From left: Reps. Janelle Bynum (D-OR) and Mike Flood (R-NE) discuss housing initiatives with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Mike Flood during the Nov. 6 "Building for Growth Summit" in Washiington By Craig Webb, President, Webb Analytics Fifty-year mortgages? If you really want to build more homes, how about zoning changes, better building codes, and quicker permitting instead? Affordability's emergence as a key topic in the mid-term elections, combined with President Trump's

DEALERS 84 Lumber -- Todd Beaman -- OSR 84 Lumber -- Casey Lemoi -- Installed Sales Trim Manager ABC Supply -- Jim O'Donnell -- Sales Rep, Pottstown, PA Builders FirstSource -- Donald Crumpler -- VP Supply Chain Operations Builders FirstSource -- Donald Milburn -- Emerald Coast Area Operations Manager Builders FirstSource -- Keith Trevillian -- Market Manager, Sioux Falls, SD Cain Hardware & Lumber -- Buddy Stewart -- Store Manager DEALERS Capps Home Building Center -- Tyler

The map below would lead you to think this has been a robust year for dealmaking in construction supply. But that's if you only care about the number of locations acquired--and indeed, the 1,762 facilities that changed hands this year dwarfs anything since at least 2018. But viewed in two other ways, the picture changes dramatically. The table at right shows that the actual number of deals recorded by Webb Analytics year to date is as little as half what we've seen in any of

By Craig Webb, President, Webb Analytics The Home Improvement Research Institute’s (HIRI) annual Insights Summit is a numbers geek’s delight—and a must-attend for people who want insights into what’s happening with the economy and likely will happen over the next few years. Given our crazy times, the forecasts given Oct. 22-23 were fuzzier than usual, but they still represented far more expert outlooks than you can find at most events. Here are highlights. What Bugs Remodeler

Veterans in construction supply have begun teaming with software experts to create programs specifically designed for LBM. FairBuild AI analyzes component manufacturers' contracts with builders to spot risky provisions and suggest alternative language. The program reduces or eliminates the need to keep a legal expert on staff or on retainer. Programs like Chat GPT can do some of this work, but they haven't been trained by attorneys and industry experts to look for the most c

Brian Potter and the cover of his book, "The Origins of Efficiency" (Webb Analytics photo) By Craig Webb, President, Webb Analytics Brian Potter used to believe that factory-built homes were the key to solving America's home building and home affordability woes. Now he knows better, because he's taken a phenomenally deep dive into how to build anything better, faster, and cheaper. What Potter learned results in a just-published book, The Origins of Efficiency . In it, he anal

LBM facilities in the continental U.S. acquired (blue pins), that had or will have greenfield openings (green), or closed (red) YTD 2025. Source: Webb Analytics In a four-week period when Lowe's closed the acquisition of Foundation Building Materials that was announced in August, the answer to the question "What's New in M&A?" centered on 11 far smaller purchases. In those deals: Gypsum Management & Supply , which earlier this year became a division of The Home Depot's SRS

DEALERS ABC Supply -- Dan Gaddini -- VP, National Accounts ABC Supply -- Lloyd Hamilton -- VP, Southeast Region ABC Supply -- Scott Toumbleston -- VP, Mid-South Region American Builders Supply -- Dennis Sparks -- VP-Truss Division Busy Beaver Building Centers -- Adam Gunnett -- VP of Business Intelligence and Strategy DEALERS Gulfeagle Supply -- Andrew Eckhard -- Director of Fleet and Safety West Gulfeagle Supply -- Chris Kaminski -- Real Estate Manager Gulfeagle Supply -- Br

Depending on the software they use, contractors could be right next door and never call out to you. By Craig Webb, President, Webb...

LBM dealer locations acquired (blue dots), had greenfield openings (green), or were closed (red) YTD 2025. Source: Webb Analytics Webb...

DEALERS Company Individual Title Location/Notes 84 Lumber Ryan Beals OSR Holbrook, MA 84 Lumber Chris Brown OSR Tampa Bay FL area 84...

Acquisitions, openings, and closures involving ABC Supply roofing stores and its L&W Supply unit, 2023-YTD 2025. Source: Webb Analytics...

Brad Jacobs, Chairman and CEO, QXO Where is  QXO  headed? In a QXO-edited summary of remarks to analysts issued Sept. 11, Chairman and...

Rep. Mike Flood, R-NE A Congressional leader on housing policy who's bullish on manufactured homes helped introduce a bill Sept. 9 that...

By Craig Webb Nick Offerman Do it Best revealed Sept. 5 it plans a major campaign to revive the True Value brand that will feature...

Do it Best's LBM Luncheon on Sept. 5 featured market outlooks and buying tips from (left to right) Abeer Saeed, merchandise manager for...

From left: Danny Bachman, Dixie Plywood; Jim Kirkvliet, Parliment Building Products; Don Magruder, RoMac Lumber; Shyam Reddy, BlueLinx;...

Source: Commerce Department via NLBMDA The Commerce Department's more than doubling of countervailing and antidumping duties on Canadian...

DEALERS Company Individual Title Location/Notes 84 Lumber Ashley Cyprowski Cecil Senior Marketing Manager 84 Lumber Tedra Schadt...

By Craig Webb, President, Webb Analytics Harken Lumber, Aplington Imagine being at your lumberyard in your town of just 1,100 people,...