Ryan Hikel and Jason Valis know they have a good thing going. Shelter Systems is great at making roof and floor trusses. Bruce Jones Contracting is awesome at making wall panels and framing buildings. Together, their companies have learned how to leverage the expertise of the other and offer a collective solution to GCs in their market. In this episode, Hikel and Valis talk about their value proposition.

In this episode, we rejoin Dean Rana and Michael Miller who provide more insight into how they have convinced framers to move from sticks to panels. They discuss the evolving needs of framers and builders and how they have altered their wall panel business to keep up. Dean and Michael also talk about characteristics of framers who succeed using wall panels versus those that don’t, and share how they're approaching young framing contractors.

Dean Rana and Michael Miller have taken on the tough challenge of selling wall panel systems to Arizona framing contractors. In this episode, Rana and Miller give some insight into how they have convinced framers to move from sticks to panels and explain the value proposition they sell to the market. They also speak to how wall panels excel in a time when building material costs are rising.

Steve Stroder and Shawn Overholtzer share how California TrusFrame (CTF) is partnering with their plate supplier and a framing contractor to solve the growing challenge of shear walls in large, wood-framed buildings. Steve and Shawn explain how partnering with MiTek to incorporate their cold-formed steel picture frame product into CTF’s wall panel line has proved to be a win-win solution for field installation. They argue that component manufacturers should take greater advantage of supplier products to design and manufacture even more valuable framing solutions.

Don Groom, partner and CEO of Trussworks in Caldwell, Texas, shares how he successfully navigated the many early challenges he faced when starting his own component manufacturing operation. He explains how his friendships throughout the industry played a huge role in helping him ensure Trussworks started on a solid foundation, and he gives advice on the fundamentals to focus on to make it through tough times.

Austin Huskey, CEO of Huskey Truss and Building Supply in Franklin, Tennessee, shares what it was like growing up in a family-owned building material and component manufacturing operation. He explores what it’s like to be part of a national buying cooperative and how Huskey Truss is diversifying to stay ahead of the competition. He also discusses how their company is weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ken Kucera, vice president of installed sales and manufacturing for 84 Lumber, explains what has driven the company’s recent growth and how component package sales fit into their overall business strategy. 84 Lumber was founded in 1956 and operates more than 250 stores in 30 states, which are serviced by their component manufacturing plants, custom door shops, custom millwork shops, and engineered wood products (EWP) centers.

Margaret Whelan is the CEO and Founder of Whelan Advisory LLC, a boutique investment bank that provides tailored services to housing companies that are looking to raise capital or pursue an M&A transaction. Her firm has advised several innovative companies in the industry including Entekra, Raney, Trumark, ResiBuilt, and Innovative Construction Group. She discusses how modular framing is creating a shift in the construction industry and how this could affect component manufacturers (CMs). She also provides insight into the opportunities for CMs and her perspective on how these innovations will shape the future of framing.

Art Schmon, a partner at Forest Economic Advisers, shares his perspective on wood-framed floor systems. Art discusses how floor system framing options have evolved over the years and the market pressures that have driven those changes. He also provides insight into what he expects will happen with I-joist and floor truss market share in the near future and the opportunities he sees for component manufacturers.

Quality control and quality assurance are both important parts of the component manufacturing process, but what are they? How are they different? And how can they work together to make your manufacturing process better? Listen in as Jess Lohse and Molly Butz from SBCA staff talk through the QC and QA processes, answer the tough questions, and shed some light on the specifics of SBCA’s Digital QC and SBCRI’s Independent 3rd Party Inspection programs.