Looking ahead to PDIS

In a sense, every year since the economy began its arduous recovery has been a landmark year for the housing industry. That said, there are indications that 2015 might pack additional weight in this arena.



Housing starts and existing-home sales both reached an eight-year high in July, but the Dow’s 1,000-point nosedive in August pointed to the potential for trouble ahead, or perhaps signaled that it was too early to uncork the champagne. The road ahead seems promising, if not riddled with question marks.



Answers — or at least more targeted questions — are sure to arise at this year’s ProDealer Industry Summit, taking place Oct. 28-30 at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, where NAHB chief economist David Crowe will deliver an Economic & Housing Forecast for 2016.



As with previous years, the ProDealer Industry Summit will maintain its position as an educational and networking forum for the LBM industry, but some of the attractions this year offer the added appeal of fresh insights.



One presentation that’s already caught the interest of attendees is Crystal Washington’s social media primer. The social media marketing strategist has made significant waves offering social media insights to Google, Microsoft and GE, as well as on ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS and more.



For those confused by the moving target of green building standards, Vicki Worden, executive director of the Green Building Initiative, will be delivering an educational seminar on recent changes to the GBI’s ANSI/GBI 012010 Standard.



Kicking off the educational sessions will be Rick Davis, the owner of Building Leaders and a frequent speaker on LBM distribution. In Davis’ words, there’s more “consolidation, competition and jostling for market share” these days. This promises to inform his presentation on sales leadership, with an emphasis on both “the simplicity of sales leadership and sales excellence” and “the difficulty of implementation.”



With a number of timely controversies fresh on the minds of LBM dealers, the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association will have an opportunity to pick up the momentum already gathering speed for the EPA’s Lead Rule reform and the Innocent Sellers Act, among other legislative priorities.



Builders FirstSource will also be on-hand to accept its award as 2015 Pro Dealer of the Year and talk about its monumental year. With a sales increase to $1.6 billion last year, a turnaround in its bottom line, and the acquisition of ProBuild Holdings to create the nation’s largest LBM dealer, there’ll be much to discuss in the realm of growth, competition and ambition.



“I always welcome the networking opportunities and the excitement of getting the captains of this industry together in a room,” said Davis. “I love the brainpower; I love the ideas.”

For more information, visit prodealer.com.