If 2006 was the year of the megadeal, 2007 is shaping up as the year of the strategic buy. Last year saw the creation of Pro-Build Holdings, the biggest pro dealer in the country, as well as the rapid buildup of The Home Depot's HD Supply division, whose LBM operations alone put it third on this year's PROSALES 100. Now contrast that with this year's announced deals. Through July, the only major acquisition was Beacon Roofing's purchase of North Coast Commercial Roofing Systems, at $253 million in sales the Midwest's largest distributor of commercial roofing products. August did see a blockbuster with the $8.5 billion transaction that handed HD Supply over to three private equity firms, but that deal represented The Home Depot's retreat from the serious pro market. Read more
NLBMDA Excellence in Human Resources Awards
You would be hard pressed to find a "let them eat cake" attitude when it comes to owner and employee relations at R.P. Johnson & Son in Andover, N.H., and Randall Lumber & Hardware in Taos, N.M. The level of mutual admiration among ownership, management, and associates at both businesses has garnered each of them the 2007 National Lumber and Building Material Association Excellence in Human Resources Award. Read more
How many pro dealers find themselves in this situation? They've cut staff, maybe even closed a branch or two, or restructured their operations, all in response to a housing slump they thought would be over by now but instead might not rebound until late 2008. Read more
If 2006 was the year of the megadeal, 2007 is shaping up as the year of the strategic buy. Last year saw the creation of Pro-Build Holdings, the biggest pro dealer in the country, as well as the rapid buildup of The Home Depot's HD Supply division, whose LBM operations alone put it third on this year's PROSALES 100. Now contrast that with this year's announced deals (see chart). Through July, the only major acquisition was Beacon Roofing's purchase of North Coast Commercial Roofing Systems, at $253 million in sales the Midwest's largest distributor of commercial roofing products. August did see a blockbuster with the $8.5 billion transaction that handed HD Supply over to three private equity firms, but that deal represented The Home Depot's retreat from the serious pro market. Read more
Contractor Clothing
Lumberyard Couture: New materials and technologies dominate the workwear scene for more protection, comfort, and durability than ever before. Read more
When a customer has a complaint, Hubert Lang III is used to direct talk and quick action. That's why Lang, president of Lang Building Supply in Brunswick, Ga., was surprised by the way he heard a customer was unhappy with deck handrailing he had purchased. Lang didn't get news of a problem until five months after the sale, when his credit card processor pulled from the LBM's account the $26,000 paid for the deck package. Read more
You don't have to wait a month to get your fix of news and information in the construction supply world. ProSales Online has regular updates of all things important to you and your business. Check out some of these highlights. Read more
Editor's Pick / ProBuild Gets Credit Line / Deals..... Read more