NEWS BRIEFS

Jintny Whittingnn Inmber Co., Inc., Memphis, Tn,, has acquired the assets af Eliot Whittington Euilder Supply, Memphis, as its 4th location Foxworth-Galbraith held a grand reopening for its newly-remodeled Whitesboro, Tx,, Building Project Center ...

Granite Lwnber & True Value Hardware, Granite, Ok., has closed ... Scottyts closed its East Palatka,.Fl., store a day before opening a 68,000 sq. ft. location in Palatkq Jeff Mercer, store mgr.; the chain is also investigating relocating i* Titusville, Fl., store to an 86,000 sq. ft. forrerWal-Mart site in North Tltusville

Gancedo Lumber Co., Miami, Fl., has elosed its 20th St. location; 36th St. yard rcmains opea ... Bowen Rogers Hardware, Claxton, Ga., has been acquired by David Boarright, Keith Mller aod Joe Miller and renamed Claxton Hardware & Building Supply

Wickes Luwber is moving its Greenville, S.C., tenitory office to Traveler's Rest, S.C. Builders Sapply & Lwber oprrd a 40,000 sq. ft. contractm-only center (#5) in Orlando, Fl. ...

Lummus Supply opened a 20,000 sq. ft. millwork distribution center in Cumming, Ga. Calcasieu Lumber has broken ground on a conffactor yard 2O miles outside Austin, Tk. ...

Home Depot unveiled its newest location in Faffield, Al., with its 3rd Birnringbam area store set to open May 15 at the Eastwood Festival Center; will start constnrction in May on a new Macon; Ga., location to open in Nov. as part of the Westgate Mall's $7.5 million expansion; acquired a 6.5-acre site in Hixson (Chattanooga), Tn., for $1.2 mil- lion; will replace a New Orleans, La., unit with a 409o larger, 130,0q) sq. ft. store as part of a $8.5 million renovation of the entire Westside South shopping center; is negotiating to buy the l8-acre Westbury Square shopping center site in Westbury Tx.; has filed plans with the city to build a 162,688 sq. ft. store in Jacksonville, Fl.; is considering moving its Blanding Blvd. store in Jacksonville to a former Pace warehouse in Orange Parlq Fl., ad is investigating a l3-acre tract in Maryvilla Tn., and its first sites in Arkansas (s€e story p. 20) ...

Lumber Ciry has closed one of its two Richmond, Va., stores but plans to open a new store next month in Williamsburg, Va. Leeds BuiWing Materials acqufu€d a7.5 rcrc site in Woodstock, Ga, to serve as a distribution c€,nt€r a 109,000 sq. ft. Builders Sqnre // opened in El Paso, Tx.

I-ovveb Cos. plans to build ll0 to l2O superstores in 1995 and 1996, including 30 in existing markets; the company has purchased two store sites in Baton Rouge, La., for more than $5.4 million; has finalized plans for 150,000 sq. ft. superstores in Victoria and Wichita Falls, Tx., Newnan, Ga., Easley, S.C., and relocations in Greenville, S.C., and Rome, Ga.; has begun construction on superstores in Baytown, Tx., Abilene, Tx. (to open in 3rd quarter 1995), Texas City, Tx. (early 1996 opening), Waco, Tx. (July), Elizabethtown, Ky. (Oct. or Nov.), and louisville, Ky. (to re,place a 50,000 sq. ft. uit early next year); is nearing completion of a 12O,000 sq. ft. unit in Statesvillg N.C., and has expanded service at its Hickory N.C., Contractor Yard to Lenoir and Statesville

G e o rg ia l*mb e c Covington, Ga., has itlstrlled a new stacker and sorter at its mill ... Big D Lumber Co., Richardson, Tx., a wholesale lumber yand, has been opened by Ralph Block; Keith Moen, sales mgr. ...

Tri-State ltntber Co., Fulton, Ms., has begu construction on a 2nd sawmill in Potts Camp, Ms., to provide m additioal 18 million b.f. of hearry dineosion and timbers; projected sart-up: Jw I ... Diamond Hill Plywood Co., Darlington, S.C., has rcmodcled corporate offiG, r'tling appoximarely 15(X) sq. ft

Burton Woodworks, Mostgomery Al., has prchasod sebcted product lines and mmufrcmr- ing rights from Mansion Industries, Industry, Ca, moving all production to Montgomery Tcybr-Ra,msey Cor?., Lynchhg, Va., has added a 6'x65' trcating cylinder, tripling plmt caocity

Quik Drive USA" htc., Whites Creek, Tn., has moved to a new plant in neaby Gatlati& Tn, mF ihan doubling space ... Tirtcr Pmducts ltrpcction, Inc., Conyers, Ga., has beco acquired by thrpe senior lcvel eqiloyees (see story p.4l)

Dsws Mu$rctuin7 hu Lrrc., Pensacola, Fl., has equircd toolbox manufactttet Road QucEt, Pensacolr ... Tru fub @ryhors moved its Hq. to the sib of its ref,, mfg. and wuchmse frcility und€r constnrction in Apopkq Fl.

Bird Corp.'s vinyl building products manufacturing operatio'ns, Bardstown, Ky., have been acquired by fannock Ltd. for $47.5 millisa and renamed Bird WPrduds...

Hotrsing.rtarts dtopped 2.6% n Feb. (larcst frgs.) to a seasonally adjusted amual rarc of 1.32 million; single-famity starts dipped 0.6%, multi-family plqngcd l0% building panits tbll6.7% (single-family permits down 6.7%, multi-family up 19.5%) ... in the South, stare doclined ll.2% md permis tell6%. (Co4qi4lted