BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.

(AND THE DEALER, THE INSTALLER, THE HOMEOWNER, TH E ENVI RON M ENTALIST...)

Strong lines and natural features have always been the trademarks of timeless beauty. Which is why Geodeck'. is catching the eye of so many different people.

This distinct family of composite decking products looks as good as natural wood but offers the added benefit of being completely ma intenance-f ree.

Offered in fade-resistant brushed natural finishes of mahogany and cedar and a driftwood finish that rnreathers to a silver-gray, Geodeck is guaranteed against insect damage, warping and cracking for up to 20 years.

Available in tongue-and-groove or traditional profiles with matching railings, posts and balusters, the entire line promises an easy installation and a com pletely integrated, beautiful decking system.

Geodeck. lt's innovative. lt's reliable. lt's durable. And you thought beauty was only skin-deep.

Willamette Surrenders To Weyerhaeuser Buyout

After over three years of acrimonious negotiations, Willamette Industries accepted in principle Weyerhaeuser's $6.1 billion takeover offer.

Subject to approval from the boards of both companies, Weyerhaeuser will pay $55.50 per share in cash, 50@ a share more than what chairman Steven Rogel called his final offer. Weyerhaeuser also will pay about $1.7 billion in debt and other expenses.

Willamette had rejected the earlier offer as inadequate and continued its own negotiations for Georgia-Pacific's

84 Opening Big In Alabama

84 Lumber is putting the finishing touches on one of the largest among its 75 stores in the South, a 20,000-sq. ft. contractor yard on l2 acres in Bessemer, Al.

The business outgrew its 21-yearold, 5,000-sq. ft. unit on 1.8 acres in Pelham, Al., says mgr. Darrell May.

All pro services, including wall, truss, door-making and millwork facilities, window inventory, engineered lumber services and other specialorder products, will be relocated from Pelham to Bessemer. The Pelham building products division. store will shift its focus to homeowners who are building decks, garages, storage sheds and mini-barns.

Since Weyerhaeuser had vowed to abandon its bid if Willamette consummated a deal with G-P, Willamette's stock price promptly slipped more than l1Vo.

Soon after, separate shareholders filed suit, charging Willamette with ignoring its fiduciary responsibility to its stockholders, and sought an injunction preventing a deal with G-P.

In addition. 64Vo of Willamette's outstanding shares were tendered into Weyerhaeuser' s $55-a-share offer.

When the new $l million yard opens by the end of the first quarter, May will become mgr. in Bessemer; Greg Dean will take over at Pelham.

Milf Sues Gity Over Blaze

Phenix Lumber Co., Phenix City, Al., is suing the city of Phenix, claiming its former fire chief refused to save Phenix's sawmill from fire in 1998.

This past summer (see SePt., P. 44) owner Johnny Dudley brought a claim against former fire chief Ronnie Blakenship to the city council, which subsequently reviewed and dismissed the charges.

The initial claim and current suit are a result of statements last summer by Capt. Dennis Duty, who alleges that Blakenship ordered his men not to fight the fire in an effort to teach Dudley to clean up his property.

A 1998 fire marshall's rePort in the aftermath of the fire called the sawmill's loss "predictable" given the structure's age and the behavior of employees-some of whom tried to extinguish the fire themselves.

Phenix Lumber and its insurance company are seeking a least $l million in punitive damages. The fire caused $6 million in damages, with only $800,000 covered by insurance.

Lumbermens Association of Texas is compiling a packed schedule of events and activities for its annual convention and buying show April 19-20 at the Wyndham Anatole, Dallas.

Possible dealer-only roundtable topics include computer systems and payroll administration, personnel issues (hiring/ retaining employees), controlling workers comp costs, safety incentives and practices, trucks and lifts, accounts receivable, removing assets with generation changes, and increasing profit margins (cutting expenses, selling high-margin items).

Kentucky Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association is sponsoring William Darling seminars on residential blueprint reading March 4 and residential framing lumber estimating March 5-7 at the Executive Inn, Louisville.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association's annual state meeting for Arkansas will be held March 8-9 at the Holiday Inn Select, Little Rock, and for Oklahoma Aprll 26-27 at the Shawnee Country Club, Shawnee.

Construction Suppliers' Association will teach basic long form estimating March 25-26, advanced estimating March 27, and quick estimating March 28 at a yet-to-be determined location.

Southern Building Material Association will host building code seminars March 6 in Greenville, S.C., and April l0 in Hilton Head, S.C.

Better Compete Against Big Boxes

Do it Best Corp. has issued an information kit for members that outlines strategies for battling warehouse retailers.

The Big Box Competition Kit provides informarion on big boxes compiled from industry data, market trends, Do it Best members and interviews with former box employees.

The kits contains a manual with ideas to strengthen one's business along with big box tactics and strategies to combat them. Additionally, the kit comes with a planning worksheet and video featuring interviews with Do it Best members who have competed with big box retailers.

Do it Best's v.p. of marketing Bill Zielke said, "Our members compete with and win against the big boxes every day." He added that independents have many advantages over big box retailers: they are entrepreneurs in the community; possess the ability to respond to market conditions quickly;

. are able to develop a personal relationship with customers; can join with other independents to increase buying power, and own a piece of the market boxes can't get access to.

Do it Best Corp. also featured an information seminar and panel discussion on competing with big boxes at its fall market in Indianapolis.

Home Depot's Rosy New Partner

Home Depot was an official materials supplier of the News Year's Day Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Ca., partnering with float builder Phoenix

Decorating Co.

As part of the partnership, Phoenix built a 55-foot parade float for Home Depot that celebrated the American dream of home ownership.

During the float building process, Phoenix used plywood, wire fencing, plastic foam, glue, live goods and some flowers from Home Depot.

The partnership between the companies will extend beyond the annual New Year's Day parade.

"By selecting Phoenix," said West Coast division mgr. Bruce Merino, "we not only chose the industry leader, but found a new business-to-business partner with a large appetite for products available in our stores."

Nearly three-quarters of the materials needed to build a float are found at a typical Home Depot home center. The cost of an average float is between $60,000 and $300,000.

Chain Upgrades In The South

Builders FirstSource. Dallas. Tx.. plans to build new distribution and manufacturing facilities throughout the South this year.

A new DC will be built in Conway, S.C., combining three separate operations that now operate in the Myrtld: Beach, S.C., region.

A larger DC and manufacturing facility will be built in Tampa, Fl., along with a new, bigger millwork facilities in Atlanta. Ga.. and Hillsborough, N.C.

The company also has plans to expand its wall panel and truss facility in Elkwood, Va. Chairman and c.e.o. Floyd Sherman said there are also plans to build a new wall panel plant in Apex, N.C.

In Tennessee a new DC is planned for Nashville, that will consolidate three separate locations there. The chain is closing its Memphis yard.

Tornado Takes Dealer's Roof

The new year brought an unpleasant surprise to AAA Best Lumber, Homestead, Fl., as a tornado hit nearby, ripping off part of its roof.

The Jan. 2 tornado touched down outside the retailer for just a few minutes, yet took off part the back warehouse roof that covered lumber and the door department.

"You hear about hurricanes." said mgr. Raymond Romero, "but you never realize what a hurricane can really do until it hits you."

Romero said that windows were broken throughout the store and much drywall in the walls was crumbling from water damage.

The store reopened for business Jan. 4. No injuries were reported.

Omni Doors, Dallas, Tx., has acquired TG Acquisition Corp., Naples, Fl.

TG manufactures, wholesales and retails building products in southwest Florida from its facility in Naples, and has agreed to acquire six additional Florida wholesalers whose operations include shutters, shades, windows and doors.

TG chairman and c.e.o. James Strupp, who will hold similar positions at Omni, expects the merger to creale a new company with revenues of approximately $ l00 million.

New filame For NOFMA

National Oak Flooring Manufacturers Association will change its name to "NOFMA, the Wood Flooring Manufacturers Association."

NOFMA

The association made the decision because it has long provided grading, inspection, and technical services for hardwood flooring manufacturers of a wide variety of species-not just oak.

Additionally the group has been approached about expanding to softwood flooring manufacturers as well as manufacturers outside the U.S.

While no action has been taken to broaden the scope of NOFMA membership, "our new name leaves the door open for any changes we might want to make regarding who we represent," said exec. v.p. Stan Elberg.

NOFMA also voted to change the names of all NOFMA-certified flooring grades to simplify flooring specifications and ensure quality control. The grade changes are effective immediately.

Fire Destroys Veneer Plant

A fire that began in an air compressor completely consumed the veneer sawmill of Atlantic Veneer Corp., Beaufort, N.C.

Fire officials speculate that the Jan. 6 blaze started when one of the bearings on the compressor or motor seized.

Firefighters were forced to use portable dump tanks brought in with the help of neighboring fire departments, because of the firm's distance from town water.

The next day Atlantic erected a temporary sawmill and milled materials untouched by the blaze. Corporate controller Greg Lewis has stated that the veneer operation will continue as normal.

Company oflicials are trying to decide whether to build a new mill or repair what remains of the old one.

Atlantic employs 350 people and also has a plywood operation on the site that was unaffected by the fire.

Oklahoma's Red Cedar Bind

Forest and timber officials in Oklahoma are seeking the best way to deal with the all too ubiquitous native juniper-better known as red cedar.

Local forest officials say that the number of acres doubles every I 8 years, seriously affecting forage production in the state.

Oklahoma Red Cedar Association has worked to develop a chippedcedar board to use as a base under shingles. But. for the mean time, other organic materials remain cheaper to use.

Other efforts have been made to market the cedars as flat lumber for building furniture.

For central and western Oklahoma, there is the problem of harvesting the trees with a small stem, coupled with the cost of shipping cedar to eastern Oklahoma or Arkansas to be milled.

It is estimated that red cedar's value is about 25 cents a bd. ft.

Some researchers are trying to see if it is efficient to have goats eat small cedars. So far the only agreed upon method of eradication is to burn the trees before they reach six feet.

Big Boxes Buying More Ads

A sputtering economy usually leads to gutted advertising budgets, yet the big box retailers have so far seen things differently than their peers.

Home Depot and Lowe's increased their advertising budgets, while 6l%o of the top national advertisers reduced their budgets through September of last year.

Compared to 2000, Home Depot increased their 2001 advertising spending 297o, whlle Lowe's saw a rise of 39Vo in their ad budget.

Fiber Cement To Meet Siding

Some industry experts expect fiber cement will outpace the use of wood and hardboard siding within the next four years, becoming an estimated 207o of the siding market by 2005.

Fostering the growth in fiber cement are developments such as CertainTeed Corp.'s Dura Press System that combines sand, Portland cement and pulp fiber into a mix that is rolled, pressed, embossed and then cured and diamond-blade cut.

Fiber cement has a Class A fire rating and is reportedly impervious to rot and wood-boring insects. Recent manufacturing developments have also led to a higher inter-laminate bond strength and increased freezelthaw protection.

Forest Service Commits To New Direction

After one year on the job, U.S. that timber representatives have seen Forest Chief Dale Bosworth has been as confusing and too regulatory. both demonized by environmentalists To date, Bosworth and President and hailed by the timber industry as a Bush have promised to change and antidote to an unchecked bureaucracy. review three major policies: ages more than 383,000 miles of forest roads to reduce a maintenance backlog and protect undeveloped areas.

. Regulations that give local offlcials guidance for drafting l0- to l5year forest management plans that could limit logging, skiing, and other activities that protect ecosystems.

A transportation policy that man- ln charge of over 192 million acres The roadless provisions, which of federal forest and grasslands, closed 58.5 million acres of forest, Bosworth and the Bush Administra- free of most logging and road contion have been formulating a strategy struction. to counter many Clinton-era policies

Cries For A Secular USFS

The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to listen to part of a suit brought by loggers who claimed anti-logging measures on federal land were often based on environmental "religious beliefs" instead of sound law.

Associated Contract Loggers, Tower, Mn., argued that two environmental groups in concert with the U.S. Forest Service had unfairly limited logging on federal land in Minnesota.

The high court responded Jan. 8 with a $5,000 fine levied against the logging group's attorney, ruling that the entire case was frivolous and lacked merit.

The core of the group's argument was that the Forest Service's efforts to appease anti-logging group's concerns were akin to accepting government-sponsored religion.

The loggers explained that environmental groups have been establishing a religion of "deep ecology" on the Forest Service.

It is the first case to argue that environmental activism is based more on moral/religious beliefs than on any sound, practical effort to protect the natural world.

In the coming months, the court will review the rest of the case.

The review of these policies by the new administration has brought tough criticisms from environmentalists, who fear a trampling of protected lands. but Bosworth insists that Clinton's initiatives simply didn't work.

"Those (Clinton policies) got all intertwined, and our folks in the field had an awful time trying to understand what it is we really wanted," said Bosworth.

The timber industry has been lobbying for an administration that is more open to its ideas. During the 2000 election, the industry raised $1.5 million for the Republican Party at a fundraiser in Portland, Or.

Chris West, American Forest Resource Council. said the timber industry has one consistent message for the federal government: "Get us off the total dead stop. Right now, the system is broken."