Conference Wrap-up, Housing Gains, NAHB Honor for WBS Designer

We appreciate all our customers, and it was such a pleasure to see so many familiar faces at the Wisconsin Builders Conference in Wisconsin Dells last week.

WBS won "Best Hospitality Suite"
at the WBA conference!

Thank you to those of you who stopped by our "award-winning" hospitality suite to catch up. The conference was another valuable gathering to learn, network and recognize accomplishments. We’ll continue to share photos and other information from the conference on our Facebook page, so please post your takeaways on our Wall.

Gains in Housing and Lumber Markets
Revised rates are coming out for housing starts nationwide. November and December rates were increased, and estimated housing starts in January gained 1.5 percent from there, according to Random Lengths. Analysts credit the mild winter weather and more multifamily activity for the adjustments. The numbers are not as positive when you focus only on the Midwest, likely because of a decrease in single-family home starts. But the NAHB’s latest index of builder confidence is at its highest level in more than four years, and the list of improving housing markets nationwide is also growing.

In the lumber market, Random Lengths reports that buyers accepted the news of January housing starts, and largely took it in stride. Traders seemed to be encouraged by a trend in the right direction. Board prices are continuing to advance in the major producing regions. Oriented strand board prices are edging upward in most areas, including overall gains in 7/16” OSB for the North Central region.

Introducing the WBS Marketplace
We hope you’ve been using the Wisconsin Building Supply blog to learn about industry news, community involvement, customer events, safety updates and more. Now, we’re also providing an opportunity to pick up some great deals on products from our lumberyards across the state. Keep an eye out for upcoming details about the WBS Marketplace.

WBS Designer Receives National Honor

Dawn McIntosh

Congratulations to Dawn McIntosh, Sales and Design Specialist at Wisconsin Building Supply in Windsor. Dawn received a Women of the Future grant from the NAHB Professional Women in Building Council at the International Builders’ Show earlier this month in Orlando. This grant will help fund Dawn’s efforts to expand her skills and services for WBS customers. She is working on achieving the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist and Certified Graduate Associate designations, which will require ongoing education.

Please join us in congratulating Dawn! We’re excited for her expanding knowledge and talents to help us continue providing the best for our customers.