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Kentucky Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association's upcoming annual convention will feature college football's Terry Bowden addressing "Leading with Audacity." The event, Feb. l8-20 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center, Covington, also will include a trade show, management sessions on succession planning and margins, and buyer sessions on vinyl railing products, concrete siding, truss technology and engineered wood.

Early next month, Bill Darling will lead a pair of estimating seminars at the Executive Inn, Louisville. He will teach a blueprint reading class March 5 and a three-day residential framing course March 6-8.

Southern Building Material Association will hold advanced selling and sales management seminars March 7 at the Holiday Inn Central, Richmond, Va., and March 14 at the Holiday Inn Lake

Norman. Charlotte. N.C.

SBMA is among 10 federated associations endorsing BuildNet, Inc., Research Triangle Park, N.C., as an e-commerce provider for its members.

Lumbermens Association of Texas is heading to the Omni Downtown Hotel, Austin, for its winter board and committee meetings/lobbying days Feb. 6-8.

International Wood Products Association will hold its 45th annual convention and 13th international forest products exhibition March 14-16 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Speakers at World of Wood 2001 include Dr. Ariel Lugo, on mahogany and tropical forestry; Charles R. Widman, the future of softwood imports; Tim Stanceu, the new administration's effect on international trade; Marc Morano, myths of the rainforest: Keister Evans. sustainable forest management, and author Ron Arnold.

McCoy's To Open, Shutter & Remodel Stores

McCoy's Building Supply Centers, San Marcos. Tx.. has closed four of its Texas locations, plans to remodel four units this winter and will open one new store this year.

The shuttered units are in Beaumont, Jasper, Texas City and Weatherford, Tx., all of which were unprofitable, according to president and ceo Brian McCoy.

Though the firm did not reveal which units would be upgraded, spokesperson Ann Frugoni later said a retrofit was recently completed in

Corsicana, Tx., leaving three sites to be remodeled by the end of March. To date, the chain has renovated 12 Texas locations, as well as one in Hobbs, N.M.

The company also said that construction is underway on a new store in Kingsville, Tx., which it expects to open early in the second quarter.

The 7S-year-old firm operates 96 stores in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

British Parent Sells CSI

Laporte plc has sold several divisions, including wood preserving chemical producer Chemical Specialties Inc., Charlotte, N.C., to private investment firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., L.P.

The acquired businesses-timber treatment (CSI), pigments, additives, plastics compounding, water technology and electronics-will retain their names and management teams as divisions of newly formed Rockwood Specialties Inc., Princeton, N.J. Michael J. Kenny, formerly a division chairman and director of Laporte, will serve as president.

"We will remain CSI," said CSI's Dave Fowley. "We've just gone from being a part of a publicly traded British company to being part of a privately held U.S. company.

Knoxville Business For Sale

Parker Brothers Ace Hardware, Knoxville, Tn., is up for sale.

Third generation owners Chuck and Linda Lee (granddaughter of the founder) say they are selling because none of their three adult children are interested in running the 7S-year-old family business.

"What we're hoping to do is find someone local that cares about the community and our customers," said Chuck Lee, adding that the decision to sell had nothing to do with Home Depot's interest in opening nearby. The city is already home to one Depot, an 84 Lumber and a Lowe's.

Parker Brothers has been at its current location since 1994, when the business relocated after its original location was torn down to make room for a grocery store. Not long after the move, the Lees expanded the store, which, according to Chuck Lee, has remained successful.

TruServ LBM Sale To BMA Official

Builder Marts of America, Greenville, S.C., has completed its acquisition of TruServ's LBM division, crearing the nation's largest Lumber & Building Materials group with combined 2000 sales of over $2 billion.

LBM sales operations in Butler, Pa., and Springfield, Or., will continue to service TruServ retailers. Marketing, procurement and other support functions will be handled out of BMA's Greenville headquarters.

With 225 associates and nine sales offices across the U.S., BMA now offers lumber, building materials, millwork, hardlines and business services to over 4,500, primarily pro-oriented customers.

Louisiana Retailer Goes Wholesale

Lumber Investors, Inc., Alexandria, La., has converted its Point Coupee Lumber, Lafayette, La., retail location into a wholesale distribution center in order to better serve South Louisiana dealers.

According to president Allen Wiggins, the newly-named Martin Distributors-Lafayette will help "reach potential growth markets in Southern Mississippi and East Texas."

The l4-year-old business has two retail units, Howard Lumber & Supply, Minden, La., and Martin Building Materials, Pineville, La., and another DC in Alexandria.

Big Box Hard Hat Bill Proposed

Legislation has been proposed by two Massachusetts representatives that would require customers and employees to wear hard hats while inside warehouse retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's and Wal-Mart.

"Sprawlbuster" Al Norman said he helped craft the bill, which pertains to stores that stock merchandise more than l0 ft. above the ground and operate heavy equipment. "It's all part of telling the story about what these big box retailers are doing," he said. "One of the many ways Wal-Mart holds down prices is to have less need for warehouses because they've chosen to put the warehouse over the head of you, at your risk."

Jeffrey Hyman, a Denver, Co., lawyer who represents plaintiffs in cases involving falling merchandise, said Home Depot gets 185 claims a week. However, Depot spokeswoman Carol Schumacher said most of the claims are not injury related, adding that the chain does not release information on customer injuries.

The bill would require retailers to report customer injuries and deaths to the state's Department of Labor. Employee injuries are now required to be reported to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Do it Best To Offer Seminars

Do it Best is holding 36 Executive Retail Symposiums nationwide during February, offering members the opportunity to recognize and profit from industry trends.

Among the topics in "Planning for Profit in a Changing Retail Environment" are methods for combating the expected economic slowdown in 2001, recruiting and retaining employees, industry competition, merchandising techniques, and making better use of new technologies.

Dates for the South are Feb. 8, Arlington/Dallas, Tx.; Feb. 9, San Antonio, Tx.; Feb. 9, Oklahoma City, Ok.; Feb. 15, Richmond/Midlothian, Va.; Feb. 20, Birmingham, Al.; Feb.22, Atlanta, Ga.; Feb. 26, Greensboro, N.C.: Feb. 28. Charleston. S.C.. and March 2. Orlando. Fl.

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