A FULL LINE OF PRODUCTS. ONE LITTLE YELLA TAG.

Each member of the YellaWood@ brand family has a job to do and each one does it well. From fences to floors-you can find a YellaWood@ brand product that fits any outdoor building project.

LeJ$,tt-l"ep#. : wYellaWood SuperSelect@: Made from top grade lumber, Yellawood SuperSelect@ KDAT products provide a unique combination of beauty and strength.

YellaWood@ brand pressure-treated pine: 0ur classic product offers unparalleled protection against rot, fungal decay, and termites.

YellaWood@ KDAT: Our kiln-dried after treatment products ship to you pre-dried to reduce shrinking or warping as well as being easier to handle and ready to paint or stain immediately.

YellaWood Select@: High-grade KDAT that offers the ease of composite while maintaining a completely natural look.

MasterDecK": The ultimate decking material made from #1 & Better grade wood, l\4asterDeck'" offers superior strength with small knots and virtuallv no wane.

RainWood@: YellaWood@ brano oressuretreated pine with a water repellent applied during the treatment process for long{erm performance in any weather.

YellaWood@ Architectural Trim: High-grade KDAT that's been planed for easy installation and beautiful results.

YellaWood@ Columns: Made from the highest quality KDAT, glulam columns offer uncompromising strength and are less less likely to split than solid timbers.

LEARN MORE AT YELLAWOOD.COM/FORDEALERS

YellaWood@ Porch took over from my father and uncle, each with 3O-plus years of history. I had to get things up to the digital age: establish programs, write a manual for the practices they'd stored in their heads-a lot of heavy lifting."

Flooring: Traditional porch flooring for the modern family. 0ur tongue and groove porch flooring is KDAT to minimize shrinking after installation.

The workout has paid off here in Redding, once a goldmining town on Highway I-5, which snakes up the California coastline. "We're known as a recreational area, for a quality of life that's historically led to lots ofbuilding activity-lots of tracts, small local developers. Of course, that dropped off during the past five years-but over recent months, there's been renewed activity in the lower-end, $250,000 range."

During those recent recession years, SOVo of Weaver's business has come from remodeling projects, but Brent tackled the changing business landscape proactively. "We saw it coming, so we decided to add in-house installation services for remodeling projects: items like insulation, windows, mirrors, glass and showers, hiring the best in the field away from closing companies. With new-home building slowing down, it was a strategic decision and it's paid off." (Today, new home construction has rebounded to a 50-50 split.)

"Earlier on," he continues, "with the onset of the boxes, lots of d-i-yers took their business in that direction, so we became pro-centric. Today, those d-i-yers are reevaluating the boxes; they're coming back. They see the advantage of a knowledgeable staff who can give input on their projects. Sure, boxes can sell certain things below cost (but they make it up on other items). So we've had to prove to people that they can save money here. It takes education on our part-radio and print ads, but most effective has been the word of mouth from builders' projects," Brent reports. About that competition: How does it shake down out there, Brent? He's indifferent. "Oh, we're aware of the competition, but we focus on what we do best, what's central to the customer experience. We all care about our customers; we're not just out to make money. We know them, understand them, steer them to the right products. Lesson Number One from my grandfather was, 'If you forget your customers, you'll soon be out of business."'

In return, "it creates loyalty," he says. "They're excited to be here. Of course, we're always on the lookout for new business; we advertise in print and on the radio, and our outside salespeople scout jobsites, check permits: a pretty aggressive outreach," he demonstrates. And that goes for suggestive selling, too. "If they come in for lumber, I can promise you we ask,'How about doors? We can do everything.' Complete one-stop shopping.

"We continually add new products, tracking them in magazines, at builders' shows, and through our vendors' sales reps. Customers are doing extensive web research on their own, so it means we have to stay ahead of that and know even more. We're also using our website to sell, and that's only going to grow.

"And, we track the economy. The last five years, we were very, very in tune with the amount of work out there. There was the potential to reduce staff hours, but for the past two years, we've been adding people instead."

And. Brent himself is here to stay, no doubt about it. "I love my job. And living in a small community with four young kids under 10, I couldn't be happier."

Carla Waldemar cwaldemar@ comcast.net

Nabors Do it Best Home Center, Houston, Ms., opened a 6,000-sq. ft. store with 12,000-sq. ft. lumberyard in Eupora, Ms., with a greenhouse to be added next year.

Nabors bought out former Do it Best member Nu-Way Cash & Carry, Eupora, which closed Feb.22and was auitioned off March 2. The new home center will start with eight employees, including Nu-Way's Jody Johnson as store mgr.

New England Building Supply, Boston, Ma., has been acquireil oy Kodiak giliHing Partners, Denver, Co.

NEBS's 61 employees, including heads Tony Ciampaglio and Russ Smith, will stay on.

R.P. Lumber has purchased a former Kmart building in Ottawa, ll., to open a new store.

MPC Cashway Lumber, Lansing, Mi., lost part of its roof in a May 28 storm.

Goad Lumber Co., Hughesville, Md., lost three buildings in a June 6 fire.

Mitchell Johnson Building Supply, Bainbridge, Ga., has closed after 50 years and placed its 5O-acre property up for sale.

Stock Building Supply, Raleigh, N.c., has filed for an IPO of its stock that it hopes will raise up to $175 million.

Ace Hardware, Norualk, Oh., has been opened by Lisa and Greg Bleile in the former home of P&R Hardware, which closed last year.

Frager's Hardware, Washington, D.C., was deshoyed by a June 5 fire that started in its lumber department.

Shallowford Hardware, Lewisville, N.C., is closing after 5 years.

Frattallone's Ace Hardware is opening an 11,000sq. ft. store in Eden Prairie, Mn., late this month.

Ted's Home & Hardware, Evansdale, la., has been opened by Ted Gehrke, ex-Home Depot.

Nyberg's Ace Hardw?ro, Sioux Falls, S.D., will begin construction by Aug. 1 on a $1-million, 12,000-sq. ft. addition.

ABC Supply Co. has acquired roofing/siding distributor JB Supply Co., rtint,lvti.

Menards opened a new store May 29 in Garden City, Ks. (Lars Paulsen, general mgr.), and is set to unveil its next location July 16 in Port Huron, Mi.

Anniversaries: Curry Lumber, Wooster, Oh., 160th Davis-Hawn Luniber Go., Dallas, Tx., 90th Cascade Lumber, Cascade, la., 60th KeiverWillard Lumber, Newburyport, Ma., 60th Pixley Lumber Co., Claremore, ok., 50th East Goasl Lumber, Climax, N.C.,40th ...

Home Depot Testing North Dakota

Home Depot will open a satellite store this summer in Williston. N.D.. to test the market.

The chain purchased and is renovating a building into a mini-sized store that will employ 15 to 25 workers, but might one day be expanded into a full-sized home center.

On May l, Depot opened a temporary store in Minot, N.D., in a double-wide trailer on the site of the parking lot of a permanent, 106,000-sq. ft. store that is under construction. The trailer employs l2 and stocks about 70 items, but customers can order any item from the chain's one North Dakota home center-in Fargo-and it will be shipped to Minot for free the next day.

"We're excited about the growth of North Dakota," said Minot manager Jason Barker.

Canfor to Buy Scotch & Gulf

Canfor Corp., Vancouver, B.C., has agreed to purchase Scotch & Gulf Lumber, Mobile, Al., in phases over the next three years for $80 million.

Expected to close in the third quarter, the deal provides Canfor with 257o ownership for the first 18 months, increasing to 50Vo and, at the end ofyear ttree,l00%o.

With it roots dating back 125 years, Scotch Gulf has an annual capacity of 440 million bd. ft. of southern yellow pine at its three sawmills in Mobile, Fulton and Jackson, Al.

"This agreement provides access to an exceptional fiber base, increases our southern pine production capacity to more than a billion bd. ft., and will improve our ability to serve our valued U.S. customers," said Canfor president and c.e.o. Don Kayne. "Scotch Gulf's values and approach to the market are closely aligned with those of Canfor, and we are extremely pleased to have been given this opportunity to work with the Scotch Gulf management team to integrate that company's operating assets and extensive history with our broader North American operations."

Scotch Plywood, Fulton, Al., which broke off from Scotch Gulf years ago, is unaffected by the deal.

James Hardie Grows in Texas

Dixie Plywood & Lumber Co.'s distribution centers in Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, Tx., and Weyerhaeuser, Houston, will begin distributing James Hardie fiber cement siding, trim and backer board.

They join DW Distribution, Desoto, Round Rock, and Greenville, Tx., which has been carrying James Hardie products since 2003.

DixiePly also carries James Hardie products at five of its eastern locations, while Weyerhaeuser stocks Hardie products at the majority of its distribution centers.

Sherwood Adding NE Spur

Sherwood Lumber will begin construction this fall on a 20-car rail spur at its Palmer, Ma., distribution yard.

The project will improve the main New England Central Railroad line, which runs from the Vermont and Quebec border to New London, Ct., improving transportation to all businesses along the line.

The facility cunently operates on a shared railroad line. However, building its own on-site spur will accommodate more rail cars, increase efficiency and product consolidation, improve directional travel flow and safety, and decrease forklift traffic.

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