New Year, New Beginnings

We’ve been kicking around the idea of changing things up in the pages of SBC Magazine for quite a while. The changes you see in this first issue of 2016 are the culmination of countless conversations with component manufacturers, suppliers and the general readership, as well as a lot of strategizing on how we can best help you keep abreast of all that is going on in the structural building components industry. Ultimately, our desire is for this to be your magazine, full of content written collaboratively with your peers.

To accommodate this shift, this issue introduces a new format that provides a wider range of content. Each article is concise, giving you quick access to the bare essentials you need to understand a particular issue. We will also augment these articles online through SBC Industry News, the SBCA website, SBCA’s LinkedIn page and a new digital companion to SBC Magazine we’re calling The Market Place. Also look for more SBC One Minute Polls as we gather your thoughts about everything from production to design trends and then give you information based on the results.

We’ve taken this approach for two reasons:

• We recognize that most everyone is exceptionally busy now that the housing industry is well into recovery mode. You have less time than ever to digest the information pertinent to our industry and critical to running your business.
• We want SBC Magazine to become more mobile in your facility. Our intent is to give you something short that you can get through in a few minutes. Then, pass the magazine on to others in your company who can benefit.

This month we have great cover feature on a gambrel truss project by Cascade Mfg Co that we think anyone, but particularly your sales team, will enjoy. Your design department may be interested in a summary of recent testing on multi-ply girder trusses or the article on requests for sealed truss placement diagrams. Your production department should find the housekeeping tips useful to post in the break room. And don’t miss some useful ways to tackle workforce development in a cost-effective way.

Last, but certainly not least, we remember the legacy of SBCA Past President Bob Becht, who passed away in November after a battle with cancer.

A special thank you to all of the advertisers who make it possible to share these pages, and their content, with you. We hope you enjoy the new look and feel, and we welcome your comments and feedback on how we can make it even better in the year ahead.