Finding the right crew is hard. Keeping them? That’s even harder. For pro applicators, the challenges are unique: crews walk off the job, vanish for multiple seasons, or simply can’t be kept busy during the slow winter months. High turnover is expensive, frustrating, and can threaten your reputation.
But there are strategies that can help you hire employees who stick around and create a team that thrives, even in tough conditions. Here’s how to do it.
What contractor is NOT interested in winning more of the right kind of jobs? It starts with better bidding! This month’s“Up in Your Business” article by Wayne Bell, owner of Log Care, Inc. and Zero Failures Business Focus instructor extraordinaire, provides tips you can start using today to improve your proposals and gain wins.
Kurt Denman, former Product Manager for Benjamin Moore, once said, “I cannot emphasize enough how critical proper preparation is to realize a successful staining project. It’s the ultimate determinant on how long the beauty of a job lasts.”
Paul Peebles, our very own log home expert, talks about how to restore a flooded log home in this month’s Experts Corner article. Thanks to for providing the photos below from their flooding a couple of years ago.
Wayne Summons, Sashco’s Vice President of Research and Development and Technical Director,
retired on July 14, 2016 after 40 years of service.
While Lexel® is perhaps Wayne’s most popular invention, his passion for innovation led him to create many more products throughout his years at Sashco (and he will no doubt continue his inventing ways during retirement). Wayne had a direct hand in or heavily influenced every other product sold by Sashco. He holds numerous U.S. and foreign patents.
Wayne began his career at Sashco in 1976. Just a few years out of college, he was recruited to be Sales Manager by Les Burch, Sashco’s president and Wayne’s college roommate. Wayne eventually found a home in his favorite part of the company, Research and Development. His passion for invention and developing new, unique products was contagious. Throughout the next 40 years, he helped build a culture of continuous improvement. “Products That Work” wasn’t just a tagline to a company logo. It’s what Wayne lived and breathed.
Wayne in the old Sashco labAround the building, Wayne was known for his love of vocabulary. (At times, grandiloquent. Always comme il faut.) He was a consummate learner and always shared his new-found knowledge with others. It wasn’t uncommon for Wayne to casually drop by Customer Service for an afternoon teaching session. His humble spirit was coupled with a persistence rarely found today. He was the driving force behind years of lab work finally coming to fruition in the marketplace. His work routine included years of early mornings, late nights, and weekends as he built an impressive legacy.
Wayne plans to spend a lot of time fishing and sleeping as he enters retirement. He will be missed. He left an indelible mark on Sashco that will never fade. We wish Wayne all the best as he enters the next chapter in life.
Thank you seems insufficient. We are grateful for 40 years of incredible service.
So you’re ready to stain your new log cabin, or perhaps you’re looking to completely restore one you just bought. Maybe you just need some routine maintenance done, and you’re definitely in DIFM mode. (That’s “Do It For Me.”) How do you find a good log home finishing contractor to help? Sashco partnered with Log Home Living and Cabin Living magazines to bring you…
(more…)You’ve been livin’ the log home dream, enjoying your log cabin getaway, and definitely not thinking much about maintaining your log home stain. Then, a couple years in, you notice that the Capture® and Cascade® you used to stain your log home has lost a bit of its original lustre. Besides lost lustre, what else should you look for?
Can you caulk over silicone? In a word, no.
No, your new caulk won’t stick to silicone caulk. Sorry to be so abrupt, but it’s the truth. You can stop reading now if you don’t want all of the details and the whys. Here at Sashco, we love the “whys,” so we’re trudging ahead.
It may not be on the covers of supermarket tabloids, but asphalt roofing has a shocking secret. What exactly is it? Read on!
Roof asphalt (roof cement) is just plain ugly, and it doesn’t work.
Capture the Timeless Beauty of Natural Grain
Don’t compromise at the end of a long and arduous journey by using an inferior stain not designed for logs. Capture and Cascade deliver performance worthy of the journey that got you here.
Available in 11 popular colors.
Backer Materials that Seal Things Right the First Time Backer Rod, Grip Strip, and Log Gap Cap all help you create the ideal joint desing for a long-lasting, durable seal
Logs are in constant dynamic motion. That's why there's Log Builder®, the sealant made for log structures. Stretches up to 500% of original size, while still maintaining tenacious adhesion to the wood.
When other chinking pulls away, Log Jam holds its seal With Log Jam chinking, you can keep the cozy feel and rustic look of a log home without compromising comfort and performance.
Available in 8 popular colors.
Easy to Use - Hard to See Keep out weather, bugs, and moisture without seeing it. Conceal disappears into the woodwork so you don't know the wood starts and the caulk begins.
Available in 7 popular colors.
It's Music to the Eyes Symphony works in harmony with the unique character of your logs and wood to reflect an atmosphere or cozy warmth and elegance while creating and scuff-resistant and durable surface that's easy to dust.
The Easiest Stain to Maintain Transformation Siding & Trim is the no-peel, easy-to-maintain stain for your siding, trim, and decks.
Restore What Nature Destroyed
Bring old, damaged, gray and weathered logs back to life with this flexible oil-based semi-transparent stain
Right Color. Right Quantity. Right Now. Never run out of stain at the jobsite again. Stock exactly what you need in your truck or trailer at the jobsite.
Maintenance Made Easy Now that Capture® Log Stain is applied, it’s time for Cascade® Clear Topcoat to bring out the depth and character of your unique woodgrain while protecting it against moisture, mildew, and algae. Predictable and affordable routine maintenance with Cascade throughout the years means your home stays protected and beautiful. Easy!
Keep the Color the Color Colorfast delivers the ideal canvas for stain application and leaves behind the strong foundation necessary for long-lasting color. It’s color confidence for your log home.
Rot, weather, insects, fungi all pose a serious threat to your logs. Protect your investment—treat your logs first to make them last. Tim-bor® helps protect your home from the costly damage caused by rot and insect infestation.
Remove Wood Felting and Raised Grain Remove wood fuzz (called felting) after power washing or media blasting, and knock down excessive raised grain with Sashco's finish sanding tools
Clean and brighten bare logs and wood, remove surface dirt, pollen, and kill mold for maintenance, and keep your logs looking fresh with CPR Log Cleaner and Brightener
The Serious Fix for Concrete Cracks Just say no to cracks
Textured like mortar - stretches like rubber
It's easy, it's fast, and it works.
Available in 5 popular colors.
The sealant that integrates into your design.
No mold. No mildew. No scrubbing needed!
Mold is gross. Stop feeding it.
Available in white and almond.
Won't Crack...It just stretches
All homes move - Big Stretch moves with them.
Available in 12 popular colors, and clear.
Seals leaks that asphalt can't
Stop leaks now!
The Tough Elastic Sealant For Every Job
Sticks To Most Anything
Available in clear and white.