84 Lumber Shopping Spree At Payless Sell-Off

84 Lumber received permission from a U.S. bankruptcy court in Missouri to buy l5 former Payless Cashways sites for $25.8 million.

With the go-ahead, 84 Lumber plans to make its first move into Oklahoma with a Tulsa location, in addition to new stores in Ducanville, Garland, Lewisville and Saginaw, Tx.

The purchase is the first time a large grouping of former Payless Cashways stores have been bought at one time. Until now, the stores have

Police Chase Stolen Truck

A truck stolen from DeFord's Hardware & Lumber, Ducanville, Tx., was the focus of a 9O-minute high speed chase across the highways of Dallas, Tx.

Burnice Wilson, 41, reportedly broke into the tractor trailer while it was parked near a fast food restaurant Nov. 7. The truck was pulling a lift truck and was loaded with lumber and building supplies.

As the chase wound through the city, police shot out the tires, leading to sparks from the rims which apparently ignited the truck's lumber.

been sold individually or in blocks of two or three.

ln addition to locations in Oklahoma and Texas, 84 Lumber will take over sites in Nebraska, California, Nevada and Missouri.

Payless Cashways closed 39 stores and filed for Ch. I I bankruptcy this past June, seeking protection from creditors. Continued insolvency forced the retailer to close its remainine 73 stores two months later.

As the intensity of the pursuit increased, police were authorized to use deadly force against the flaming vehicle. "It had the potential to be a very tragic situation," said Dallas Sr. Cpl. Chris Gilliam. "The suspect jeopardized many lives."

After tear gas failed to stop the truck, officers fired into the cab, wounding the man. The suspect was later arrested when he stopped the truck near a bridge where traffic was clogged by construction.

Wilson, who says he is homeless, was charged with robbery and evading arrest. This past June he was also accused of stealing a tow truck and $ I,500.

The chase was covered live nationally for almost 40 minutes on CNN and Fox News Channel.

New Flooring Mill For Barnes

Barnes Lumber Co., Hamburg, Ar., has begun construction on a new hardwood flooring mill next to its company headquarters.

The new mill is expected to produce 20,000 bd. ft. of lumber a day and will be called Razorback Hardwood, a name the company used for its former hardwood flooring plant in Monticello, Ar.

Owner Bob Barnes said the mill will produce oak flooring in two widths: 2-114" and 3-114." Lengths will range from 9" to 5.'

The mill is slated for a spring opening and lumber produced there will be moved through the company's existing market channels.

Although no specific distribution points have been indicated yet, Barnes noted that theold Razorback Hardwood in Monticello shipped most of its flooring to the northeastern United States.

ARTIST'S rendition of Rov O. Martin Lumber Co.'snewcorporate headciuarters that opened last month in Alexandria, La.

New Hq. for Roy O. Martin

Roy O. Martin Lumber Co. has officially opened its new 40,000-sq. ft. corporate headquarters in Alexandria, La.

"We wanted it to be a showcase of wood products that our company manufactures," said John Rogalski of the new RovtBx World Trade Center, which held opening ceremonies Thanksgiving week. The facility employs 65 people and houses all of company's departments, including executive offices, human resources, lS. marketing & sales. forestry. operations management, engineering and accounting.

The Trade Center was built using wood as the central focus, such as pecan floors and cypress millwork. "We wanted a building that would promote what the wood industry is all about," said Rogalski, noting, "every bit of wood in this building is produced from our company operations."

In addition to its role as company headquarters, the building also serves as a training facility for company employees. Rogalski said that the Trade Center can accommodate up to 60 individuals for seminars covering such topics as computers and company strategy. The building also features a library with an archives section chronicling the company's 78-year history.

New Store Concepts For Ace

Ace Hardware will open nine new prototype Home Solutions Concept Stores during the next 18 months.

The stores are what Ace calls their "solutions-based approach to home improvement," with more than 34,000 products featuring color-coded aisles organized by project themes. Products are bundled by project type rather than product category, in departments such as security and organizing systems.

"Research shows that the 'big box' approach to home improvement overwhelms many customers," said executive v.p.-retail Ray Griffith.

Five new stores are expected to open in the Houston area and four more in the Denver area. Currently, there are only two prototypes in the country-in Wa. and Co. Ace chose Houston and Denver based on Census Bureau figures showing sharp increases in the number of homeowners.

CELEBRATING the 20th anniversarv of AnowheadLumber Sales, OklahomaCity,'0k., at a special Oct. 9 dinner: (l-r) Sharilyn Young, 0klahoma Lumbermens Association; guest speaker Jon Anderson, Random Lengths; Anowhead's Dusty Hammack, OLA's Barbara Wickett.