MoverS & ShakerS

MASTERCLASS: LMC recently hosted 50 LBM leaders from across the country for its annual “Leadership Excellence Masterclass” at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

Tom Le Vere, president of Weekes

Forest Products, St. Paul, Mn., will retire effective Dec. 31, following 43 years in the lumber industry, the last 12 with Weekes. He will be succeeded by Scott Gardner, currently VP of distribution. At the same time, Clark Spitzer will be promoted to president of its Snavely

Forest Products division. Pat Webster, president and COO,

UFP Industries, Grand Rapids, Mi., is retiring at the end of 2022 after nearly four decades with UFP. Mark Harvard, ex-Ritter Lumber, has rejoined Harry’s Building Materials,

Nacogdoches, Tx., as buyer. Fred Coffrin, ex-Northwest Hardwoods, is a new national sales rep for Beacon Hardwoods,

Greensboro, N.C. Robert DeVylder Jr., ex-Lyon & Billard Lumber, has joined

Interstate + Lakeland Lumber,

Newtown, Ct., in purchasing. Eric Studer, ex-Mid-State Lumber

Corp., is a new lumber trader with

Sherwood Lumber, Melville, N.Y. Eric Shaffer has been named store mgr. of McCoy’s Building Supply,

Plainview, Tx. Donnie Nixon, ex-Greentree

Packaging & Lumber, is new to sales at Lumber One, Conroe, Tx. Bob Vogel has retired as president of

Hardwoods of Michigan, Clinton,

Mi., after 43 years with the firm. Jeremy Cooley, ex-Georgia-Pacific, has joined Compass Building

Products, Marietta, Ga., as senior sales representative. Jim Lewis has joined the outside sales team at Top Notch Distributors, as

Apex, N.C.-based Mid-South territory mgr., handling Georgia, southern Virginia, and the Carolinas. Jeff Brady, ex-Foxworth-Galbraith, is now GM of Hixwood, Shiloh, Oh. Eric Berggren, ex-Roberts Plywood, was appointed warehouse mgr. for

LeNoble Lumber, Long Island, N.Y. Sarah Haenel, previously with Boise

Cascade, UFP and GP, has joined

Armacell, Chapel Hill, N.C., as national sales & marketing mgr. for backer rod, building materials, and custom profiles. Don Viscio, ex-Blueinx, has been named regional VP for Tibbetts

Lumber, St. Petersburg, Fl. Paul Silver, ex-Arrow Building

Center, is the new GM at Builders

FirstSource, St. Cloud, Mn. Jason Hanegan, ex-Emery-Jensen, has joined Do it Best Corp., Fort

Wayne, In., as national sales mgr.

Also new: David Bryant, LBM sales support coordinator; Ryan

Dunbar, associate merchandise mgr.; Cordell England, consumer marketing specialist; Arron

Enyart, inbound coordinator;

Morgan Ferguson, talent acquisition specialist; and Bob Turecki, retail project mgr. Recently promoted: Alex Gilliom, category management & analytics mgr.; Lauren

Wilson, merchandising pricing & training mgr.; Sarah Krey, merchandise mgr.–lawn & garden; Laci

Scheib, merchandising mgr.–farm & ranch; and Ed Somerville, merchandise mgr.–plumbing. Jason Fletcher, ex-Builders First-

Source, has been appointed general mgr. of Simonson Lumber,

Alexandria, Mn. Craig Williams, ex-Builders First-

Source, is now general mgr. of

Builders Supply Co., Lancaster, S.C. Dr. Rufai Ibrahim has joined the

R&D department at Viance,

Charlotte, N.C., helping to develop new chemistries for wood preservatives and fire retardant product formulations. Rick Frost and Robin Jolley have been appointed to the board of directors at The Westervelt Co.,

Tuscaloosa, Al. Todd West, ex-Alside, has joined the outside sales force at Mentor

Lumber & Supply, Mentor, Oh. James Reddish has been named

Trex’s director of Little Rock, Ar., workforce development & community engagement with the company’s planned $400-million facility at the Port of Little Rock. Brian Luoma, Westervelt Co.,

Tuscaloosa, Al.; J.D. Hankins

II, Hankins Inc., Ripley, Ms.;

George Emmerson, Sierra Pacific

Industries, Anderson, Ca.; and Brad

Thorlakson, Tolko, have been reappointed by Secretary of Agriculture

Tom Vilsack to second terms on the Softwood Lumber Board board of directors. Also appointed were past director Marc Brinkmeyer,

Idaho Forest Group, Coeur d’Alene,

Id., and first-time director Jerome

Pelletier, J.D. Irving, Ltd. Daryl Lee D’Parted is no longer with

Mungus-Fungus Forest Products,

Climax, Nv., report owners Hugh

Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

AZEK EXTERIORS and Russin Lumber, Montgomery, N.Y., are collaborating to bring a new line of prefinished siding and trim to the Northeast and mid-Atlantic regions.

Russin Partners with AZEK on Line

AZEK has teamed with distributor/prefinisher Russin, Montgomery, N.Y., to develop Captivate, a new line of prefinished siding and trim.

Captivate products will be available exclusively through Russin for distribution to 13 Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states.

The line will include a range of siding and trim profiles complementary to a variety of architectural design styles, including shingle siding that duplicates the look of natural cedar shingles, board and batten siding for either accent areas or an entire elevation, and dozens of trim profiles for a complete, finished look. Consistent with other products offered by AZEK Exteriors, Captivate is specially designed to provide a premium product able to withstand the elements. Captivate will be available in 12 regionally popular quickship colors inspired by nature and the Atlantic seaboard, with additional custom colors available by special order.

Both companies began taking orders in May, with initial deliveries expected early this month.

The line is developed using Russin’s high-tech machinery to apply quality tested paints in a consistent manner. The paint is cured in a controlled environment not subject to wind and weather conditions for industry-leading quality control. It also carries a warranty from the paint manufacturer, in addition to the AZEK Exteriors’ limited lifetime warranty on the substrate itself.

Deckorators Buys Recycling Plant

UFP Industries’ Deckorators division has acquired recycler Cedar Poly, Tipton, Ia., for $17 million.

Founded in 2007, Cedar Poly is a full-service recycler of high-density and low-density polyethylene (HDPE and LDPE) flakes and pellets used in various products, including composite decking. The company also recycles corrugate and operates its own transportation fleet. Cedar Poly had 2021 sales of approximately $17.3 million and will operate in UFP’s Deckorators business unit. The company’s management team, including vice presidents Scott and Jeremy Rogers, will continue in management roles.

“Cedar Poly allows us to vertically integrate our sourcing of recycled polymers and increase our use of post-industrial waste materials in our industry-leading products without compromising quality,” said Landon Tarvin, VP of Deckorators. “Growing our Deckorators product line using more sustainable raw materials is a key objective and enhances the overall value to our customers and our shareholders.”

UFP plans to invest in additional capabilities at Cedar Poly’s operations to serve both Deckorators and Cedar Poly’s existing customers.

Against the backdrop of rapid inflation and rising consumer prices, Connolly’s Do it Best Hardware & Rental demonstrated its commitment to the community through a series of customer-focused events at its five Fort Wayne, In., locations.

In April and May, Connolly’s hosted an “Inflation Vacation” event, featuring vacation-themed décor and giveaways, and showing off lower prices on more than 90,000 items.

Unlike a typical promotion, however, prices reportedly won’t go back up anytime soon. “It seems like the cost of doing life is going up everywhere else, and that can be really discouraging,” said division manager Grant Umber. “We want Connolly’s to be a refreshing change from that, both now and in the future. That’s why we’re committed to lowering prices and keeping them that way.”

Connolly’s plans additional in-store events to bring together neighbors, including a June carnival at the Dupont location, featuring games, food trucks, and firetrucks; a late summer grand-reopening sale at the Southgate location; and a late fall Ladies’ Night event at its Illinois Road location.

The shopping experiences will be improved courtesy of bright new flooring, thousands of additional products, a full remodel of the Southgate store, and a full store reset at three other locations. The team is also looking at ways to enhance their commercial and contractor programs.

DO IT BEST dealer worked with the area humane society to offer pets for adoption during its first annual Spring Fling.

New Store Seeks Adoption by Locals

St. Charles Do it Best Hardware, St. Charles, Il., hosted its first annual Spring Fling education and entertainment event on April 30. The event featured giveaways, product demonstrations, pet adoptions, and savings opportunities for area home improvement shoppers.

During the event, Anderson Humane offered a variety of pets for adoption, and a local radio station hosted a live broadcast. Products from Milwaukee, DeWalt, Scotts and many more were given away throughout the day, and one grand prize winner received a $500 shopping spree.

“We were really pleased with the customer response,” said general manager Dave Nestor. “Since we opened last fall, this community has been so supportive. It was great to be able to return the favor with a fun, family-friendly event. We’re already looking forward to next year’s Spring Fling.”

Attendees were educated on lawn care and maintenance by a representative from Scotts, and experts from Apex/Crescent, Blackstone, Broil King, Channellock, DeWalt, Milwaukee, Scotts, Sherwin-Williams, and Weber were also on-site to provide product demonstrations. Free food samples were offered, courtesy of the grill demos.