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6 LBMAO Reporter - March-April 2026 www.lbmao.on.caPEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE AT THE LBMAOTREVOR SMALLLBMAO President MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENTI have some random thoughts as we speed towards the biggest event of the year for the LBMAO. Our LBMAO Buying Show in April will be a great event with dealers able to meet and talk with suppliers from across the country. We have been working hard to make this an important event in the calendar for both buyers and sellers. I have had some great feedback, and we want to make this an annual event with your help. The LBMAO works for you! We work diligently to make sure that our training events, our social events and all the information we put out is to make this industry better. As I write this editorial we have just finished an exciting day of snowmobiling in the Haliburton Forest. We had a number of new participants and many returning veterans. We had an eventful day, but it made me happy to know that our association is made up of great people. We stopped as a group to help out a snowmobiler who had an issue and put his sled into a ditch and over a goodsized tree. This was not a member of our group but clearly, he needed a hand. Our group jumped in to help and, in a few minutes, had the man%u2019s snowmobile dug out and back on the trail. That is what our members are about. In times of need we step up. Our retailers and suppliers jump in when their community needs assistance. Our late winter/early spring round of training will have finished by the time you read this. We have a great trainer (Stan Burkholder) who has taught this class for many years. His skill is that he not only knows the material (Stan ran a lumber yard in western Canada for many years) but he is also personable and relates to each and every student taking our classes. We train retail staff to estimate but we also teach them selling skills and how to make interaction with the customers %u2013 professional, personal, and efficient. If you were thinking about sending some staff, please make sure that you get them registered this November when we offer the classes again. We also do a yard management class that helps anyone who manages yard staff to do their job more professionally, more efficiently and with a more personal touch. Sensing a theme? In today%u2019s world your people are the most important part of your business. Giving them the tools to do their job confidently and professionally makes them better and should make them earn more for your business. I spoke to a dealer recently who is having a hard time getting and keeping good staff members. His area has an employer that is super busy at this time. They pay well and offer a number of benefits that this dealer cannot. We talked about how important good people are to his business and I suggested some ways to attract talented people who may not think of the hardware, lumber and building materials business when looking for a career. Training is one way to stand out. Getting those staff members feeling like they are equipped and supported can help. While a great paycheck is nice %u2013 it is not the only thing that motivates people. Flexible scheduling, extending time off and training to be on the top of their game are all important. With that in mind, have a look at our training day April 8th and see if you can help equip your people to be the tops in their field. We are trying to help make your business better. If you have other ideas for the LBMAO please send me a note. tsmall@lbmao.on.ca