An LBM Expo builds business
Providence, R.I. — For Kevin Smith, a softwood and plywood sales manager with Roseburg Forest Products, LBM Expo represents an opportunity to shake hands with his East Coast customers he doesn’t always see.
“This remains one of my favorite shows and is still one of the best,” Smith said.
Smith and Roseburg, the Eugene, Ore.-based forest and building products giant, were just one of the more than 200 exhibitors and vendors displaying their latest products and services while meeting customers at LBM Expo 2018, held Feb. 14–16 at the Rhode Island Convention Center. According to the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association, the Rensselaer, N.Y.-based LBM association that produces the show, this year’s event was one of its largest ever in regard to registered attendance and exhibitors.
Show events included a sold-out beach party complete with “Changes in Latitudes,” a Jimmy Buffet tribute band that brought a taste of Margaritaville to New England.
The show marked the first LBM Expo for Andrew Pantelides, director of marketing and business development for Regal Ideas, the British Columbia-based aluminum railing manufacturer.
Business prospects were solid and mounting for Regal Ideas, Pentelides said: “The dealer response has been refreshing. It’s great to see seasonal business start so strong this early in the year.”
In the meantime, St. Louis, Mo.-based Huttig Building Products was showing off its own new line of pro fasteners — Huttig Grip Fasteners. Huttig formed a fastener division in 2016 and brought in a team of “well-seasoned” product executives to help mold the line, according to Mike Catalina, a general manager with Huttig.
The new line features clean packaging with a window on the box, making it easier to see exactly what type of fastener is in each box. The packaging also features a heavier cardboard that won’t deteriorate after purchase. Also, the line features a display that is uniform in appearance.
“You get that nice clean line in the store,” Catalina said. “There isn’t an uneven, cityscape appearance to the packaging once the fasteners have been purchased.”
Gene Farley, co-owner of Torrington Lumber Company in Torrington, Conn., has been attending LBM Expo for nearly 40 years since he was 13 years old. “I started coming here with my parents,” he said.
“This is still a great networking show,” he said. “It’s great to see all the key people you may not have seen throughout the year.”
GRK Fasteners, the Glenview, Ill.-based fastener manufacturer, brought its new line of XL-sized fastener buckets — weighing as much as 10 pounds each and designed specifically for the LBM dealer channel. The new product is in test markets now and will be fully available to dealers this May.
Jared Sherwin, a Northeast territory manager with GRK Fasteners, said the new product has received a warm response and it was key for his company to make an appearance at LBM Expo.
“This event is great for relationships and the key dealers are here. If you don’t show up you’re missing out on a real opportunity,” Sherwin said.
This marked the final year of a three-year run in Providence. In 2019, LBM Expo returns to Boston, Mass.