| Holiday Schedule |
| Shepley will be closed on Saturday, December 29th for our Annual Physical Inventory.
Shepley will be closed on January 1, 2008. |
| Join Our List |
 |
| Dream Day Jeep Raffle! |
|
Win a 2008 Jeep Wrangler "X" Package and help out Dream Day on Cape Cod!
Dream Day on Cape Cod (located within Nickerson State Park in Brewster) is committed to providing a peaceful haven for children with serious illness and their families. The proceeds from the raffle will help to maintain the facility and ensure that these families continue to enjoy a short break from their lives of hospital visits and all the other things that go along with illness.
Tickets are $20 each and only 3,000 will be sold. The drawing will be held on March 7, 2008.
Tickets are available at Shepley! You can charge it to your Shepley account!
Stop by the Shepley Front Sales Office or contact Paul Hines at phines@shepleywood.com
(he'll even send them to you!)
| |
|
| Tony's Terra Firma |
|
| Today Is The Tomorrow We Worried About Yesterday
The end of the year always presents a challenge in keeping one's emotional equilibrium. As a business owner, and an employer responsible for more than 160 families in our community, I see this challenge not only in myself, but also in our employees and our customers. Couple the self-imposed stress of the season with our challenging current economy and you have a recipe for special volatility this season. My best formula for figuring out where I should focus my energies is to decide which issues will still be impacting our business (or my personal life) in 6 months.
Another helpful tip for dealing with challenge is to remind yourself of all the good that surrounds you. This is difficult, and requires willpower, but it is important to find balance for the not-so-good that comes our way. Here's one "good" that I am using this season:
A year ago, our company embarked on building a new store in Wellfleet. Construction started in December, and we opened for business six months later - right before Memorial Day. There were plenty of skeptics who thought we were making a mistake; who opens a new branch of a lumberyard during a housing slump? Well, I am so proud to say that our new location is doing great! We have a super staff in Wellfleet, and they are doing a wonderful job. Recently, I got a call from a writer who wanted to feature us in an article about optimism. I assured him we weren't crazy! We are right on target business-wise, and we are confident we made the right move. Business has been really good and building steadily. He said he loved hearing this, as everyone he has been talking to is full of doom and gloom. I replied that if doom and gloom paid the bills, we'd probably invite them in more often.
Another "good" that I am celebrating is this: we have just been awarded Entrepreneur of the Year for lumber companies nationally in the $50 million and over category by the LBM Journal. I can't tell you how proud I am of this, and of all the good people here at Shepley who helped make this happen. Even in a bad economy there is room for good news.
So, as you close out your year and prepare to start the new one, please think about your options. Do you want to wait for good news to come find you - or are you determined to go find it, and make it yours? Are you going to overreact to situations and overcorrect with every small bump in the road, or are you going to set your sights on longer-range results?
Charles F. Kettering, inventor and philosopher once said, "We should all be concerned about the future because we have to spend the rest of our lives there." Who doesn't want a future that is bright and positive and full of hope? Happy New Year! Enjoy the future!
The Shepley Wellfleet Team
Pictured L-R: Richie Donato, Josh Woodward, Judy Goetchius, Tony Shepley, Dana Woodman, Mike Farman and Joni Seeley.
|
| Lumber Update |
|
By, Jim Baker
Happy New Year to all! 2008 should prove to be a very interesting year for the lumber market. We finished 2007 with prices firm due mostly to supply issues caused by production cutbacks and mill closures.
This theme will continue for the near future unless we see some quick fix to the slumping housing market. Mills simply cannot continue to produce lumber while losing money. Although prices have come up a little, they are still below the breakeven point for most.
In the first three weeks of December alone, Canadian mill curtailment/closure announcements involved 12 mills and 2 billion board feet of annual production. Product availability will be the key market factor in 2008 as inventory levels are low throughout the pipeline, not only at the mill level but wholesale and retail as well. This makes the market more vulnerable to natural and manmade disasters and we're already getting a plethora of excuses for late shipments, such as floods and mudslides.
2008 will be interesting!
As always, please call with any questions or concerns at 508-862-6200. |
| Trade Mark Deck & Rail System Installation |
|
Hammer's Corner, by Mark Hambly
The Trademark Rail system is a low maintenance system made from PVC and wood flour and contains no toxic materials. Each Trademark rail system is sold as a kit containing: handrail; bottom rail; balusters; and stainless steel brackets, which are powder coated for maximum protection. Post sleeves and post skits are sold separate and are designed to slide over 4x4 posts. The Trademark rail system has a 20 Year Limited Warranty and will not rot, crack, peel, blister or suffer structural damage. The product must be finished and maintained in accordance with all manufacturers' guidelines.
Helpful Installation Tip for Trademark Post Sleeve
The post sleeves are designed to slide over a 4"x4" post. In some cases the 4x4 post will need to be shaved to allow the post sleeve room to slide freely over the post. Please do not force the post sleeve over the post because you will damage the product. The damage may not show up at the time of install but will later on after installation has been completed and moisture has swollen the wood 4x4 post.
If you have service questions, please contact the Shepley Service Department at 508-862-6219. |
| Hoisting Equipment Regulations |
|
ShepSafety, Dick Hughes
On April 24, 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Public Safety ("Department") held a public hearing to receive testimony and comments on proposed changes to the regulations governing the operation of Hoisting Equipment as included at 520 CMR 6.00 ("the regulations"). The public comment period following the hearing remained open until April 30, 2007. The Department received several additional comments during this time.
Due to the response, the Department remains in the process of reviewing the comments. Further revisions to the proposed regulations are likely to be made following the completion of the review. Accordingly, the Department anticipates holding a second public hearing regarding the further proposed changes to the regulations governing the operation of Hoisting Equipment.
A date for the second hearing has not yet been determined. When a date is identified, the Department will post the date and further proposed changes on the mass.gov website. The current regulations remain in effect and may be viewed at http://www.mass.gov/Eeops/docs/dps/inf/520cmr6.00_hoisting_reg.pdf.
Dick Hughes has been an OSHA Safety Training Consultant since 1978 and has authored four safety related books. He is the owner of Excellence in Safety, located in Waquoit, MA. Dick hosts regular OSHA certification and training courses at Shepley and is available for private consultation. www.excel-in-safety.com
capesafetyguy@aol.com 508-548-0866 |
| Rubber Roofing |
|
Product of the Month, Andy Senatore
In May, Shepley added International Diamond Systems rubber roofing to our extensive list of roofing products. Rubber roofing, also known as E.P.D.M. (Ethylene, Propylene, Diene, Monomer), is ideal for low pitched roofing situations where shingles are impractical. IDS is manufactured by Firestone Roofing Products, one of only two rubber manufacturers that private label their products to other companies. Shepley offers warranties, authorized applicator programs (enabling the contractor to offer the best material and labor warranties available), samples, literature, and overall product expertise.
Shepley offers Rubber in 5 different sized rolls:
- 10' X 25 .060
- 10' X 50 .060
- 15' X 50 .060
- 20' X 50 .060
- 10' X 100 .060
· 10` We stock all the glues, adhesives, primers, and cleaners in a heated building to make it easier for you to use the product. We stock our roofing screws and plates in quantities of 100/box, and 1,000/box so you only buy what you need. Included in our stock are: pressure sensitive (peel and stick) flashings and cover strip (which eliminates the need for drying time), seam tape (2 sizes), uncured rubber flashings, and aluminum edge metal in both white and mill finish.
We offer roof insulation in polyiso foam board, available in 1/2", 1", and 2" thickness (all 4` x 8` pieces). We also stock "tapered" polyiso roof insulation. Each piece is tapered one way, using an 1/8" slope (ex. 1/2" - 1" piece, 1" - 1 1/2"piece, 1 1/2" - 2" piece). This product allows you to control the direction of the water on your roof (rubber roofs should not hold water for more than 24 hours). We also stock standard fiber board in 1/2" 4` x 8` pieces.
We are proud to be leading the way in our industry by providing value, diversity, and flexibility in our existing product line. We continue to offer products for all your roofing needs, including: asphalt shingles; treated and untreated cedar shingles. We offer our technical expertise on everything we sell. We offer formal and informal seminars highlighting product and application techniques at your jobsite, home or office. Please ask your sales team, or feel free to call us directly, for information on these products and demonstration seminars. As always, we appreciate your business. Thank you, and have a great holiday season.
Andy Senatore and Gordon Correia are Shepley's Roofing Vertical Product Specialists. They have over 50 years of combined industry experience. Both Andy and Gordon are available to answer any questions you may have. Give them a call, stop by, or ask them to come to your jobsite. You can reach Andy and Gordon by calling 508-862-6200 and asking for the Shepley Roofing Experts! |
| Business Tools For Contractors Series |
|
Shepley, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, and Coastal Community Capital are offering this great opportunity at no cost to you! Be proactive about increasing your business and improving your efficiency!
CASH FLOW-MANAGING THE GAPS BETWEEN SPENGING & RECEIVING MONEY
January 16, 2008 3-5:00 p.m.
Presenters will be Peter Rice and Donna Zayatz from TD Banknorth
INSURANCE ISSUES FOR LANDSCAPERS AND CONTRACTORS
January 23, 2008 3-5:00 p.m.
Presenters will be David Lofstrom from TD Banknorth, VP Insurance Division and John Tocci from Tocci, Goss & Lee
TIPS FOR MAKING MONEY ON THE JOB
January 30, 2008 3-5:00 p.m.
Presenter will be Mike Baker, SCORE Counselor, retired contractor
QUICKBOOKS FOR LANDSCAPERS AND CONTRACTORS
February 6, 2008 3-5:00 p.m.
Presenter TBA
You may attend as many of the classes as you'd like.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!
Contact Deb MacPhee at 508-862-6200 or dmacphee@shepleywood.com
All classes will be held in the Shepley Marvin Classroom, located at 75 Ben Franklin Way in Hyannis. |
| Building Code Update |
|
The Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod (HB&RACC) has been working with the State to amend the 7th Edition of the 1&2 Family Building Code. On December 11th, The Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) voted on and approved about 60 Code Change Proposals. The changes will be posted on the BBRS website at www.mass.gov/bbrs.
Harry Smith, BBRS Member, wrote a follow up letter after the meeting. In that letter he stated "In the end there was no support, from anyone, for extending the time for implementation of the 7th Ed the date that the One & Two Family 7th Ed. takes full force and effect remains at Jan. 1, 2008. So, it would behoove you to get those plans in under the 6th Ed. ASAP. They need not be approved by Jan. 1, but the applications need to be complete (no partial placeholders) and you need to state in writing that you are building under the 6th Ed."
The Code book is available through the State Book Store. It's $41 with shipping. You can order online at http://www.sec.state.ma.us/spr/spridx.htm
They can also be purchased through the HB&RACC.
508-778-2424
25 Mid Tech Drive, Suite D
West Yarmouth MA 02673
info@capecodbuilders.org
The HB&RCC has put a lot of work into keeping us informed on changes to the building code. If you're not a member, you should consider kicking off the new year by becoming one! The next general membership meeting is on Tuesday, January 8, 2008 at the Cape Codder Resort & Spa in Hyannis. Please join us and learn what the HB&RACC can do for your business!
If you're interested in attending, talk to your Shepley sales representative or contact the HB&RACC directly at 508-778-2424.
| |
|
|
|
