I know I may be rushing the “Spring” thing a big, but I’m tired of feeling Winter in my bones. Over the last few weeks I had the opportunity to attend both the Frame Building Expo in Nashville and the International Roofing Expo in New Orleans. Besides the benefits of visiting areas that are much warmer than my native Central Wisconsin, I found attending the trade shows to be invaluable. They were both perfect opportunities to connect with acquaintances new and old.
Frame Building Expo (FBE) featured approximately 120 exhibitors, all of which were part of the post-frame industry. International Roofing Expo (IRE) hosted nearly 400 exhibitors. They were both well attended and both, overall, had a very upbeat, positive, and optimistic atmosphere.
Trade shows are the perfect opportunity to get the news straight from the manufacturers. I took advantage of the opportunities and spoke with manufacturers and suppliers about the state of the industry, supply chain issues that have been plaguing the trade of late, and what opportunities and challenges we may be facing this year. While we (like you) don’t have a crystal ball to see what’s going to happen, we put together some thoughts and observations for the State of the Industry coverage that begins on page 16.
As the Table of Contents shows, this edition is packed with news and features. We’re ramping up our carport coverage in general, but in this issue we have a feature about anchoring carports. Neil Osborne, who is with Express Carport, was gracious enough to spend some time with me and run through the basics of carport anchoring, which we share beginning on page 22.
If you are willing to share your experience and knowledge with our readers, we’d love to hear from you. Participating in our editorial coverage is a great way for you to establish yourself as an expert in the industry and earn some free press for your company. Also, sharing accurate information is an excellent opportunity for you to have a positive impact on the trade.
Karen Knapstein, Editor
