Get up on green roofs

visit local projects, and scout products. New product innovations are coming to market that are contributing to better systems with greener materials, built faster with easier maintenance, etc. Consider the whole system and how you might innovate within your own organization to grow this aspect of your business next year. Learn more at Green Roofs for Healthy Cities (www.greenroofs.org), an industry association. Most importantly, build relationships with local green roof designers and builders.

f llrluarer-y. THE wAys IN which homes are designed lL,/ and built influence the kinds of products and solutions that make their way into the "shelter supply chain." The green building movement has blossomed over the last ten years, and the thinking at its core has, too. References to "systems thinking" occur more frequently in conversations concerning all aspects of building science and practice. Buckminster Fuller would be happy.

But it's early days and there is much more progress to be made. The carbon footprint of the building industry is still two or three times above where it will need to be in order to meet whatever carbon reduction target eventually becomes national policy.

The next waves of innovation are pushing forward more holistic solutions, creating new opportunities for the long term. Savvy dealers and distributors could do well to begin making moves into green roofs and modular shelters.

A green roof is exactly what it sounds like-plants growing on the roof. The idea is old, but current approaches are based on the latest systems thinking. A good green roof system takes in the entire building ecology and watershed. Storm runoff is managed; perhaps rainwater is harvested and reused within the building. The plants effectively filter rainwater, provide habitat, and maybe even food for inhabitants. The building's energy requirements for heating and cooling are reduced, as are heat island effects. Organic wastes are composted, loops are closed. The overall CO2 footprint is reduced. A green roof provides many services for the building, its occupants, and its neighbors, what a permaculture practitioner would call "stacking functions."

The number of green roof installations is growing and there could soon be tax credits to keep it growing. Savvy dealers would do well to start learning about green roofs,

The other wave of opportunity is with modular shelters, a perfect example of holistic design that contributes to sustainability and self-reliance. This may not seem obvious, but at bottom, we are really in the business of providing shelter. Rather, the shelter is the continuing service that customers are getting from their building system, the components of which are sourced from various places and assembled by various workers. Why not provide shelter more holistically?

There has been growing interest in green prefabs and modular building for use on homesteads, backyards, and even roofs. New designs incorporate the greenest materials, are solar powered, collect rainwater, and even come with a green roof. (For an example, see Tensen Eco Buildings at www.tensenbuildings.co.uk).

It's not hard to see the appeal. These products are much less expensive and more feasible than buying a bigger house or financing a room addition. Building permits may not even be necessary. As more people seek to become self-sufficient, growing their food, and simplifying their lives, these cool little shelters are even becoming preferred

A hundred years ago, this supply chain sold goods to people with sod roofs and even sold homes. Thinking of your own dealer or distribution business as a member of the "shelter supply chain" will help position it for the inevitable low-carbon future to come.

Jay Tompt Managing Partner Wm. Verde & Associates (4ls) 321-0848

Oso Lumbet, Arlington, wa., has completed the sale of its six Puget Sound locations to ProBuild, Denver, Co.

Kent Cohee, owner of Shady Gove Hardwdfe, Shady cove, or., applied to build Eagle Point Hard. ware & Rental, Eagle Point,0r, The 11,996-sq. ft. hardware store would include a rental and landscape product areas.

Ace Hardw?r€, Missoula, Mt., will expand into the vacant 14,000-sq. ft. space next door.

Lowe's has broken ground on new home centers in Sonora and Vallejo, Ca., both expected to open by the end of the year.

The chain also is seeking approval to add new locations in Poway, Petaluma and Fairfield, Ca.

Home Depot has no more new store openings planned for 2010, lts only addition so far this year was April 29 in Bethesda. Md.

Washington Yard Guts Back

Kingston Lumber Millwork & Supply, Kingston, Wa., has consolidated its retail store and lumberyard in a single location.

The retail space had occupied the same downtown location since the 1940s, but worsening traffic had made the trip between store and yard more difficult. "It gives us an opportunity to be more efficient with our customers," said Tom Waggoner, who bought the business in 1968.

Waggoner said that the move had been planned for years, but a suitable building near the yard only recently became available. As for the nowvacant downtown building, several parties are interested in the space. "It will give the downtown part of Kingston a chance to grow," he said.

Ganahl Returns to Pasadena

Ganahl Lumber paid close to $10 million for a closed Chevrolet dealership in Pasadena, Ca., and hopes to open its 1Oth lumberyard there next spring.

"We love Pasadena," said president Peter Ganahl. "The San Gabriel Valley is an important place for the business to be, and Pasadena is the

ideal spot."

The new store will mark the company's return to Pasadena after 100 years. Now based in Anaheim, Ca., the company opened in Los Angeles in 1884 and ran a yard in what is now downtown Pasadena from about 1900 to 1910.

Ganahl said he had to convince Pasadena officials that the new store would generate nearly as much sales tax as a car dealership. A successful dealership can generate substantial sales taxes, but many have gone out of business and finding new uses for old car lots has become a challenge.

"It's almost a perfect square, with a huge amount of frontage on East Colorado, and it's at a signalized corner across the street from a Target," said broker Bill Ukropina, who represented the seller.

Former Boise Mill Restarts

Emerald Forest Products has opened on the site of Boise Cascade's old mill in Emmett,Id.

"This is a real sweet spot because the nearest mill is 120 miles away," said Richard Vinson, who also owns a mill in Trout Creek, Mt. "Our goal and direction is to use the whole tree, from stump to store, doing it right."

The new mill will produce boards for Home Depot, as well as the Boise Cascade beam plant located next to the sawmill. Small wood pieces will be turned into bagged shavings for horse bedding. Logging debris will power the mill, and any excess will be sold to Idaho Power.

Vinson said that he and two other investors became interested in the mill in 2O02, but he stopped work rwo years ago when their money ran out. He said that $4 million in federal stimulus money allowed him to resume building last year.

"We need new jobs and highly skilled workers," said Betty Munis, director of Idaho's Forest Products Commission, who noted that this is the first new mill in the state since 2006. "The forest industry has been a historical part of our state, and we need to look to the future."

SPI Restarts Quincy Mill

Sierra Pacific Industries resumed production at its small-log sawmill in Quincy, Ca., in mid-May with a single shift. A second shift was added a week later. Production at an adjacent largelog mill was recently reduced to a sin- gle shift.

"We are encouraged to get people back to work and sincerely appreciate all the support from Quincy and the surrounding Plumas County communities," said spokesperson Mark Lathrop.

SPI ceased small-log production in Quincy in May 2009. At rhat time, the company said the closure was being considered permanent, but the plant's equipment would be kept in place and operational in case conditions changed.

Stock Sells Commercial Unit

Stock Building Supply has sold its commercial door and hardware division to five-unit Cook & Boardman Group, Charlotte, N.C., to focus on the residential market.

The division, SBS Commercial Door & Hardware, has 13 locations, including Martin Architectural Products, Cary, N.C.; Hollow Metal Specialists, Sarasota, Fl.; Architectural Building Supply, Salt Lake City, Ut., and Idaho Falls. Id.. and Precision Door & Hardware, Washington, D.C.

Stock retained its fully integrated commercial door and hardware operations in New Mexico and California.

Forest Grove Lumber, McMinnville, Or., closed at the end of May after 53 years.

International Forest Pro. ducts, Foxborough, Ma., has purchased the wood products division based in Yuba City, Ca., from Sealaska Gorp., Juneau, Ak., and hired its staff, including director of international trade & development Jim Haas, sales mgr. Buzz Nielsen, and sales & marketing coordinator Christina Haas.

Hampton Affiliates, portand, Or., is looking for a buyer for its shuttered 120-acre milling site in Packwood. wa.

The property is valued at roughly $3 million.

Peninsula Plywood, eort Angeles, Wa., was back in operation within days with a portable boiler after a May 15 fire destroyed its boiler control room. Damage was estimated at $500.000.

Samson True Value Hardware, Fairbanks, Ak., held a grand reopening to show off its new location.

The 104-year-old business was closed for nearly a year before co-owners Jeanne Stearns and Jennifer Towler found a new storefront to house a similar product mix, enlarged lawn and garden section, and some of the old store's antique furnishings.

Miner's Ace

Hardware opened store #7 in the former Pacific Home lmprovement Center in San Luis Obispo, Ca.

Ace Hardware Corp., oak Brook, ll., launched its Helpful Hands campaign, a nationwide contest that will award a $2,000 paint makeover to one high school in each of the 50 states.

Anniversaries: Parr Lumber, Hillsboro, Or., 80th Honsador Lumber, Kapolei, Hi., 75th ... Parson Lumber & Hardware, Boyes Hot Springs, Ca,, 60th McGuckin Hardware, Boulder, Co., 55th.

HD Supply Adding in L.A.

HD Supply Repair & Remodel, Sacramento. Ca.. is opening a new warehouse store with indoor drivethru lumberyard in San Fernando, Ca.

Previously known as Contractors' Warehouse, the HD Supply division operates ll locations throughout California.

Roseburg Partners With EPA

Roseburg, Roseburg, Or., has been accepted as a shipper/transport partner in the Environmental Protection Agency's SmartWay TransPort Partnership, which seeks to increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprints.

"Our participation demonstrates our commitment to better management of our resources and reducing our impact on the environment," said c.e.o. Chuck Ulik, "Our decision to participate in SmartWay is simply good business for us, our suppliers, and our customers."

Participants are required to evaluate their environmental impact and carbon footprint, which is affected by whether a shipper uses SmartWay certified carriers, the extent of rail and intermodal usage, and equipment prac- tices within the shipper's own facilities. Roseburg's score was well above the requirement to become a Smartway partner.

"Roseburg has achieved huge milestones in reducing its carbon footprint," said Jeff Brandt, the company's director of transportation. "We plan to continue our efforts to further reduce carbon emissions."

L.A. Area Independent Closes

Merkow Hardware & Paint, the last small hardware store in Pacoima, Ca., is holding a going-out-of-business sale and will close by the end of June-due to market conditions and competition from a nearby Lowe's.

"I feel sad because I worked at this to make a living to support mY family," said owner Kwang Lew, a 62year-old native of South Korea who bought the hardware business and the building from the Merkow family in 1987. "It was a stable business and we could live off it, but we didn't make a lot of money."

Lew already has a tenant for the building, an entrepreneur who plans to open a phone and clothing store. As for Lew, "I'm going to try to find a part-time job," he said.

Portland Area Retailer Hangs lt Up

Decorum Hardware, which operated for 30 years in the Old Port area of Portland, Or., closed May 22.

"We're seeing things turn around, but it's not enough," said owner Nick Harding, who blamed the recession, Internet shopping, and limited parking for the store's demise. "It all kind of took its toll on us. Besides, I need a break."

One portion of the business, Nostalgia Lighting, will continue if Harding can find a suitable site in the Portland area with low rent and plenty of parking. "Eighty to 90Vo of our business is special order," he said. "We don't need to be in the Old Port."

He also hopes to reopen Decorum at another location in a few months, possibly with a smaller showroom but with more off-street parking.

Marvin Expands to Siding

Marvin Windows & Doors, Warroad, Mn., is expanding into exterior siding, incorporating the same material it uses in its fiberglass windows.

Marvin will produce the new Apex Siding System at its Tecton Products subsidiary in Fargo, N.D., which Marvin co-founded in 1990 to supply fiberglass components to its window plants in Fargo and Roanoke, Va.

Hanson Building Products, Ramsey, Mn., was selected as the first Apex distributor and will market the product to area builders, remodelers, and architects.

The siding will be marketed as an alternative to wood or vinyl siding, reportedly with a finish four times thicker than paint and offering resistance to rot, mold, fading and warping.

Roseburg, Roseburg, Or., received exempt stgtus by the California Air Resources board for its hardwood ply4,rvoo( pani els, because they are bonded by an ultra-loui-emitting formaldehyde (ULEF) resin.

J.H. Baxter & Co., San Mateo, Ca., is now offering TimbeMood architecturally designed lighting poled built from '1 00% pure' FSC-certified wood.

Canfor Corp., Vancouver, 8.G., restarted its sawmill in Quesnel, B.C., which will produce softwood lumber for China.

Nu-Ray Metal Products, Auburn, Wa., has is adding a 15,000-sq. ft. metal roofing/siding plant with showroom in Airway Heights, Wa.

Galvert Co. Inc., Vancouver, Wa., has been producing and distributing EcoBlu 3000F glulam beams treated with BluWood moisture repellant and FRC fire retardant coatings from EcoBlu Products Inc., vista, ca.

Bluelinx Corp. is exclusive dishibutor of AERT-manufactured ChoiceDek decking and accessories to Lowe's stores throughout North America.

KOMA Trim Products, Huntsville, Al., now protects all its PVC products with Klean Edge, which smoothes and seals edges so they remain cleaner during storage, handling, and after installation.

Cet ready for a whole new approach to dealing with edge swell: pointSlX" from Ainsworth, an engineered subfloor solution designed to accommodate whatever wet stuff the weather serves up. lt does so thanks to a patented tapered-edge technology that actually offsets the effects of prolonged moisture exposure. The result: floors that go down flat and stay that way-no sanding required.

PowtSlX rAKEs rrs NAME FROM RESEARCH RESULrS ,NDI/CAIING A M'NIMUM .5NTM TAPER DEP1H TO BE il'O'f EFFECTIVE ,N REDUC'NG EDGE S?'/ELL.

Withers Brings Yard Back to Molalla

Withers Lumber added its fourth location May 10, in Molalla, Or.

"Our formula is the exact opposite of everyone else," said Trent Withers, who runs the S2-year-old chain with his father, Bob. "Everyone else plops down a l0-acre yard and fans people out 50 miles. Our idea is to put small yards into small communities with local people and become part of the town. We are never going to be a big, mega-operation. My grandfather didn't want that, my father didn't want that, and I don't want that."

The new location is managed by Ryan Brock, who managed the local Keith Brown Building Materials until it closed in 2008. Soon after, Brock contacted Withers.

"He called and said Molalla had always supported a lumberyard, and he told me, 'lf you open one here, we can do well," Trent recalled. Similarly, years earlier, Brock's father, Ken, called Withers with the same pitch for Silverton, Or. Soon after, Withers opened a yard there and hired Ken as manager.

Withers also has yards in Brooks and Woodburn, Or.

Colorado Sawmill Shuts Down

Intermountain Resources LLC, Montrose, Co., ceased operations in late May due to lack of capital after falling into receivership-six months after receiving $500000 in federal stimulus money.

According to spokesperson Nancy Fishering, the company is "recapitalizing and restructuring," but has no intention of closing permanently.

Sandy Head, executive director of the Montrose Economic Development Corp., said that the $500900 allo- cation was a "Band-Aid." She believes the company should receive more assistance to keep workers employed and help harvest more than a half-million acres of beetleinfested trees.

"What they need is money," she said, "and we all know there is a shortage of that."

Last year, Intermountain bought equipment from other sawmills and invested in new technology that increased its capacity to 42 million bd. ft. from l2 million bd. ft.

Car Plows Into Ace Storefront

Even a car crashing through the front of the store could not stop business at Cook's Ace Hardware, Sacramento, Ca.

The morning of May 25, a car ran over a tree out front and through the store's glass front. Owner Cindy Duarte said she has feared such an accident since the street parking in front of the store was changed.

No one in the store was hurt, although the condition of the driver and the cause of the accident are not known.

Home Depot Killer Awaits Fate

Jason Russell Richardson, 39, who killed manager Tom Egan, 40, during a 2007 robbery of a Home Depot in Tustin, Ca., has been convicted of first-degree murder. However, the jury was dismissed when it could not reach a unanimous decision on whether the killer deserves the death penalty.

"They voted their conscience-they did what they were supposed to do," said deputy district attorney Cameron Talley, who will continue to push for the death penalty because nine of the 12 jurors favored capital punishment for Richardson.

"He's been earning this more severe punishment for 20 years," Talley said during closing arguments in the trial. "He went in (to Home Depot) ready to kill."

Richardson-who wore a full-body painter's coveralls, sunglasses, dust mask, and gloves to disguise himself in the robbery-was caught because he left behind a sock that was used for DNA identification. He got away with approximately $500.

Egan left behind a wife and twin 3-ll2-year-old daughters. A June l8 hearing will discuss when to schedule another penalty-phase trial for Richardson.

Timber Plantation in Nevada Desert

ECO2 Forests, which started in Australia last year and is now headquartered in Sacramento, Ca., has established its first tree plantation in the U.S.

Some 450,000 paulownia trees were planted on 2,000 acres in the high desert between Reno and Susanville, Nv. Over the next five to seven years, the company intends to plant up to 3 million of these trees on 14,000 acres in Washoe County, Nv., and in parts of California.

"From the time we plant the tree into the ground, in 90 days it's over 6 ft. tall and has leaves the size of an elephant's ear," said c.e.o. Collie Christensen. "Within the first year, it will grow over 20 ft. tall."

The company hopes to generate revenue by selling both carbon credits and timber. Christensen said the company will be able to sell carbon credits-for about $20 each on the open market-within six months of planting. The first timber sales would take place in four years, when the trees are thinned to decrease competition for sunlight and soil.