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EIOR years. glulam has been making inroads in the I-' building industry and has finally established itself as a mainstay in yards and in builder's projects.

There are two reasons for this, according to glulam suppliers and manufacturers. Builders are recognizing glulam's strong traits on the jobsite, while housing starts went through the roof the past few years. This has spread glulam's use to parts of the country that weren't aware of it in the past.

"So far, we're definitely seeing more acceptance in the East," said Jim Enright, general sales manager of Springfield, Or.- based Rosboro, Inc. "l'm anticipating a big push for our products in Northeast states like Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont"

Other areas of growth expected for Rosboro in 2007 include Midwest states such as Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as the Kansas City/St. Louis, Mo., area.

Enright also sees more glulam acceptance from different parts of the country since many builders who once wrote off glulam products are now rediscovering its uses. "Many are finding that glulam is more than an attractive exposed architectural beam," he said. "We're seeing the transition from 'pretty glulam' to more of a structural beam and header."

Popular glulam products from Rosboro include their Treated Glulam and the venerable 30F BigBeam, l.8E IJC, and the new l.9E Laminated Columns.

Other glulam powerhouses on the market include high strength (30F) products such as the GL3000 from Calvert Co. and Anthony Forest Products' Power Beam.

Kerlin Drake of El Dorado, Ar.- based Anthony Forest Products agrees with Enright on the idea that glulam's increasing popularity is a result of it spreading to new regions, but also believes that glulam production and acceptance is at an all-time high due to the phenomenal housing starts of the past few years.

"All glulam manufacturers benefited from the housing starts," said Drake. "What happened is that we all got our product into the market and into the hands of those who hadn't used it in the past. New customers came from that and have managed to hang in there."

And once builders got their hands on the different glulam products, they discovered its durability, flexibility and ease of installation.

"Now there's a tremendous demand for glulam and we've got a foothold in the market," added Drake.

On the wholesale distribution supply side, glulam has made similar inroads. Bill Sweeney, Coastal Forest Products in New Hampshire, who started carrying Rosboro products last December (and has been carrying other glulam products for more than two years) says glulam is gaining popularity in projects that traditionally used other EWP products in the past.

"When we originally introduced glulam it was as a replacement for LVL," Sweeney said. "But, as builders have become more educated about the benefits of glulam, it's becoming the norm for their projects. And no one is selling single LVL anymore as far as I can tell."

Two popular examples Sweeney gives for glulam benefits include the ease of use in handling while installing one piece - as opposed to many,like LVL-and the flexibility for builders, such as the ability to drill a hole down the middle for wiring.

Specifically, Sweeney noted, Rosboro's Big Beam is stronger than LVL, easier to install and he believes it's the ideal product for structural beams given New England's snow loads. It also makes it easier for builders and designers to keep the design of a roof or floor system simple'

Treated Glulam, the other Rosboro product Sweeney carries, is ideal for deck projects. "Its sturdiness makes it a perfect solution for decks built with heavier, composite materials, allowing for the extra load," said Sweeney.

These attributes, among others, make the treated glulam popular with deck contractors, especially since homeowner demand for functional outdoor spaces translates into larger decks with longer spans. The treated beams eliminate the need for view-blocking posts while providing a sturdier, longer lasting under-carriage for decks.

Glulam is clearly evolving and gaining market share each season. "It's taking the same path as I-joists. Fifteen years ago you didn't see too many I-joists-now it's a standard item. Engineered wood products in general are getting stronger in the market," said Sweeney.

Drake, who says his business has picked up with the rebuilding of the Gulf States in the wake of Katrina and has recently released a l.6E header for the wall panel and built-up header markets, believes that glulam's flexibility has enabled it to grow and stay strong. "We're making user-friendly products that fit into existing products, such as I-joists. Being compatible helps," said Drake.

And what of the housing market? If you recall, last month the c.e.o. of the nation's largest homebuilder said, "2007 is going to suck."

Neither Enright or Drake buys it. "We're going through a little downturn. We're not going to lose market share. It will eventually improve," said Drake.

Enright added, "I think housing starts will pick up. Housing inventory on the market will decrease and the need for more housing will increase. And glulam will continue to make inroads into new areas and will be increasingly used by a new generation of builders."

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84 Lumber held a grand opening March 27 for a new 6,000-sq. ft. store with 36000-sq. ft. warehouse on 9.1 acres in Yuma. Az. (Ricardo Villa, mgr.)

Rancho Hardware, Los Altos. Ca.. is closing ...

Ace Hardware will open this summer in San Jose, Ca. ...

Lumbermens"T0 stores in Oregon, Arizona, California, Idaho, and Washington have converted to Orgill for their hardlines needs...

Lowe's Cos. will open a 116,000-sq. ft. home improvement center April24 inBuckeye, Az. ... the chain expects new store openings in winter 20A7 in Gilbert and Show Low, Az., and early next year in N. Visalia, Ca. ...

L,owe's received planning commission approval to build in Vernal. Ut.; is ready to start construction in Monroe. Wa., and agreed to purchase a 12 acres in Hollister, Ca., to build a 150,000sq. ft. store with 31,500-sq. ft. garden center

Home Depot opened new stores Feb.22 in Peoria (Happy Valley), Az.; Feb. 15 in Corvallis, Or., and Feb. 1 in Los Banos, Ca., and W. St. George, Ut.

Home Depot allegedly will test a smaller-store concept- ranging from 35,000 to 50,000 sq. ft.*in the San Francisco Bay area bv the end ofthe year

Home Depot purchased 9 acres in Chino, Ca., to build a 106000sq. ft. store with 35,000-sq. ft. garden center; wants to replace a Sears in Mountain View, Ca., with a 129,469-sq. ft. unit; hopes to develop a retail center on 19 acres in Novato, Ca.; was ordered to halt construction and seek environmental review of its conversion of a vacant Kmart in Sunland, Ca., due to resident complaints, and funded a tree giveaway program in San Diego, Ca. ...

Building Materials Holding Corp., San Francisco, Ca., has completed its purchase of the remaining 27Vo of .Riggs Plumblng, Mesa, Az.; BMHC subsidiary SelectBaild acquired 73Vo of Riggs in 2005

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Liberty Forest Prod ucts. Tigard, Or., has merged after 90 years into Patrick Lumber Co., Portland, Or.; Mike Foster remains ...

Sierra Pacific Industries, Redding, Ca., has agreed to purchase Centralia Sawmill Co.. Centralia, Wa. ...

Yakama Forest Products, Yakama, Wa., suffered a March 20 fire that heavily damaged the log sorter at its small-log mill; the large-log mill and planer mills continue operations ...

Konecny Brothers Lumber Co., Ogden, Ut., is the new sales agent for Goshen Forest Products, Goshen, Or. ...

Western Lumber Co., Medford, Or., has merged with Michael Jones Lumber, Wilsonville, Or.; all sales contacts are the same ...

Tri-Pro Cedar Products, Oldtown, Id., has been named sales agent for Malloy Lumber, Priest River, Id.; Terry Baker will handle sales

Portac Inc.,Tacama, Wa., cut back to a single shift April 2 due to a tight log supply

Gibraltar Indust ries, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y., agreed to purchase the assets of injection moulder

M&N Plastics, Portland, Or.; sheet metal manufacturer NorWe sCo (Northwest Metal Products Co.), Fife. Wa.. and parent company Noll Manufocturing Co., Stockton, Ca., from The Employee Ownership Holding Co.: the companies produce more than 4,000 products for the building, HVAC, and lawn and garden markets ...

Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way, Wa., completed the sale of its paper-producing operations to Domtar for $1.35 billion in cash and a stake in the new firm ...

Powers Fasteners filed suit against Metallics Inc. and Avanti Screw Inc ., alleging patent infringement on its Powers Wall Dog anchor ...

Hambro Forest Products, Crescent City, Ca., has agreed to buy the Broyhill particleboard plant in Lenoir, N.C., from Furniture Brands InternationaL

Northwe st Machinery Supply Co., Newberg, Or., is providing Claussen All-Mark lumber printing equipmentto Collins Products, Klamath Falls, Or., and Shelton Lam & Deck, Shelton, Or. ...

Kelleher Corp. is now distributing Bodygltard's new exterior wood moulding in Califomia and Hawaii...

BuildDirect, Vancouver, 8.C., is now wholesaling ip6 hardwood decking, Kontiki hardwood deck tiles, Rever reversible composite decking, an:d l"ang aluminum railing systems

Boise Engineered Wood Products, Boise, Id., has become an approved EWP supplier to Pulte Homes

Housing starts in February snapped back 9 .OVo , to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.525 million ... single family starts jumped l0.3Vo to a 1.22-million pace, while the multifamily sector climbed 4.lTo ... regionally, poor weather helped drive starts down 14.4Va in the Midwest and 29.6Vo in the East, while improved weath-

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