Scene, Vol. XVII, Number 6June 2010 1

S c e n e 5905 Golden Valley Road, Suite 110 Minneapolis, MN 55422

(763) 544-6822 or (888) 544-6822 FAX: (763) 595-4060 www.nlassn.org

Routing SlipPass this around to others in your company for their information.

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June 2010, Vol. XVII, No. 6

June 10, 2010NE Convention MeetingNE Board MeetingNebraska Golf OutingYork, NE

August 7, 2010FLL - Nebraska Baseball OutingLincoln, NE

August 19, 2010NLA Scholarship FundraiserMinneapolis, MN

September 10-12, 2010NLA Fall Board MeetingLake Okoboji, IA

September 21, 2010Iowa Golf OutingIowa Board of Trustees MeetingPanora, IA

September 22-23, 2010Nebraska Golf OutingNE Sporting ClayNE Board of Trustees MeetingGrand Island, NE

Plans Progress for 2010 Roundtable

We live in uncertain and challenging times. The NLA Roundtable gives you the opportunity to learn from other people and enjoy the support and friendship of your peers.

The NLA 2010 Roundtable will be held Wednesday, October 20 through Friday, October 22, 2010. Once again, the meeting will be hosted by John Miller of Freeborn Lumber in Albert Lea, Minnesota. The meeting schedule, which has been expanded from last year’s format, is posted at www.nlassn.org under the Education tab (select Roundtable).

There will be a new, yet to be determined, facilitator at this year’s Roundtable due to Ron Salvatore’s retirement. Lodging will be at a hotel near Freeborn Lumber and will include breakfast.

New this year is the requirement that, prior to the Roundtable, participants enroll and enter their financial data into the Building Material Operations Comparison Program (BMOC). BMOC is an online

tool that combines a comprehensive review of expenses, financials, and a salary survey. It will be used to make an anonymous side-by-side comparison among roundtable participants.

BMOC enrollment including the Roundtable option is $300 annually. The $300 BMOC enrollment charge will be treated as your deposit for the Roundtable. Those who have already paid this fee are registered for the Roundtable. New registrations will need to pay for the BMOC, and upon registration will receive a user name, password, and instructions on inputting their financial data. Total cost per person, beyond the cost of the BMOC, is estimated at $650.00.

Detailed information and registration forms will be coming out soon. Meanwhile, contact Suzanne Lechtman, (763) 595-4050 or (800) 469-8744 or slechtman@nlassn.org.

Please join your peers in Albert Lea.

Tax Benefits For BusinessesEmployers hiring workers who were previously unemployed or only working part time will receive a tax benefit under the provisions of the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act.

Hire someone unemployed between •Feb. 3 , 2010 and Jan. 1, 2011 and you may qualify for a 6.2% payroll tax incentive. You are exempt from paying their Social Security taxes. You do need to pay Medicare tax and employee’s share of Social Security.

For each of those workers hired •and retained for at least a year, you may claim an additional general business tax credit, up to $1,000 per worker.

Go to http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw11.pdf to get a W-11 form from the IRS. For details, go to www.hireact.org.

Scene, Vol. XVII, Number 6June 2010 2

NLA Scholarship FundraiserMINNESOTA TWINS V. ChICAgO WhITE SOXTarget Field, Thursday, August 19th at 7:10 PM

Come see the beautiful new Twins stadium and find out what everyone’s been raving about. The proceeds from the event will go to the NLA Scholarship Fund, which aids students at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering (industry management and marketing).

Tailgating from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at NLA, 5905 Golden Valley Road; Golden Valley, MN.

Leave your car at NLA and ride in style. NLA is providing a motor coach that will pick you up and return you to NLA.

Last Chance to Sign Up For Nebraska Spring golf Outing at Regular Pricing

Please get your registration in now for the Nebraska Spring Golf Outing on Thursday, June 10th at beautiful, conveniently located York Country Club. The 18 hole event begins at 10am with a shotgun start. There will be a bag lunch at the turn and awards and door prizes afterwards.

Members: Individual $70.00Team $260.00

Non-Members:Individual $85.00Team $320.00

Late Fees (Deadline Extended to Noon, Monday, June 7th): $10.00 per person

Price includes green fees, cart, lunch, drink tickets, snacks, awards, and door prizes.

SD No Smoking Referendum In November, voters in South Dakota will vote on a no smoking bill passed by the 2009 South Dakota Legislature. If approved by the voters, the law will take effect November 10, the day after the vote. The referred law states that smoking is prohibited in:

Any public place (any enclosed • area to which the public is invited or permitted) orAny place of employment (enclosed • area under the control of a public or private employer).

The law defines an enclosed area as “any space between a floor and a ceiling that is enclosed, exclusive of doorways, on all sides by permanent or temporary walls or windows.”

This Month in Construction Supply

Take Your Family to the Ball Game in Lincoln

Tickets include reserved seats; light snacks, soft drinks, and beer before the game; and motor coach transportation.

Prices: One ticket - $55.00 (Limit Four) – $15.00 goes to scholarship fund

Group Packages: Six Pack of Tickets-$360.00 – $120.00 goes to scholarship fundEight Pack of Tickets-$500.00 – $180.00 goes to scholarship fund

Sponsorship opportunities available.

For questions about the event or sponsorships, call Guy Marzano at (800) 896-5140, (763) 595-4057, or (612) 839-7288 (cell).

Jo in us a t H a y m a r k e t Park in Lincoln on Saturday, August 7th at 7:05 PM when the L inco ln (NE) Saltdogs host the St.

Paul (MN) Saints. Cost is only $11.00 per ticket. This event, sponsored by the Future Lumber Leaders-Nebraska Chapter, is for retailers, suppliers, and their families.

See www.nlassn.org or call Patty at Schuyler Lumber, (402) 352-2526 with questions and for registration forms.

Find current national statistics on housing starts, housing inventory, GDP, and more in a new publication, This Month in Construction Supply. Industry consultant Greg Brooks publishes this

monthly circular. Go to www.nlassn.org under communications tab and select Partner Publications to view the latest and past issues.

Scene, Vol. XVII, Number 6June 2010 3

Senate Votes on EPA Lead Rule

As part of consideration of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill, the Senate recently approved an amendment (60-37 vote) by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) that would prevent EPA funding for the imposition of fines and liability under the EPA Lead Rule. As you know, our national association (NLBMDA) has been pursuing a variety of avenues to minimize the impact of the rule on the industry. Sen. Collins specifically noted NLBMDA efforts on the floor of the Senate. However, during the course of consideration to

make the amendment germane (relevant to the bill at hand in order to take a vote on) to the bill on the Senate floor, the amendment was modified so that it only barred funding from this particular supplemental appropriations bill, which did not contain EPA funding, therefore making the vote largely symbolic. Despite the symbolic vote, 60 Senators voting for this amendment will provide NLBMDA and other organizations momentum in modifying the rule.

home Star Reintroduced in Senate

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) introduced revised Home Star legislation in the Senate (S. 3434), with 15 cosponsors including Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Scott Brown (R-MA). The bill adopts some of the changes made in the House, including accelerated rebate reimbursement. It also creates a new tax credit for performance-based energy efficiency improvements, adding a Section 25E to the Internal Revenue Code that allows homeowners to deduct up to 50 percent of the cost or $8000 for a “qualified” whole home energy retrofit conducted by a BPI-accredited contractor. Because of the tax provisions, the bill is still referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

It remains unclear how quickly the Senate will take up the legislation. It is also not yet clear if the sponsors have identified funding to pay for the program. Contact Colleen Levine at colleen@dealer.org or Jeremy Stine at jeremy@dealer.org from our National association office if you have questions.

NOTE: If this article affects your business, you can get regular free updates from our National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association via email. Call NLA office at (888) 544-6822 to provide us with your email address.

Red Flags Identity Theft Rule Delayed

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) again delayed the enforcement date for the “Red Flags Rule” on identity theft to December 30, 2010. Are lumber and building materials dealers, wholesalers, suppliers and manufacturers covered under the rule? Most likely – the rule generally applies if you provide products or services and bill customers later. The FTC has delayed the effective date several times now. The impression is the FTC has been hoping Congress would save it from itself. FTC in announcing the new delay: “The Commission urges Congress to act quickly to pass legislation that will resolve any questions as to which entities are covered by the Rule and obviate the need for further enforcement delays.”

The rule requires all businesses with credit provisions to have a written “Identity Theft Prevention Program.” On the FTC’s website (http://ftc.gov/redflagsrule) is a template for creating your own written program that you can fill out and print for your files.

The Rule was promulgated under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, in which Congress directed the Commission and other agencies to develop regulations requiring “creditors” and “financial institutions” to address the risk of identity theft. The resulting Red Flags Rule requires all such entities that have “covered accounts” to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs to help identify, detect, and respond to patterns, practices, or specific activities – known as “red flags” – that could indicate identity theft.

If you have questions, please feel free to call Paula at (800) 469-9078 or e-mail her at psiewert@nlassn.org, and we’ll work to get you an answer. On the Lighter Side

“I feel like I'm the best, but you're not going to get me to say that.” -- Jerry Rice

Salary Survey

Participate in this survey and receive a tool to compare your compensation methods (including benefits) and rates of pay with other dealers. Rick Schumacher, publisher of LBM Journal and sponsor of the sur-vey, will print a summary and analysis of the results in an upcoming edition of the Journal. A regional breakdown will be included for regions with enough participants. Provide your information and see if you are in line with others in

the industry. The more participants, the more significant the results will be.

Go to http://bit.ly/cktwKR to go the greetings page of the survey, which provides more details about the study. The deadline to participate is June 11, 2011 and the cost is $149.

Scene, Vol. XVII, Number 6June 2010 4

NLA Scholarship FundraiserRegistration Form

Benefits Students at the University of Minnesota Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering

(Industry Management & Marketing)

MINNESOTA TWINSVersus the Chicago White Sox

At Target FieldThursday, August 19th at 7:10 PM

Tailgating from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at NLA’s New Office Location:5905 Golden Valley Road; Suite 110; Golden Valley, MN

Tickets include reserved seats; light snacks, soft drinks, and beer before the game; and motor coach round trip transpor-tation to game from NLA. Ticket numbers are limited; final deadline for sales is July 15th or until all are sold.

PAYMENT INFORMATION TOTALS ______ Tickets @ $55.00 Each (Limit Four) _______________________

______ Six Pack of Tickets @ $360.00 _______________________

______ Eight Pack of Tickets @ $500.00 _______________________

______ Donation to Scholarship Fund _______________________

gRAND TOTAL ___________________

Contact: _______________________________ Company: ___________________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________

City: _______________________________________ State: _________ Zip: _____________________________

Office Phone:________________________________ Cell: ____________________________________________

Fax: _______________________________________ Email: __________________________________________

____ Check Enclosed –OR- Charge my Visa/MasterCard # _____________________________________________

Exp. Date: _____ / _____ Security Code: _______ Signature: _________________________________________

_____ Please contact me about sponsoring beverages, snacks, bus transportation.

Return completed form to: Northwestern Lumber Association, 5905 Golden Valley Road, #110, Minneapolis, MN 55422Phone: (800) 896-5133 Fax: (763) 595-4060 Visit www.nlassn.org for additional information.

Scene, Vol. XVII, Number 6June 2010 5

2010 Special Events Sponsorship Packages Check the Sponsorship Package of your choice below:

SPONSOR NUMBER OF TOTAL COST PER LEVEL EVENTS SPONSORED PRICE EVENT q Cherry 5 $ 300 $ 60.00q Maple 3 $ 200 $ 66.67q Oak 2 $ 150 $ 75.00q Pine 1 $ 100 $ 100.00

Check the Events you wish to sponsor: q Nebraska Golf Outing: York, NE, Thursday, June 10 q Nebraska Golf Outing; Wednesday, September 22, Grand Island, NE q Nebraska Sporting Clay; Thursday, September 23, Grand Island, NE

PAYMENT INFORMATION

Contact: ____________________________________________ Company: __________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

City: __________________________________________________ State: ______ Zip: ___________________________________

Telephone: Cell phone: _____________________________________________________________________________________

Fax: __________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________

q Check enclosed -OR- Charge my Visa/MasterCard#: _________________________________________ Exp. Date: ________

Security Code: _____ Cardholder’s Signature: __________________________________________ TOTAL: $ ______________

I will bring _________________________________________________ for a door prize

2010 Spring Golf Outing Registration q Thursday, June 10 at York Country Club; York, Nebraska t www.yorkcountryclub.net

Sign up individually or as foursome(s). Player Name(s)/Company (make copies if needed):

1. ____________________________________________ Company: ___________________________________

2. ____________________________________________ Company: ___________________________________

3. ____________________________________________ Company: ___________________________________

4. _____________________________________________ Company: ____________________________________

Registration deadline for Nebraska golf event is June 4REGISTRATIONS received after these dates will be

charged $10 PER PERSON LATE FEE

Return completed form to:Northwestern Lumber Association, 5905 Golden Valley Road #110, Minneapolis, MN 55422Phone: 800-896-5133 Fax: 763-595-4060 Email: gmarzano@nlassn.orgVisit www.nlassn.org for additional information

10:00 AM startNebraska golf costs:

Members: Individual $70.00; Team $260.00Non-Members: $85.00; Team $320.00

Includes green fees/cart, lunch, awards & door prizes