olntSIX DURASTRANDFTOORING

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Bill Cullen, ex-Weyerhaeuser, is now division mgr. at Capital, Dallas, Tx.

Jake Webb has joined the commercial sales department at Hammond Lumber Co., Belgrade, Me. New outside sales reps are Matt Stelzer and Jake Sproul, working out of the Brunswick, Me., yard, and Israel Rodriguez, based at the Portland. Me.. location.

John Scarborough, ex-Tamko Building Products, is now a product specialist for the Mid-Atlantic region at Fiberon, New London, N.C.

Ralph Church is a new account mgr. at Smith Phillips Building Supply, Statesville, N.C.

Tom Gideon, previously executive v.p.-forest products, assumes leadership of Weyerhaeuser's timberland business. with the retirement of senior v.p.-timberlands Mike Branson. Larry Burrows is now senior v.p.-wood products. Peter Orser succeeds Burrows as president and c.e.o. of Weyerhaeuser Real Estate Co. Sara Kendall is v.p.-corporate affairs, succeeding Ernesta Ballard. who is retiring.

Jay Posze has joined Rayonier, Jacksonville, Fl., as v.p. of human resources.

Robert Uhler has joined MidAmerica Lumbermens Association. Kansas City, Mo., as regional mgr.

James S. Metcalf, president and chief operating officer, USG Corp., Chicago, Il., will succeed William C. Foote as c.e.o. Jan. l. Foote will remain executive chairman.

Curtis M. "Curt" Stevens, executive v.p.-administration and c.f.o., Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Nashville, Tn., was elected to the board of Quanex Building Products Corp., Houston, Tx.

Chris Mclver was promoted to v.p.lumber sales & corporate development for West Fraser Timber Co., Vancouver, B.C. Memphis, Tn.based Sean Mclaren is now v.p.U.S. lumber operations, and Peter Rippon, v.p.-pulp & energy.

Steven Silverman was named president and c.o.o. of Axion International , New Providence, N.J. He succeeds interim president Miles Slater, who remains a director.

Dorothy C. Weaver and John D. Baker II were elected to the board of Texas Industries, Dallas, Tx.

Andy Jensen has been named corporate general mgr. at Schield Family Brands, Medford. Wi.

Barb Grider is a new production office associate in the routing/ scheduling department of Gorell Windows & Doors,Indiana, Pa.

Joe Hikel, c.o.o., Shelter Systems, Westminster, Md., was elected president of Structural Building Components Association, succeeding Steven Spradlin, Capital Structures, Fort Smith, Ar.

Linda Johnson, Village True Value Hardware, Western Springs, Il., was elected executive vice chairman of the North America Retail Hardware Association.

Craig Menear, executive v.p. of merchandising, Home Depot, Atlanta, Ga., will receive City of Hope's Spirit of Life Award Jan. 1 I during the International Builders' Show in Orlando, Fl.

Mike Rowe Chip is the new director of technology for Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., report co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

Lowe's Makes Recycling Easy

Lowe's has installed permanent recycling bins in its stores for customers to dispose of plastic shopping bags, rechargeable batteries up to I I lbs., old cell phones, and unbroken compact fluorescent lamps. The chain will then haul the items to recycling centers to reclaim usable materials.

"The recycling centers make it easier for customers to make a difference," said Michael Chenard, director of environmental affairs. "Recycling is a simple way to help reduce unnecessary waste in our communities."

Since 2004, the chain has provided in-store battery recycling stations that have diverted more than 1 million lbs. of rechargeable batteries from local landfills. This spring, an appliancerecycling program that includes free haul-away was expanded to all stores.

Lowe's began recycling of shipping and packaging materials five years ago. In 2009, the chain recycled more than 166,000 tons of wood pallets, 147p00 tons of cardboard, and nearly 400 tons of shrinkwrap. Last fall, Lowe's installed smart controllers on its own Iandscape-irrigation systems to reduce water consumption by as much as 507o.To reduce energy consumption, more than 3 million new high-efficiency fluorescent lamps have been installed in 812 stores.

Remodeling Pace Stabilizes

Apprehensive over the economy, homeowners continue to scale back on remodeling projects, according to a new report by Remodelormove.com.

Results show that after a year of steady declines in 2009, the interest in remodeling stabilized in 2010. However, the size and scope of the remodeling projects are much smaller when compared to 2001 120O8.

For instance, small bathroom additions are the most popular. However, Building-Prcdu<tscom for those still planning to add a bathroom, the average size has decreased from more than 70 sq. ft. in 2008 to just 60 sq. ft. in 2010.

Beyond the bathroom, additional signs point to changes in the home improvement industry. They include:

The average number of rooms that homeowners plan to remodel fell from 3.1 in 2007 to 2.1 in 2010.

. Home equity increases in 2006 and 2007 encouraged spending, but now as equity shrinks, homeowners are scaling down their projects.

. In the 2008 report, homeowners stated that their homes were worth an average of $390,000, with equity of

$155,000. Today, the average home value is just $289,000, with equity at $r r0.000.

About 857o said cost is the biggest barrier to remodeling. However, while the scale and number of remodels is down, the interest from homeowners who are in a position to remodel is strong, and their taste for higher-end designs and expensive materials remains.

More than I27o reported that they plan to use expensive materials in their remodel; almost 50olo reported that they are excited to start their remodeling project; and 84Vo plan to start in the next l2 months.

By Mike Dandridge