NEWS BRIEFS

Retailers

Pelican Cos., Inc. has purchased Riley Lumber Inc., Summerville, S.C.; pres. John Riley stays on as mgr. ...

Kobrin Building Supply, Orlando, Fl., plans to move its Jacksonville, Fl., operations to a yet-to-be-built 20,000-sq. ft. warehouse, a second 13,800-sq. ft. warehouse and 22,801-sq. ft. drywall operation ...

Howell Building Supply, Carthage, Ms., has been acquired from Clark and Lucy Howell by Brad Ogletree and Steve Clark, and renamed Carthage Building Supply

Nachon Lumber, Hialeah, Fl., closed its Miami, Fl., location

Scotty's opened a new 8,556-sq. ft. hardware store in Cape Coral, FI....

Home Depot opened a replacement store April 3 in Harahan, La.; will open new locations April 24 in San Antonio, Tx., and Jackson, Ms., and next month its 4th Oklahoma City, Ok., area store; reportedly acquired a site between Winter Haven and Lake Wales, Fl.; renewed efforts to build a 102,000-sq. ft. store in Cobb, Ga., and is considering a new location in Oviedo (Orlando), Fl. ...

Lowe's Cos. opened a 150,000sq. ft. store in Huntersville, N.C.; is building a new location near Oklahoma City, Ok., and a $12 million replacement unit across from its Hattiesburg, Ms., store, and plans new stores in Woodstock, Ga.; Rocky Mount and Goldsboro, N.C., and a 160,000sq. ft. unit in Crossville, Tn., to open by Thanksgiving ...

Wholesalers & Manufacturers Conner Industries. Inc.. Fort Worth, Tx., has opened new plants in Jackson, Ms., and Columbia, S.C.; Woody Martin is responsible for all manufacturing and product distribution in Jackson, while Lyn Teal is Columbia plant mgr.

Columbia Forest Products, Portland, Or., has purchased the majority interest in South Bay Industries, Corpus Christi, Tx., and will operate the raised panel, door insert plant as Columbia Wood Components

Wimsatt Bros., Louisville, Ky., has opened a new branch in Clarksville, Tn., branch mgr. Tony Yeatts; operations mgr. Larry Creamer; the Covington, Ky., branch is closed ...

Idaho Timber Corp. has restarted its Wiergate Forest Products, Wiergate, Tx., SYP mill following a multi-million dollar upgrade

International Paper installed a new continuous lumber tester at its New Boston, Tx., mill to increase MSR lumber production

James River Corp. has agreed to sell about 95.0O0 acres of timberlands in Alabama and Mississippi for $ll0 million to Hancock Timber Resource Group, an investment unit of John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co., and negotiated cutting rights on the lands

Willamette Industries is about to begin construction of a chip mill in Union Mills. N.C.

Celotex's reorganization plan has been confirmed and the firm expects to emerge from bankruptcy May 30 after nearly 7 years ...

Fibreboard Corp., Dallas, Tx., has agreed to purchase Fabwel Inc.for about $120 million

Cameron Ashley Building Products, Dallas, Tx., agreed to acquire certain assets and liabilities of Contractors Supply, Inc.,

Lincoln and Omaha, Ne., from Carmar, Inc. and to purchase Bois Daigle, Boucherville, Quebec Andersen Corp. has acquired Aspen Research Corp.; Aspen founder Kurt Heikkila continues as pres. ...

Jacobs Chuck Manufacturing, Clemson, S.C., broke ground on a 50,00Gsq. ft. manufacnrring plant in Suzhou (Shanghai), China ...

Style-Mark /nc. has joined the Industry Education Alliance as a national corporate partner of its Carpentry: Qualified Framer program...

Alamo Forest Products, /nc. is now distributing Lumberlast plastic lumber throughout Texas

Ov'ens Corning has acquired Italy-based insulation producer Polypan Nord S.P.A.

Tech Products, Miami, Fl., has purchased Reynolds Distibuting Co. of N.C., Raleigh, Charlotte and Greensboro; Terry Reynolds remains gen. sales mgr. of the branches

Hinkle Metals & Supply Co., Birmingham, Al., is now distributing Arcoaire heating and cooling products

Woodworking M achinery Distributors Association and the Woodworking Machinery Importers Association have merged as the Woodworking Machinery Industry Association

Florida Wood Council has moved from Mount Dora to new offices in Orlando. Fl. ...

Vistawall Architectural Products, Terrell, Tx., has acquired all assets of Rebco West, Inc.. Rancho Cucamonga, Ca., and Las Vegas, Nv.

Tingas Hill, ad agency for Cox Wood P res erving, Orangeburg, S.C., won two top awards at the annual Addy Awards Show in Charlone, N.C.

Housing starts in Feb. (latest figs.) soared l2.2%o to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.528 million ... single-family starts rose 8.87o, multi-family 27.8Vo permits rose 37c ... starts climbed I0.9Vo in the South.