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5 Questions With Jim Edgeworth, Residential Sales Director for The BILCO Company
August 31, 2020
1. What have you seen in the residential sales side at BILCO since the start of the pandemic?
There was a lot of confusion and frustration at the outset. The building community was unsure not only about the reach of the pandemic, but also how it affected the ability to earn a living at all levels of the industry as states adopted a wide variety of guidelines. March and April sales were slightly off as people looked for ways to keep their business open.
2. What is your analysis of what has occurred in the past few months in residential construction, particularly as it pertains to basement construction and BILCO?
During the latter part of April, a significant shift occurred in the way DIY’s and contractors started to purchase products. The end user was not walking through the retail lumber yard and they discovered many building products are available through e-commerce sites, including BILCO residential products. In addition, work from home created a great deal of time and interest in remodeling projects and the pressure was on. Orders from mid-May through July were very strong and then our focus changed to fulfillment.
All of this in addition to limited available labor, historically low interest rates, low new home inventories, and people migrating to new housing options, it created further challenges for manufacturers and supply chains at all levels.
Rather than seeing BILCO doors going toward new foundations it was clear that remodeling in 2020 was carrying the day for year-to-date sales.
3. Basements are in popular select pockets of the United States. Have you seen any differences among the regions where basements are popular in terms of one area rebounding a little more quickly than another area? Do you have any idea why that might be so?
There are approximately 30-32 states where basements are fairly standard options for new homes. The added space in smaller footprint homes is valuable for a variety of reasons and will likely increase in value as work-from-home and nesting families find ways to live in the “new normal.” Based on BILCO shipments, I would not identify a particular geography rebounding quickly. However, state building guidance, the limited availability of labor (due to the $600 per week government stimulus) and a second wave of the pandemic have certainly created barriers in many areas. The good news for BILCO is that there are very few basements in Southern states where COVID cases have shown significant increase.
4. It seems like things are slowly getting back to some level of normalcy. What do you expect to see in the next 6 months? In the next 18 months?
With all of the precautions we need to take to provide a safe workplace, hurdles are created and must be overcome. PPE, space requirements, and monitoring guidelines take time each day. Finding labor is a challenge and therefore less can be accomplished each day. BILCO will be catching up during the next few months as orders are exceeding forecast. That’s a good problem to have when fully staffed and unencumbered with guidance. I believe new construction, which is rising, will continue to do so in 2021. Major builders are sitting on some 7 million lots and many Americans are looking to leave urban areas for space. This paired with low interest rates bodes well for the industry, as long as we can produce enough product in a timely manner to meet customer demand.
5. What are your key takeaways from the pandemic, and what processes do you think will change in the building and construction industry as we move forward?
The importance of hiring and retaining quality labor at all levels. The need to maintain key elements of a production process for both plant and equipment. Having what amounts to a dynamic disaster plan for procurement, production, and shipping. We then reach the point where creativity is important because not much of this preparation will matter as the pandemic changes everything with no clear resolution or end date in sight. In the end, no one person or team can forecast with any specificity what comes next. Therefore, we over-plan and review, as hope is not a strategy.
Jim Edgeworth has been Director Sales and Marketing of Residential Products for BILCO since 2014. He joined the company in 1991 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Toledo. The BILCO Company, a subsidiary of Amesbury Truth™, offers a complete line of specialty access products. It has served the building industry since 1926.
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Company: 
Bilco
Product: Roof Hatches
Source: http://www.bilco.com/
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