Hardwood Industry Key to U.S. Economy and Jobs |
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| A comprehensive new economic impact study has concluded that the U.S. hardwood forest products industry helps to employ over 1.8 million people and contributes $348 billion to the U.S. economy. Read More |
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Boise Cascade Enters Into Agreement to Sell North Carolina Plywood Mill to Southern Veneer Products |
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| BOISE, ID–Boise Cascade Company (Boise Cascade) (NYSE: BCC) has entered into an agreement with an affiliate of Southern Veneer Products (Southern Veneer) to sell its plywood operations in Moncure, NC. Founded in 1998, Southern Veneer, located in Fitzgerald, GA, is a privately-held manufacturer of high-quality plywood, veneer and wood by-products. Read More | ||
Forisk Announces Date for Wood Flows & Cash Flows Event |
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| On December 13th, Forisk will host the annual "Wood Flows & Cash Flows" event in Atlanta, GA. This one-day educational event was designed, first and foremost, to support companies who subscribe to or are interested in the Forisk Research Quarterly (FRQ). Read More | ||
A career as the customer's advocate: Marv Askey retires from Boise Cascade after 17 years |
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| With more than 45 years in the wood industry—17 of which spent as Western Region Sales Manager for the Engineered Wood Products (EWP) business at Boise Cascade—Marv Askey developed close working relationships with his coworkers and countless customers. Askey’s ability to understand the customer and connect with others greatly impacted the culture of Boise Cascade. As he prepares to retire in July 2018, his legacy of relationship building and mutual understanding will continue to resonate within the Boise Cascade community. Read More |
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Hardwood Federation seeking responses to tariff survey |
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Hardwood Federation seeks input from industry leaders on how trade disputes with NAFTA countries and current state of trade negotiations are affecting business. The survey asks for your insight and experience on how retalitory measures (e.g. customs delays, price renegotiations, project delays) and/or competitive or operational impacts (e.g. raw material costs, product pricing, supply chain management) have affected your business. Read More |
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Study Finds Flexible Structural Sheathing Under-designed, Unsafe and Unreliable |
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| A new report finds that manufacturers of flexible structural sheathing overstate their lateral load resistance values by as much as 42 percent. In a study by three independent laboratories—Clemson University, University of Oklahoma and APA – The Engineered Wood Association—five flexible structural sheathing materials available in the marketplace were tested for their wind and seismic lateral load (shear wall) performance. APA published the results in a new Product Advisory: Performance of Flexible Structural Sheathing. Read More | ||
SFPA Announces 2017 Sawmill Safety Awards |
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 (L-R): SFPA Executive Director Tami Kessler, Weyerhaeuser's Jerry Nix, Unit Managers Steve Higdon, Lenora Whittington and Benji Herrin. |
Six Southern Pine sawmills – all members of the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA) – are recent recipients of the 2017 Sawmill Safety Award. Read More | |
Western Hardwood Association Announces Winners of Student Design Contest |
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 Pictured here are the winning entries to the Western Hardwood Association's first design contest. |
Western Hardwoods were the featured woods in the Western Hardwood Association’s (WHA) first design contest especially for forestry and design students from Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. Each of 24 students had to submit his/her design to a panel of judges. Finalists were selected and required to manufacture their design to be judged. Awards were made for Best of Show, Best Lighting, Best Furniture, Best Design for Production. Read More | |
NELMA Virtual Tour: Door #5 Opens |
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| Cumberland, ME–Originally launched as a unique, first-of-its-kind virtual home tour aimed at consumers, NELMA’s latest Virtual Tour door draws attention to the use of Eastern White Pine in commercial construction applications. All Virtual Tour doors may be found at www.easternwhitepine.org. Read More | ||
Softwood Lumber Board Launches Aggressive Five-Year Plan |
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| WITH SOLID INDUSTRY MANDATE SOFTWOOD LUMBER BOARD LAUNCHES AGGRESSIVE FIVE-YEAR PLAN Referendum positions SLB to continue demand growth with aggressive market development programs With a super-majority mandate from 94% of industry production representing 78% of companies voting in the referendum, the Softwood Lumber Board of Directors met on May 31st to launch an initiative to establish softwood lumber as the preferred choice for the built environment by 2024. Read More |
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Harold James Boyd Keeso Obituary |
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| Harold James Boyd Keeso, born January 29th, 1925 to John and Mildred (Boyd) Keeso recently passed away at Listowel Memorial Hospital. A veteran, Keeso had a full and long life. He was a member and former elder of Knox Presbyterian Church in Listowel. Both Kinsmen and K40 service clubs were organizations he was a part of locally. Read More | ||
Softwood Lumber Industry Passes SLB Referendum |
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Washington, DC–The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)announced today that domestic manufacturers and importers of Softwood lumber have voted overwhelmingly to continue the efforts of the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB).
In the referendum conducted by USDA from April 17 to May 14, 2018, to determine the future of the Softwood lumber industry’s market promotion check-off known as the Softwood Lumber Board, a super-majority of manufacturing and importing companies established a strong new mandate to advance the program for another term.Read More |
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Log Exports to China – Information from APHIS |
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| As you may know, the Chinese government has ramped up quarantine checks on raw logs and apples entering Chinese ports. Evidently pests were found on shipments originating from the United States which triggered this action. Fumigation at the ports in China is apparently not an option, although this is routinely done in Hong Kong. Read More | ||
Official Announcement From Chinese Government Regarding Log Imports From U.S. |
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| An official response has been announced by the government of China regarding shipments of imported wood logs from the United States. Logs will be subject to quarantine checks when entering the ports of Shanghai, Shenzhen, Qingdao, Xiamen, etc. The same rules apply to shipments of apples from the United States. Read More | ||
Boise Cascade announces purchase of Norman Distribution Inc. |
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Boise Cascade Company announced an agreement on May 3, 2018, to acquire assets of Norman Distribution Inc., a distributor of engineered wood products (EWP), commodity lumber items and specialty building materials located in the Medford, OR market. Read More | |
NAWLA Brings Back the John J. Mulrooney Award |
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 Nick Fitzgerald |
Nick Fitzgerald, chairman for the North American Wholesale Lumber Association (NAWLA), released the following announcement: “In this, NAWLA’s 125th anniversary year, I am pleased to announce the return of the John J. Mulrooney Award, information on which you can find here. In 1979, the prestigious John J. Mulrooney Award was established by NAWLA with the intent to commemorate Mr. Mulrooney’s life and career, emphasizing his significant and long-lasting contributions to the forest products industry.” Read More |
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Softwood Lumber Board Nominations For Board Seats |
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| The Softwood Lumber Board (Board), which administers a national research and promotion program for softwood lumber, is seeking nominees to fill six seats on the Board. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which oversees the program, would like to encourage all eligible industry members to participate in the process. In an effort to enhance the diversity of the Board, USDA also encourages women, minorities and people with disabilities to seek a position on the Board. Read More | ||
Gary Sinise R.I.S.E. Seeks Program Donations In Partnership With National Hardwood Lumber Association |
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| As part of its partnership with the Gary Sinise Foundation’s R.I.S.E. program, the National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) is asking its members for contributions to complete 3 projects with immediate needs. Read More | ||
Omnibus Bill Update Includes Wildfire Funding Fix, Federal Forest Management Reform |
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| The House and then the Senate passed an FY 2018 omnibus 2,232-page spending package. Before the deal was unveiled early Wednesday morning, we were notified that leadership in both the House and Senate had forged an agreement on a wildfire funding fix for the Forest Service, as well as federal forest management reforms. We are pleased to announce that a favorable package of pro-forestry reforms made it into this spending deal. Read More | ||
U.S. Commerce Department Calls for Comments on Aluminum, Steel Tariffs |
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Montrose Forest Products Proposes Expansion to Mill |
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| Montrose Forest Products is proposing a $20 million expansion to its mill in Montrose, CO, to help thin the overgrown San Juan National Forest and lessen the risks of wildfires and beetle infestations. Read More | ||
IWPA Applauds U.S. District Court for Signing Order in Sierra Club-EPA Formaldehyde Litigation |
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| Alexandria, VA – The International Wood Products Association (IWPA) applauded the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California/Oakland Division for issuing its order that provides orderly resolution of the Court’s decision vacating a one-year delay of the formaldehyde emission standard for composite wood products in a suit filed by Sierra Club and a Community Voice—Louisiana against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Read More | ||
New Trustees Join Board of APA - The Engineered Wood Association |
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| APA-The Engineered Wood Association has announced four new members to the Association’s Board of Trustees, filling vacancies created by retirements and new executive assignments. Bruce Alexander, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing and Logistics for Norbord, has been with Norbord since May 1, 2017. He has over 25 years of experience in the wood products industry, with positions at International Forest Products Ltd. (Interfor) and Raute North America. His experience also includes several years in the helicopter industry holding the role of Chief Operating Officer with Highland Helicopters Ltd. He holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and B.Sc. in Forestry from University of British Columbia. Read More |
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Roseburg Realigns Businesses and Announces Changes to Executive Team |
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| Springfield, Ore. – Roseburg Forest Products is pleased to announce that Ashlee Cribb has been named Vice President of Structural Products and Mark Avery, current Vice President of Roseburg's Composites Business and Logistics, has been promoted to Senior Vice President of Industrial Products and National Accounts. Read More | ||
Timber Products Names Steve Killgore as Next CEO |
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 Steve Killgore |
Eugene, OR–Timber Products Company, headquartered here, recently announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Steve Killgore as Chief Executive Officer. “As a family-run business for four generations, it is with the utmost confidence that we transition to outside leadership for our day-to-day work. Killgore is an industry veteran who can help lead us into the future,” said David Gonyea, Timber Products’ Co-Chair of the Board. Read More |
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Valutec installs three TC kilns in Sweden |
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| Valutec recently installed three of its TC (cross-circulation) kilns in Sweden’s Västerbotten region in the northern area of the country. Read More | ||
Association Promotes Wood Products and Construction with Extensive Collection of Resources and Learning Opportunities |
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| According to a press release, wood design and construction professionals downloaded APA – The Engineered Wood Association resources more than half a million times from the association’s website in 2017. A trusted source for reliable and accurate wood product and design recommendations, APA continues to build and update its extensive online collection of publications, videos, CAD details, and educational webinars. Read More |
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Changes to FSC Standards: Implications for U.S. Hardwoods |
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| Michael Snow, executive director of American Hardwood Export Council, recently released an AHEC Trade Alert concerning upcoming changes to both the FSC Chain of Custody (CoC) and Controlled Wood standards that are expected to have major implications for US hardwood producers, particularly those of you using the FSC Controlled Wood Standard. Read More | ||
George Otto Bonitz Obituary |
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 George Otto Bonitz |
George Otto Bonitz, 95, passed away recently in Northridge, CA. Read More | |
Bradford Forest Is Now Danzer Lumber North America |
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| Bradford, PA–International Hardwood company Danzer has operated Bradford Forest Inc. in Pennsylvania since 1988. Its two sites – in Bradford, PA and Shade Gap, PA – employ a combined total of 200 people and have an annual revenue of 49 million USD. The company has been operating under the name of Danzer Lumber North America, Inc. since January 1st, 2018. Read More | ||
EPA Publishes Consensus On Formaldehyde Emission Standards For Composite Wood Products |
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| According to a rule published by the Federal Register, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking direct final action on a revision to the formaldehyde standards for composite wood products final rule, which was originally published in the Federal Register on December 12, 2016. Read More | ||
APA Honors Dennis Hardman With Bronson Lewis Award |
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| Dennis Hardman, former president of APA – The Engineered Wood Association (APA) and longtime leader in the engineered wood industry, was honored with the Bronson J. Lewis Award at the APA Annual Meeting in Long Beach, CA. The meeting took place October 28-31, 2017. The annual award is named after the late Bronson Lewis, who served for 24 years as secretary and then executive vice president of APA. The award recognizes individuals for their lifetime leadership and outstanding contribution to the industry. Read More | ||
Tommy Stiles Obituary |
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 Tommy Stiles |
McMinnville, TN, resident and Warren County, TN, native Tommy Stiles, age 49, was born July 9, 1968 and died suddenly November 7, 2017. The President of A.W. Stiles Contractors and a member of the Church of Christ, he was the son of A.W. “Catman” Stiles of McMinnville and Barbara Stiles of Spencer, TN. Read More |
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Potlatch And Deltic Timber To Combine |
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| Potlatch Corp., with corporate headquarters in Spokane, WA, recently announced that it will be merging its operations with those of Deltic Timber Corp., headquartered in El Dorado, AR. Read More | ||
Limington Lumber Awarded Manufacturer Of The Year Award From MFPC |
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 Win Smith |
East Baldwin, ME–Limington Lumber Co., headquartered here, recently received the 2017 Maine Forest Products Council (MFPC) Manufacturer of the Year Award. Read More | |
Hardwood Federation Seeks Industry Support For FMD Program |
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| According to The Hardwood Federation, funding for the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD), an essential federal program that supports export promotion of the Hardwood industry through the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), has recently been eliminated through implementation of the “Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985.” Although the Act has been in place for over 30 years, it has not been used widely until now. Read More | ||
Pat Burns Promoted To President Of Patrick Lumber Co. |
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 Pat Burns |
Portland, OR–The board of directors of Patrick Lumber Co., headquartered here, recently announced that Patrick Burns has been elected president of the company. Burns has spent his entire career at Patrick Lumber, beginning in 1982. He succeeds Dave Halsey who had held the title of president since 2014. Halsey will begin a new role as chief strategic officer and will continue trading lumber for the company. Read More |
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Greg Ryback Obituary |
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 Greg Michael Ryback |
Gregory Michael Ryback of Trophy Club, TX, recently passed away. Ryback was born in Flushing, NY, and grew up mostly in Oregon and California. He was an alumnus of New Mexico State University, where he attended on an athletic scholarship (football and track) and met his wife, Judy. He and Judy lived all over the country before settling in Trophy Club to raise their children. Read More |
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Alex Averitt Promoted To CEO Of Cedar Creek |
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| Cedar Creek, a leading building material wholesaler, announced today that its board of directors has appointed Alex Averitt to succeed D. Wayne Trousdale as the president and CEO of the company, effective September 15, 2017. Read More | ||
Jim Shalvoy Retiring After 38 Years In The Forest Products Industry |
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 Jim Shalvoy |
Oklahoma City, OK–D. Wayne Trousdale, CEO of Cedar Creek, which is headquartered here, recently announced the retirement of Jim Shalvoy, whose career in the forest products industry totaled 38 years. Read More | |
Armstrong Plans Two Plant Closures |
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| Lancaster, PA–Headquartered here, Armstrong Flooring recently announced plans to consolidate wood flooring production through the closure of two plants, located in Jackson, TN, and Vicksburg, MS. Read More | ||
Builder Confidence Slips Two Points in July, Remains Solid |
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| Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes slipped two points in July to a level of 64 from a downwardly revised June reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). It is the lowest reading since November 2016. Read More | ||
Hardwoods Distribution Acquires Downes & Reader Hardwood |
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| Langley, BC–Hardwoods Distribution Inc., headquartered here, recently announced that it has, through its subsidiary Rugby Holdings LLC, purchased substantially all of the assets and assumed certain liabilities of Downes & Reader Hardwood Co. Inc., headquartered in Stoughton, MA, in a transaction with total value of $6 million. Read More | ||
Mike Wardlow Named Director of EWP at Cedar Creek |
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| Oklahoma City, OK–Cedar Creek, headquartered here, recently announced that Mike Wardlow has been hired as the new director of engineered wood products (EWP). A native of West Tennessee, Wardlow received his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the North Carolina Wesleyan College, located in Rocky Mount, NC, and earned his Associate of Applied Science degree in Munitions Systems Technology while serving in the United States Air Force. Read More | ||
Boise Cascade Begins Year-Long Celebration Of 60th Anniversary In Business |
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 Tom Corrick |
Boise, ID–Boise Cascade Co. announced recently that it is planning a yearlong celebration of the May 1957 merger of Boise-Payette Lumber Company and Cascade Lumber Company and the creation of the name “Boise Cascade.” This historical milestone will be celebrated with each of Boise Cascade’s over 6,600 employees at nearly 60 locations throughout the United States and Canada. Read More |
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Concern For Softwood Tariff Noted By Industry Officials |
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| Since the start of 2017, the housing industry has been apprehensive of potential tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber in the coming months. Now that the Department of Commerce has announced its sliding scale for tariff charges, several areas of concern have been noted by industry officials. Read More | ||
Canadian Government Responds To U.S. Softwood Tariff |
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| Ottawa, ON–The government of Canada has responded to the proposed Softwood lumber tariff that was announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in late April. Leaders of the Canadian government, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and British Columbia’s Premier, Christy Clark, expressed that the tariffs would unfairly punish Canadian exporters of lumber products, but especially export businesses that are smaller in size. Read More |
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U.S. Department of Commerce Announces Duties On Chinese Hardwood Plywood |
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| The U.S. Department of Commerce recently announced its affirmative preliminary determination in the countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of imports of Hardwood plywood products from the People’s Republic of China. Read More | ||
Steve Lindauer Promoted To Regional Vice President Of Cedar Creek |
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| After over 40 years in the forest products industry, Keith Laugen, Vice President of Cedar Creek’s North Central Region, has announced his retirement. Keith was president, CEO, and a founder of Lake States Lumber, which became part of Cedar Creek in 2016 through acquisition. Read More | ||
Richelieu Acquires Weston Premium Woods |
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| Brampton, ON–Weston Premium Woods, headquartered here, has been purchased by Richelieu Hardware Ltd., the companies announced recently. The acquisition is one of several that Richelieu has completed in the last few years. In 2016 the hardware manufacturer bought Cornerstone Hardware & Supplies, JFH Corp., Eveready Hardware and Neils Sorenson Hardware. Read More |
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Winston Plywood & Veneer Officially Open for Business |
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| Louisville, MS–Joined by federal, state and local leaders, company associates and members of the community, Winston Plywood & Veneer recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its new plywood mill located here. The location was once home to a shuttered mill that was destroyed when an F4 tornado struck three years ago. Today, in its place stands a state-of-the-art plywood facility that employs over 300 associates and is expected to generate tens of millions in annual economic activity for the region. Read More |
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PPG Makes Revised Proposal To Combine With AkzoNobel |
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| Pittsburgh, PA–PPG Industries, headquartered here, recently announced that it had made a revised proposal to acquire AkzoNobel for €90.00 per ordinary share, comprised of cash of €57.50 and 0.331 share of PPG common stock. This represents an increase of €7.00 per ordinary share from PPG’s initial offer, which was made in early March of this year. Including the assumption of net debt and minority interests, the proposed transaction is valued at approximately €24.5 billion, or $26.3 billion. Read More | ||
Hardwood Federation Announces Call To Action From U.S. Manufacturers |
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| Dana Lee Cole, executive director of the Hardwood Federation, released the following call to action for the forest products industry: The Department of Commerce is seeking information on the impact of Federal permitting requirements on the construction and expansion of domestic manufacturing facilities and on regulations that adversely impact domestic manufacturers. Read More |
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NWFA Announces Emerging Leaders Network |
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| St. Louis, MO–The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) is launching an Emerging Leaders Network to attract young talent who are passionate about the flooring trade and desire to keep the industry thriving. Read More | ||
Buckman Laboratories Announces Leadership Changes |
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| Memphis, TN–Buckman Laboratories International Inc., headquartered here, announced that Steve Buckman, president and CEO of the global specialty chemical company, will retire April 28, after leading the company for 16 years. Read More | ||
Northern Softwood Lumber Bureau Merges Into NELMA |
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 Jeff Easterling |
Cumberland, ME–Recently it was announced that the Northern Softwood Lumber Bureau (NSLB) has merged into the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NELMA), headquartered here. The decision to start the merging process was finalized at an August 2016 NSLB board of directors meeting. The NELMA name will remain in place. Read More | |
