NEUTS BRIETS

Retailers

National Home Centers has purchased and merged into its Fort Smith, Ar., operations the remaining assets of Fort Smith Lunber Co., Fort Smith, which was demolished by a tornado April 21 and has no plans to rebuild on the srte...

Russell Do-it Center, Alexander City, Al., has closed its Decatur, Al., location, reducing the chain to fourunits...

J&R Supply, Pineville, Ar., is remodeling its office and sales floor...

Graddy Sales, Salem, Ar., is adding 4,000 sq. ft. of sales and display areas to be unveiled at an Oct. grand opening ...

Ridout Lutnber Cos., Searcy, Ar., has opened its 13th storeand first outside Arkansas-in Joplin, Mo. ...

Scotty's opened a new store in a 40,000-sq. ft. former K-mart in Waycross, Ga.

Lurnber Country, Inc., Berryville, Ar., has been acquired by Meeks Building Center; Henry Adams remains mgr. ...

Home Depot opened a new store July 4 in Watkinsville (Athens), Ga., and a relocated unit Iune 27 in Gretna, La., and will open a new store by the end of the year in a vacated Sar4's Club in Little Havana (Miami), Fl.

Hom.e Depot is testing a 1,0(XI' page catalog in the Chicago, Il., area to see if it merits national distribution; if sucessful, the catalog could ease long store lines by increasing sales by telephone and fax and boost the chain's fledgling delivery service...

Lowe's Cos. is about to begin construction on a l50,0oGsq. ft. superstore in Warner Robins, Ga., and received county planning commission approval for a zone change enabling constnrction on a l7-acrc site across the steet from the new Home Depot in Watkinsville, Ga.

Jack Treat Lumber Co., Marshall, Ar., has acquired neighboring property for future expansion plus a new parking lot

Wholesalers & Manufacturcrs

Barnes Wholesale Hardwood, Baytown, Tx., has closed Hampton Lumber Sales Co., Portland, Or., has relocated its Southern Division sales office from Centreville to T\rscaloosa, Al.; transferring ale general sales mgr. Clif Jones, mill sales mgr. Mike Gulledge, sales rep Kem Sweat and sales support Marie hice...

Great Southern Wood Preserying, Inc. has broken ground on a facility in Ttrscumbia Al. ...

Idaho Timber Corp., Boise, Id., has purchased the 48-year-old, former Wergate ltmber Co. sawmill and lumber processing facility in Wiergate, Tx.; Shaun Hoyt, mgr., David Shaddock, sales

S chuller International b Mats and Reinforcements Division has purchased the glass rnat manufacturing facility in Ennis, Tx., it has been leasing since 1988

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Cameron Ashley Building Products, Inc., Dallas, Tx., has filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission for a secondary offering of 1.5 million shares of common stock owned by CGW Sowluast Parnters, tbe p,rivate equity investment firm that established tbe coryany in l99l; CGW will retain 1.6 million shares and three board seats after the offering is completed

Spyder 12c., Houston, Tx., has enlisted crane manufacturer Manirer, Georgetown, Tx., to produce is Spyder portable fortlifts ...

Triangle Pacific Corp., Dallas, Tx., producer of Brtce Hadwod Floors and Prcmier Wnd Floors, has agreed to acquire Hartco Flooring Co. from Premark Internaional,Inc. ...

Ames La wn & Gadcn T@Lt has agreed to purchase the ladder operations of Kellcr Industries, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Fl.

Owens Corning has purchased British-owned Unpac Insulation, with plants in Hartlcpool, England, and near Barcelona, Spain, and sales offices in Italy and Holland; the new company will be knoum as Owcns Coning PolyFoant...

Structural Board Association now has an OSB Web site at htp//www.sba-osb.com

Anniversaries: Oldham Lumber Co., Dallas, Tr., 75th ... Hardwood Plywood &, Venecr Association, Re.ston, Va, 75th S outhw e st Lumbermens Supply Co., Crowley, La., 50th Crump's Lumbcr l&. Ace Hardware, Seguin' Tx.,5(Xh

Housing storts in May (latest figs.) fell 4.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rab of 1.434 million units, the lowest level in five months; single-family starts dropped 5.9%,the largest decrease since January 1995, multi-family remained flat, and building pcrmits slipped 1.9%, their first decline in four rnonths; the Sqth was the only region posting an increase, rising 0.9% to a 659,fiX) annual rate.

Canadian Trade Pact Signed

The U.S. and Canada have finally signed their much-anticipated agreement to limit softwood imports.

The agreement, signed May 29 but retroactive to April 1, permits Canada to export 14.7 billion bd. ft. of lumber each year from four provinces (British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec) free of tariffs. In a single quarter, Canada can ship up to 28.75Vo of the annual total-or 4.226 billion bd. ft.-without penalty. Shipments exceeding that total will be subject to an export tax of $50 or $100 per thousand board ft., depending on the volumes.

The pact allows for an extra 2.5Vo of the quota to be shipped without penalty if a "trigger price' is maintained for a full quarter.

Canada must still work out numerous details, especially regarding determination of individual company quotas. Until such details are finalized, current quarter exports are being handled on a first-come. first-served basis.

Individual Canadian mills appear to be continuing regular shipping patterns, although some have tried to lessen their tax exposure by temporarily holding lumber in rail cars and reloads.

Celotex Bankruptcy Plan

Celotex Corp., Tampa, Fl., has agreed to a settlement for asbestos victims that would allow the insulation company finally to emerge from bankruptcy.

Celotex's settlement with the committee representing the asbestos health claimants, the legal representative for future asbestos bodily injury claimants, the trade committee, equity interests and other creditor interests will lead to the submission of a new reorganization plan which, if confirmed, would free the company from asbestos liability. Asbestos-related litigation over a l5-year period forced Celotex to file Chapter I I bankruptcy in 1990.

Clinton To Cut Tree Plan

The Clinton Administration has vowed to make drastic, unprecedented changes in national forest policy that would seriously affect total sale volume and federal program revenue.

During a June 6 "Environment Day" meeting with national environmental leaders at the White House.

the Administration said it would ban the removal of any green trees, even infected ones, in salvage sales, and outlaw any roadless entry under the salvage provisions of the Recissions Law.

Prohibiting green tree salvage would jeopardize forest health by keeping foresters from getting ahead of insect and disease epidemics and could also create unsafe working conditions in the forests. Banning roadless entry goes against forest and fire management plans, also restraining sensible, needed forest health management.

"Cluote" vof trre ffig1ff1

"No laws force a store to be dull, lifeless, aloof, impersonal or incompetent. Given the invesffnent required to operate a retail store, why not make the store fun?"

- Leonard L. Berry Professor of Marketing Texas A&M University