BOISE, Idaho, Aug. 18, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Boise Cascade Engineered Wood Products, a business unit of Boise Cascade, LLC, announced today its selection as one of only eight national winners of the annual "A,A" Partner of Choice Award from David Weekley Homes, the largest not for profit privately-owned homebuilding firm in the U.S. in 2007. The prestigious Partner of Choice honor is awarded to winning suppliers, or "trading partners," that have been chosen by David Weekley Homes as their best performing suppliers of the past twelve months. Only Boise and seven other companies out of 150+ trading partners doing business with David Weekley Homes -- about 5% -- were chosen for the prestigious "A,A" Award in 2008, the third consecutive year Boise has received this important honor.
The awards are based on the David Weekley Homes National Trading Partners Survey, a running quarterly review of David Weekley Homes suppliers provided by nearly 1,000 team members from all levels within David Weekley Homes. Suppliers are rated quarterly on a 1-10 scale for quality and service. The scores for each company are averaged, then ranked with all others that participate. Alpha rankings are assigned in 20% increments from A to F, with 20% receiving an "A", 20% a "B", etc. Receiving an A for both quality and service in the same year is rare, with the "A,A" Partner of Choice Award being the highest ranking any trading partner can receive. "It's very difficult for any supplier to achieve an "A" rating in both quality and service for three months, then maintain it for the entire year," said Bill Justus, Vice President of Supply Chain Services for David Weekley Homes. "To accomplish this three years in a row, as Boise has done, requires extraordinary effort."
"Everyone in the homebuilding business has been challenged by the current market conditions," said Justus. "When overhead is reduced, there is a risk that service suffers -- but according to our team members, this has not been the case with Boise Cascade. It's a real tribute that while challenged by current market conditions, Boise continues to provide world-class service to David Weekley Homes," Justus added. "What separates Partner of Choice winners from non-winners is that through thick and thin, they continue to add value to the relationship and help us provide a satisfying experience to our customer -- our number one goal," Justus added.
In 2006, when Boise won its first "A,A" Partner of Choice award, the world was very different for homebuilders and their trading partners. The market was still booming and the future looked prosperous for homebuilding -- different circumstances than the industry is in today. "Through all of the changes that continue to occur in the marketplace, Boise remains a constant in service delivery", Justus said.
"Another factor that makes Boise's third consecutive win all the more remarkable is that our survey data indicates there has been an average 18% annual improvement in scores posted by our trading partners. So if everyone is improving at 18% per year, our eight "A,A" winners, including Boise, had to improve very significantly to stay ahead of their challengers -- quite a feat," Justus said.
David Weekley Homes began their Partners of Choice program approximately four and one half years ago. "Most companies either claim to be in pursuit of world-class excellence, or claim to have already achieved it. The National Trading Partners Survey is a practical way of measuring world-class performance: It goes beyond talk," Justus said. "When Boise puts its products and services up against the very best -- every other company that supplies homebuilders across all product categories -- and excels three years in a row, through their actions Boise Cascade has proven to us that they are truly world-class."
Boise is the leader in providing value-added services that help homebuilders build more profitably. Boise's newest electronic service program, BC Estimator(tm), lets Boise customers do precise electronic take-offs in a fraction of the time, which can mean fast, precise material estimates. "With BC Estimator, builders can now accommodate last-minute plan changes without fear of losing profitability," said Denny Huston, Boise Engineered Wood Products sales & marketing manager. "It's our goal to continue helping our customers use state-of-the-art electronic tools to build faster and more profitably," Huston said.
Another important service is Boise(r) Plans Room, which enables builders to post projects online to communicate, track, update redlines, do take-offs and organize plans for future use. Plans can be changed electronically, changes re-posted and team members notified by email. Boise Plans Room cuts cycle time and can eliminate the increasing costs of countless trips to the jobsite. "We are very proud to work with David Weekley Homes on these important service initiatives to help reach their goal of the most satisfying experience for their home buying customers," Huston added.
About David Weekley Homes
David Weekley Homes, founded in 1976, is headquartered in Houston and operates in 16 cities across the United States. David Weekley Homes was the first builder in the United States to be awarded the Triple Crown of American Home Building, an honor which includes "America's Best Builder," "Builder of the Year," and the "National Housing Quality Award." Weekley has also appeared seven times on FORTUNE(r) magazine's coveted "100 Best Companies to Work For" list. Since inception, David Weekley Homes has closed more than 50,000 homes and is the nation's largest privately held homebuilder. For more information about David Weekley Homes, visit the company's web site at www.davidweekleyhomes.com.
About Boise Cascade
Boise, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, manufactures engineered wood products, plywood, lumber and particleboard and distributes a broad line of building materials, including wood products manufactured by the company. Visit Boise's website at www.bc.com.
The Boise Cascade logo is available at http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2849