North Pacific Accelerates Sell-Off

Bankrupt mega-wholesaler North Pacific Group has found buyers for the majority of its operations.

Forest City Trading Group, Portland, Or., has agreed to purchase certain assets of North Pacific's southern division in Waynesboro, Ms., and will operate it as its eleventh subsidiary, Southern Mississippi Trading.

National Industrial Lumber Co., North Jackson, Oh., has purchased North Pacific's location in Landisville, Pa. National Industrial already has DCs in Erie and Elizabeth, Pa.

F.P. Supply LLC, a subsidiary of Millman Lumber Co., St. Louis, Mo., agreed to purchase North Pacific's LBM operations in Indianapolis, In., and Columbus, Oh., including inventory, accounts receivable, equipment, and real estate.

Tempe, Az.-based Rugby Industrial Products Distribution has acquired the inventories and hired employees from the locations in Providence. R.I.. and Springfield, Ma. "Springfield is operating as Rugby IPD today, and former North Pacilic Providence operations have been assimilated into Rugby's Avon, Ma., distribution center," said Rugby president David Hughes.

Amerhart, with five DCs around Green Bay, Wi., is negotiating to buy buildings and hire employees at North Pacific's branches in Grand Rapids and Traverse City, Mi.

North Pacific is liquidating its Mira Loma. Ca.. distribution center and sold its inventory to MJB Wood Group,Irving, Tx.

Private equity firm Atlas Holdings LLC, Greenwich, Ct., formed a new subsidiary, Bridgewell Resources, to acquire assets from North Pacific's hardwood & industrial products, utility & construction, and food & agriculture divisions.

Bridgewell and its hardwood & industrials division will be run from North Pacific's former office building in Tigard, Or. Utility & construction will be supported by satellite offices in Virginia, Utah and Arkansas, and food & agricultural will operate from its DC in Clackamas, Or.

Dan Cromie, an Atlas partner, will serve as president of Bridgewell, joined by numerous former North Pacific executives, including Curtis Noteboom as c.f.o.; Brian Smith, v.p.lumber & boards; Jack Henderson, v.p. domestic wood products; Gregg Wilkinson, v.p.-international sales; Leonard Greer, sales manager-industrial products, and Joe Passadore, v.p.- utility & construction. In all, Bridgewell now employs more than 100 former North Pacific associates.

Last year, Atlas was among three suitors that came close to buying substantially all of North Pacific, but each of the deals eventually collapsed.

North Pacific also may be close to parting with its Missouri division, which includes an office in West Plains, Mo., and three manufacturing plants in Missouri and Arkansas. Bids were being accepted until March l6 for the inventory, accounts receivable, equipment, and real estate.

Eastland True Value Hard.

W?tO, Lexington, Ky., is closing this month after 26 years, due to a difficult economy and the retirement of owner David Wagoner.

Ace Hardware wiil add a 12,000-sq. ft. store at Frenchtown Plaza in North Kingstown, R.l.

Ritter's True Value Hard. W?tO, Mechanicsburg, Pa., opened a 14,000-sq. ft. branch March 22 in Lemoyne, Pa.

Rocky's Ace Hardware, Springfield, Ma., will open a 12,045-sq. ft. unit in Holden, Ma.

Gurry Ace Hardw?ro, euincy and Brainhee, Ma., opened a 12,000sq. ft. branch in Hanover, Ma., March 17.

Antioch Ace Hardware, Antioch, ll., opens April 19. The 26,000-sq. ft. unit is the 8th Ace for the Laskowski family.

Asburv Enterprises ctosed its Ace Harilware ltores in Corpus Christi, Flour Bluff, and Portland, Tx.

Premier Ace Hardware opened Feb. 23 in Winnfield, La. (Justin Rogenmoser, owner/mgr.)

Thacker Hardware, Petersburg, Va., is completing a major remodeling this month, including a switch to Ace Hardware affiliation.

Nuts & Bolts ptans an April 17 opening for a 34,000-sq. ft. store in Overland Park, Ks.-its 2nd in town and 4th location overall.

84 Lumber Co. sold its shuttered facilitv in Fultondale. Al.. to Eagle Fenie Distributirg, which will move its dishibution and manufacturing operations from Wanior, Al.

Menards opened a 162,340-sq. ft. store with 30,000-sq. ft. garden center March 23 in Quincy, ll. (Jerry Richards, store mgr.), and proposed buying a Manhattan, Ks., site to build a 165,000sq. ft. store within a year, contingent on the city picking up the tab for related road improvements.

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Morgan Lumber Co. wiil invest $4.2 million to expand its operations in Red Oak, Va., installing dry kilns to double production and increase energy efficiency.

East Alabama Lumber Go. purchased a 100,000-sq. ft. facility on 18 acres in Alexander City, Al., to convert to a lumber warehouse.

GAF Materials, Wayne, N.J., is scouting sites in Tennessee, South Carolina, and neighboring states to build a new asphalt residential roofing shingle plant.

Once a site is selected, GAF expects to begin production within 18 months, using equipment relocated from its shuttered facilitv in Quakertown, Pa., combined with new technology.

Metal Sales Manufacturing Corp., Louisville, Ky., added its 20th metal roof and wall panel plant April 5, a 34,000-sq. ft, branch in Fort Smith, Ar. (Bob Bright, branch mgr.).

Beacon Roofing Supply, Peabodv, Ma., has acquired roofino distributor Independent Buildin! Materials. ortando. Ft.

Rick Stiskin, who co-founded IBM with his retiring partner Dennis Booth, will remain IBM's general manager.

Advanced Environmental Recycling Technologies, Springdale, Ar., plans to roll out new MoistureShield trim and fascia products this year and move to national distribution of MoistureShield products through a nationwide network of independent distributors.

AERT has opened a new 70,000sq. ft. polyethylene plastic film and packaging waste plant in Watts, Ok.

Haddon Windows. Bensalem. Pa., has acquired the assets and intellectual property of Speyer Door & Window. Boca Raton. Fl

Trex Go., Winchester, Va., inked a licensinq deal for Dri-Deck Enterprisies, Engtewood, Co., to develop and market Trex RainEscape, an above-joist deck drainage system to be available this month.

84 Shuts 10, Exits Wisconsin

84 Lumber has shuttered its final location in Wisconsin, as well as nine other underperforming stores across the country.

The chain now operates 289 yards in 34 states, following the closures in Wrightstown, Wi.; Lancaster, Pa.; Rocky Mount, Va.; Cliffwood, N.J.; Haines City, Fl.; Concord, N.C.; Spartanburg, S.C.; Minooka, Il.; Moss Point, Ms., and Post Falls, Id.

Jeff Nobers, v.p. of marketing & public relations, said most of the closures were in markets where 84 operates multiple locations. "Some of the lessons we've learned in the last three years is we are capable of servicing the market with fewer stores," Nobers said. "We are consistently reviewing markets where we have multiple locations, and if we see where one store is not doing well and there are two others that are doing well, they could be consolidated."

Store Passes to New Family

Ladner's True Value, Granite Falls, Mn., and Monte True Value. Montevideo, Mn., have been acquired by 30-year employee Jeff Cobb, who will be assisted by sons Kristopher and Jeffery Cobb.

The Granite Falls store has been renamed Granite True Value.

John Ladner, owner for the past 70 years, and his son, Bob, co-owner for the last 30, will remain involved in the business.

Osmose Earns Patent for

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Wood preservative supplier

Osmose. Griffin. Ga.. was issued a U.S. patent for its micronized copper technology.

The new patent involves a method for treating wood with different aqueous compositions of particles of copper compounds, such as copper carbonate, basic copper carbonate, or copper hydroxide. The original patent application was filed in 2003.

Related micronized patent applications have been examined and granted internationally. The MicroPro treated wood process is Environmentally

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Osmose will continue to build on its micronized technology and has filed additional patent applications both in the U.S. and abroad.

Wolf, York, Pa., is now dishibutinq Opus roof blanket trom Propexl Chattanooga, Tn.

Manufacturers Reserve

Supply, lrvington, N.J., is now distributing CMPC's Selex trim boards in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York. and Connecticut.

Beatty Continues Closures

I.N.R. Beatty Lumber Co. shuttered its Beecher, Il., location March 5, two months after closing its long-time yards in Morris and Oak Lawn,Il.

The I l5-year-old company reportedly continues to operate its yard in Joliet, Il., and subsidiary Fort Poli Millworks, Mokena, Il.

Depot Unveils Midwest DC

was reducing inventory-its sole collateral-after it closed its store in Hingham.

The chain is also encumbered with state tax liens totaling more than $6 million, for failing to make tax payments as far back as 1996.

Gaf

Decking Systems, Biddeford, Me., siqned distribution deals with Batefian Brothers Lumber, Woodbury, N.J., and Garolina Atlantic, Sinford, N.C.

CertainTeed, vattey Forge, pa., now distributes four new wood-plastic composite decking and railing products from Fiberon's -EverNew line.

Boston Cedar, Hotbrook, Ma., has expanded its stock of AZEK trim and moulding.

Lumbermens Merchandis. ing Corp., Wayne, Pa., has granted approved supplier status to Ponderosa Software.

Home Depot has opened a 465,000sq. ft. retail distribution center on 40 acres in Topeka, Ks.

The "rapid deployment center" will serve 98 stores in nine states-Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming and Minnesota.

Creditors Clear Out New England Hardware Chain

Joseph's Hardware, a four-store chain based in Cohasset, Ma., was shut down after all its inventory was seized due to a lawsuit brought by one of its creditors.

Holbrook Cooperative Bank filed the civil suit last September, over a $500,000 loan it granted Joseph's one year ago. According to court documents, the bank alleses that the chain

Owner Baron Joseph said that the inventoryworth about $ I .5 million-had been moved to company stores in Cohasset, Norwell, Marshfield and Plymouth. He said the chain was consolidating to reduce expenses during a down market.

"We owned a little hardware company that provided a service on the South Shore for many years," said Joseph. "Everyone I've talked to is just shaking their head; it is a small amount of money in today's business world."

Truck Pins lllinoisYard Worker

An employee at George J. Roll & Sons, Blue Island. Il.. died Feb.22 after he was pinned by a truck.

Brian Fuller Sr., 48, had worked at the company for more than 15 years and was in charge of loading trucks with drywall and lumber.

No comment yet from either local or OSHA officials.