NEWS BRIEFS

Retailers

Davis -Washington Lumber, Gainesville, Ga., has closed ...

84 Lumber Co. plans to open a new yard in Owensboro, Ky., by April, joining other new western Ky. locations in Henderson, Bowling Green, Madisonville, Hopkinsville and Russellville ...

Ridout Lumber & Home Center opened a second Rogers, Ar., door facility and is expanding the Rogers store's carpet center ...

Moore's Lumber & Building Materials, Roanoke, Va., has enlisted Frederick Trading Co., Frederick, Md., to take over warehousing and distribution of hardlines to its 52 stores ...

Lowe's opened a superstore in Madisonville, Ky. (Jim Butera, store mgr.); a 100,000-sq. ft. unit on Hurstbourne Pkwy. in Louisville, Ky., replacing a smaller Shelbyville Rd. store; a 120,000-sq. ft. location in Enid, Ok. (John Faulkner, store mgr.), and is nearing completion on superstores in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., six times the size of the store it will replace, and in Fredericksburg, Va., which will replace the nearby Chancellor Center store and cause the Four Mile Fork, Spotsylvania, store to become a Contractor Yard ...

Lowe's will add a second superstore late this year on 23 acres in Winston-Salem, N.C.; begins construction this month on a 3l-acre site in Temple, Tx., for Sept. opening; has acquired a l3-acre site in Jackson, Tn., for $2 million, and expanded its Savannah, Ga., unit by 15,000 sq.ft., including additional outdoor garden shop space and an indoor gteenhouse ...

Anniversaries: Dunn Lumber & Hardware, Daytona Beach, Fl., 90th ... Porter Paints, Louisville, Ky., 75th Hoover Treated Wood Products, Thomson, Ga., 40th Scotty's Surplus Outlet, Winter Haven, Fl., 1st

Wh olesalers/llan uf actu rers

Raifurd Lumber Ca., Asheville, N.C., has been renamed Alliance Products Co. ...

Doby Building Supply, with six South Florida DCs in Bonita Springs, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Boca Raton, Jupiter and

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other electric tools previously offered by Chicago Pneumatic ElecticTool

Charlotte Hardwood Center, Charlotte, N.C., has acquired Plywood & Plastics Corp. of Vrginia...

Metal Rolling, Inc., Memphis, Tn., has added a 20,000-sq. ft. plant in Jackson, Ms.

Suncoast Roofers, St. Petersburg, Fl., plans to add a Tamp4 Fl., brarrch

Jack Davis & Associates, Birmingham, Al., is now representing Woodway Mant$acturing's door, millwork and insert lines in Ms., Al., Ga, Tn. and Ky. ...

Orgill Bros., Merryhis, Tn., has acquired OdcU Hadwarc, Cir€ensboro, N.C. (see story p.U) ...

Willanutte Industries' Malvern, Ar., plant was picketed by protesters concerned the plant is emiaing dangerous pollutants

Canercn Ashley BuiWing Prcducts, Inc., Dallas, Tx., has signed a letter of intent to acquire Premdor's Ogden, Ut., DC

Cooper Industries, Inc., Houston, Tx., has agreed to purchase the CEAG electrical products operation of Asea Brown Bweri AG, Mannheirn, Gerrnany

Norfolk Southern Corp., Norfolk, Va., anticipates spending $708 million in capital improvements this year...

Pembroke Pines, has had its assets acquired by L&W Snpply Corp., a USG Corp. subsidiary operating 20 Fl. DCs under the name Seacoast Supply ...

Milwaukce Electric Tbol Corp. has assumed selling, marketing and servicing for AEG brand and

Housing starts for Nov. (latast figs.) rose 5.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.42 million, the highest level since July single-family starts remeincd flat although multi-family constnrction jurryed 32% building permit applications clfunbd 3.2% to a 1.428 million annual rale ... starts increased 14.5% in the South.

Southern Office For Hampton

Hampton Lumber Sales Co., Portland, Or., has formed a Southern Sales Division to continue market development of products produced by its Texas and Alabama operations.

Mike Gulledge, Kem Sweat, Marie Price and Sonya Lightsey have transferred to the new company. Cliff Jones, previously with GeorgiaPacific Distribution Division, Atlanta, Ga., has been named general sales manager of Hampton's southern sales office.

Sales will continue to be handled from the Centreville, Al., location until a new office is built in Vance. Al.

MSDS Exemption For Pallets

OSHA has ruled that wood pallets are among wood products and articles exempt from the provisions of the Hazard Communication Standard for wood dust, freeing manufacturers from having to distribute Material Safety Data Sheets to customers, according to the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association.

The HazCom program still requires pallet manufacturers to provide an MSDS to warn employees in areas such as sanding, sawing and grinding operations where dust may be generated in airborne concentrations that can be inhaled.

Canadian Timber Pact Near

The U.S. and Canadian governments are completing a timber trade pact that would raise the price of Canadian softwood lumber.

The proposed agreement is designed to stave off threatened trade action against Canadian lumber firms by U.S. producers, who accuse Canada of selling its lumber in the U.S. at unfairly low prices.

Canada maintains its lumber is priced fairly, but to dodge a potentially expensive trade dispute, the two largest timber growing provinces, British Columbia and Quebec, agreed to alter their pricing policies. Other provinces are forecast to follow suit.

British Columbia is anticipated to impose an export levy on U.S.-bound lumber, while Quebec is expected to hike the fees it charges for wood cut on its large government-owned forests.

If completed, the pact should place upward pressure on U.S. homebuilding costs. Canadian imports currently comprise approximately 36Vo of the

U.S. softwood lumber market.

Canadian firms contend their U.S. market share has risen from 27Vo in 1991 due to tighter environmental restrictions causing reductions in the U.S. timber supply.

Machinery Show Planned

"Blazing New Trails" is the theme of the fifth annual Woodworking Industry Conference April 24-27 at the La Quinta Resort, La Quinta (Palm Springs), Ca.

Co-sponsored by the Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, the Woodworking Machinery Distributors Association and the Woodworking Machinery Importers Association, the event this year also welcomes the Association of Woodworking and Furnishing Suppliers as a participant.

Speakers Richard Titus, Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association ; Albert Bibeau, Wood Products Manufacturers Association; Steven Lawser, National Dimension Manufacturers Association, and Craig Johnson, Architectural Wood Institute will provide wood products industry forecasts from the perspective of their industry segments.

Listings are often submitted months in advance. Always veify dates and locations with sponsor before making plans to atlend.

February

National Wood Window & Iloor Association - Feb. llFl4, annual meeting, Hyatt West Shore, Tampa, Fl.; (708) 299-52Q.

Lumbermen's Club of Memphis - Feb. 11, Valentine's Day luncheon, Memphis, Tn.; (901) 385-8802.

Virginia Building Material Association - Feb. 13-15, rnanagement seminar, Richmond, Va: Feb. 27, sales seminar, Frcdericksburg, Va.; (804) 323-8262.

Southern Forest Products Assn. - Feb. 13, regional meeting/mill tour, DeQuincy, La.: Feb. 15, Warren, Ar.; (504) M3 14&1.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association - Feb. 14-16, Expo '96, Bartle Hall, Kansas City, Mo.; (4O2) 46G346.

Carolinas Woodworking & Furniture Supply Show - Feb. lG 17, Greensboro, N.C.; (704) 459-1312.

National llardwood Lumber Association - Feb. 20-22, drying hardwoods seminar, Memphis, Tn.; (901) 377-1818.

American Forest Congress - Feb. 2l-2, Washington, D.C.; (203) 432-5rr7.

Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers - Feb. 22'8, anmal meeting, The Cloister, Sea Island, Ga.; (919) 885-8315.

Wood Moulding & Millwork Producers Association -Feb.2L 25, annual meeting, San Diego, Ca.; (503) 292-9288.

National Wooden Pdlet & Container Association - Feb.2*tl, annual meeting, Marrion, Sconsdale, Az.; (7O3) 527-7667.

National Rooling Contractors Association - Feb. 2S2t, annual convention & exhibit, San Diego, Ca.; (708) 299-9VlO.

Southern Forest Products Association - Feb. 2E, rcgional mecting & mill tour, Monroeville, Al..; (504) 4/.3'4464.

Targeting the Professional Contractor - Feb. 2&29, contractor forum, Fairmont Hotel, New Orleans, L:.; (800) 999-3123.

National Frame Builders Association - Feb. A-Merch l, annual meeting, St. L,ouis, Mo.; (913) U3-2444.

Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association - Feb. 29, area meeting, Macon, Ms.; (1104) 361-1445.

National Sash & Door Jobbers Association - Feb. 2$Marci 3' sales seminar, Nashville, Tn.; (800) 786-7274.

North American Buitding Material lXstribution AssociationFeb. 29-March 2, executive management conference, Phoenix, Az.; (312) 945-7201.

March

Cologne International Hardware Fair - March $6, Cologte' Germany ; (21 2) 456-9 &6.

Kentucky Forest Industries Association - March 6'7, annual meeting, Lrxington, Ky.; (502) 875-3136.

National Lumber & Building Material l)ealers Assn - Marcb 6-9, legislative conference, Washington, D.C.; (800) 63+864,5.

CSD - March 7-9, user conference, Denver, go.; (800) 688-9606.

Japan DIY Show - March 7-10, Osaka, Japan; (708) 605-1025.

Fencecraft t96 - March 8, Whistler Conference Center, Whistler, 8.C., Canada: (604) 73C2568.

Nationd Association of the Remodeling Industry - Merch & 10, convention & show, Chicago, tl.; (800) 96-7@1.

Mid-America Lumbermens Association - Mer. 1114, outside sales seminar,91.; (402) 46G346.

Mississippi Building Material Association - Marc} l&15, convention, Ramada Inn, Tupelo, Ms.; (601) 352-8561.