LUMBER 411

A Special Series from Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association

Unique uses for wood: NH riding facility

Lshort brea from our traditional wood information and ta e a pee at a uni ue end use of eastern white pine a therapeutic horse riding program.

In New ampshire s Connecticut River alley, close to the ermont border, Full Circle Farm has been in business since ecember . While firmly established as a successful horse riding facility, a new owner had a larger vision expand existing services to include a therapeutic riding program. he farm is something to behold the -acre property offers anything and everything riders of all levels could want a variety of riding trails criss-cross the property and are groomed regularly. otting the landscape are large paddoc s, three barns, wash stalls, a tac room, water complex, cross country field, galloping trac , outdoor rings, and indoor riding arena. Services at the farm include riding lessons for all s ill levels, full-service horse boarding, and specialized clinics. he three barns hold upwards of stalls combined, many with dropdown grills to allow the horses to socialize with visitors in the aisles. A heated tac room ta es a little of the edge off winter riding, while large loc ers, itchenettes and accessible bathrooms are present throughout the property.

A Necessary Expansion

Launched in April , Full Circle Farm s year-round therapeutic riding program is designed for both children and adults, and offers mounted and unmounted activities. o accomplish the growth of the program, the indoor riding arena was chosen for expansion. riginally constructed in , the metal building measured x . he vision was to build in lifts, waiting areas, and additional elements to allow the expansion of the program, with an eye to basic provisions li e a space for guests to tac their horse in the same barn in which they would ride, while protecting them from the elements. elping bring the vision to life local partners La alley Building Supply and im Martin of ames Martin Builders. ogether, the team concepted, designed, and constructed an addition to the indoor arena.

Completed in the spring of , the new spaces are useful and beautiful. A much-needed itchenette and accessible bathroom were added

to the first floor, along with three stalls for riders to ready their horses indoors. A new wooden lift and ramp allow riders to mount horses with ease, while friends and family chec out the action from a gorgeous observation dec .

Why Wood?

Featured throughout the new addition is eastern white pine. a e a closer loo at the ceilings, walls, itchen and office you ll see this beautiful, natural, renewable, local product adds beauty, strength and elegance to every surface. Additionally, the natural loo only found in real wood adds authenticity to outdoor activity structures li e the indoor riding arena addition.

“ he interior wood gives this structure a soft loo . It s a warm feeling, with a nice finished loo ,” adds Martin. “We d used eastern white pine before on two structures at the farm, and it was easy and fast to install. Choosing this beautiful product again was a no-brainer.”

When it came to product specifics, the team chose New ampshirebased urgin Crowell s Enhance product. Pre-coated, U -cured eastern white pine paneling products ma e the warmth of wood easy, safe, practical and affordable.

Martin appreciated the readiness of the product “ he high grade is second to none. We wanted the addition completed uic ly, which is why we chose this pre-coated eastern white pine product. he super-high- uality of the wood e ualed our overall goals in building the addition We wanted the best of the best, for the best. Everything here is wood wood is calming, wood is comforting. Loo ing at a Sheetroc wall can be arring now our guests, visitors, and employees are surrounded by natural warmth. Any installation is easy when you have a great product It s perfect.”

With approximately , bd. ft. of x premium grade eastern white pine installed in the indoor riding arena, Martin ac nowledged that he s wor ed with wood his entire career, with no plans to change anytime soon “It s all I now ”

– Jeff Easterling is president of Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Assn. Reach him at info@nelma.org.

POST-MERGER, Virginia chain is taking on a new name for all three locations.

MWP Blue Ridge Now Cardinal

wo years after a merger, threeunit irginia chain MWP Blue Ridge Building Supply is rebranding as Cardinal ome Center.

In , Madison, a.-based MWP Building Supply merged with Blue Ridge Builders Supply in Crozet and Blue Ridge Paint ecorating Store in Charlottesville. All three locations are now adopting the new name, new logo on signage, truc s and advertising, and new tagline “Count on Cardinal.”

Culpeper Purchases Massachusetts Treating Plant

Culpeper Wood Preservers, Culpeper, a., has ac uired Bestway s treating plant in Lancaster, Ma., which will now operate as Culpeper Wood of New England.

With the ac uisition, Culpeper Wood Preservers now has treating plants and one column manufacturing facility that serve states from Georgia to Chicago to Maine.

“We are excited about this opportunity and strategic addition to our company. We will have access to new mar ets and further expand our footprint in the Northeast,” noted Culpeper president onathan en ins. “As we head into our th year, we will continue to build our business on the partnerships we have forged with both our vendors and customers.”

How Southern Lumber’s acreage went down, but its business went up.

When the SC Highway Department took two of Southern Lumber’s seven acres, the owners wanted to keep operating in their shrunken space without shrinking their SKUs.

We analyzed their inventory and how their customers interacted with it. Then we reconfigured their yard down to every bin and slot and rebuilt it vertically on the remaining five acres.

They operated with minimal disruptions throughout the process, did more business in a smaller space, and had their three best years ever.

Watch the video for the full story at sunbelt-rack.com/stories

DEALER Briefs

Eldredge Lumber & Hard-

ware, York, Me., acquired distributor Selectwood, Portsmouth, N.H.

Westlake Ace Hardware is

opening a 16,600-sq. ft. store in Derby, Ks., in July. 84 Lumber opened a 60,000-sq. ft. door shop in Dallas, Tx.

The first co-branded Andersen Windows + Doors x 84 Lumber

showroom in Rockville, Md.

Beardstown True Value

Hardware , Beardstown, Il., will relocate to the former site of R&H Farm & Home by March 1.

Orion True Value Hardware,

Orion, Il., was acquired by new owners, who plan to stock lumber and plywood.

Costello’s Ace Hardware has purchased Sip’s Ace Paint & Hardware , Long Branch, N.J., as its 37th location. It will rebrand as Costello’s Ace in 2022.

Heins Hardware, Port Austin, Mi., was sold by Ray and Lisa Heins to Thumb Cooling & Heating.

Ace Hardware is adding a new branch in Alma, Mi.

Henkle’s Ace Hardware ,

Webb City, Mo., is targeting an April 1 opening of a 10,000-sq. ft. sister store in Joplin, Mo.

Lowe’s Outlet Store is opening

in Irving, Tx.

L&W Supply Corp. bought four-unit Merrimack Building Supply, Merrimack, N.H.

Within days of each other, US LBM closed on two more ac uisitions of large multi-location dealers fi ve-unit Gilcrest ewett Lumber Co. in Iowa and four-unit ennings Builders Supply ardware in western North Carolina.

For more than years, Gilcrest ewett has been nown as Iowa s “home building head uarters,” operating four retail yards, along with a truss and component plant, serving the es Moines, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids metro areas. he entire Gilcrest ewett leadership team will remain with the company, including Sumner Worth, who will serve as president and general manager, and Ric hompson, who will serve as senior vice president of sales.

“Gilcrest ewett boasts a strong team and is a name nown for longevity, uality and innovation to not only customers in Iowa, but also across the building materials industry,” said US LBM CE L. . Gibson. “Adding Gilcrest ewett grows our manufacturing capabilities in Iowa and expands our specialty building products distribution networ into ma or metropolitan mar ets in Iowa.”

Founded in , ennings Builders Supply ardware stoc s a full range of building materials, providing its customers with a one-stop-shop solution for custom home building and remodeling pro ects. In addition to supplying building professionals with windows, dec ing, flooring, cabinetry, siding, lumber and engineered wood products, ennings also provides customers with added value services, including design, installation and custom woodwor and interior doors.

“Partnering with US LBM positions our brand for growth and presents a great opportunity for our associates,” said Glenn oy, who will continue to lead ennings day-today operations as president and general manager.

In addition to ennings Builders Supply ardware, US LBM s operations in the Carolinas include GBS Builders Supply, Maner Builders Supply, Myrtle Beach Building Supply, and Par er s Building Supply.

ACS Purchases Wisconsin Dealer

American Construction Source, Springfield, Mo., has ac uired Builder s Resource Group, udson, Wi.

Serving customers for more than years, Builder s Resource Group operates a sales o ce and design center in udson and a distribution center in Woodville, Wi. hey will now operate under ACS s Arrow Building Center brand.

ACS now has more than locations in nine states.

Biewer Plans Second Sawmill in South

Biewer Lumber, St. Clair, Mi., plans a new state-of-theart sawmill in Winona, Ms. its second sawmill in the state.

With start-up expected by anuary , the Winona facility will be modeled after Biewer s fi ve-year-old mill in Newton, Ms.

“My family s passion for the lumber industry has prompted this expansion in the south. here is no better place to grow the business than the fiber-rich state of Mississippi,” said im Biewer, president and CE .

Jaeger Lumber Acquires NJ Dealer

aeger Lumber has ac uired West Essex Building Supply, erona, N. ., expanding the seven-unit chain further north and east into the state.

Li e aeger Lumber, West Essex was founded in and caters to the same customer base of high-end builders and remodelers.

Collums Lumber, Allendale, S.C., is updating its log line this spring with a new Extended Length Infeed and Quad Roll Log Turner.

Sherwood Lumber , Melville, N.Y., has begun distributing Chelsea Building Products’ Everlast

siding in the Northeast.

Dealers Choice, Columbia, S.C., is now selling Everlast throughout South Carolina and the southern portion of North Carolina.

Sierra Forest Products, Chicago Division, is now a full-line distributor of Uniboard Canada’s TFL, HPL, particleboard and MDF panels.

MI Windows & Doors, Gratz, Pa., has acquired vinyl replacement window manufacturer Sunrise Windows & Doors, Temperance, Mi.

Atlas Roofi ng Corp. is about to begin construction on a new shingle laminating line at its Ardmore, Ok., plant.

Oldcastle APG has acquired regional L&G products manufacturer CST, Elk River, Mn.

Innovative Chemical Products has acquired

Gardner-Gibson, Tampa, Fl., manufacturer of liquidapplied roof coatings, driveway sealers, and specialty paints. Watermill Group, Lexington, Ma., has acquired Ontario-based distributor/remanufacturer Weston Forest.

Bridgestone Americas is selling its Firestone Building Products division to Switzerland-based LafargeHolcim for $3.4 billion.

Wood Products Unlimited, Brainerd, Mn., has

been sold by Don and Alan Andres to long-time employees Ryan Aanes and Todd Pietila.

Rambler Wood Products will invest $7.6 million to establish a 300,000-sq. ft. value-added wood products manufacturing facility in Saint Paul, Va.

Versatex Building Products presented its

annual Versatexcellence Awards to Distributor of the Year Coastal Forest Products, Bow, N.H.; Fabricator of the Year Intex Millwork Solutions, Mays Landing, N.J.; Distributor Sales Rep of the Year Terry Bartley, U.S. Lumber, Altoona, Pa.; and National Dealer of the Year Contractor Express, Long Island, N.Y.

Fiberon this month is launching the Fiberon Virtual Experience, an online venue for introducing new products, sharing education, and equipping dealers with sales tools.

Benjamin Obdyke has relaunched its website— www.benjaminobdyke.com—with new features, eye-catching aesthetics, and enhanced functionality.

The Roofi ng Alliance, the foundation of the National Roofing Contractors Association, is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

REDWOOD

Composite can’t compare.

Like the foods we buy, when it comes to decking, we want natural and real. Redwood is always available in abundance of options. So stock the shelves! Unlike mass-produced and inferior products, Redwood is strong, reliable and possesses many qualities not found in artificial products. They maintain temperatures that are comfortable in all climates.

Redwood Empire stocks several grades and sizing options of Redwood.

Call us at 707.894.4241