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Mill Creek Grows in Wichita

Mill Creek Lumber & Supply, Tulsa, Ok., has leased a 37,000-sq. ft. facility in Wichita, Ks., that it plans to tum into a door shop, truss manufacturing operation, and showroom. Once the new facility opens on July l, the company's smaller truss shop in Belle Plaine. Ks.. will close.

About 2,400 sq. ft. of the new facility will be used for a sales office and showroom. The remainder will be split between a door shop and the automated floor and roof truss facility.

"We think we can increase our production capability four to five times with this move," said Jay Robinson, who manages the company's operations in Wichita.

NEBM Acquisition Doubles Size of Deering

Deering Lumber, Biddeford, Me., is increasing to four locations after acquiring stores in Sanford and Springvale, Me., from bankrupt New England Building Materials, Sanford.

NEBM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and closed its three yards in Massachusetts in February, four months after shuttering yards in Springvale and Windham, Me., and selling three mid-coast Maine branches to Hammond Lumber. NEBM was left with its store and Lavalley Pine eastern white pine sawmill in Sanford.

At the end of April, the Sanford showroom reopened under the Deering name, while the Springvale location is being remodeled in hopes of reopening this month. NEBM retained the sawmill, and its products will be sold at Deering stores.

The firm started with just the mill in 1943, operating as Lavalley Lumber until 2009, when it purchased the three Massachusetts yards from Stock Building Supply and became NEBM.

LiteSteel Packs lt ln

Australian steel manufacturer OneSteel has shuttered its LiteSteel Technologies light structural beam business.

LiteSteel's three-year-old plant in Troutville, Va., discontinued production March 30.

Although the division was unable to turn a profit marketing "the first new structural building product to be introduced into the U.S. market since engineered wood," it reportedly achieved 70Vo recognition in a mainly commodity market.