Resilient Solutions For Some Of Homebuilding's Big Challenges

In today’s homebuilding market, the stakes are higher than ever, and the margins for error are as narrow as ever.

The industry is confronting a convergence of significant headwinds: economic volatility, labor shortages, rising material costs, and a cost-of-living crisis putting unprecedented pressure on home affordability. The increasing toll of climate disruption—wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, drought, and deteriorating air quality—and the challenge of building safe, sustainable homes in many regions becomes even more complex.

As builders navigate these treacherous waters, it’s clear that operational excellence, reliability, and resilience are no longer just goals — they are imperatives. In this context, our TBD Player videocast team caught up this week with Troy Little, Executive Vice President for Wood Products at Boise Cascade. Troy shared how his company is not only helping builders meet these challenges head-on but also setting the stage for long-term, sustainable success through its innovative products, strategic partnerships, and high-performing teams.

Building for Speed, Efficiency, and Resiliency

The speed of construction is often the difference between profit and loss in today's market. This is particularly true in a climate where supply chain disruptions, labor shortages, and rising costs can derail even the most well-laid plans. Troy highlights that Boise Cascade’s role in helping builders optimize their construction cycles begins with its engineered wood products (EWP) and software solutions designed to streamline the construction process.

We’ve engineered our products and facilities to ensure that the construction process on-site is easier and faster,” Troy explains.

This focus on efficiency extends to Boise Cascade’s suite of proprietary software systems, which design homes with precision, minimizing costly mistakes like squeaky or bouncing floors. These solutions reduce the likelihood of callbacks, saving builders time and money. With labor in short supply and timelines tight, these tools enable builders to maintain operational excellence by delivering projects faster and more efficiently while maintaining quality.

Resiliency Starts at the Forest

But speed is only part of the equation. In an era of extreme weather events and rising environmental consciousness, builders are pressured to build resilient homes that can withstand the elements while reducing environmental impact. For Boise Cascade, this begins at the forest level, where sustainability and responsible forestry practices form the foundation of their operations.

Troy emphasizes Boise Cascade’s commitment to environmentally conscious practices, from reforestation to ensuring that every part of a log is put to beneficial use. Their engineered wood products, like the BCI-joist, are designed for strength and efficiency. They support sustainable building practices by allowing builders to optimize duct systems and conduit routing within conditioned areas, reducing energy waste.

In one instance, Troy shares how Boise Cascade is working with a significant homebuilder to reduce construction waste, illustrating the scale of the challenge with a compelling visual.

If you were to dig a hole for all the waste generated by a single builder throughout the country, it would be massive."

This partnership aims to drastically cut waste, aligning with the broader industry shift toward sustainable, climate-resilient building.

The Human Element: Building High-Performance Teams

While products and processes are critical, people are at the heart of Boise Cascade’s success. In an industry where long-term relationships with suppliers, distributors, and builders can make or break a business, Troy underscored the value of high-performing teams and strong partnerships.

“COVID taught us just how important relationships are,” he said, reflecting on how the pandemic exposed supply chain and operational systems weaknesses.

During that time, companies with strong relationships across the supply chain—from raw materials to final delivery — could weather the storm more successfully than those without that foundation.

If you don’t have good relationships internally and externally, you can’t attract and retain the talent needed to keep operations running smoothly.”

Boise Cascade’s unique strength lies in its dual role as a manufacturer and distributor, allowing it to control both the production and delivery of its products. This vertical integration is a key differentiator that ensures reliability and predictability for builders, allowing them to better manage budgets, timelines, and resources in an increasingly volatile market.

Predictability and Reliability

Builders today face unprecedented uncertainty. Between fluctuating material costs, labor shortages, and supply chain bottlenecks, delivering consistent, high-quality homes has never been more challenging. Troy emphasizes that reliability and predictability are core to Boise Cascade’s value proposition. By ensuring that builders get the right product, on time, every time, Boise Cascade helps reduce variability in construction outcomes, which is essential for builders managing tight budgets and timelines.

Our manufacturing systems are designed to be highly consistent,” Troy said. “From mill to mill, shift to shift, we ensure the same quality and performance in every product, so when it hits the job site, there are no surprises.”

This level of predictability gives builders the confidence to stay on schedule and helps them avoid costly delays or rework, which can derail entire projects in today’s market.

Looking to the Future: Capacity Growth and Automation

Despite the present challenges, the future of homebuilding promises explosive growth driven by demographic demand and the ongoing need for more housing in the U.S. However, meeting that demand will require innovation, capacity growth, and adopting new technologies.

One area where Boise Cascade is investing heavily is capacity growth. During COVID, the industry experienced severe shortages of wood-based materials, leading to allocation constraints. Boise Cascade responded by acquiring coastal veneer assets and expanding its mill infrastructure to ensure it could meet growing demand. This investment positions the company to serve builders better as housing demand momentum intensifies.

Additionally, Troy notes that automation is becoming a significant focus. With labor shortages showing no signs of easing, automation offers a path forward for improving productivity and reducing the reliance on human labor. From AI-driven safety systems in mills to exploring automated construction techniques, Boise Cascade is preparing for a future where technology will play a larger role in homebuilding.

A Call to Action for Builders

As the housing market grapples with a perfect storm of challenges—economic volatility, labor shortages, rising costs, and climate change—builders need strong, reliable partners like Boise Cascade more than ever. The conversation with Troy Little highlighted how Boise Cascade is leading the charge, helping builders not only survive but thrive through high-performance teams, innovative products, and unparalleled reliability.

For U.S. homebuilding, residential development, and investment organizations leaders, the message is clear: In a world of uncertainty, the strength of your partnerships and the quality of your teams will determine your ability to meet the challenges ahead. Whether it's building faster, building greener, or building with fewer resources, Boise Cascade's solutions are here to support your success.

The need for resilient homes, sustainable practices, and reliable partners will only grow as we look ahead. The future of homebuilding will be shaped by those who are prepared to innovate, collaborate, and lead with excellence—and Boise Cascade is ready to help builders do just that.