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Vermont Mill Sold at 11th Hour Onthe brink of foreclosure.

Northeast Wood Products, Pownal. Vt., was sold at auction to Bill Drunsic. who owns two short-line railroads in Tennessee.

"We are investigating a number of options to restart some business down there," said Drunsic. "We hopc to have some direction in a couple of months. Our goal is to start something that may create some jobs."

Former owner Robert Kobelia said that Northeast was started in 1946, and he purchased the business in 1991. It employed about 24 people in the mid to late 1990s, but shut down in 2008 after a series of economic setbacks. Berkshire Bank started foreclosure proceedings last year, saying it was owed nearly $-500,000 on a loan that was never repaid.

Robbery Accomplice Arrested

One suspect has been arrested in connection with a robbery at Lafferty Lumber, Lemoyne, Pa.

According to police, Terry Lee Gettys Jr. confessed to acting as a lookout for an accomplice who entered the store, rummaged through employee lockers, and removed a CB radio in late February. He is being held on burglary and related charges.

Builders Station, Carroilton, Ga., closed its store in Cedartown. Ga.. at the end of March, reducing the chain to 3 locations. The unit was bouoht I years ago from Freeman's H6me Center. A Viila Rica, Ga.. store closed last year.

John H. Myers & Son, york, Pa., opened its 6th vard in the former Viele's Hardward, Aberdeen, Md.

Stotlar-Herrin Lumber, Johnson City, ll., is repairing a warehouse roof that collapsed under heavy winds April6.

GallowayAce Hardware, Galloway Township, N.J., is remodeling and adding 3,500 sq. ft.

Ace Hardw?I€ anticioates an August opening for a 11,752-sq. ft. store in Grove City (Columbus), Oh.

Central True Value, Dubuque, la., was opened in early April by Tim Walsh in ihe former Sierie's'Ace Hardware, which closed 6 months earlier.

Clinton Grain & Hardware, Clinton, Ct., closed after nearly 42 years, in a tax foreclosure sale.

Lowe's opened a 117,000-sq. ft. store April 1 in Hadley, Ma.

Menards opened a new 240,000sq. ft. store April 20 in Jefferson City, Mo. (Dave Helmick, general mgr.).

Goddard Ace Hardware, Goddard, Ks., is closing early this month, according to Mary Carpenter, owner since 2001.

Ace Hardware, Boonsboro, Md., remains closed after an April 14 fire caused $900,000 in damage to the building it shares with a gas company.

Huntington Hardware, Hunr ington, W.V., has closed its doors after 1 00 years.

Habitat for Humanity opened new ReStore discount LBtVfouilets in the former Kent Hardware in Kent, 0h., and March 20 in Bond Hill, 0h.: is opening a 6,500-sq. ft. ReStore in Pittsfield, Ma. (Kate McNulty-Vaughan, store mgr.), and relocated its Midland, Mi., ReStore to larger quarters.

Lumberman Sells FamilY Business to Run for Senate

Len Britton has decided to sell his longtime family business, Britton's Lumber LandscaPe & Feed, Woodstock. Vt.. to focus on a run for U.S. Senate.

Bethel Mills, Bethel, vt., has agreed to buy the business, which was started by Britton's father and grandfather 60 years ago.

The sale allows Britton, who is running as a RePublican against seven-term Democrat Patrick Leahy, to devote his full attention to the campaign.

"It's about going out and talking to Vermonters, going out on a shoestring, and I think Vermonters respect it, and they like that I've put thousands and thousands of miles on mY car getting to everY corner of the state," he said.

True Value Pushes New Look

Lyle Heidemann, President and c.e.o. of True Value, Chicago, Il.' wants more of the co-op's nearlY 5,000 stores to upgrade to the company's new larger store format, which features brighter lighting, specialty floors, and shelf-level signage.

The co-op will also open its first corporate store, in nearbY Mount Prospect.

"Our vision is to helP everY location to be the best hardware store in town." said Heidemann. Since the program started in late 2007, only 89 stores have signed up, but he hopes at least 100 more will refurbish or build this year. As encouragement, the coop is offering financing of uP to $150,000 to remodel existing stores and up to $400,000 for oPening new ones.

Since Heidemann took over five years ago, he has worked hard to move True Value away from its roots as a purchasing cooperative and make it act more like a retailer. The company earned $65.4 million last year, up about 7Vo from 2008. "I wanted to create a growth strategy to improve the profitability, which we have done, and get it on a growth trajectory," he said.

Although Heidemann won't disclose the cost of remodeling a store, he said that stores with the new layout have seen sales increase l2Vo on average. "We're not forcing it on them," he says. But "what sells it are the people who benefited from it."

Alamco Wood Products, Albert Lea, Mn., suffered damage to a wood-drying building in an April 12 fire.

Meisters Forest Products, Endeavor, Wi., is assessing damages following an April 8 building fire.

New England Lumber Specialties, West Springfield, Ma., has rebranded its NELS-TEK prefinished PVC trim from Jain as Ex-Cel Exterior Color Trim.

Weekes Forest Products, Grand Rapids, Mi., now distributes ilevel EWP in Michigan.

Gedar Supply Inc. added more warehouse space at its facilitY in Carrollton, Tx.

lnternational Forest Pro' ducts, Foxboro, Ma., is now exclusive marketing rep for WoodFuels virginia, Bumpass, Va.

Masonite Inc., Tampa, Fl,, has acquired interior flush door manufacturer Ledco Inc., Shelbyville, Ky.

Rob Ankar has been named chairman of Boston Cedar, Holbrook, Ma. Joe Cusack has been promoted to president. while Paul Colliton is now v.p.-sales.

Orin Comdure, Mark Babbitt, and Mike Zemla, all ex-North Pacific, are new to sales at Weekes Forest Products, Grand Rapids, Wi.

Sharon Koller, ex-Allied Plywood & Lumber, has joined Silvaris Corp./ LowGradeLumber, Port Arthur, Tx., as traffic mgr., handling the Southeast region for Silvaris Logistics.

Phil Randolph has been named v.p. of East operations for Stock Building Supply, Raleigh, N.C., overseeing residential operations in Arkansas, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Ken Greene is now market msr. for Arkansas operations.

Jeff Baumgartner has been promoted to sales mgr.-domestic and export sales at Lampe & Malphrus Lumber, Smithfield. N.C.

Dan Niesen, has retired from Spruce Computer Systems, Latham, N.y., I I years after selling his company, Anasys, to Spruce.

Dave Worthington, ex-North pacific. is now a commodity trader at Fp Supply-North Pacific's former Columbus, Oh., distribution yard now a division of Millman Lumber, St. Louis, Mo.

Mike Place, ex-North Pacific, is now general mgr. of the Landisville, pa., DC purchased by National Industrial Lumber Co., North Jackson. Oh., from North Pacific. Tom Mulligan, ex-North Pacific, is now general mgr. of NILCO's new DC in Indianapolis, In.

Frank Johnston has been named senior v.p. of Southern Mississippi Trading, Waynesboro, Mi., a new division of Forest City Trading Group, operating from the former North Pacific DC.

John Cashmore has formed Cashmore Market Research, Minneapolis. Mn.. after 22 years running Market Research Associates.

Erin Canosa has been promoted to marketing mgr. for Arch Wood Protection, Atlanta, Ga.

Ari Levitt, ex-Capital Lumber, is new to the Northeast regional sales team for wood pellets and building materials with International Forest Products, Foxworth, Ma.

Melissa Gaubatz, ex-Foxworth Galbraith, is the new controller at American Lumber, Uvalde, Tx. Bob Higgins has been appointed national director of sales-buildins products at Parksite Inc.. Batavia-, Il. Steve Wyatt succeeds him as director of national accounts. Tony Millhouse is now national director of sales-surfaces.

John J661son has been named Corvallis, Or.-based director of sales-panels & hardwood plywood for all U.S. and Canadian branches of McKillican. Chris McKillican is the new director of marketine.

Joe Heltsley, ex-Srock Builiine Supply. has been named nationa-i sales mgr. for National Shelter Products, Issaquah, Wa., agent for custom-printed Dryline building wraps.

Dave Ondrasek, v.p. and general mgr., BMC Select, Houston, Tx., has been appointed chair of the company's Millwork Best Practices Council.

Ken Barnum was promoted to director-major home center sales/North America at Laticrete, Bethany, Ct. Chris Osserman, general mgr., J.P. Hart Lumber, Irving, Tx., competed in two rounds of the Food Network's "Ultimate Recipe Showdown" for the chance to win a grand prize of $25000. Morris Code is the new messenger at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., according to co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

Beacon Buys Baton Rouge Roofing Distributor

Beacon Roofing Supply, Peabody, Ma., has acquired Louisiana Roofing Supply, Baton Rouge, La., LRS will operate as West End Roofing, Siding & Windows, under which Beacon operates its three existing Louisiana branches.

"I am pleased to pass the torch to Beacon, which will allow LRS to better serve its customers and expand its product offering," said founder Fred Garcia.

CorrectionsCop-Guard preservative is supplied to Anthony Forest Products uy Hoover freated Wood Products, Pine Bluff. Ar., not Brewer lnternationaf (Aprit, p 12)

Central Nebraska Wood Preservers, Sutton, Ne. (CA-C, EL2,

Your Midwest Redwood REDWOOD DECKIIIG

and CCA), and lowa Wood Preservers Inc., Oskaloosa, la. (ACQ and CCA), were inadvertently omitted from the list of Midwest pressure treaters (April, p 21).

Sustainable Forestrv Initiative is no longer a program of tlre AF&PA (Aprit, p. 36).

Inventory for all your redwood lumber needs

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By Christopher Eckrich and Amy Schuman