r SUPPIIER Briefs

Millwork supplier The Donlin Co., St. Cloud, Mn., has closed after BB years.

Advantage Trim & Lumber is adding a 7,500-sq. ft. warehouse to its manufacturing facility in Grover, N.C., to accommodate growing demand for hardwood decking.

Georgia-Pacific inoeRnitely idled its plywood plants in Hawthorne, Fl., and Crossett, Ar., laying off more than 1,000 workers between the two facilities.

Wholesale Wood Products, Dothan, Al., has added a new 20,000-sq. ft. shed for storing finished cypress stock.

Griffin Lumber is installing a new primary breakdown optimization system at its mill in Cordele, Ga.

Northern Crossarm Co., chippewa Falls, Wi., now produces fire-retardant, pressure treated wood featuring Hoover's Pyro-Guard.

In addition, Northern Crossarm's laminated columns have been re-engineered to be ANSI/ASAE EP559 compliant.

Tolleson Lumber is installing a new trimmer top and smart drop-out gate at its mill in Perry, Ga.

Millwood Inc., Vienna, Oh., has acquired Graham Pallet Co., Tompkinsville, Ky.

Lonza Group Ltd. nas completed its acquistion of Arch Wood Protection parent Arch Ghemicals.

Warren Trask Co., Stoughton, Ma., is now distributing Fiberon decking and railing products in New England, Hudson Valley and Long lsland, N.Y., markets.

Coastal Forest Products, Bedford, N.H., is now distributing Wolfpac Technologies' Versatex trimboard in New England and Long lsland, N.Y.

Shenrood Lumber, lslandia, N.Y., has a new logo and is now offering Sherwood Lumber-branded wood products from its distribution centers.

Molpus Woodlands Group, Jackson, Ms., has acquired 26,500 acres of timberland in Georgia and Virginia.

ProVia Products, Sugarcreek, Oh., has unified its Aeris window, Signet door, Heartland siding, and Heritage Stone collections under the ProVia brand.

EcoVantage LLC, St, Joe, In., earned the USDA Certified Bio-based product label for its EcoPrem thermally modified lumber.

Cox Industries, orangeburg, S.C., and Robert Bosch, Charleston, S.C., won Silver Crescent awards, honoring contributions to education/environmental stewardship.

Syntheon, Pittsburgh, Pa., achieved lS0 14001:2004 certification for its manufacturing plant in Leetsdale, Pa.

AbitibiBowater, Montreal, P.Q., has changed its name to Resolute Forest Products.

Lowe's Closing 20 Locations

Lowe's Cos. is closing 20 underperforming stores in l5 states and eliminating I,950 jobs. Half of the locations closed Oct. 16, while the others will be shuttered this month.

The chain, which will be left with more than 1,700 locations, will also cut back on it expansion plans-opening l0 to 15 new stores in North America annually starting in 2012, rather than the 30 it had predicted.

Stores closing are Chalmette,La.; Aurora and Oswego, Il .; Biddeford and Ellsworth, Me; Haverhill, Ma.; Ionia, Mi.; Rogers, Mn.; Claremont, Hooksett and Manchester. N.H.; Old Bridge, N.J.; Batavia, N.Y.; N. Kingstown, R.I.; Emporia, Va.; Brown Deer, Wi.; Denver, Co.; S. Tacoma, Wa.; Los Banos and Westminster, Ca.

Kentucky Dealers Join Forces

After years of friendly competition, two Kentucky dealers have united.

Pilot Lumber's Ken Grause and Moore's Home Improvement's Bruce Moore merged to lower overhead costs and strengthen their positions in a difficult economy. Pilot's locations in Bellevue and Alexandria now operate as Pilot Lumber & Moore's Home Improvement Center. Moore's single location in Fort Thomas has closed.

"It will be a joy to have two heads instead of one," said Moore, who serves as v.p.

Grause. who will serve as president, said that the two attended high school together, went off to different colleges, and then joined their families' LBM businesses. As the recession deepened, they began to discuss a possible merger.

New England Consolidates, Sells Stores to Hammond

Nine-yard Hammond Lumber Co., Belgrad, Me., agreed to purchase stores in Damariscotta, Boothbay Harbor, and Pemaquid, Me., from eight-unit New England Building Materials, Sanford, Me.

New England will consolidate at sales/distribution centers in Sanford and Lakeville, Ma., closing branches in Windham and Springvale, Me. It will also convert its Norwood, Ma., store into a kitchen design center, while continuing to operate its white pine sawmill in Sanford.

The deal was expected to close in late October.

RIFP Starts EWP Division

Richmond International Forest Products, Glen Allen, Va., has launched a new engineered wood division, managed by Chad Carnes.

Its first line is Ultralam LVL, for beams, headers, joists, rafters, columns, wall studs, and in metal-plated trusses, concrete forming, packaging, and door, window and furniture parts.It is available FSC certified.

The division is also exclusive U.S. distributor of C4Ci's iPro EWP desisn software.

Menards will unveil a larger replacement store this spring in Marshalltown, la.

Ace Hardw?re, Hickory, N.C., is closing Nov. 23after 61 years ofoperation by the Huffman family.

True Value Hardware, nockford, ll., is shutting down after 45 years.

Clement Ace, cloucester, N.J., has closed, leaving the franchisee with stores in Hammonton and Tuckerton, N.J.

Morrison True Value, Atpine, Tx., held a grand reopening Oct.21-22 to show off its newly renovated 16,000so. ft. interior.

Temple Terrace Ace, Tempte Terrace, Fl., has reopened, three months after an electrical fire consumed much of the building.

E&H Hardware Group is opening its 7th Ace Hardware store this month at the site of a shuttered Ace in Independence, Oh.

Eldridge True Value, Etdridge, la., is liquidating after 20 years, with the retirement of owner John Schultz.

Keeler True Value, witton, ct., has closed after 125 years,

Ace Hardware opened a new location Oct. 12 in Rhinelander, Wi.

Lanier's True Value HardWafe, Lexington, N.C., recently held a grand re-opening to celebrate its 14week makeover into the Destination True Value format.

National Ace Hardw?rg is closing its 11-year-old store in Bay View, Wi., but will continue operating its other two Milwaukee locations.

Habitat for Humanity opened new Restore discount LBlvloutlets in Kensington, Pa.; Landsdowne, Md.; Baraboo, Wi. (to eventually replace a smaller store in Prairie du Sac, Wi.); Newington, N.H. (replacing a smaller unit in Dover); Socastee, S.C. (replacing Myrtle Beach, S.C.), and a second, higher-end ReStore in Ann Arbor, Mi.

Habitat also will add a ReStore next spring in Grand lsland, Ne.

Pennsylvania Retailer Consolidates

A.D. Moyer Lumber closed its 16-year-old yard in Douglassville, Pa., Sept. 23 and reassigned employees to its facilities in Pottstown and Gilbertsville, Pa.

The company will retain the Douglassville property, in hopes of eventually reopening. Douglassville's phone numbers remain active, automatically forwarding to the Pottstown location.

Moyer is enhancing its two remaining yards, including repaving, building maintenance, and equipment upgrades.

Massachusetts Dealer Galls lt Quits

After 50 years of business in Cambridge, Ma., Cambridge Lumber closed at the end of September.

Owner Lenny Katz, who bought the business 39 years ago, said that the economy hit his business hard and he can no longer afford to keep it open.

"I've seen peaks and valleys in business, but nothing like this," said Katz. "The first hit was the big box stores, but we were able to get by. We weren't able to deal with the slow economy, though."

Ace Opens lmport DC in Virginia

Ace Hardware Corp., Oak Brook, I1., will build a new 336,000-sq. ft. import re-distribution center in Suffolk, Va., to reduce shipping costs and allow its East Coast dealers to more effectively respond to weather emergencies in the region.

"Suffolk is only 30 miles from the Port of Virginia, which is the most modern port in the United States," said Lori Bossmann, senior v.p. of supply chain & retail support. "We also have the capabilities to expand our new