qtion news

Lumbermen's Association of Texas invites Louisiana dealers and suppliers to the LBMDA summer outing June 26-28 at the Grand Hotel, Point Clear, Al. The board meeting and golf tournament will be Friday June 2.

LAT's budget, convention and executive committees will meet June l8-19 in Austin.

Southern Building Material Association will hold its spring membership meeting May 1-4 at Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Themed "Managing Your Lumberyard in Today's Competitive World," the event will feature industry consultant Deborah Hayden addressing "The 10 Most Important Issues You Will Face with Employees over the Next Year" and economist Dr. Ed Seifried on "Facing the Economy in2OO3."

Florida Building Material Association is readying its summer management conference for June 12-14 at the Ocean Reef Club, Key Largo.

Eastern Building Material Dealer Association set its spring board meeting for May l-2 in Hershey, Pa.

Construction Suppliers' Association is staging dealer roundtables April 27-29 at the Comfort Inn,

Vidalia, Ga., and June 8-10 at the Dunes of Panama, Panama City Beach, Fl.

Kentucky Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association is sponsoring a succession planning seminar April l5 at its offices in Louisville. Stephen E. Smith, Goldberg & Simpson, is the presenter.

Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association is holding its spring convention jointly with the North American Building Material Distribution Association April 24-25 at the Grandover Resort & Golf Club in Greensboro, N.C.

Co-sponsored educational sessions will cover "Developing Sales Specialists," "Building a Company of Winners," and "Creating Win-Win Sales Compensation Plans," as well as product-focused workshops.

Prior to the convention, both associations will host tours of their members' plants and distribution cenlers in the Greensboro area.

The D-l-Y Guide To Love

According to a new survey, slightly more than half of all couples (547o) who perform home improvement projects together, find the experience to be a positive one.

Taylor Nelson Sofres Intersearch polled 571 adults over the age of 18 who were married or lived with a significant other.

Among those that enjoyed the d-i-y couple experience, 36Vo cited bonding as the main reason, while 287o of respondents were pleased because they worked well as a team.

As for complaints, 41Vo had nothing bad to say, whereas 22Vo of those dissatisfied with the experience, said their partner was "too bossy."

When it came to the hardware, men felt that they were the ones safely in control, with'l7Vo claiming they are better at wielding a hammer, screwdriver (68Vo) and saw (847a). Only l4%o of female d-i-yers felt that they were better than men with a hammer or a screwdriver.

Couples ranked lawn and garden projects as their preferred couple task (Sl%o), while painting and wallpapering came in second (34Vo), followed by general fix-ups and repairs (317o), woodworking (177o), and upgrading flooring (l1Vo).

Alcoa Acquires Vinyl Plant

Alcoa Home Exteriors has acquired Owens Cornings's vinyl production facility in Atlanta, Ga.

The 225,000-sq. ft. vinyl extrusion plant produces siding, trim and accessory products.

"Our vision is to be the leading provider of color and design solutions in the home exteriors market," said Alcoa' s Gary Acinapura.

Alcoa owns additional vinyl plants in Stuarts Draft, Va., and Denison, Tx.

TruServ Settles With SEC

TruServ Corp. and a former executive have settled federal charges that the company overstated profits in the late 1990s.

In early March, the Securities and Exchange Commission reported that the Chicago-based hardware cooperative and its former chief financial officer, Kerry Kirby, agreed to settle charges that they failed to maintain accurate records and misrepresented financial reports.

The SEC noted that the cooperative discovered the problems in early 2000 and began steps to rectify the situation.

The company stressed that it has made changes in its internal auditing procedures.

"Initiatives have been implemented and will continue to be implemented by the board and by our management team," said TruServ chief executive Pamela Forbes Lieberman. "TruServ is a better company today."

The SEC's report states that TruServ understated expenses and overstated net income in 1998 and 1999. The report further alleges that Kirby knew about the inaccuracies. but did nothing.

In a separate complaint against Kirby, the SEC wrote, "His role as c.f.o. places him in the position to remedy TruServ's problems, and he failed to do so."

As part of the settlement, TruServ will hire a director of internal audit and a public accounting firm, in addition to filing SEC annual reports on its audits and internal controls.

New Big Book Available

Random Lengths has released its fully revised and updated 2003 Big Book.

The 1,000-p. Big Book is the largest directory of the softwood lumber industry, featuring over 7,800 U.S. and Canadian companies and over 3,500 key personnel.

More that 857o of the listings from last year's edition have changed. The book is available for $233.95 by contacting (541) 686-9925.

Fire Hits Kentucky Yard

Baillie Lumber Co., Leitchfield, Ky., suffered a sawdust fire last month that hospitalized one fireman.

The March 13 blaze started in a 80-ft. tall by 24-ft. wide silo that contained 40 tons of sawdust.

Workers say a spark ignited the sawdust, which only smoldered because the sawdust was packed in so tightly.

Firefighters spent six hours wetting down the sawdust and eventually removing it. One firefighter was overcome by carbon dioxide, passed out, and was rushed to the hospital. No structural damage was reported.

Plant mgr. John Dill said it was the first time in 22 years that the fire department had been called to the facility.

Weyco CEO's Pay Drops

Weyerhaeuser Co. c.e.o. Stephen R. Rogel saw his salary drop 237o last year according to a recent regulatory filing.

Excluding options, Rogel's salary fell from $2.1 million in 2001 to $1.6 million last year.

Rogel's base pay was still $l.l million, but his bonus dropped from $950,000 to $500,000. He also received $8,400 in other expenses.

Weyerhaeuser's top man also has the option to buy 175,000 shares, worth $4. 1 million based on a proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchanse Commission.

In-line printing

o At rapid speeds (780 FPM+; o ln harsh environments

. Instantly variable information

. Easy networking

Matthews lnternational is a leading manufacturer of industrial marking & coding equipment for the building products industry. We provide solutions for all your identification needs, while focusing on results that increase production line speed, offer flexible printing options and lower operating costs.

41 2-665-2500 . Fax 412-365-2042

INK.JET, ETCHING, GONTACT PRINTING, INDENTING

n Member of the Royal Group of Companies

www. royalmouldi ngs.com

NEW NAME for Marley Mouldings cements ties to parent company.

Marley Renamed Royal Mouldings

Marley Mouldings Ltd., a Royal Group company based in Marion, Va., has changed its name to Royal Mouldings Ltd., paving the way for added manufacturing and marketing ties to its Toronto-based parent company Royal Group Technologies Ltd.

"New opportunities for customers to have access to Royal Group products made of rigid PVC for windows, doors, injection-molded components, columns and other vinyl products is at the forefront of this name change," said Art Ramey, Royal Mouldings' executive v.p.-sales, marketing and distribution. "Customers are consolidating purchasing of products and creating business partnerships with corporate suppliers who offer a more strategic and broader range of products."

According to Royal Group president Douglas Dunsmuir, "The new Royal Mouldings will include the existing operations in Marion, Va.; Bristol, Tn., and Waco, Tx., plus expanded manufacturing capacity within existing Royal Group plants in Coral Springs, Fl., and Toronto, Canada."