The Toolbox
Western Retail Lumber Association
WRLA Weekly ToolBox: April 5, 2012|
ONLINE REGISTRATION OPEN Estimating Fundamentals, Decks and Garages April 16 & 17, 2012 (TWO-DAY COURSE) $500 per person Covers the fundamentals of manual estimating and gives the participants a basic working knowledge of estimating decks and garages. Participants learn to calculate all the necessary components and gain knowledge of products used on these projects. Estimating for Residential Construction April 18 & 19, 2012 (TWO-DAY COURSE) $500 per person To participate in this course, you should have completed the Estimating Fundamentals course or should have experience with small project estimating at the customer service counter, or job-site experience in residential construction. Yard Foreman – Operations Manager April 20, 2012 (ONE-DAY COURSE) $250 per person A one-day course focusing on the importance of a well-managed yard, storage and delivery operation to a building supply retail business. This course will help participants understand the impact of yard operations on the bottom line. It will look at the principles of efficient warehouse and yard lay-out. The day will also cover all aspects of the job – from inventory management, effective use of equipment, work-place safety – to customer service and employee management. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TODAY! MEMBER REBATE PROGRAM Due to the wide distribution of members across the prairies, the north and NW Ontario, member rebates are available to offset the cost of travel and expenses to attend these courses. Rebate information and forms are available at www.wrla.org. Please note that courses must be paid in full by course date, and rebate forms sent to the WRLA office no later than 30 days from course completion date. |
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If you receive an invoice from A.R Williams for your training, please contact them and alert them that your invoice must be sent to the WRLA office. For more information on the Forklift Rebate Program CLICK HERE |
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ATTENTION Retail Members: The 2011-2012 WRLA Wage, Salary & Business Conditions Survey is currently being conducted. The survey closes this Friday, April 6th at Midnight! We strongly encourage your company to participate. All survey information received from our members is confidential. Only the summarized information totaled from all responses will be distributed. CLICK HERE to complete the survey NOW! All companies who complete the survey will receive a copy of the results FREE ($99 value). This survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Prior to starting please gather all of the appropriate financial & business information. THIS SURVEY IS OPEN TO RETAIL MEMBERS ONLY. THANK YOU. |
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The Prairie Showcase wouldn't happen without the support of our sponsors. Many Thanks to our 2012 Prairie Showcase Sponsors: Platinum ($20,000) Castle Building Centres Group Ltd. JELD-WEN Windows & Doors The Sexton Group Ltd. Tourism Saskatoon & City of Saskatoon Gold ($5,000) Epicor Software Solutions Home Hardware Stores Limited Lancashire Distribution Madero Distribution Owens Corning Ply Gem Rona Inc. Silver ($2,500) All-Fab Building Components Can-Cell Industries Inc. Guardian Building Products Distribution Naylor Publishing Steel-Craft Door Products Ltd. Bronze ($1,000) Alliance Door CanWelBroadleaf Cherry Insurance Duchesne et Fils ltee Harris Rebar Mitten Inc. Morneau Shepell National Forest Products Resisto Convention Club ($500) Johns Manville Canada Inc. National Concrete Accessories OGC Inc. ProfitMaster Canada Seljax |
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On March 30-31, TIM-BR MART held their second annual National Buying Show at the Toronto Congress Centre in Toronto, Ontario.
This year's theme, "Experience Power in Action," was chosed to convey what TIM-BR MART, as Canada's largest buying group for independents. can offer their members. Beyond incredible deals, the event showcased makreting and value-added services. Randy Martin, Vice President of Merchandise, commentedm "First and foremost, this is a buying show. The Dealers are here to take advantage of great specials and learn about new products. Our vendor partner worked with us to ensure Dealers wouold see calue in attending our show." Jon Irwin, Vice President of Retail Services, added that there is also a secondary purpose to the show: "Dealers want to learn from on another. This venue gives them the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with other indepenent entrepreneurs." Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/pdf/2012_03_31_National_Buying_Show_press_release_2012.pdf to view the full article online. |  |
 Mark your calendar for the Canadian Home Improvement Show (CHIS). The new show days will now be Wednesday, November 28 and Thursday, November 29, 2012 at the Toronto Congress Centre.This year's annual dinner is better than ever. Hosted by comedian Mike Bullard and featuring famed bluesman Colin James, the Wednesday-night event truly promises to entertain. As a result of the success of last year's education program, the Johns Manville Dealer Conference by HARDLINES has been expanded to a full morning of presentations to grow your business. "The CHIS show is building and growing to provide a knowledge-based experience for its attendees by expanding the conference portion, as well as focusing on new products and product demos" said Dave Campbell, President of LBMAO. "Our attendees tell us that new goods are the lifeblood of the industry - as well as product knowledge. We intend to provide a forum that offers both". "Dealers will get the lowdown on housing starts and their impact on the home improvement business," said Michael McLarney, founder and editor of the Hardlines Newsletter, "as well as insights into one of the hottest topics in retail today - how to capitalize on social media". Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/pdf/LBMAO_Press_Release_CHIS_April_2_Final.pdf to view the full article online. |
 Alexandria Moulding, a leading manufacturer and distributor of mouldings and related millwork products, today announced that they have acquired Royal Woodworking Co. Ltd. of Bradford Ontario (www.royalwoodworking.com), a family owned company founded in 1976 by the Rowe and Gerrits families specialized in manufacturing Hardwood solid and custom mouldings, boards and stair components. As Andre Cholette, President of Alexandria Moulding explains, "This partnership solidifies our hardwood supply and product offering. Royal has a strong specialized team and is a cultural fit. We will leverage each other's strengths to further enhance the value we bring to our customers". Royal Woodworking will operate as a standalone business unit providing their customers with a large selection of quality millwork products as well as leveraging Alexandria's logistics and sales network to grow their geographical coverage, while providing unparalleled support and service. Donna Gerrits, Rick Gerrits and Tom Hayes will join the Alexandria Management team and support the integration and combined businesses over the long term. One of the founding owners of Royal Woodworking Frank Gerrits has announced his intention to retire as planned. Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/articles/toolbox.asp?aid=172602&issueID=25587 to view the full article online. |
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They look a little like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics that have been given a high-tech makeover.
Quick Response (QR) codes — square pixelated designs that can be scanned with smart phones — have been turning up more frequently over the past year or so in advertising and marketing materials. You might see the digital barcodes in the corner of a poster, on the back of a business card or worked into the artwork on a pamphlet. But unless marketers use them properly, QR codes are about as relevant as the antiquated form of writing they resemble, says one of Canada’s leading Search Engine Optimization (SEO) experts. And unfortunately that’s currently the problem – the vast majority of marketers and the clients they represent are not using QR codes to track their campaigns effectively, says Scott Wilson, founder and CEO of RankHigher.ca, a Burlington, Ont.-based internet marketing and SEO firm. "QR codes used the right way can be a fantastic marketing tool," says Wilson. "Wouldn’t it be great to be able to track your web traffic directly back to that beer coaster in the restaurant or the coupon you mass mailed to thousands of homes? That’s vital information for any marketer. The problem is that most companies are missing these marketing opportunities because of basic mistakes." Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/articles/toolbox.asp?aid=172626&issueID=25587 to view the full article online. |
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To view the WRLA Education Calendar CLICK HERE April 14 - 16, 2012 TruServ Canada Spring Market Winnipeg Convention Center, Winnipeg, MB www.truserv.ca April 16 - 19, 2012 Manual Estimating Saskatoon, SK April 20. 2012 Yard Foreman Saskatoon, SK April 22 - 24, 2012 Home Hardware Show St. Jacobs, ON August 16-18, 2012 Orgill Spring Market Las Vegas, NV Tuesday, August 21, 2012 WRLA Terry Yates Memorial Golf Tournament Steinbach, MB Thursday, September 06, 2012 Calgary Classic Golf Tournament Sundre Golf Course, Sundre, AB Wednesday, September 12, 2012 Kenossee Golf Tournament Kenossee SK. September 20 - 22, 2012 RONA 2013 Spring Market Metro Convention Centre, Toronto, ON www.rona.ca Sept 23-25, 2012 Home Hardware St. Jacobs, ON September 29 - October 1, 2012 Truserv Fall National Buying Market Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg www.truserv.ca November 2 - 6, 2012 Sexton Member Conference New Orleans, LA Contact: callak@sextongroup.com |
