Stepping down, still looking forward

Scott Yates says he’s happy to ease into the role of past chairman of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, but even happier to have had a chance to serve in the chairman’s seat during 2016.

In an interview with HBSDealer, Yates, president of Denver Lumber Company, pointed to several NLBMDA and legislative highlights from the past year. Behind the scenes, there was the formation of the Strategic Planning Task Force, to better share ideas and communications among the association’s key stakeholders — the volunteer executive committee, the home office and the regional associations. On the regulatory front, Yates believes the industry can sleep easier given recent developments of rules governing overtime and inheritance tax.

All in all a good year for the NLBMDA, he said: "I am not one to use the word ‘great.' We didn’t go backward, but we still have a ways to go forward.”

Yates applauded incoming chairman George Lester for prioritizing dealer participation and NLBMDA membership in 2017.

“I agree with George that yes, we have a dwindling membership, and that’s for a lot of reasons that are out of our control,” Yates said. “And just to sit back and say there’s nothing we can do about it is the wrong move. We’re going to continue to try to rally and fortify our membership.”

Some of the ideas on the table to boost dealer involvement include an ambassador program that would tap the expertise and abilities of semi-retired industry veterans to visit potential members. Another idea is a marketing program from NLBMDA headquarters to help the regional build participation.

Yates' views on recruitment are similar to his views on lobbying. Both are activities that require a never-give-up approach, and constant effort to gain the ear of decision makers, he said.

For instance: “When we were thrown the Department of Labor rule on overtime, it was pretty much said that there was no way that anything could be done about it,” Yates said. "But now look at them."

The rules were widely viewed by small businesses as overreaching and disruptive. And they were derailed by a court injunction last month just days before implementation.

The derailment followed a joint effort of lobbying groups from across the business spectrum.

Yates will continue to lobby on behalf of the industry, and said he looks forward to the NLBMDA Legislative Conference from March 27 to 29 in Washington, D.C.

“All of our legislative friends that [The Mountain States Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association] have developed over the years are still in office, and we’re getting more and more traction,” he said.