S c e n e Golden Valley Road, Suite 110 Minneapolis, MN (763) or (888) FAX: (763)

Transcription

1 S c e n e 5905 Golden Valley Road, Suite 110 Minneapolis, MN (763) or (888) FAX: (763) September 2010, Vol. XVII, No. 9 Friday, September 10, 2010 NLA Investment Committee Meeting NLA Executive Committee Meeting Lake Okoboji, Iowa Saturday, September 11, 2010 NLA & NLI Board Meeting Lake Okoboji, Iowa Tuesday, September 21, :00 pm Iowa Fall Golf Outing Lake Panorama National Golf Course Panora, Iowa Wednesday, September 22, :30 pm Nebraska Fall Golf Outing Indian Head Country Club Grand Island, Nebraska Association Boards to Meet September is the month of meetings for our Boards. On their agendas they will be discussing how to protect dealers through new legislation in Iowa and how to connect members with activities, vendors and resources that are beneficial to their businesses. On September 11 the NLA NLI Boards will see a presentation on a possible new member service to reduce their 401(k) program costs. They will discuss the state of industry in our region and what that means to membership. An update on the unification process of bringing the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan dealers and suppliers into NLA will be made. The Iowa Lumber Association Board will be given a final draft of new legislation to create a state registry for filing and perfecting mechanic s liens at their September 21 meeting. After nearly two years of discussion and debates, we believe this final draft will meet all of our requirements to ensure that our dealers lien rights are protected. The final step in the convention planning will also take place. On September 23 Nebraska Lumber Dealers Association Board will be discussing how to increase the number of dealer employee applications for the scholarships that are available to them. One of the organizers of the Future Lumber Leaders Nebraska Chapter will report on the success they have had this past year and how they plan to keep the momentum moving forward. Also on their agenda is the final step in planning the Nebraska convention. Thursday, September 23, :00 am Nebraska Sporting Clay Heartland Shooting Park Grand Island, Nebraska Routing Slip Pass this around to others in your company for their information. Fall Special Events Iowa Golf Outing Tuesday, September 21, Enjoy 18 holes at Lake Panorama National Golf Course in Panora, Iowa with your friends, colleagues, and coworkers. The scramble starts at 1:00 PM and will be followed with a BBQ by the lake. Nebraska Golf Outing Wednesday, September 22, Join your colleagues, friends, and coworkers for 9 holes of golf at Indianhead Golf Course in Grand Island, Nebraska. Tee times begin at 2:30 PM. A burger buffet in the clubhouse will follow the golf event. Nebraska Pre-Shoot Dinner Wednesday, September 22, If you don t golf and plan to arrive in Grand Island by 6:00 PM for the sporting clay on the 23 rd, join us for the burger buffet at Indianhead Golf Course. This will give you a great chance to catch up with your friends the night before the shoot. Nebraska Sporting Clay Thursday, September 23, Bring your shotgun(s) to the Heartland Public Shooting Park for this 100 target event. The shoot will begin at 9:00 AM with lunch at the facility to follow. Coffee and rolls will will be served prior to the start of the shoot. Special Offer for Those Attending the Nebraska Events The new Fairfield Inn and Suites, 805 Allen Avenue, Grand Island is offering a special room rate of $ Please call (308) to reserve a room. September

2 Upcoming Future Lumber Leaders Conference Fri., Nov. 5, 2010: Iowa Chapter Clarion Inn Amana, IA Sat., Jan. 29, 2011: Nebraska Chapter Holiday Inn Grand Island, NE Fri., Feb. 11, 2011: MN-Dakotas Chapter Radisson Inn St. Cloud, MN Future Lumber Leaders is an exciting mix of education, entertainment, networking, fun, and making friends among the people who will lead the lumber industry in the years to come. Involvement in this organization encourages men and women working in both the retailer and supplier side of the industry to further their careers. Being part of the Future Lumber Leaders is a great way to learn more about the lumber industry and to increase one s knowledge by forming bonds among retail employees and Accounts Receivable Percentage Average Overall Summary as of June 30, 2010 By Region Current Gross Profit Eastern IA 78.0% 6.5% 5.0% 6.5% 0% 25.0% Northern IA 59.3% 16.8% 8.0% 10.5% 5.5% 20.3% Southern IA 60% 10% 6.0% 10% 5% 27.0% Western IA 85.0% 10.0% 0% 0% 0% 16.0% Eastern ND 83% 5.3% 3% 0.7% 5.3% 26.3% Eastern NE 65% 15.0% 5.5% 3% 13% 26.3% Eastern SD 56.3% 20% 9.7% 10% 0.0% 30.3% Northern MN 88.0% 7.5% 5% 5% 0.5% 21% Southern MN 60% 13% 5.0% 3% 19.3% 26.5% Twin Cities (Metro) 57.4% 10% 6% 2% 20.8% 28% 09 vs. 10 Sales + (or) - Yards Down 10% or More 27.7% Down 9% - 7% 6.9% Down 6% - 3% 6.9% Down 2% -.01% 6.9% 0% (No Change) 18% Up.01% - 2% 4% Up 3% - 6% 18% Up 7% - 9% 4% Up 10% or More 17.3% We would like to thank those who participated in the survey and encourage those who did not participate to please participate in the Third Quarter Survey September supplier representatives. It encourages business growth by connecting with others to share ideas and to gain support for dealing with the challenges that will face the next generation of leaders. Each of these conferences, which include speakers and roundtable discussions, will begin at 9:00 AM and last until 4:00 PM. Lunch and breaks are included. All facilities will offer special room rates for those wishing to stay overnight. scheduled to be released in October For more in-depth analysis, please visit the Membership Services section of the NLA website at Health Reform s Early Retiree Reinsurance Program The Affordable Care Act will provide employers with financial assistance in funding insurance and medical claims for early retirees including their spouses and dependents and applies to those employees who have retired at age 55 or older and are not yet eligible for Medicare. Employer applications are now available at ociio/ including more information regarding the program and FAQs. The basics include reimbursement to employers of up to 80% of medical claim costs for health benefits between $15,000 and $90,000. Medical claims after June 1, 2010 are eligible for reimbursement. The program officially ends January 1, 2014 when the health insurance exchanges are expected to be available. Employers including unions, state and local governments, nonprofits, religious organizations and private companies are eligible. (Source: Olsen Thielen Advisor newsletter, Alan Holz, August 11, 2010) Lead RRP Hands-On Training Cancelled Due to the lack of response to the online Lead RRP training offered by ComplyAbility, the NLA-sponsored hands-on sessions, scheduled for this winter, have been cancelled. Per the new EPA guidelines, people must be registered for classes by the end of September. Dealers have told us most of them already had training for their remodelers. If you want to schedule your own training with ComplyAbility, call them directly at (800)

3 W-2s Must Show Value of Health Coverage Beginning in 2011, employers sponsoring health insurance plans face new W-2 reporting rules. The cost of employerprovided health insurance will need to be reported and while most will see this on their 2011 W-2, employees who terminate during the year are entitled to receive their W-2s early. Plans to be reported include medical, prescription, executive physicals, on-site clinics, Medicare supplemental policies and employee assistance programs. Coverage under dental and vision plans is also included unless they are stand-alone plans. FSA s, also called flexible spending accounts, are not included. DeckTools Design Webinar Associate member Simpson Strong-Tie is presenting a one-hour webinar on a deck design software package called DeckTools. There is no charge for this 1-hour session, scheduled for Tuesday, September 14, 2010 at 8:30 am central time, 7:30 am mountain. The fastest turnaround time for bank card deposits possible- 24 to 48 hoursdepending on deposit location Combine Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and AMEX sales into one easy deposit making reconciliation faster and easier Monthly discount fee deduction vs. daily deduction Debit card processing Compatible with most common point of sale systems-in most cases current equipment can be reprogrammed No application fees, inactivity fees or terminal closing fees Free set-up Free terminal reprogramming Free terminal operation support Featured Program Credit Card Processing Free 24 / 7 service line available 365 days per year September The plan s cost will need to include COBRA minus the 2% administrative fee employers are able to charge, which means the government will have to issue guidelines on how to value COBRA coverage. The amount reported does not affect tax liability, as the value of the employer contribution to health coverage continues to be excludible from an employee s income and it is not taxable, the IRS said. For more information, visit the IRS website at To register, contact Suzanne Lechtman, (800) or (763) or send an , including your name, company, address, phone number and address to slechtman@nlassn.org. Free online viewing of all transactions, batches and deposits As more customers are asking to charge their purchases, you want to make sure you get the best possible rates in the credit card market. The NLA can provide you with a FREE cost comparison. Just fax a current month-end statement to Guy Marzano at (763) Contact Guy at gmarzano@nlassn.org or call (800) for more information. The 1099 Fiasco According to Section 9006 of the 2,409-page Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, all businesses will be required to send 1099 tax forms to every company or individual from which they purchased more than $600 in services and goods throughout the tax year, beginning Jan. 1, 201 The new requirements will dramatically increase costs, pulling capital out of businesses that could be better used to reinvest in the business and create jobs. Fortunately, Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) has introduced the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act (H.R. 5141). The bill helps small businesses by repealing the expensive and burdensome new tax paperwork requirement included in the healthcare reform law that mandates businesses issue 1099s for virtually every business-to-business transaction. Support for the passage of this bill is crucial to preventing a flood of paperwork and costs to business owners across the country. Contact Jeremy Stine, manager of government and public affairs for NLBMDA, at ((800) or info@ dealer.org if you have questions or comments. Construction Supply Data Industry consultant Greg Brooks publishes a monthly circular This Month in Construction Supply. The latest edition is available on our web site under Communications Partner Publications. Would you like to recieve the version of the Scene? Send a request to melojala@aol.com.

4 REGISTRATION FORM Please use this form to register for any or all of the three Future Lumber Leaders meetings Iowa Chapter, Friday, November 5, 2010, Clarion Inn, Amana Iowa Nebraska Chapter, Saturday, January 29, 2011, Holiday Inn, Grand Island, NE Minnesota-Dakotas Chapter, Friday, February 11, Radisson Inn, St. Cloud, MN Cost: $95 per person (Non-Members at $150). Company contact Company Address Phone Fax CHAPTERS Name(s) of attendees Cost Iowa Nebraska Minnesota-Dakotas BENEFACTORS Become a benefactor and support the education of future leaders. Benefactors keep the cost down for all participants. Circle one Cherry ($500) Maple ($300) Oak (0) Pine ($100) TOTAL COST Method of payment (circle one): Check enclosed OR Visa MasterCard Name on card Company Company address City, state and zip Signature Account number Expiration date Security code (back of card) Phone Send your check or credit card information with this form to Guy Marzano, Northwestern Lumber Association, 5905 Golden Valley Road, Suite 110, Minneapolis, MN 55422, or provide your credit card information above. For questions, contact Guy at (800) or (763) [Typ Northwestern Lumber Association, 5905 Golden Valley Road, Suite 110, Minneapolis, MN (763) (888) Fax (763) e text] September

5 NLA s 2010 Iowa & Nebraska Fall Sporting Events Iowa Fall Golf Outing, Tuesday, September 21, 2010, 1:00 PM Lake Panorama National Golf Course 5071 Clover Ridge Road, Panora, Iowa 18 Hole Event; Includes BBQ by the Lake (Weather Permitting) Nebraska Fall Golf Outing, Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 2:30 PM Indian Head Golf Course 4100 West Husker Highway, Grand Island, Nebraska 9 Hole Event Nebraska Golf/Pre-Shoot Dinner [Burger Buffet] Wednesday, September 22, 2010, 6:00 PM Indian Head Golf Course 6788 West Husker Highway, Grand Island, Nebraska Nebraska Sporting Clay, Thursday, September 23, 2010, 9:00 AM Heartland Public Shooting Park, Grand Island, Nebraska 100 Bird Event, Includes Coffee & Rolls Prior To and Lunch After the Event Lake Panorama Golf includes dinner Mbr Golf $70 Mbr golf team $260 NonMbr golf $85 NonMbr golf team $320 Dinner Only TOTAL Nebraska Golf includes dinner Mbr Golf $55 Mbr golf team 0 NonMbr golf $70 NonMbr golf team $260 Dinner Only Nebraska Sporting Clay Mbr Shoot $60 NonMbr Shoot $75 Side games Lunch Only GRAND TOTAL FOR ALL FALL OUTINGS Note: There is a $10.00 per person Late Registration Fee after Friday, September 17, 2010 Enclosed is a check OR charge my Credit Card (circle one): MasterCard or Visa Acct. #: Exp. Date: CSV Code: Name: Address: Company: City/State/Zip: Zip: Phone: Return completed form to: Northwestern Lumber Association, 5905 Golden Valley Road #110, Minneapolis, MN Phone: Fax: gmarzano@nlassn.org Visit for additional information September