movers & shaKers

Jimmy Mason has been named executive vice president/general mgr. of OSB at LP Building

Solutions, Nashville, Tn. Tony

Hamill succeeds him as VP-siding manufacturing. Jason Ringblom is now executive VP/general mgr. of siding. Jack Henry is a new trader at

Birmingham International Forest

Products, Birmingham, Al. Amy Bass Messersmith has been appointed chief people officer for

Builders FirstSource, Dallas, Tx. Clinton Conner has joined Holmes

Lumber Co., Sunbury, Oh., as sales coordinator. Greg Jacques has been promoted to branch mgr. of Gulfeagle Supply,

Grand Rapids, Mi. Ari Zolet is now sales mgr. for the

Curitiba, Brazil office of the Solid

Wood division of International

Forest Products, Foxborough, Ma. Shia Grosz has been promoted to store mgr. at Certified Lumber Corp.,

Brooklyn, N.Y. Ethan Smith is a new mgr. trainee at 84 Lumber, Timonium, Md. Alex Angerami has joined the installed sales team at Curtis

Lumber Co., Ballston Spa, N.Y. Erik Koller is a new truss designer at

Littfin Lumber Co., Winstead, Mn. Brian Grogan, ex-Habegger’s Ace

Lumber, is new to inside sales at

Cameron Ashley Building Products,

Fort Wayne, In. Bill Ross has been promoted to director, channel sales (SEO) for Fortress Building Products,

Garland, Tx. Josh Willis has come on board as director, global sourcing & supplier management. David Rogers has retired after 33 years in construction and 20 years in lumber sales, most recently at

Genesee Lumber, Lakeville, N.Y. Brian Sippel is now asst. mgr. of

Riverhead Building Supply,

Riverhead, N.Y. Jake Mendala has joined BlueLinx,

Brooklyn Park, Mn., as product mgr. for EWP and treated lumber.

Also new to BlueLinx: Todd

Faurbo, millwork product mgr.,

University Park, Il.; Matthew

Rogers, national account specialist,

Marietta, Ga.; and Ronna Russell, account mgr., Grand Rapids, Mi. Mark Graber is now with Stockton

Building Supply, Linton, In., as wholesale account mgr. Robert White has joined the sales force at Capitol Building Supply,

Baltimore, Md. Abe Simonton has been appointed branch mgr. at Beacon Building

Products, Stone Mountain, Ga.

TOP VENDOR: Jon Barrett (fourth from left), purchasing & merchandising manager at Ward Lumber, Jay, N.Y., presented the chain’s 2021 Vendor of the Year Award to Steve Guertin (third) from Coastal Forest Products, the chain’s primary supplier of engineered floorsystems. “It doesn’t matter what department we are dealing with, Coastal always jumps through hoops to get us material to get the job done in the crazy engineered wood market,” said R.J. Tromblee, pro sales. “I feel like they are partners with us.” Left to right: assistant manager Tim Clark, pro sales Mark Lacy, Guertin, Barrett, Tromblee, and pro sales Jaimie Garcia. Jason Trenn has joined Structurlam

Mass Timber Corp., as VP of manufacturing & operations for its new production facility in Conway, Ar. Dave Duke, ex-Distinctive Millwork, is now senior estimator for

Millwork One, Cranston, R.I. Oscar Martinez is safety director for

Alamo Lumber, San Antonio, Tx. Tracy Morrone is a new kitchen & bath specialist at Water Mill

Building Supply, Water Mill, N.Y. Jeramy Albert was promoted to construction business unit mgr. for

Palram Americas, Lehigh Valley, Pa. Brad Borstelmann, ex-Atlantic Forest

Products, has moved to Integrity

Express Logistics, Tampa, Fl., as an account executive. Dan Volkema, ex-Whirlpool, has been named VP of finance for ODL, Inc.,

Zeeland, Mi. Darren Revill is now

VP and general mgr. of ODL Asia. Luke Krochko, ex-Sherwin-Williams, has joined the outside sales team at Lansing Building Products,

Manchester, Ct. Mark Campbell, ex-Mill Supplies, has joined Do it Best, Fort Wayne,

In., as product mgr.-member catalog. Also new are Jake McGee,

LBM sales support coordinator;

Stephanie Hutsell, product sales mgr.; Brianna Wells, ecommerce mgr.; and Andrew Foutz, outbound logistics specialist. Recently promoted are Michelle Hutker, now an associate building materials trader; Jenna Myers, merchandise mgr. for outdoor living & holiday;

Brian Billman, supply chain & inventory replenishment mgr.;

Megan Millsap and Erin Smith, managed marketing specialists;

Ashley Kenworthy, organizational change mgr.; Meagan McNeal, marketing services mgr.; Allison

Meyer, communications mgr.;

Ken Sorg, infrastructure project director; Shannon Vollen, rebate coordinator; and Jessica

Waggoner, ecommerce mgr. Matt Born, 84 Lumber, Denton, Tx., was honored as the chain’s Manager of the Year. Texas’ Nick Boyd was feted as Area Manager of the Year. Anna Prentice has been hired as an intern at Mungus-Fungus Forest

Products, Climax, Nv., according to co-owners Hugh Mungus and

Freddy Fungus.

MOISTURESHIELD’S new Outdoor Project Hub makes it easier to design and plan deck projects.

MoistureShield Launches Design Hub

Bringing a dream deck project to life has never been easier than with the MoistureShield Outdoor Project Hub, a new online tool that helps users create the perfect outdoor oasis.

The hub helps homeowners design and build deck projects with ease by offering step-by-step planning and checklist features that are all accessible on one dashboard.

“Sometimes, it can be overwhelming to start out with a blank slate,” said Molly Werner, senior brand manager. “The Outdoor Project Hub is the perfect online tool for helping MoistureShield customers seek inspirational design ideas, select the right products and find a contractor who can turn their dream deck into a reality.”

Starting with some quick questions to assess the project, the Outdoor Project Hub guides the homeowner through the entire planning process, complete with inspirational custom mood boards and curated MoistureShield collections.

Once a user selects a MoistureShield product, the tool utilizes a checklist to stay on track with deck size, budget, timing and desired amenities. The final step is to search “Find a Contractor” database and share the project as a PDF to start building.

Ipé Distributor Expands to South

Ipé Woods USA, Salt Lake City, Ut., recently opened a new warehouse and contractor showroom in Kennesaw, Ga.

“We’re extremely excited to be opening another fantastic location in our distribution chain,” said Steven Rossi. “One of the reasons that we can bring this amazing material to American homes so affordably is because we’ve built our own supply and shipping infrastructure. The new Kennesaw location is an important part of that chain, as we continue to proudly increase our already strong presence here in the USA. Everyone who comes to us looking for ipé wood knows there is just no better natural material available for outside building. And we’re happy to show new customers just how amazing ipé wood is for all their outside construction projects.”

Fire Strikes Pennsylvania Sawmill

Investigators suspect a mechanical issue caused a Feb. 18 fire that tore through Clear Lake Lumber, Spartansburg, Pa., destroying six dry kilns.

Surveillance video helped pinpoint the start of the blaze to a boiler room.

A night watchman first spotted the fire and unsuccessfully attempted to extinguish it.

EASTERN WHITE PINE manufacturer Britton Lumber Co., Bath, N.H., will complete a major upgrade by the end of the year.

New Hampshire Mill Plans Expansion

This August, Britton Lumber Co. will begin expanding its eastern white pine sawmill in Bath, N.H.

The 30,000-sq. ft. facility produces approximately 9 million bd. ft. annually. The planned addition will see a new, 6,500-sq. ft. structure built onto the existing sawmill, which will include a new optimized linear edger, unscrambler, and new belt conveyors and transfer decks.

The new edger and equipment from McDonough Manufacturing will replace a 35-year-old manual edger, which is a significant bottleneck and the most labor intensive position in the sawmill. While no jobs are being created or eliminated, a key component to the mill upgrade is to improve workflow and create safer and more desirable jobs.

Britton expects an increase in production of about 5% and that the project to be completed and operational by the end of 2022.

Taylor’s Keeps Growing in Virginia

Family-owned Taylor’s Do it Center celebrated the grand opening of its newest location in Gloucester Point, Va.—its 12th location in Hampton Roads.

The celebration began with comments from Taylor’s president and CEO Joe Taylor and community leaders. Immediately after, Retail Alliance presented their Lifetime Achievement Award to the Taylor family and conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a traditional board cutting.

The celebration included a live remote broadcast with a local radio station; demos from Big Green Egg, Traeger, and STIHL; representatives from Weber, Milwaukee Tools, Scotts Lawn Care and Titan RX; and deals and giveaways throughout the day.

The new location will be managed by Cheryl Case, who has been with Taylor’s for more than five years and previously served as assistant manager in Poquoson, Va.

M-D Building Products Reorganizes

M-D Building Products, Oklahoma City, Ok., has formed four brand portfolio strategic business units to “create efficiencies to strengthen the customer experience.” Operations include residential and commercial weatherization, flooring, caulking, and specialty extrusion products.

The four new business units include M-D Consumer; M-D Manufactured Solutions and Cardinal Aluminum; M-D Pro and Canadian Consumer; and Tower Sealants. M-D will continue to operate Morse Industries in Seattle, Wa., and Cardinal Architectural, Louisville, Ky., as independent operational groups.

“As the market continues to evolve, we are creating simplicity and greater efficiencies for our customers and partners with a focus on improving consumer experience on a channel-by-channel basis,” said M-D Building Products president Ryan Plotkin. “The new organizational structure will also allow us continued scale and growth at the same aggressive pace that we have experienced over the last decade. We will better serve our valued customers across the globe through supply chain management, leveraging our vast domestic manufacturing and sourcing capabilities, as well as cross-functional marketing and sales competencies. Ultimately, we believe the new strategic organizational structure will ensure we retain manufacturing jobs in North America and push new standards of innovation.”

Each unit will be overseen by a division president—Kipp Collins, M-D Consumer; Mike Wasson, M-D Manufactured Solutions and Cardinal Aluminum; and Joe Comitale, M-D Pro and Canadian Consumer. Tower Sealants, Morse Industries and Cardinal Architect’s leadership structure will remain in its current state. Jared Bringhurst will lead M-D’s Shared Manufacturing Services function as senior vice president. This group will service all SBU’s with manufacturing resources as well as engineering, maintenance, raw material purchases, and quality.

The M-D Building Products brand portfolio includes SmartTool, Morse Industries, M-D Pro, M-D Canada, Tower Sealants, Cardinal Aluminum, MetalSource, and M-D Plastics.

Orgill’s First Hybrid Dealer Market Raises the Bar

Now that both Orgill’s Spring Dealer Market and Online Buying Event have drawn to a close, numbers indicate that this first-ever hybrid show surpassed all of the company’s previous buying market sales records.

Orgill reported that sales from the Spring 2022 events were up 33% from the 2021 Spring Online Buying Event and eclipsed Orgill’s last in-person Dealer Market held in spring 2020 by a full 47%.

“Last year’s Spring Online Buying Event was the largest show in terms of sales that we had ever had,” said Boyden Moore, Orgill’s president and CEO. “To see this first-ever hybrid event surpass that show by such a wide margin is really a testament to how well the concept has resonated with our customers, how eager they were to get back to business, how strong sales are in the market right now and how well our vendors rose to the occasion.”

Orgill’s in-person spring market was held Feb. 24-26 in Orlando, Fl., and its spring online edition ran from Feb. 21-March 4.

Beyond the record-setting sales numbers produced by the combined events, there were a number of other highlights from the shows, which also served as a platform for celebrating Orgill’s 175th anniversary.

“The combined events were a long time coming for our team, our vendors and our customers,” Moore said. “I think anyone who participated, particularly at the in-person show, couldn’t help but get caught up in the energy and enthusiasm surrounding the event. While sales are always an important measuring stick for us, we also saw this as a great milestone in our company’s evolution in a number of ways, from our anniversary to the growth of our Technology Symposium and more.”

In addition to the sales records produced during this spring’s events, following are some of the other milestone highlights from the show.

Report Gauges Consumers’ & Pros’ Views of Industry

Lowe’s has introduced its first-ever, annual Lowe’s State of the Pro report—a first-of-its-kind in-depth study that looks at both home improvement professionals’ and homeowners’ take on the current state of the industry.

Among the findings: • 51% plan to use more of their discretionary income on home improvement projects this year. • Homeowners are focused on making the most of their homes—functionally, financially and aesthetically. 64% say the pandemic increased their desire to make the most of their spaces at home, and 74% say they see improvement projects as an opportunity to improve the financial value of their home. • Older homeowners are more focused on financial motivators for projects; younger homeowners are focused on customizing their spaces for their

OKLAHOMA DEALER Kory Klein, owner and COO of Tulsa’s Scissortail Building Supply, wanted a relaxing home-away-from-home that would also hold strong against the shoreline elements, so future generations could enjoy it long after the finalnail was driven. So for his waterfront stunner on Grand Lake, Klein looked to longtime vendor Georgia-Pacificand its ForceField Weather Barrier System to not only combat the elements, but to streamline the sheathing process. needs. Homeowners anticipate taking on more DIY projects in 2022, but 81% see some projects as better suited for pros. • Top projects for homeowners in 2022 include: bathroom (33%), kitchen (31%), landscaping (31%), bedroom (22%) and living room (20%). • While homeowners anticipate taking on more DIY projects in 2022, 51% of homeowners agree the next time they need home improvement work done they will leave it to the Pros. • “Improving design or style” ranked as the No. 1 motivation for projects across all generations (40%). • 31% of pros say their ability to get needed supplies has worsened since last year. • 76% of pros say they rely more than ever on suppliers and retailers for extra support to excel their business in a transformed industry. • Nearly 90% of pros say it’s important for retailers to have valuable loyalty programs. Pros also voiced the need for retailers to offer solutions to propel their business forward. • Homeowners are nearly twice as likely to say they plan to use personal recommendations or referrals (84%) than external recommendations or referrals (48%). • Younger homeowners are more likely than older homeowners to hire someone they know personally (40% vs. 29%). • “Better communication” ranked No. 1 as the top deciding factor across all generations when deciding between two final quotes with all else equal.

Home Depot Launches Virtual Workshops for Pros

The Home Depot is launching a series of virtual workshops designed to help professional contractors manage and grow their businesses. Running every other month, the free, interactive livestreams will be taught by industry experts.

Each virtual workshop will feature a deep dive into topics that Pros want to hear. Themes include best practices in social media for business, managing business expenses, home improvement industry trends, and more. The first, on March 8, covered “Money In. Money Out. Manage Your Cashflow to Boost Your Business’ Success.”

Home Depot began holding in-store workshops in 1997 with the launch of its Kids Workshop program. Currently, there are three different livestreams for DIYers: Homeowner 101, DIY Workshops, and Seasonal Workshops.