federal

Congressional Spring Break Action Alert! Both the House and Senate passed their fiscal year 2010 budget resolutions last week before adjourning for the spring Congressional recess (April 6-17). When they return April 20, energy legislation and tax issues are expected to dominate the agenda. Now is the time to attend a town hall meeting or other local events with your elected officials to seek their support for the building supply industry. Contact their district office (phone numbers can be found at http://www.buildthevote.org/ and then select “Your Elected Officials” tab) to inquire about public appearances or to schedule a face-to-face meeting. Share your personal story of how the housing crisis is impacting jobs at your company, and ask your legislators to take the following actions:
1. More help is needed for Housing Recovery. An enhanced, $15,000 tax credit for all home purchases is needed to reduce existing inventory, stabilize home prices and get buyers back into the market.
2. Oppose the “Employee Free Choice Act” and any so-called “compromise” measures that would strip workers of their right to private ballots when determining union representation and insert government arbitrators into contract negotiations.

If you can’t meet with your legislators in person, visit http://www.buildthevote.org/ to quickly send a message to them on these critical issues. Contact Colleen Levine at colleen@dealer.org for assistance or to report on a successful meeting.

Estate Tax Reform Included in Budget Resolution. Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Jon Kyl (R-AZ) led a bipartisan effort to successfully adopt an amendment to the FY2010 budget resolution during floor debate last week to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to allow the estate tax exemption to be increased to $5 million, indexed to inflation, and the maximum tax rate reduced to 35%. This is a more significant reduction than the Administration’s plans to maintain the estate tax at 2009 levels ($3.5 million exemption and 45% rate) and was supported by NLBMDA and other members of the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition (FBETC). The amendment passed by a vote of 51-48, with all Republicans and 10 Democrats voting in support (Democrats: Lincoln, Pryor (AR), Ben Nelson (NE), Landrieu (LA), Baucus (MT), Murray (WA), Bill Nelson (FL), Cantwell (WA), Bayh (IN) and Tester (MT).) Separate legislation will still be needed to adopt these changes, and revenue raising measures, (“pay-fors”) must be identified to cover the cost of the larger exemption and rate cut, guaranteeing a heated debate ahead in the Congressional tax committees.

Net Operating Loss (NOL) Expansion Bill Introduced in the Senate. Last week, Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Max Baucus (D-MT) introduced legislation to expand the net operating loss five-year carryback to companies of all sizes, not just those under the arbitrary $15 million revenue cap that was contained in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) earlier this year. The “Net Operating Loss Carry Back Act” (S. 823) was introduced with six additional cosponsors from the Senate Finance Committee (Hatch (R-UT), Stabenow (D-MI), Ensign (R-NV), Lincoln (D-AR), Cantwell (D-WA), Nelson (D-FL)). NLBMDA continues to work with a large coalition of retailers, manufacturers and other industry groups to seek meaningful NOL relief to protect jobs in the building supply industry.

Senators Seek Ban on Chinese Drywall. Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) have introduced a resolution (S. Res. 91) responding to the Chinese drywall investigations currently taking place in Florida and other states. In addition to calling on the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to identify potential health hazards for the product in question, the resolution seeks to prohibit further importation of any drywall and “associated building products” from China, order a recall of “hazardous Chinese drywall,” and seek to ensure that Chinese manufacturers and their US subsidiaries or distributors bear the costs of replacing hazardous drywall in homes. The resolution further calls for tax incentives to assist homeowners in recouping their costs for drywall replacement.

Maximum Truck Weight Increase Proposed. The “Safe and Efficient Transportation Act” (H.R. 1799) was introduced March 30 by Reps. Mike Michaud (D-ME) and Jean Schmidt (R-OH) to allow states to authorize travel on interstate highways of vehicles up to 97,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight on six axles. It would raise the overweight vehicle tax cap to $800 per year, with funds going to a new Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust fund to be allocated to states for bridge and infrastructure repairs. NLBMDA is a member of the Coalition for Transportation Productivity seeking such an increase, with corresponding safety measures, to improve efficiency in building material transport.

Lacey Act Declaration Enforcement Delayed to May 1. The Customs Department is now accepting electronic submission of Lacey Act imported wood product declarations as of April 1, but enforcement of the declaration requirement has been delayed until May 1. Dealers who directly import any foreign wood products should visit this website to make sure you are in compliance with the new requirements.

NLBMDA ALERT: Department of Energy Releases Details on $8 Billion in Stimulus Weatherization Grants

An Alert from NLBMDA

DOE recently announced it will invest nearly $8 billion in state and local weatherization and energy efficiency efforts as part of the recent stimulus legislation (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). The funds will be divided between the Weatherization Assistance Program, which will receive nearly $5 billion, and the State Energy Program, which will receive up to $3 billion. DOE says this will help families save hundreds of dollars every year on their energy bills, while creating approximately 87,000 jobs. To jump-start the job creation and weatherization work, DOE is releasing $780 million in the next few days, and will release more as the states demonstrate that they are using the funding effectively.

The State Energy Program funding will be used to provide rebates to consumers for home energy audits or other energy-saving improvements; to develop renewable energy and alternative fuel projects; to promote Energy Star products; to upgrade the energy efficiency of state and local government buildings; and other innovative state efforts to help families save money on their energy bills. The weatherization funding will improve the energy efficiency of the homes of low-income families by adding more insulation, sealing leaks, or modernizing heating and air conditioning equipment, at a cost of up to $6,500 per home. The energy efficiency upgrades will be available for families making up to 200% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, this translates to about $44,000 per year in the lower 48 states, $55,140 per year in Alaska, and $50,720 per year in Hawaii. See the Weatherization Assistance Program Web site and the State Energy Program Web site.

It is important to note that all assistance is disbursed through the states and local governments. This is not a direct grant program from the federal government to consumers. The best guidance for consumers that want to apply for weatherization assistance can be found on this site.

Advantage Computer Systems Seminar to be Held October 20th.

One of CSA’s most popular seminars is back! Are you...

• Interested in learning more about the Advantage Computer System?
• In need of a little extra help with the program?
• In charge of inventory control?
• Looking to resolve common problems and learn “quick fixes”?

If you answered yes to any of the above, this seminar is for you!

The Advantage Computer Systems Seminar, hosted by CSA and Advantage Computer Systems, will be led in a roundtable-style discussion by Skip Engel and Gregory Cuke. Skip and Gregory have a combined 25 years of experience in all parts of the Advantage system, and are excited to answer all questions and facilitate discussions.

The best part of this seminar is that the attendees pick the discussion topics! When registering for the seminar, attendees will be asked to pick five topics to discuss. Skip and Gregory will then create an agenda and curriculum from these topics.

The cost of this seminar is $100.00 per person, and will begin promptly at 8:00a.m. and run until 4:00p.m. Lunch, breaks and materials are included in the registration fee. Accommodations at Callaway Gardens are available by calling 1.800.CALLAWAY. Rooms for October 19 (the night before the seminar) are $149.00 plus tax per night, and includes admission into the Gardens. Reservations are the responsibility of the attendee. Rooms will not be held after September 19, and reservations after this date will be taken on a space availability basis only.

CSA members can register for this seminar in three different ways!
1. Mail this registration form with payment to:Construction Suppliers Association1850 Lake Park Drive, Suite 200Smyrna, GA 30080
2. Fax this form to 770.752.9726
3. Register online at www.gocsa.com under the member log-in tab.

Space IS limited - register today!

More Summer Management Conference Pictures...

Please contact Jen Kreitzer at lisagolden@gocsa.com if you would like a copy of any of the pictures!

2008 Summer Management Conference Recap

The response from CSA members is unanimous - the 2008 Summer Management Conference was a success! This year's conference, held July 10-12 at the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort in Point Clear, AL, featured speakers Rick Grandinetti, Craig Webb, Chris Rader, and Captain Charles Plumb, who shared a moving story about his POW experience and how to overcome the tough times in life. CSA members and their families attended receptions together and had the opportunity to swim, golf, fish, bike, and explore the lower Alabama area.

We've received several suggestions for sessions and locations for the 2009 Summer Management Conference. As soon as we work out the details, we will reveal the location. Watch your e-newsletter for more information!

In case you were unable to join us in Point Clear, here is a photo recap of what you missed!