This blog will discuss how builders and manufactures can derive mutual benefits from forging in-depth relationships and by developing a continued dialogue on issues and opportunities facing both. It will identify the “gaps” that exist today between the two entities and explore how to close these gaps in such a way that each will benefit. It will also expose “real life” builder and manufacturer relationship successes as well as failures. en-us http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347.html?nid=3650 Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:25:36 PST http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1500050150.html?nid=3650 Well, all of the industry pundits are telling us that the housing market has bottomed and in some areas, starting to turn up. All of this means tha... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1850049785.html?nid=3650 A few weeks ago I attended NAHB’s Fall Board of Directors’ meeting in Chicago. I was surprised in the number of attendees at this meeti... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1030049103.html?nid=3650 Last week I was on a conference call with Chuck Shinn, the founder and owner of The Shinn Group of Companies and one of Builder Partnerships’... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/760048676.html?nid=3650 Here is another true-life story in the never ending saga of Glenn Singer's life. Last March we bought a new garbage disposal from a national retail... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/350047835.html?nid=3650 My wife accuses me of constantly being a cynic, and I guess she may be right, particularly when it comes to the homebuilding industry. You see I ha... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1980046998.html?nid=3650 The long downturn in the housing industry has definitely been bad. We have seen many builders declare bankruptcy; most have downsized thus adding t... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1610046161.html?nid=3650 There is no doubt that the current downturn in the home building industry has changed quite a few things such as lending practices, the price of ne... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/190045219.html?nid=3650 Last week I attended the National Association of Home Builders' spring board of directors' meeting in Washington, DC. What I heard and experienced ... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/40044404.html?nid=3650 Recently we have seen some positive signs in the economy, the stock market and in the home building industry; however, I am not saying that the rec... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/460043846.html?nid=3650 Now I realize that we are a long way from an economic recovery and new home inventories still need to get smaller, but I have been hearing and seei... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1690043369.html?nid=3650 Last week we were all rocked by Pulte Homes’ acquisition of Centex Homes. Pulte will now be by far the largest home builder in the United Sta... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/840042884.html?nid=3650 During this current economic downturn that has crippled our industry we certainly have heard our fair share of bad news. Many home builders have de... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/850042485.html?nid=3650 A few blog articles ago I wrote about this unusual experience that my wife and I had with two automobile dealers as we went about trying to buy a c... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/630041863.html?nid=3650 I just returned from a breakfast meeting with the general manager of one of the industry’s largest building material manufacturers and, of co... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/880041488.html?nid=3650 If you turn on the TV, read a newspaper or turn on the radio all you hear about is the bad news about the economy, homebuilding and the automobile ... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1010040901.html?nid=3650 We are all struggling during this downturn to find new and unique ways to survive and even grow. But it is not easy and we are constantly looking f... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/440040444.html?nid=3650 At the recently held IBS in Las Vegas I had a lot of opportunity to talk with many building material manufacturers to better understand how they ar... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1780039778.html?nid=3650 Having just returned from the International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas I am filled with new insight as well as confirmation for my old views... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/1490038949.html?nid=3650 As I am preparing my itinerary for the upcoming International Builders’ Show, I have had the opportunity to talk with many builders and manuf... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/540038454.html?nid=3650 Earlier this week I had a conversation with a business colleague and friend, Rod MacKenzie, a former BlueLinx executive who is currently an industr... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/570037457.html?nid=3650 I have been talking to a lot of manufacturers over the past month and it seems that many are on their second or third round of layoffs which reflec... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/770037077.html?nid=3650 Last week I had the opportunity to meet with representatives of a national building material manufacturer and we were discussing the supply chain a... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/230036223.html?nid=3650 All of us in this industry have been somewhat numbed by the very poor market that we have been experiencing all of these months and I think many of... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/630035663.html?nid=3650 There isn’t a company in the home building industry, be it builders, manufacturers, trade contractors or suppliers who haven’t downsize... http://www.housingzone.com/probuilder/blog/1470000347/post/840035084.html?nid=3650 As I was preparing for a presentation I am going to make next week at a builder business forum jointly sponsored by Hyphen Solutions and Profession...