David Chestnut and Liz Kovach, President of the Western Retail Lumber Association, Inc.

Hardlines Vice President, Publisher, and podcast host David Chestnut interviews Liz Kovach, President of the WRLA. Liz speaks about what the Let’s Go Build program can mean for Western lumber and building retailers and manufacturers, and why the WRLA has invested so many resources into it. Now it’s up to the members to share it!

 

Key Takeaways:

 

[:30] David welcomes Liz Kovach, President of the WRLA, to What’s In Store.

 

[1:23] Liz tells how the Let’s Go Build program began. Seven years ago, the WRLA started talking about its aging demographic and retaining the intellectual capital of those approaching retirement. They started a Next Gen program but rebranded it to shift the focus.

 

[2:03] They were getting close to launching it when COVID-19 hit. They had to figure out how to survive and add value to their members when there were more questions than answers. So they parked the program. What they learned during the pandemic helped shape the program into what it is today and develop the tagline, “Let’s Go Build.”

 

[2:39] Let’s Go Build is the marketing arm of the WRLA’s new strategic plan. The first pillar of the plan is to attract talent to the industry.

 

[2:48] When asking for government funding to support the program, they needed hard data to support them. In 2021, the WRLA was successful in having a home renovation tax credit implemented in Saskatchewan because they had invested in a supporting case. They spent the money to get data for the industry where there was very little data.

 

[3:26] The WRLA spent much time connecting with the government. They needed a brand to put in front of them to showcase facts and data and they came up with “Let’s Go Build.” They conducted a labor study with the funding support of the Alberta government.

 

[3:49] Some statistics from the study challenged their thoughts. One surprising fact is that 63% of the people who come into the LBM industry leave, which is too high, added to the 20% who are going to be retiring in the next four years. A program like Let’s Go Build is necessary. They need to promote the industry to job seekers and the public aggressively.

 

[5:10] The WRLA plans to dig deeper into the labor issue to find how the 63% that leave the industry are divided between the retail and vendor-manufacturer sides and whether any of the 63% return to the industry after leaving it. They will dive deeper into this in the next phase of their labor study.l At the moment, they are taking the data they have to shape their programs.

 

[5:53] One of the other key recommendations that came out of this study is that we need to look at how we’re training and developing our staff. What type of professional development is there? Not everyone knows where lumber and building materials come from. During the pandemic, we learned a lot about logistics. We needed to educate our customers on the supply chain.

 

[6:52] One of the things the WRLA is working on is establishing an onboarding program that is standard for members across all the provinces, giving basic information. Next year, when the WRLA launches its member renewal, the new onboarding programs will be available. There is a terminology course to teach industry jargon and the basics of the building materials they sell.

 

[8:25] Liz mentions different sizes of lumberyards and how they fit their communities. Not everyone has a big marketing budget. Let’s Go Build is a turnkey marketing campaign. The biggest thing members can do is take the program and share it. Liz pictures a snowball rolling down a hill. The more members engage with it, the more people are going to see it.

 

[10:01] Liz and Chris Allinotte of WRLA have worked very closely on Let’s Go Build. Everybody at WRLA has bought into taking Let’s Go Build to the next level. Liz gives credit to committee leader Micah Flaig of Lumberworld in Victoria. The board of directors supports Let’s Go Build.

 

[11:24] The WRLA deals both with provincial governments and the federal government. It’s important to have representation at all levels of government. They do their best to represent at the municipal level and the provincial level. They want Ottawa to know that when people move into the country, they can have a great quality of life in the prairies.

 

[12:19] Liz wants to make sure that Ottawa sees the western lumber and building community as a relevant partner and that there are so many members in rural communities that are building to welcome that immigrant population.

 

[12:46] To grow the Let’s Go Build program nationally means to continually share the message. The WRLA invests 25% of its budget for the Let’s Go Build campaign into the curriculum. It’s a huge investment for them but it’s a necessary investment for the industry. The more people share the message, the more it can grow nationally.

 

[14:23:] David congratulates Liz on the WRLA Showcase celebrating its 30th anniversary on January 17‒19, 2024. The theme of the conference and the showcase is Framing the Future. There are great events in store! There are good professional development opportunities for attendees. Lauren Johnson is the keynote speaker at the Thursday a.m. kickoff.

 

[16:03] David thanks Liz for being on What’s In Store!

 

About Us: 

What’s in Store is a podcast series of the Hardlines Information Network. Today’s episode is brought to you by Jeld-Wen.

Resources:

Hardlines.ca

David Chestnut

Guest: Liz Kovach

WRLA

WRLA Showcase 2024

Showcase Keynote Speaker Lauren Johnson

Sponsor: Jeld-Wen