brandon, Author at 4Ward Solutions Group

05
Nov

Fight the Management Drift

By Ben HersheySolutions Provider & CEO4Ward Solutions Group Many of us started 2020 with resolutions/goals both for ourselves and our businesses, but then our year was turned upside down with the Covid worldwide pandemic and other issues such as lumber prices topping highs we thought we would never see. While many LBM/component businesses are working

07
Oct

The Last Word on Roof Truss Wizards

By Joe Kannapell Four roof truss innovators have changed our industry, from its beginning to the present day. Their names may be largely unknown now, but their work lives on and is worth assessing. The most notable is A. Carroll Sanford, whose machines are still cranking out trusses (see my March 2020 article). Mr. Sanford

01
Jun

The Importance of Change Management in Today’s Business Climate

By Ben Hershey, CEO, 4Ward Solutions Group The current global demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) has created a severe shortage of PPE across the world. And while regular distribution channels ramp up, we have seen several creative ways some individuals and companies are making changes to support our COVID-19 response, including obtaining and producing

20
May

Set the Course of Your Business

By Ben Hershey, CEO, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC Many of us just returned from this year’s BCMC show. How appropriate it was to be in Columbus, a city named after a visionary who discovered the new world, and the theme was “Set Your Course.” In your business, no matter the role you serve, you have

07
May

The Importance of Change Management in Today’s Business Climate

05
Apr

Are Your Managers Equipped for Change?

By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies Ask yourself this question, true or false: The most resistant group of employees in many component and LBM companies is the frontline employees? If you answered true, like most people you guessed incorrectly. It’s not our frontline employees who resist change the most, it’s the managers,

21
Mar

Are You Communicating the Same Old Message?

By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies Here we are at the start of 2020 — Happy New Year! As we begin the year, we’ll likely have times when we look at the past and then look forward, as we plan our strategy and set the tone for our teams and work with

07
Mar

- manufacturing
brandon
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Knowing the Ideal Manufacturing Cycle Time

By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies Building components is really great! It was a lot of fun in the 1970s when several plants had competitions on who could build the fastest run of trusses (for example, see Joe Kannapell’s article on Vertical Presses–The World Record). Back then, it was really easy to

21
Feb

As the Market Changes – Plan Now for Continuous Improvements

By Ben Hershey, CEO, The 4Ward Group of Companies No doubt that as I am writing this, many of us have had to turn our focus to our families, our friends, and our businesses as the COVID-19 virus has rapidly spread throughout North America. The impact to many has been requirements to shelter families in

01
Oct

- Uncategorized
brandon
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Strategy, Culture, and BCMC

By Ben Hershey, 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC Two manufacturers walk into the BCMC Show. One is a seasoned manufacturer who has been attending the show for many years and will learn something new, but really just goes to shake hands and be seen. The other manufacturer is new and eager, ready to learn and network