PRIMETIME,''

Factory Primed Cedar Siding

E joy the traditional warmth and quality of Western Red Cedar Sidi ryaQle new growth timber stands in;.tre--il-cific *Y You can rehl the industry leader ure a suDe

1 r-a rrnlsn. uslng a system, an even coat of highperformance exterior primer on all sides provides a solid foundation for field-applied finishes. When PrimeTimd" Factory Primed Cedar Siding is properly top coated with Sherwin-Williams A.-100@ finishes, the coating system is warranted by Sherwin-Williams for 15 years.

Plywood Firms Consolidate

Southwest Plywood & Lumber, Rancho Dominquez, Ca., E.H. Wood Products, Commerce, Ca., and their sister company, Texas Plywood, Grand Prairie, Tx., have agreed to be ac4uired by U.S. Wood hoducts. The deal was expected to be finalized in early March.

No price for the sale has been revealed, according to Michael Krupp, chaimran of Genesee Group Companies, Golden, Co., the parent company of U.S. Wood. Genesee is a private holding company with additional interests in wholesale food distribution and processing, hydraulic cylinders and precision machine products.

With the acquisitions, U.S. Wood Products will have l7 distribution facilities, five manufacturing operations and annual sales of $250 million. The company bought plywood maker Down River International, then headquartered in Sacramento, Ca., in May 1997, and in July 1998 The Goldenberg Group, Lynnwood, Ca., and in December 1998 Allied Plywood, which has ll distribution centers in the East and South.

Whether the new acquisitions will operate separately or be merged has

Not Yet Been Determined

According to lftupp, U.S. Wood hoducts, which has its distribution headquarters in Concord, Ma., and its manufacturing headquarters at Goldenberg's Lynnwood facility, is "dedicated to the distribution and manufacture of wood products for industrial markets." U.S. Wood recently acquired former PrimeSource distribution operations in Minneapolis, Mn., and Columbia, Md.

Royal Plywood Sold

A senior management group and other investors have purchased Royal Plywood Co., Cerritos, Ca., according to Robert "Jerry" Huisken, who founded the company 38 years ago.

No changes are contemplated and Huisken is maintaining an office at the company to ensure continuity, although he will not be involved with the ownership or management of the company. Royal is seeking possible acquisitions to broaden its product line.

The new owners include Southland Capital Partners, LLC, an unnamed European investor and the management team of Huisken's son, Mark

Huisken, Dana Linz and Steve Fuller.

The senior Huisken has been in the plywood business 5l years and observes that, "Our plywood industry is a unique group, developing and maintaining valued friendships, even with some of our strongest competition."

L-P Elevating EWP Output

Louisiana-Pacific is closing its Fernley, Nv., LVL and I-joist plant while expanding capacity at other facilities to double the company's North American engineered wood product output over the next two years.

Initially, L-P's Hines, Or., facility will be expanded to include an additional LVL production line and greater specialty item capacities. Expansion also has been proposed for the Wilmington, N.C., EWP facility.

"In addition, we are exploring several options to expand LVL and l-joist capacities in the South and in Canada," says Dick Yarbrough, EWP general mgr. "This is intended to provide us with low-cost LVL facilities and assured access to raw materials."