L-P Swaps Panel Mills With G-p

Louisiana-Pacific Corp. has agreed to trade five panel mills in Texas and Louisiana to Georgia-Pacific Corp. for G-P's OSB mill in Woodland, Me., and other unspecified considerations.

Georgia-Pacific will take over LP's MDF plant in Urania, La., and plywood mills in Urania; Logans- port, La.; Bon Wier, Tx., and Cleveland. Tx.

The Logansport and Cleveland mills are expected to continue operating, although it is anticipated that the Bon Wier and Urania facilities will be idled. Production at Woodland will cease this month to coincide with the transfer to L-P, which may restart it.

Louisiana-Pacific anticipates the transaction will close in mid-to-late

Depot Teams With Disney

Home Depot has partnered with the Walt Disney Co. to introduce a line of decorative paint and home decor products to be sold exclusively at its home centers nationwide.

"The Disney Paint Program" will be introduced in Jan. 2003 and will feature a paint line with colors inspired by rhe entertainment giant.

September, pending the completion of due diligence.

In May, L-P announced it would exit the plywood business as part of an asset sale and debt reduction orogram and to locus on core busineises such as OSB, composites, plastic building materials, and engineered wood (.see June, p.20).

"This is another step in the execution of our divestiture program," said L-P chairman and c.e.o. Mark Suwyn. "These mills will benefit from the plywood manufacturing experience of Georgia-Pacific and the exchange moves us closer to completing our program, allowing us to fully focus our attention and resources on our ongoing businesses."

Home Depot's c.e.o., Robert Nardelli, said the color palate is just the beginning. "It's our intention to (add) certified products, whether it be fans, lamps, or faucets," he said. "So, at the end of the day you have a total

Disney room."

On the pro side, Depot's Apex Supply business will carry a line of plumbing supplies that will be sold exclusively to Disney theme parks.

Depot will also spend $100 million on advertising on Disney-owned cable and network television stations over the next three years.

The partnership is not the first time Disney has attempted to enter the home improvement market. In 2000 Disney unveiled "Disney Color," a line of paints that was later discontinued because it never met sales exDectations.

Toppled Wall Kills 3 Workers

Three subcontractors were killed when a wall collapsed at the site of a Home Depot under construction in Greensboro. N.C.

The steel reinforced concrete wall fell on Larry Michael Thompson III, Juan Almarguer and Rickey Charles Smutko II, all employees of Associated Sprinkler Co., Aug. 5 as they were having lunch nearby. It took rescuers five hours to recover the workers from underneath the 30-ft. tall. 80.000-lb. wall.