Yard Notables

The Home Depot Brands Distribution Division, Opens Fuel Store On Sept. 25, The Home Depot announced the official branding of its wholesale distribution business as HD Supply. The division includes recent acquisitions such as Hughes Supply and Texas Contractors Supply. Each of the acquired businesses has been operating under its existing brand names; those businesses will now gradually transition over to the new HD Supply name.

The Home Depot also announced it has opened its first Home Depot Fuel store, in Acworth, Ga. The company says the facility, designed to attract business from contractors as well as DIYers and commuters, includes a convenience store, a filling station, a diesel filling station with high-speed dispensers and fleet card payment capabilities, and a car wash that can handle large pickups and vans.

The HD Supply division of Atlanta-based The Home Depot (www.homedepot.com) has 1,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada. The division has projected 2006 sales of $12 billion.

Sherwood Opens Distribution Facility Islandia, N.Y.–based Sherwood Lumber has opened a distribution center in Maybrook, N.Y. The 4½-acre facility will distribute green and dry dimension lumber and domestic and imported plywood and OSB to customers in New York's Hudson Valley and Capital District, northern New Jersey, and eastern Pennsylvania. Thomas Glauber will serve as the facility's operations manager.

Founded in 1954, Sherwood Lumber (www.sherwoodlumber.com) operates nine distribution centers and six sales offices.

Huttig Appoints CEO Millwork, wood products, and building materials distributor Huttig Building Products named Jon P. Vrabely president and CEO, effective Jan. 1. Vrabely has been with Huttig since 1999, most recently serving as vice president and COO. Vrabely will succeed Michael A. Lupo, who has served as president and CEO since 2003 and will continue as a director and a member of the executive committee and board of directors.

Vrabely is taking over the position as Huttig continues its proactive approach to the current market downturn, which includes a focus on three areas: the company's overall service proposition, growing the revenue stream, and driving bottom-line financial performance. “We're really dedicated to being the best service provider in every product we sell across all of our locations,” Vrabely says of the company's key focus of service, which includes implementing a disciplined approach to operating procedures that are measurable across key metrics.

St. Louis–based Huttig (www.huttig.com) has 43 distribution centers serving 48 states.

BMHC to Acquire Willis Roof Consulting, Appoints Board Member SelectBuild Construction, the construction services division of Building Materials Holding Corp., has signed a letter of intent to acquire Willis Roof Consulting, a roofing services provider in the Las Vegas market. Willis, which serves production builders, had revenues of approximately $90 million for 12 months ended June 30, 2006. The deal is expected to close this quarter.

“We are pleased to continue expanding SelectBuild's construction services business with the addition of our first roofing operations,” said BMHC chairman, president, and CEO Rob Mellor in an announcement. “Once completed, this transaction will be another step toward our goal of being able to build the entire structural shell of the home.”

BMHC also announced the appointment of Norman R. Walker to its board of directors. Walker is a retired partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

BMHC, headquartered in San Francisco, operates through SelectBuild and through its BMC West building products distribution and manufacturing division. BMHC (www.bmhc.com) had 2005 sales of $2.9 billion.

In Brief E.G. Barker Lumber celebrated the grand opening of a new showroom and sales center in Woburn, Mass., on Sept. 21. The 8,000-square-foot showroom will allow the company to expand its offerings in door hardware, tools, fasteners, bits and blades, and other contractor equipment. ...Wolseley, the Theale, England–based parent company of Raleigh, N.C.–based Stock Building Supply, reported its 10th consecutive year of record results, based on preliminary results for the year ended July 31. Group revenue increased by more than 25% to $25.32 billion; Stock had revenue growth of 27.4% to $5.3 billion. ...Arrow Building Center in Stillwater, Minn., has promoted Jon Coty to director of business development. Coty has been with the company for two years and is active with several local builders associations. ...The Fort Collins, Colo., location of BMC West, the distribution arm of Building Materials Holding Corp., has been designated a Voluntary Protection Program Merit site by OSHA. VPP-certified sites, of which there are only about 1,535 around the country, integrate comprehensive safety and health programs into their total management systems, OSHA says. ...Oak Brook, Ill.–based co-op Ace Hardware celebrated the grand opening of a 225,000-square-foot addition to its Colorado Springs, Colo., support center on Sept. 16. The co-op also announced it has promoted John Venhuizen to vice president of business development. ...Building product manufacturer Owens Corning, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, was named one of the 100 most innovative companies in the field of business technology in InformationWeek. ...Lancaster, Pa.–based manufacturer Armstrong announced Oct. 2 that it has emerged from Chapter 11. The company's Fourth Amended Plan of Reorganization includes a comprehensive settlement that resolves its asbestos liability by establishing and funding a trust to compensate all current and future asbestos personal injury claimants, the announcement said.