Deering Lumber, the Biddeford, Maine-based pro dealer, has purchased two stores from New England Building Materials, according to a report in Wired Weekly, the newsletter of the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association (NRLA). Deering now operates four retail locations.  

Last year, the original 50 Home Channel News Hardware Store All-Star honorees established a high bar and a hard act to follow. But the 2012 crop rises to the challenge. This year’s Hardware Store All-Stars, one from each of the 50 U.S. states, have at least one thing in common: Ask them what makes them special and you can bet they’ll include “excellent customer service” in the answer. From there, every path to stardom is unique.

U.S. containerized exports rose 9.6% in February in year-over-year figures, with the total February volume estimated at 1,014,176 TEUs Strong gains in building materials, paper and paperboard, and refrigerated foods were helped by the depreciation of the U.S. dollar, according to an analysis by The Journal of Commerce/PIERS.

In terms of TEUs, paper and paperboard showed the greatest gains, but building materials grew by 280%  over January 2012.  

Paint Sundries Solutions, Inc (PSS) has partnered with Lumbermens Merchandising Corp. (LMC), a leading forest products and building materials buying group.

PSS is a full-service distributor of brand name paint-related products headquartered in Kirkland, Wash., with distribution centers in Seattle, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles and Dallas. 

In the central and western United States, PSS will offer premium products along with market expertise, according to the press release announcing the move. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed that companies be required to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic or imported products, of five groups of potentially harmful chemicals. Over the years, these chemicals have been used in a range of consumer products and industrial applications, including paints, printing inks, pigments and dyes in textiles, and flame retardants in flexible foams, plasticizers and some building materials. 

Emery-Waterhouse, the Portland, Maine-based distributor of hardlines and building materials, held its Marketplace 2012 at the Rhode Island Convention Center March 16 to 17, with the usual face-to-face meetings between customers, manufacturers, and Emery-Waterhouse representatives. But the Portland, Maine-based wholesaler also used its spring market to unveil the company’s new rebranding initiative.

Cilio Technologies, a Brookfield, Wis.-based specialist in automated order distribution and management of installed sales for the building materials industry, has announced the launch of the Cilio Partners Portal, a Web platform for home improvement retailers and manufacturers. The cloud-based software solution gives all trading partners real-time visibility and insight into orders and the sales channel, according to the company.

After a soft opening earlier this week, the first Marvin’s location in Tennessee will celebrate a grand opening weekend, beginning today.

The store will be the 28th location for Marvin’s Building Materials and Home Centers, and the first in Tennessee. The Leeds, Ala.-based retailer announced plans for the new store back in September. 

Emotions are running high over the building materials to be used to replace Coney Island, N.Y.'s famous boardwalk, according to an article in the New York Times.

While community members clamor for wood to be used to repair stretches of the 2.7 mil boardwalk, authorities are suggesting easier-to-maintain non-wood alternatives.

What began quite innocently as a pet project turned into a national movement for Anders Lewendal, the Bozeman, Mont., builder who has since gained wide acclaim for constructing a house made entirely from U.S.-made products.

Initially, Lewendal set out to build an “efficient, affordable and environmentally healthy” home for a client whose daughter has cystic fibrosis. In researching the building materials and parts required for the project, Lewendal was struck with this idea: Why not go for all-American parts and materials.

Demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber, used in decking, railing, trim and other building materials, is projected to rise 13% per year until 2015, according to a report from The Freedonia Group.