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Help For LBM Dealers Planning Contractor Education Events

Posted by Shawn McCadden on Tue, Apr 02,2013 @ 06:00 AM

Free Webinar: Help For LBM Dealers Planning Contractor Education Events

One big win-win for building material dealers and their contractor customers is offering contractor education.  By helping contractors improve their businesses, and advance the trade skills of their employees, contractors can do more business and improve profitability.   If the contractor can increase the amount of business he or she does, the supplier benefits as well because that contractor will likely need to buy more products and services from the dealer.  Helping contractors grow their business is also a great way for LBM dealers to initiate and expand upon the creation of mutually beneficial relationships with their contractor customers.

Planning a contractor Training Event

For suppliers and manufacturers, planning a successful educational event for contractors takes a lot of work and time.   Many factors go into planning, promoting and executing an event that will provide value for the attendees, the dealer as well as any event sponsors.  However, if planned and executed correctly, educational events for contractors will not only attract attendees for the first time, the events should also make attendees want to keep coming back for more!


planning a training event for contractors

If you are a LBM dealer thinking about holding your first educational event, or want to improve results at your next event, consider attending an upcoming webinar I will be presenting on April 11th, 2013 titled “Planning and Delivering Educational Events to Maximize Your ROI”  The webinar will be hosted by BuilderLink.

 Click here now to register for the webinar

Webinar for LBM Dealers

 

If you are a contractor looking to encourage educational events at your lumberyard or supplier, consider forwarding this article to them.  By attending the webinar dealers and their staff can learn how to plan a great event, choose topics and speakers that will help you grow your business, and make sure the event will be fun and entertaining to attend.

 

Here’s a partial list of how attendees will benefit by attending this webinar

  • Learn some creative ways to promote the event, attract contractor attendees and get them to show up!
  • We will explore seminar topic ideas that can be beneficial and profitable for the contractors as well as the dealer.
  • Learn several very important things to consider before choosing a presenter/speaker.
  • Learn several ways to maximize the investment for the dealer and sponsor(s); before, during and after the event.

 

Speaker for contractor education event

Other LBM Dealer Related Articles:

Lumberyard Ambassadors - Partnering With A Lumber Dealer’s Yard Staff

Understanding and Selling the Many Shades of Green

 

 

Topics: Remodeler Education, Contractor Training, Working with Vendors, LBM Dealer Topics, Success Strategies, Worker Training, Differentiating your Business

In Remembrance of Walt Stoeppelwerth: Godfather Of Remodeling To Many

Posted by Shawn McCadden on Wed, Feb 20,2013 @ 05:19 PM

In Remembrance of Walt Stoeppelwerth: The Godfather Of Remodeling To Many

Walt Stoeppelwerth

 

On February 18th, 2013 Walt Stoeppelwerth passed away.  Walt was the President of HomeTech Inc in Bethesda, MD for over thirty years.  I have always been an admirer of Walt and all he did for me as well as our industry. Walt Stoeppelwerth's obituary only offers a small piece of what he did in his lifetime. 

During my early years as a remodeler I observed that Walt made many predictions about the future of the remodeling industry.  Those predictions included trends, challenges, shifts, business systems and methods of production.   Many of his predictions came true.  For a whole variety of reasons, other predictions may have been challenged by a lack of continuous development or adequate leadership within the industry.  Regardless, Walt kept beating his drum about what our industry needed to keep top of mind.  Until that is, he could no longer fend off the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Walt help shape the Remodeling Industry

What I observed to be unique about Walt was that he not only predicted the future, he also participated in making it happen.  I suggest he was a visionary with a unique ability to identify, fully understand and solve existing as well as future challenges within the industry.  He would share his observations, speculate on the likely consequences if the challenges were not addressed, and suggest or predict the solutions he felt would address the challenges.   His brilliance was his ability to then create and provide the required solutions, and, through his consulting, direct others who wanted to participate in making the evolution happen.  

The Godfather Of Remodeling Although some feel such tactics might be self-serving, I disagree.  It is my opinion that Walt was a truly caring person who loved and gave his best to the industry, always willing to help people.  I think of him as a man who did and gave great things to the industry and the people he loved, and he found a way to be well paid while doing so.  By being well paid, he could afford to keep doing what he did and, perhaps more important, he kept getting better at it!  A good example for all of us to consider for our own businesses.

Walt was always up for a good debate about industry topics. 

Fortunate for me, I got to have many of those debates with Walt.  His purpose was never to prove anyone wrong or demonstrate his authority and knowledge.  Rather I observed his purpose was to always gain additional understanding and insight from others, so he could then use what he learned to complement what he knew and in turn offer better solutions to those he worked with.  I always left those debates with more knowledge and a greater understanding of each topic we explored.  In many ways he was a mentor to me.  I was and am still today honored to have taken his spot as a columnist for Remodeling magazine.


Carrying on Walt's example

The Godfather Of Remodeling Walt Stoeppelwerth

 

From what I observed, Walt lived the value of continuous improvement.  His business model was not reactive to the perceived and often misguided needs expressed by remodelers and industry partners, but rather proactive in creating and providing the solutions and the guidance remodelers and industry partners really needed to improve and foster true success.

In summary, Walt had the intimate knowledge, insight, creativity, resources, contacts, relationships and solutions to change the industry and cause tremendous social benefit at the same time. 

When people feel better about themselves and their businesses, they listen and seek for more of what helped them. Additionally, many then share what they have and know with others with the hopes that they too will benefit.  Walt was a master at setting that example and making it happen for so many remodelers.

I am grateful for his example and for all I learned from Walt.   He may have left our industry, but he will never be forgotten.  I know many of you feel the same way.


Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories about Walt and what he did for you and your business.  I’m sure his family will be grateful to know.

 

Thanks Walt.

 

Topics: Remodeler Education, Future of the Remodeling Industry, Careers in Construction, Lead Carpenter System, Mentoring/Coaching, Opinions from Contractors, Leadership