THE WEST COAST LUMBER & BUILDING MATERIAL ASSOCIATION

We are one of the largest regional lumber and building materials associations in the country and the foremost voice of the industry in the region. Government action, educational programs and seminars, business contacts, communications on important issues and networking events are just a few examples of the power of the association and the value of being a member!

The WCLBMA 2023 Annual Convention Begins In…

REGISTER NOW!!!
WCLBMA Annual Convention – “Building a Rock Solid Foundation”
Hard Rock Hotel San Diego
October 18-20, 2023

This ON-LINE REGISTRATION LINK has all the details and logistics on how to register and sponsor.  For hotel information and to book your room at the Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego use this CONVENTION HOTEL RESERVATION LINK.

This October plan again to unite and collaborate face to face at our WCLBMA annual convention – 2023 edition. We had such a strong turnout and rave reviews last year that we decided to return to beautiful San Diego!

I’ve had the pleasure of attending over 50 conventions in my lifetime.  I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. The 2022 WCLBMA convention was one of best I have ever attended. Of course, it did not hurt to have played a little one-on-one BB with Bill Walton!     Thom Wright, WCLBMA Board Director, Sierra Pacific Industries

As you can see below (with many more details to be announced in the coming week and months) the planning committee has lined up exceptional keynote speakers, relevant and timely educational sessions, and valuable resources to help you Build a Rock Solid Foundation.

2023 promises to deliver you and your company more solid value, foundational strategies, bigger perspectives, and more rockin’ opportunities for discussion, connection, and collaboration.

Why You Should Attend

++ Top-Notch Content that will delve into the hot and critically important issues influencing your business.
++ Dynamic Speakers that will deliver timely information and personal inspiration.
++ Fun Special Events to network with your peers to gain valuable insights and to celebrate this great industry of ours together.

Find out what’s shaping the future of the lumber industry and how we, the WCLBMA, can respond to stay relevant and ensure a strong future for our industry.

Wait what…you did not make it to our convention last year?

CLICK HERE to see just a few of the highlights of what you missed!

Leadership Through Teamwork, Perseverance & Hope!
Keynote Presentation by Rocky Bleier
WCLBMA Annual Convention – Thursday, October 19, 2023

Why do some organizations dominate, and some lose? What are the ingredients of “real” success? Rocky Bleier’s presentation focuses on winning through perseverance, hope, commitment and trust. Framed through parallels to football and Bleier’s personal journey as both a war veteran and four-time Super bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bleier will explore both structural and emotional aspects for individuals and organizations to reach their greatest potential. Learn how successful teams and organizations share four characteristics: leadership, people, vision and a shared belief system:

• Defining the team – determine a common purpose with individual responsibility
• Reflections lead to hope – learn lessons from past experiences
• Culture changes – be part of the solution instead of participating in the problem
• Overcoming challenges – on the football field, in the economy and in the workplace

About Mr. Bleier
Rocky Bleier’s life story – a gripping tale of courage on both the football fields of America and the battle fields of Vietnam – has held audiences in rapt attention for years. Yet, the motivational message behind it, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, defines success in the new American century.

Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again…this time by the United States Army. At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk, and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began.

After earning a bronze star and a purple heart for his courageous service, Rocky overcame many obstacles and fought his way back to Pittsburgh Steelers. He earned a spot as the starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century. In fact, during the 1976 season, he and Franco Harris became the second pair of running backs from the same team to gain 1000 yards in the same season.

The hard lessons Rocky Bleier learned early in his life that helped him overcome adversity and reach his goals, have paid off after football. Some of those lessons are seen between the lines in the popular book on his life, “Fighting Back,” and an ABC-TV movie of the week by the same name.

Use this link to register today for the WCLBMA Annual Convention:  REGISTRATION

WCLBMA Podcasts
Episode 7 Now Available
Presented by

The WCLBMA Podcast is a new show that aims to provide both informative and entertaining leadership and management insights for the lumber and building materials industry.

The podcast features interviews with industry leaders and experts, thought-provoking discussions, and actionable advice.

In this introduction episode, host Bradley Hartmann teases the upcoming first episode featuring an interview with Steve Patterson, the CEO of Central Valley and former WCLBMA president.

The WCLBMA Podcast: Episode 1 – Welcome

WCLBMA Podcast Episode 2 
In episode 2, Steve Patterson, President and CEO of Central Valley, discusses insurance challenges in the construction industries as some providers restrict policies on new homes in the state. Host Bradley Hartmann and Steve also touch on leadership during uncertain times, the importance of being present as a leader, and the role of offsite construction. Steve emphasizes the need for optimism and perseverance, referencing a lovable character in Finding Nemo.

Bradley and Steve look ahead to the WCLBMA Annual Convention being held at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego. Our keynote speaker not only has 4 Super Bowl rings, but also earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in service of his country. His name is Rocky Bleier and you will not want to miss his keynote on leadership, overcoming adversity, and building championship teams.

WCLBMA Podcast Episode 3 (Audio Only)
In episode 3, Barrett Burt, General Manager of Ganahl Lumber, discusses the challenges of managing inventory, improving efficiency and the importance of metrics in leadership using a pit stop model to measure performance. (Audio only)

WCLBMA Podcast Episode 4 (Audio Only)
In episode 4, Rikka Brandon, President and Chief Executive Recruiter of Building Gurus discusses the challenge of finding and retaining talented employees and introduces a three-step framework to tackle the issue. The framework comprises Scarcity (the lack of good candidates), Settling (hiring less than ideal candidates), and Setbacks (training and turnover issues). She also emphasizes the need to adopt a sales mindset in recruiting, attracting top talent by actively selling the organization.

WCLBMA Podcast Episode 5 (Audio Only)
In episode 5 of The WCLBMA Podcast, Craig Webb, President of Webb Analytics discusses the role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in the LBM industry and how it helps cut costs and improve efficiency, particularly for those who are data-friendly and willing to enhance their key performance indicators. He explains how AI can be used to clean up data, spot trends, and even make recommendations for cross-selling or upselling products. Craig also teases his upcoming keynote speech at the WCLBMA Annual Convention in October.

WCLBMA Podcast Episode 6
In episode 6 of The WCLBMA Podcast, Brian Bunt, Director of Marketing at WindsorONE discusses the idea that everyone at WindsorONE is essentially a part of the sales team or sales support. He shares how the company adopts a culture of open communication, encouraging all team members to contribute to marketing initiatives. Brian also talks about their unique marketing campaigns, such as the WindsorONE Illuminati, a secret society concept that provides exclusive knowledge to lumberyard employees.

WCLBMA Podcast Episode 7 (Audio Only)
In episode 7 of The WCLBMA Podcast we revisit NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Bill Walton’s Keynote speech from the 2022 annual convention in San Diego. Bill talks about the adversity he faced to become one of the NBA’s top 75 players of all time. He shares stories from his playing days and recalls coaches who influenced him the most.

Don’t Miss Out…Register Today!!! 

WCLBMA Sporting Clays Shoot Friday, November 3
Birds Landing Hunting Preserve

WCLBMA’s NorCal Second Growth group is hosting the WCLBMA’s second annual clay shoot on November 3, returning to Birds Landing. Our inaugural shoot last year was such a great success we are doing it again this year, bigger and better! Birds Landing is a full-service, world-class sporting clays facility featuring two fully automated sporting clays courses dynamically set to both reward and challenge shooters of all skill types. It is close to the Napa Valley Wine Country and the San Francisco Bay Area. Includes morning shoot, lunch, awards, tee shirt, raffle and best of all, bragging/dissing rights! We are also offering many new sponsorship opportunities to suit any sized budget. This unique WCLBMA event provides a great chance to meet and network with fellow members!

Register HERE!

NorCal Golf Tournament Report

On Thursday, June 15, 2023, the WCLBMA returned to Chardonnay Country Club for our annual NorCal tournament. We had a strong turn out from golfers and sponsors alike, so many thanks to all who came out to support our Association! Check out the photos from the golf tournament posted on INSTAGRAM

COMPLETE SELL OUT!!!
Thursday, April 13, 2023
WCLBMA Southern CA Golf Tournament

Our first of the year golf tournament was held on Thursday, April 13, 2023 at a new location – Strawberry Farms Golf Club.

The event was completely sold out with a full golf course of players and vendors.  A great time was had by all with new additions to this year’s April tournament including a taco cart, Hot Shot Cannon and more!

A huge thank you to all the sponsors that helped to make this a huge success!

Check out the new record of ‘likes’ on the photos from the golf tournament now posted on INSTAGRAM!

WCLBMA on Instagram

WCLBMA is now on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wclbma/

We need every member already using Instagram to visit our site, ‘follow’ us, ‘like’ our posts, ‘share’ with your peers, and add ‘comments’.

If you are not already on Instagram, you can still access our site (it is open to all) and/or use your Facebook account to log-in. We will be adding content and building the site regularly and this will only work and be successful if you participate. Engaging with our page will enable us to stay connected, be aware of upcoming events, and help our community grow.

To learn more about Instagram, there are many on-line resources. Here is one we found to be helpful and quite thorough: https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-instagram-how-to-use-guide

Many thanks to Brandon Chelini and Friedman’s Home Improvement for his ongoing work curating our content.

WCLBMA Building For A Better California Infographic

• $6.1 Billion Gross Revenue
• $353 Million Payroll
• $129 Million Sales Tax Generated
• And our members provide good paying jobs for over 4600 Ethnically Diverse Californians.

• Educate our state representatives about us
• Tell our “story” that illustrates the collective power of our numbers as the association that represents the lumber industry in our state put our association on the state representatives’ “radars”
• Help us influence legislation and public policy in the California Capital for the good of the lumber industry and businesses in general
• Raise the awareness of our association and best put a “spotlight” on us to help us build credibility with our state representatives
• Provide a clear, unified, and resonant voice to policymakers

WCLBMA Previous News and Information

For previous news and information articles please see our News Archive.

WCLBMA Member Testimonials

Many Benefits and Relationships of Great Value
“Mead Clark Lumber Company has a long association with the WCLBMA. I was encouraged to get involved over 35 years ago and have dozens of stories where I personally and my company benefited   There has been many opportunities to meet the other members, share ideas, and build lasting friendships. The personal relationships we have built over the years with other dealer members and associates are of great value. WCLBMA is a valuable voice of, and partner to, the retail & wholesale lumber industry in California and Nevada. An overlooked, added value is the accompanying membership with the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association. Renewing membership or starting a new membership in the WCLBMA is an easy decision and we plan to continue for years to come.”
Matt Petersen, Vice President – Mead Clark Lumber Company, Inc.

Valuable to Our Business
“Taiga has been an associate member of the WCLBMA since the beginning and we’ve found it very valuable to our business.  In addition to the excellent networking opportunities our membership has allowed us to source insurance products, given us referrals for safety training and advertise our new products.  We are kept up to date on relevant legislation which gives us a voice to help guide the changes in our industry.   The best association we belong to.”
Pat Zan, Senior Commodity Trader – Taiga Building Products

We Strongly Believe in the Mission and Goals of the WCLBMA
“Ashby Lumber strongly believes in the mission and goals of the WCLBMA. We have benefited greatly from many parts of our membership including the second growth trips, sharing ideas with other members, and networking opportunities. WCLBMA is an asset to our industry and a very important membership to our organization.”
Emily Brown, CEO – Ashby Lumber   

We Have Benefited Greatly from the Many Opportunities
“Central Valley has a long association with the WCLBMA.  We have benefited greatly from the many opportunities to meet the other members, share ideas, and build lasting friendships.  WCLBMA is an invaluable voice of, and partner to, the lumber industry in California and Nevada.”
Matt Endriss, General Manager – Central Valley

Gain Valuable Insight
“Reno Carson Lumber has been a long-standing member of the WCLBMA. As one of the few members from Nevada, it’s a great opportunity to meet fellow lumber yard operators in California to gain valuable insight on what’s going on in the industry. As well, this has given me the opportunity to build some really solid relationships, professionally and personally.”
Chris Fleiner, Vice President/General Manager – Reno Carson Lumber

Easy to Call a Fellow Member
“One thing I value about the WCLBMA is how easy it has become to call a fellow member to share or ask for guidance.  This can be related to credit ratings, theft control, equipment strategies or a safety procedure.  The cost of membership is nothing compared to paying an unnecessary negative consequence.”
Barrett Burt, General Manager – Ganahl Lumber

Services WCLBMA Endorses