REELSHHfiBB

1321 N. Kraemer Blvd. (Box 879), Anaheim, Ca.92806 Fax 714-630-3190

(714) 632-1988. (800) 675-REEL

3518 Chicago Ave., Riverside, Ca.925O7 (951) 781-0s64 www.reellurnber.corn operations. "We've been working all winter long to build up inventory," said partner Jim Willmore.

ProBuild Vet Buvs Steel Products Manuf6cturer

Paul Hylbert, who resigned as ProBuild's chief excutive last summer, has partnered with Boreas Advisors LLC to purchase Barton Supply, a Colorado supplier of structural and reinforcing steel products and accessories.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Barton Supply as a committed, long-term investor," said Hylbert. "Scott Barton will continue to head our sales and marketing efforts as vice president of sales, and Don Barton will lead manufacturing and distribution as vice president ofoperations."

Hylbert will serve as chairman, while Steve Swinney, managing partner of Boreas Advisors, will serve as c.e.o. Founded in 1973, Barton Supply has locations in Aurora, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins, Co.

Hylbert and Boreas Advisors partnered earlier this year to invest in companies related to housing and building products.

At R""t Lumber Service, we supply domestic and foreign hardwoods. Our products and services include:

. Flardwood Lumber & Pine

. I{ardwood Plywood & Veneers

. Melamine Plywood o flardwood Moulding (alder, cherry, mahogany, MDF, maple, red oak, paint grade, pecan hickory, white oak, walnut, beech)

Milling (moulding profiles, S2S, SLRIE, SLR2E, & resawn lumber)

Woodworking Accessories (appliques, ornaments, butcher blocks, corbels, etc.)

Voodworking Supplies (deft finishes, color putty, adhesives, etc.)

Oo" products are widely used in interior finish carpentry, furniture, cabinetry and hundreds of industdal and manufacturing applications. We stock a complete line of cornplernentary products to cornplete virtually any woodworking or millwork project.

84 Seeks to Pump UP Retail

84 Lumber will remodel 70 of its stores-in mostly rural areas far from big boxes-to be more consumer friendly, but insists it isn't forsaking its contractor base.

"Clearly, it's not an abandonment of what we've been doing for the past 20 years; it's to address where the market is now," said spokesperson Jeff Nobers. "lt's a more open, brighter, and friendlier environment to walk through."

The remodeled stores will have kitchen and bath design centers, door displays, plus decking and railing. Other new features are aisles of basic items such as painting supplies and plumbing fixtures, as well as gas grills, potted plants' sheds, and backyard gyms.

84 Lumber hopes the changes will increase its retail customer sales, which currently total about l0% of its income. "You don't want to walk away from 10-20% of your market at any time, but especially not at a time when lverybody is fighting for every dollar that's out there," said Nobers.

Do lt Best IntroducesContractor Incentive Program for Members

Do it Best Corp. is partnering with TIrr4en, Norwood, Ma., to custom-design and manage contractor performance incentive strategies for its members.

The new Contractor Pro Rewards Program allows contractors or salespeople to earn points based upon achieving member-defined goals. Points can then be redeemed for thousands of rewards, including electronics, sporting goods, sporting event tickets, jewelry, vacations, and travel.

"Contractor Pro Rewards will enable our members to offer contractor incentive programs that meet each of their unique needs," said Quent Ondricek, Do it Best v.p'-lumber & building materials.

Individual stores choose their own earning structures, communication campaigns, and rewards.

Slide in Home lmProvement LikelY to Gontinue into 2012

After showing signs of recovery, spending on home improvements is expected to remain volatile and weak over the next several quarters, according to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard Univer-sity.

The indicator projects that annual remodeling spending through the first quarter of 2012 will be down 47o. The Census Bureau's improvements spending series, to which the indicator is benchmarked, was recently revised downwards as well.

"The recent slowdown in the economy has caused home improvement spending to weaken again," said Eric S. Belsky, managing director of the Joint Center. "Falling consumer confidence levels have undermined interest in discretionary remodeling projects."

"What looked to be a promising upturn in home improvement spending earlier this year has begun to stall," added Kermit Baker, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center. "Housing starts' existing home sales, and house prices have all been disappointing lately, which has dimmed prospects for home improvement spending gains this year."

Rail Line Resumes in No. California

Closed since 2001 due to storm damage, Norlhwestern Pacific Railroad is once again offering freight service in Califomia's Marin, Napa, and Sonoma counties. The new service makes one round-trip, three days a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

"We can ship from our own location and still connect with the national rail system," said Dick Caletti, president of Standard Structures, Windsor, Ca. "This will make us more competitive as we ship to markets beyond the Rockies."

He added that Standard Structures plans to offer the use of its rail spur to other companies, such as a major lumber company in the North Bay, "to load, unload, and store their goods at our site for up to 48 hours for a fee that could range from $300 to $400. Our existing spur line is 1,100 ft. long, plus an additional 700 ft. from a switch to the main line-enough capacity for l2 railroad cars or more."

Experts estimate that cost savings associated with rail shipments can be as much as 50Vo per ton, since one rail car has the capacity to replace four trucks. For this reason, Shamrock Building Materials is considering adding a rail spur to its location in Santa Rosa, Ca., so it can receive rail shipments.

"For a decade Marin and Sonoma have been the only Bay Area counties without freight rail service," said Caletti. "How can we attract new business and improve the economy without it?"

Copper Thieves Strike Shuttered Mill

Two men were arrested on suspicion of stealing copper wire and other valuables from Siena Pacific Industries' shuttered mill in Camino. Ca.. on Julv 23.

Donald Henstra, 40. and Scort Folsom ,42,both of Sacramento, Ca., were arrested after a foot and canine pursuit that began when they crashed their vehicle in woods north of the mill and fled. Both men were booked into El Dorado County Jail for burglary, possession of stolen property, and resisting arrest. Folsom's bail was set at $ I ,070,000, Henstra's ar $55,000.

Sheriff Edward Falkenstein said it was the second bur- hd fior e llbftty of npflkdon*

Long Lengths and Strength forFloor and Rmf Beams No ?uild Up' Required for DoorWindorv and Garage Headers o Stays Staigbt for Kitdren and Bath fzone') Wall l?dming o Consistent Performance and Long Lengths Needed inThlWallFlaming o Can Replace L\IL in Most Applications r Backed by a Iifetime Limitedwarranty

Find. morc tqfomalm ffiay ot Lptbrpom glary in a month at the mill, which closed two years ago. Thefts of copper and other metals have been on the rise nationwide.

Store Targets Taste Buds

Lunada Hardware, Palos Verdes Estates, Ca., has a mouth-watering way ofenticing repeat business.

Owner Larry Allen keeps a suPPlY of snacks for children and treats for dogs behind the counter.

"People walk by with their dogs and the dogs pull them in to get the snacks," Allen said. "Then we have treats for the kids. If you keeP the kids happy, ifyou keep the dog owners happy, they'll come back."

Mill Settles Harassment Suit

Two former employees of Mason County Forest Products, Shelton, Wa., have settled a sexual harassment suit against the company for nearlY $1 million.

The two women said theY sued because their employer did nothing, even after years of complaints over such alleged abuse as hearing sexually charged comments and insults, seeing pornography and sexual graffiti placed in the unisex porta-potties, and being locked in the porta-potties.

"I am grateful that when no one else would listen, the EEOC and the justice system did," said one of the plaintiffs, Debbie Bernstein. "I hope this makes other women more willing to come forward with complaints."

Landscaping Products Dig in For Healthy Growth

U.S. demand for landscaPing Products is projected to increase 7.67o annually through 2015, as sales register a sharp turnaround following a depressed 2010, according to a new Freedonia Group report.

Concrete products and other hardscapes will see the fastest growth, while decorative products-such as lighting and water fealures-remain the largest segment of the $4.1 billion U.S. landscaping products market.

Gonference Helps Market Colorado Forest Products

The Colorado State Forest Service will host a Forest Products Marketing Conference Aug. 18-19 at Denver Marriot West, Golden, Co. The Program's goal is to help forest and wood products businesses better understand the marketing fundamentals needed to promote their products and services.

Presenters include foresters from CSFS' Colorado wood utilization and marketing program, marketing professionals, and environmental business consultants, addressing regional wood products trends, the fundamentals of marketing wood Products, current biomass energy policy, and understanding an increasingly green customer base.

"ln many small businesses. marketing often is talked about, but never fully implemented," said Tim Reader, CSFS utilization and marketing forester. "We want to take some of the mystery out of marketing and give our forest products businesses the tools they need to increase their bottom line and help them compete better against out-of-state competition."

The event is free for members of Colorado Forest Products and $50 for non-members. Registration includes attendance to all conlerence sessions, a USB flash drive containing conference PowerPoints, a Forest Products Business Planning Guide, lunch and snacks. Vendor space is available for groups interested in displaying relevant Droducts and information.

By Danita fohnson Hughes