ffiwwxsreww&mrs F*r Trsst*d Yraxsffi#s

.

'\s 1tro.icet syrccilielttiotts tttltr r-ctlLri|c thc ttsc ol' lr slt..e i1it l)fc\cl\ ii tr\c tfclrtntcltt. llle c()ntl)()ncllt Iltilltu lletrrrct'shotrltl consrr lt lts eLl\t()nref lrttl pro.jcet tlcsiln 1l'ol.'sstotlt]s Iirt lt le r icrr ltntl ltllpr-or lrl ol llnt 1lt-csctr l ti\ c llcrtr)rcnt sttlrstittttion.

I;or'plr.jctts thlrt inrolrc lltc use o1' l)r'c\cr\ lrtiVc trcirtc(l lttnrhct. r'or)tlie l \ oul lr-uss cttr:incct ltntl ot' tttctltl r'ott rrcctor- plutc srrpplrcr' pt'iot' 1o hirlrlirtg tlrc.lolr rrnrl inlolrrr tlrcnr o1 thc 1r'tt:: lrllplication lrrrl lr-cutrttclt bcing tt:crl. 'l'lris corrsultlrtiorr ri ill ullo* tlrc cnqi rrccr anrl/()r-c()nllcet()f stt Pllltct trl ilctclrninc thc rlc:iqrt critcria anrl con ncctor llliltc tt Pc untlcI ri hich a tru:r desi-i:n can be- prepalctl. .\ll s1t'r'l c()nrponcnls. not .iust thc n-rctal con nector plutc. that conre in contae t u ith thc trcatccl toocl. ncctl thc santc cott :idcration. This irrclLrtlcs arrr untl itll lltstcrrcls lrrtcl constl ttct ion hltrrln ltrc.

Irr utklition to the lrbor c sLtitlclincs Itirrr'tl ,rn r'ilil(r\i{rtl lr'rislltllr't'. Il tl.. c\P()srrrcs sh0Lrlrl lr()t r-csult irr |cltctitirc rrctting lurrl tltr irrg. Iikc u itlt lotrl pcrrorls ol crlcliol c\l)()\urc. SLrelr c\l)osulcs t-cstrlt irt n)c1lll e()nncetr)l

Plutcs blckirr! oul ()l lunrbcr'(luc t() iin crcessire anroLlnt of n'oocl sn'ellirig rncl shrinklcc. Il' s;lccil'ications rL-rlr,l ifc u c0ppcr'-basccl prcsct'ratirc f or crtcriol Llsc ()r art crtcriol lit'c rctltr(llrnt lreltnlL'r'lt. i1 slrorrlcl bc VcIi f ictl thlrt tlrc nle trrl conttcctor' plltlcs r ill lrc Lr sctl irt u rl ry cxprtsr.r rc Io lur oitl plltc brie k out.

!'trl,Ii:It,rl r rtutlr':t rr/ Slttteltttrtl l3rriltl ing ( ()nlpon('nl\ Nllrg:r,t ittc (rllrr'. \l)t ilttt\.!ttlt)).

Wickes Lumber Sells Final Units

Bankrupt Wickes Inc., Vernon Hills, I1., is winding down operations and trying to settle outstanding leasing obligations after selling the last of its lumberyards to Bradco Supply, Lanoga, Hope Lumber & Supply and Edward Hines Lumber (see BPD, Aug., p.30).

The Wickes Lumber name, however, will continue, since Avenel, N.J.-based Bradco bought the name as well as 20 locations that will retain it. Bradco now operates 132 locations in 27 states with the addition of Wickes yards in Newtown, Ct.; Argos and Mishawaka, In.; Portland, Me.; Frederick, Md.; Coldwater, Mi.; Hampton and Meredith, N.H.; Kenvil, N.J.; Ithaca, Menands and Walden, N.Y.; Elyria and Rootstown, Oh.; Ephrata, Exton, Harrisburg and Saegertown, Pa., and truss plants in Bear, De., and Ephrata.

According to c.e.o. Barry Segal, "The Wickes locations will allow us to offer more products to our customers and will give us a platform to grow both the lumber business and Bradco, since we will be able to add Bradco locations to many of their facilities."

Bradco also recently added new locations in Canton, Oh., and Chandler, Az., and consolidated its Detroit operations into its Warren, Mi., facility.

Lanoga Corp. acquired 27 Wickes locations to add to its United Building Centers division. Included were 20 lumberyards (Colorado Springs, Co.; Breese, Decatur and Tolono, Il.; Anderson, Ellettsville, Fort Wayne, Marion and Vincennes, In.; Hopkinsville, Lexington and Shelbyville, Ky.; Davison, Grand Blanc, Kalamazoo, Mason, Rochester Hills and Romeo, Mi., and Holland and Mansfield, Oh.), five component plants (Decatur, Lexington, Rochester Hills, Mansfield and Elwood, In.), and two distribution cen- ters (Mason and Ellettsville).

GOOD SAMARITANS: Six-unit dealer John H. Mvers & Son's Road Crew recently made a surprise stop in Campbelltowh, Pa., dropping off beverages for contractors, residents and volunteers working in sweltering temperatures to clear debris and begin reconstruction following a July 14 tornado. Every weekday throughout the summer, the company's black Road Crew van makes random stops at construction sites throuqhout southcentral Pennsylvania to hand out beverages, coupons and c6ntractor-oriented specialty items. The company created lhe outreach to increase awareness and spread goodwill during the hot summer months.

UBC now has over 200 operations in 17 states. "One of the real plusses of the deal is that there are very few overlapping markets, so this will add to the growth we've experienced recently," noted UBC president Dale Kukowski.

Hope Lumber & Supply, Broken Arrow, Ok., bought I I Wickes units - yards in Greenville, Pelham and Tuscaloosa, Al.; Longmont and Platteville, Co.; Pensacola, Fl.; Augusta, Ga.; Charlotte and Morehead City, N.C., and component plants in Pensacola and Mountain View, Co.

Edward Hines Lumber, Chicago, Il., took over Wickes' Westfield, In., yard.

Angel Sosa is the new store mgr. of McCoy's Building Supply Center, Brownsville, Tx. Will Krause is now store mgr. in Beeville, Tx.

Joe Kusar has been named president of Tolleson Distribution and Remanufacturing Co., Perry, Ga.

Wanda Smith and Scott Teague are new to sales at Southeastern Forest Products. Cordele, Ga.

Tom Steelman has retired after 38 years with Foxworth Galbraith Lumber Co., Dallas, Tx. Jack Foxworth was appointed c.o.o.; Ken Black, executive v.p.-strategy & business; Corby Biddle, v.p.commodities distribution, and Daniel Brunson. v.p.-construction services.

Lawrence "Larry" R. Johnston, Albertsons. and Laban tt[,abe" P. Jackson Jr., Clear Creek Properties. have been elected to the board of directors for The Home Depot, Atlanta, Ga.

Mark A. Suwyn, chairman and c.e.o., is retiring from Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Nashville, Tn., effective Oct. 31. Richard W. Frost. executive v.p.-commodity products, procurement & engineering, will succeed him as c.e.o. and will join the board of directors. E. Gary Cook will become chairman.

Bruce McKean is now commodity lumber sales mgr. for the Central region and Mike Voelker for the Southwest at Bluel-inx.

Marty Hauge has been promoted to software training mgr. at Alpine Engineered Products, Pompano Beach, Fl. Rocky McDonald and Donna Davis. ex-A- I Roof Trusses. are new software trainers. Dwight Bailey has joined the TrusSteel Division in software development.

Brad Samples has joined the Midwest sales staff at Metropolitan Lumber, Chicago,Il.

Joe O'Neill, ex-Robbins Lumber, has joined Progressive Affiliated Lumbermen, Grand Rapids, Mi., as lumber department sales mgr.

Paul Michalowski has resigned as v.p.-merchandising & advertising for Distribution America. Des Plaines, Il., to join Solutions OnSite.

Kent Barbee has been named senior v.p.-operations for VT Industries Inc., Holstein, Ia. Randy Gerritsen is now chief financial officer, and Rick Liddell, senior v.p.-sales & marketing.

Chris Bailey has been appointed sales mgr. for TEC brands at Specialty Construction Brands, Arlington Heights,Il.

Dale Mitchell was promoted to converting mgr. at Weyerhaeuser's Plymouth, N.C., pulp, paper and packaging mill.

Sandi Sparks, Sparks Lumber Co., Ellijay, Ga., was elected chairman of the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association. Mack Singleton, New South Lumber Co., Myrtle Beach, S.C., was presented SLMA's Beal Award.

Mike Zipser was named v.p.-retail development and new business at Ace Hardware, Oak Brook, Il. Art McGivern is v.p.-general counsel and secretary.

Rajeev Sharma, president, Frontier Building Products, South Plainfield, N.J., was honored by the Asian-American Business Development Center as one of the 2004 "Outstanding 50 Asian-Americans in Business."

Harvey and Dorothy Parker, Barnes & McCullough Lumber, Stephenville. Tx.. celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June.

Frieda Doolittle is on vacation from Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., report owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

Wholesalers Favor Bush

Four out of five wholesalers would vote to re-elect President George W. Bush were the election to be held on the day they indicated their prefer- ence, according to a straw poll by the National Association of WholesalerDistributors.

Among 3,405 managers and executives polled in early August, 8l.3Vo would vote for Bush, I7.3Vo for John Kerry, O.5Vo for Ralph Nader, and O.9Vo for "Other."

President Bush prevailed in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Kerry tied Bush in Alaska and Rhode Island. Bush's support was 90Vo or higher in 12 states, while Kerry held Bush below lOVo in five states, including his home state of Massachusetts, where Bush received 697o of the vote.

"We're not surprised that senior executives strongly support the President given his initiatives to strengthen the economy," said NAW president Dirk Van Dongen. "But, his margin was uniform throughout the management ranks of those participating in the poll-branch and other middle management participants expressed the same level of support for the President. This seems to make the case that all of them are clear about the positive impact of the President' s economic policies."

NAW will repeat the poll in early

October to gauge how the candidates' campaigns may have influenced wholesale distributors.

Menards Sued Pey Sias

,: o Retail Lumberyard & Building Materials o Wholesale Building Materials o Furniture Manufacturing o Sawmill Operations

A former employee filed suit against Mgnards, alleging th*t "KKK," "White Nazi Power" and Nazi swastikas were written and carved in the men's bathroom of the store in Matteson, Il.

Jeff Tucker claims that he and another black employee also received death threats written on the bathroom walls.

:Dawn Sands, general counsel for Menards, says that Menards does not condone discrimination and expects the home center chain will be cleared. Since the bathroom was open to the public, Sands doubts the racial grafFrti was written by employees.

This is not the fnst time Tucker has expressed his beliefs that he was discriminated against by Menards. The former forklift operator alleges he was fired in March 2@2 after filing two complaints with the EEOC.

. Specialty Wood Manufacturing o Woodworking & Cabinet Manufacturing many more

Ply Gem Buys Window Maker

MW Manufacturers, Rocky Mount, Va., has been acquired by Ply Gem Industries, Kearney, Mo., for $320 million.

The deal includes MW's facilities in Hammonton, N.J.; Fayetteville, N.C., and Tupelo, Ms. MW will continue to operate as a stand-alone facility and will market its windows under the MW Windows, Patriot Vinyl Windows and Twinseal Vinyl brands.

The acquisition will allow Ply Gem, which manufactures hardwood floor and wall planking, to expand into the window and door market.

"The combination of Ply Gem and MW Manufacturers will provide us with a great platform to accelerate our growth in the windows segment, both organically and by acquisition," said Ply Gem president and c.e.o. Lee D. Meyer.

USPL Files For Chapter 11

US Plastic Lumber Corp., Boca Raton. Fl., has filed to reorganize under Chapter I I bankruptcy. The firm is seeking an order to get DIP financing to fuel current operations.

"Given our company's current condition," said chief financial officer

Michael Schmidt, "we believe that this action will give us the ability to preserve and maximize our value. With the hard work and dedication of our employees and the support of our customers and suppliers, we are confident that the business will emerge from this process a stronger company."

He added, "Our filing provides US Plastic Lumber with the opportunity to position itself for a viable future. After the filing, US Plastic Lumber will continue to operate without interruption."

USPL has hired Triax Capital Advisors to supervise and direct its reorganization efforts.

Second Life For N.H. Sawmill

Monadnock Forest Products, Claremont, N.H., may be getting a second chance at success.

In February, Monadnock shut down its two mills and laid off its employees because of operating losses. Then in late July, Bradford Forest, Bradford, Pa., acquired the Claremont facility at auction.

"We bought it with the ultimate intention of reopening the facility," said Bradford president Mark Conolly. The deal is yet to be finalized.

Monadnock's facility in Jaffrey, N.H., also went up for auction in July, although it is not known who purchased the site.

Canfor Cancels Maine Plans

B.C.-based Canfor has decided to use ocean shipping to overcome a shortage of rail cars that has slowed its business in eastern North America.

The change in shipping has resulted in the suspension of building a mill complex in northern Maine, which Canfor had been planning since early 2003 when it bought Daaquam Lumber, Quebec, to strengthen its presence in the Northeast and eastern Canada.

Canfor is also mulling over its needs after the April merger with Slocan Forest Products.

"It's an element of timing here," said Canfor c.e.o. Jim Shepherd. "We need to get the lay of the land, and where these various opportunities are in this bigger company called Canfor."

Shepherd said the amount of qcean shipping in the future will depend on how rail carriers deal with the shortage issue, but it could become a permanent part of the company's North American transportation system.

banding. \tur bottom line is ltrraatened by damaged product, expensive repairs, and rising insurance rates.

Sweed Choppers turn this profit-sucking menace into valuable scrap that you can easily recycle. Increase safety! Out-of-control insurance claims, repair bills, and storage problems will become a distant memory once Sweed's money-making choppers are put to work.

(Culvert Pipe - 8" to 48"Comes in 20 ft. lengths) Corrugated

Slotted, Solid, or Septic-Leach Bed Styles

Drain Pipe - 4" or 6"

Sold in 10 ft. lengths or rolls

Depot Opens lmport Facility

Home Depot has opened a distribution center in the Dallas/Ft. Worth, Tx., area focusing on imports.

Depot's other two distribution centers in the area stock lumber and domestic products.

Depot leased the 450,000-sq. ft. warehouse in Roanke, Tx., from Hillwood, which was able to appeal to the big box by increasing its dock door count to 98, and adding a six-acre parking lot for 130 trailers.

S.C. Sawill Fire An Accident

Fire officials say that a fire that destroyed part of Watts Mill, Laurens, S.C., was accidental. Officials believe that sparks from sawing ignited the July 13 blast.

"Workers had been working there the whole day," said Laurens County Fire Chief Keith Garrett. "They'd been sawing pipes and that causes a tremendous amount of sparks, which get into the wood and debris."

The mill closed in 2001. but reopened last December when Dave Culver bought the property.

From now on, work will stop earlier in order to monitor the site for potential fires. Plans are in the works to renovate the part of the mill not damaged by the fire, converting the area into an office or retail space.

Lowe's Hackers Plead Guilty

Three men pleaded guilty to hacking into the national computer systems of Lowe's in April 2003 to try to steal credit card information.

Brian Salcedo faces l2 years and seven months in prison for his role in the unsuccessful hacking at Lowe's Southfield, Mi., store. His two accomplices, Paul Timmins and Adam Botbyl, admitted to lesser charges.

The men, aged 2l to 23, faced 16 counts of conspiracy, computer fraud, wire fraud, unauthorized computer access. intentional transmission of computer code, and attempted possession of unauthorized access devices.

The trio allegedly drove around Southfield looking for a vulnerable connection in a wireless network. then used a laptop computer, wireless card and antennae to break into Lowe's. They entered Lowe's centralized computer network and installed a program to acquire credit card information. No customer data was obtained and the hackers never made it into Lowe's national database in Wilkesboro. N.C.