iotion news

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association installed new officers during its recent management conference in Phoenix, Az.

New president is John Lindsey, Big John's Lumber Co., Glenwood Springs, Co.; secretary Ed Botkin, Mountain West Wholesale, Salt Lake City, Ut.; president elect Joe Martin, Zentz Lumber Co., Billings, Mt.; treasurer Doug Cunningham, Boise, Denver, Co.; past president George Harley, J.C. Baldridge Lumber Co., Albuquerque, N.M.. and national director Walter Foxworth, Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber, Dallas, Tx.

New directors are Max Guetz, Home Lumber, Littleton, Co.; Steve Ker, Max Ker & Son Lumber, Idaho Falls, Id.; Joe Martin, Zentz Lumber; Bill Miller, Alpine Lumber, Denver, Co.; Tom Stringham, Stringham Lumber, Salt Lake City, Ut., and Ken Van Grinsven, Aldrich Lumber, Powell, Wy.

Western Building Material Association is conducting roundtable groups Nov. 17-21 at WBMA Hq. in Olympia, Wa.

Lumber Association of California & Nevada's 2nd Growth is staging its holiday meeting Dec. 4 at the Sheraton in Cerritos, Ca.

Western Hardwood Association has set its next board meeting for Nov. 20 at the Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, Vancouver, Wa.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman's Club is inviting members and guests to The Magic Castle, Hollywood, Ca., for its Nov. l5 dinner meeting.

National Sash & Door Jobbers

Association unveiled its name, Association of Millwork Distributors, at its recent convention in Orlando, Fl.

Newly elected officers (see p. 38-39 for photos) are president Brian Mcllwee, J.J. Mcllwee Co., Itasca, Il.; v.p. Terry Bumgarner, King Sash & Door, Clemmons, N.C.; 2nd v.p. Carl Detering, Detering Co., Houston, Tx.; immediate past president George Lorenz, Western Building Products, Milwaukee, Wi.; treasurer Mike Walsh, Radford Co., Oshkosh, Wi., and executive director Rosali Leone, AMD.

Board members include Bill Anders, Pacific Millwork, Inc., Marysville, Ca.; Robert Kasten, K-K Distributing, Wausau, Wi.; Daniel Barber, Barnett Millworks, Theodore, Al.; Joe Bayer, Bayer-Built Woodworks, Belgrade, Mn.; Kenneth Bussmann, Cleary Millwork Co., Rocky Hill, Ct.; Joe Cornett, Texas Wholesale Building Materials, Farmers Branch, Tx.; John DeSimone, New England Millwork, Dorchester, Ma.; Andy Durosky, Black Millwork Co., East Islip, N.Y.; Doug Hart, OrePac Building Products, Wilsonville, Or.; John Kerr, Reeb Millwork, Kent, Wa.; Jack LaRock, BMC West, Englewood, Co.; Johnathan Lambert, Pacific Mutual Door Co., Kansas City, Mo.; Timothy Lyons, Brockway-Smith Co., Andover, Ma.; William Sarbaugh, River City Millwork, Rockford, Il.; Harrell Spivey, Guardian Building Products, Greenville, S.C., and Daniel Warren, Warren Window & Supply, Rapid City, S.D.

L-P Moving From Portland

As part of its onging consolidation, Lousiana-Pacific Corp. will relocate its corporate headquarters from Portland. Or.. to Nashville. Tn.. over the next 12 to 15 months.

The move follows a major restructuring in which L-P divested nonstrategic operations to reduce debt and improve financial flexibility, enabling the company to focus on growing its retained, strategic business.

Charlotte, N.C., and Richmond, Va., as well as its existing location in Portland, Or., were other places being considered.

"All four cities demonstrated their desire to attract or retain our headquarters," said L-P chairman and c.e.o. Mark Suwyn. which it plans to shut down by the end of 2004. Employees from other administrative offices in Hayden Lake, Id.; Conroe, Tx.; Shaumburg, Il.; Troy, Mi., and Montreal, Quebec, will move to the new headquarters.

"Our center of gravity has certainly moved to the East." said L-P spokesman David Dugan. "Nashville is very centrally located, and it has the best proximity to our mills, customers and investors."

The company said it will keep about 130 positions in Portland, where they now employ 210, and plans to move approximately 15 more positions to the Northwest as part of the overall consolidation. Additionally, L-P will centralize many employees from its office in Charlotte. N.C..

The company expects the impact of the move to vary by location. "Some will see minimal impact, while others will consolidate in greater numbers to the new headquarters," said Suwyn.

L-P Finalizes Sale in ldaho

Louisiana-Pacific has finalized the sale of its sawmills and timber procurement contracts for the sawmills owned in Moyie Springs, Chilco and Sandpoint, Id., to Riley Creek Lumber Co.. La Clede.Id.

"This sale places these mills in the hands of a company focused on the lumber business and moves us closer to completing our divestiture program," said Mark A. Suwyn, L-P's chairman and c.e.o.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for Riley Creek," added Riley Creek owner/president Marc Brinkmeyer. "These are excellent facilities with highly skilled work forces that will be great additions."

Nathan Crozier, Norm Nelson and Wade Wheeler, formerly with L-P, are all now part of Riley Creek.

Riley Creek sees excellent longterm opportunities for both sawmills and plans to make the necessary investments in them to complement its state-of-the-art mill at LaClede.

ln addition, the two companies have a verbal agreement to, in the future, transfer L-P's interests in the Bonners Ferry, Id., sawmill and site to Riley Creek.

L-P Funds Remaining Claims

Louisana-Pacific intends to fund the remaining $18 million in claims under the Inner-Seal siding class action settlement agreement by the fall of 2004.

"Providing payments to the remaining claimants will bring to a close our monetary obligations under the settlement agreement," stated Curt Stevens, L-P executive v.p.-administration and c.f.o. "We do not anticipate any future charges to earnings from this decision, as we believe our current reserves are adequate. L-P has satisfied, or exceeded, all of its obligations under the settlement agreement."

The company implemented a voluntary Claimant Offer Program in April to speed payments to claimants.