CHICAGO - The North American Building Material Distribution Association (NBMDA) is pleased to announce the release of the first NBMDA Quarterly Executive Trends Index, a robust benchmarking and forecasting tool for members.

The report, compiled by a leading research firm and in partnership with the North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD), is based on member data and provides insights into the issues and challenges facing distributors in the industry. This first report focuses heavily on historic data to provide a baseline for comparison in future reports. In addition to addressing sales trends and forecasts, this first report covers trends in material costs, gross margin, headcount and healthcare costs.

The second report will also include data from NBMDA manufacturer members and focus more heavily on distribution best practices and business management topics. Mark Herbek, partner and senior research analyst from Cleveland Research, will be a featured presenter at the 2013 NAFCD + NBMDA Annual Convention this November. Herbek will provide analysis of the NBMDA Quarterly Executive Trends Index data as well as share insights into other market research for the industry.

NBMDA's new partnership also provides access to research on trends impacting home centers, residential construction, non-residential construction, industrial distribution and other related topics. These industry updates and insights will be provided monthly to members.

"We are excited to share this new, robust data with our members," said Kevin Gammonley, executive vice president of NBMDA. "The NBMDA Quarterly Executive Trends Index is an exceptional tool that provides unique benchmarking data, affording NBMDA members the opportunity to compare aspects of their companies with those of fellow members and the industry at large."

Learn more about NBMDA partnerships and member resources at www.nbmda.org.

About NBMDA

NBMDA is a multi-segment trade association representing the leading wholesale distributors of specialty building products and woodworking materials. Membership segments represent distributors and manufacturers that serve the independent building material, lumber, and kitchen and bath dealer, regional and national home centers, as well as those that serve production companies involved in cabinetry, architectural woodwork, stock woodwork, store fixtures, solid surface fabricating, plastics fabricating, general and specialty woodworking industries. For more information, visit www.nbmda.org.