Welcome to our latest episode of Hire Smarter. Our mission is to help building materials industry leaders adopt best practices for hiring talent while helping professionals make better career decisions.

In this episode, we look to deliver a greater understanding of the lumber market. 2020 has been a wild year, and particularly explosive to the lumber market. Our guest is Kyle Little, COO of Sherwood Lumber, one of the largest privately-owned lumber distributors in the nation. Kyle has dedicated his life and profession to understanding the lumber commodity markets and has one message for everyone: “the market volatility is here to stay for the next 5 years.”

What defines heightened volatility? For years 2x dimensional lumber was traded at $320 per thousand with a 30% training range, would fluctuate from $220 to $420 ($200 range). The traditional market lows in January and dealers would watch for a summer slump to buy again. Like the Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry, those days are gone. In 2018 the market traded from a low of $300 to $650, and everyone said that would never happen again. In 2020 the market traded from a low of $250 to over $1000.

What are the factors that drove this recent volatility?

What are the drivers of continuing volatility in the future?

What are the best practices a dealer can implement to prepare?

Kyle does an excellent job laying out some clear, concise answers everyone can action. The sign of a high intellect is the ability to communicate explanations and solutions in a simple, direct format. Kyle hits a home run with his insight and direction.

Listen in on Kyle’s methodology and adopt them as your own, don’t hesitate to reach out to Kyle or myself with any questions. http://sherwoodlumber.com

Hire Smarter – Tony Misura