Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 8

25 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 8 NORTH AMER I CAN DECK & RA I L ING ASSOC I AT ION (NADRA) BVM: How do you educate and promote awareness? Beaudry: “We’ve been doing Deck Safety Month, which is a registered trademark, for over 12 years. We’ve done a program called Inspect Your Deck, another registered trademark, for 10 years. We also have certification and educational programming on the website, where members can get credentialing. In the past, if you had a pickup and a toolbox then you were a pro deck builder. Today, these builders are incredibly knowledgeable. There are so many codes and different materials and the way you install them is so critical to make sure it’s done correctly. On top of that, they are artists. They build unbelievable outdoor structures that are designed so well with the client in mind. “Education is so necessary, so we created intense programming on understanding codes, for example. It’s a four-part course – three hours for each part and a test after each one. If you pass Beaudry: I would say the pandemic has been a perfect storm for anything to do with outdoor recreation. It’s incredible how difficult it is to find supply. I’ve talked to a lot of people who have been in the deck business 30 years and more, and no one has ever experienced this kind of demand and growth. People have been stuck at home, with money to spend, and they want to improve the quality of their life. And much of that has gone to outdoor living – pools, decks, patios, pavers, fencing, lighting. “Although manufacturers began to increase production (a little late), they can’t keep up with the demand. Many of our builders are booked through 2021 into 2022 and running multiple crews. Their only issue now is securing materials. And with material prices changing all the time, you can’t commit to a quoted cost for a contract, so builders are adding a footnote that says prices are subject to change. Clients are understanding about that, but they still want it done now. And that’s the challenge.”