Lowe’s reported net earnings of $527 million for the quarter ended May 4, 2012, a 14.3% increase over the same period a year ago. 

Sales for the quarter increased 7.9% to $13.2 billion from $12.2 billion in the first quarter of 2011.

Comparable store sales for the quarter increased 2.6%, while comparable store sales for the U.S. business increased 2.7%.

Recovering from a violent incident or disaster in the workplace can take months, but having a plan and sources of help prior to the event can make the process smoother.

Employees’ emotional reactions to a violent event in the workplace begin within the first few minutes after the event, said experts from AlliedBarton security services during an April 2012 webinar, “Regaining Your Ground: Resilience After a Workplace Violence Event.”

Beacon Roofing Supply has reached an agreement to acquire Cassady Pierce Co., a distributor of residential and commercial roofing products, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 1947, Cassady Pierce has six locations in the Pittsburgh area and annual sales of approximately $52 million. Closing on the transaction is expected on May 31, 2012. 

Police detective in Crossville, Tenn., have arrested three Lowe’s employees and charged them with conspiring to steal $18,000 in outdoor power equipment, according to a report in the Crossville Chronicle.

The world’s largest retailer is taking steps to display its home improvement prowess through a digital marketing campaign centered on a “Projects Made Simple” area at Walmart.com.

By August 2012, U.S. businesses that sponsor fully insured group health plans could share millions of dollars in rebates from health insurers who spent more on administrative expenses and profits than allowed by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), finds an analysis from the not-for-profit Kaiser Family Foundation.

Millwork Products LLC, a Paducah, Ky.-based firm, has opened a new location in Wilkesboro, N.C. and hired most of the former workers of a closed Jeld-Wen facility, according to an article in the Winston-Salem Journal. 

When it comes to designing and communicating employee benefit programs, employee input and involvement can be a boon. After all, one of the best ways to gain buy-in for and to communicate employee benefit programs is to use peer-to-peer interaction. If a group of employees supports these programs and makes it a point to tell other employees, organizations can build buy-in for programs and changes more readily.

Highfield Door Sales, a Kettering, Ohio, business that installs garage door openers for nine local Lowe’s stores, has purchased and is renovating a 20,000-sq.-ft. former wine and beer warehouse store to expand its operations, according to an article in the Dayton Daily News. 

The family-owned business, which started in 2009 with just one employee, currently operates out of a leased 1,700-sq.-ft. building in this Dayton-area town.

Many employers are more than willing to hire military veterans. But many concede that they do not know all they need to know to effectively find and hire them.

By a 4-1 vote, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on April 25, 2012, approved a new guidance on criminal background checks.

Consolidating and superseding previous EEOC guidance on criminal background checks, the guidance discourages blanket exclusions of individuals who have been convicted of crimes and encourages the use of individualized assessments of whether an employer’s criminal conduct exclusion is job related and consistent with business necessity.

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.