Personnel Updates

• BMC Stock Holdings hired Michael McGaugh as its new COO, a newly created position in the company.

• Huttig Building Products named Matt Thompson District Manager (Ohio) for BenBilt.

• Lowe’s Companies promoted Marshall Croom to CFO to replace the retiring Robert Hull.

• PPG promoted Vince Morales to CFO, effective March 1, to replace retiring CFO Frank Sklarsky.

• Snavely Forest Products named Thomas Plasschaert VP of Marketing, Judith Marquez Divisional Accounting Manager (Dallas) and Melissa Hutchens Divisional Accounting Manager (North Carolina).

Financial Focus

• Louisiana-Pacific Corp. F16 sales (FYE 12.31.16) were $2.2 billion, an 18% increase over 2015.

• PPG reported sales (FYE 12.31.16) of $14.75 billion, which was flat from the previous year.

• Sherwin-Williams Co. Paint Stores Group net sales increased 8.1% to $7.79 billion in 2016 (FYE 12.31.16). Same-store sales increased 5.5%.

• Tractor Supply reported $6.8 billion in F16 sales (FYE 12.31.16), an increase of 8.9%. Same store sales increased 1.6% (versus last year’s growth rate of 3.1%).

• Weyerhaeuser Co. reported F16 (FYE 12.31.16) sales of $6.4 billion, up from $5.2 billion.

• Fastenal Company finished 2016 (FYE 12.31.16) with $3.96 billion in net sales (+2.4%), but its net store count fell by 119, and the company reduced its workforce by 7.1%.

Industry Insight

• The Andersons Inc. will close its remaining four Ohio big-box stores in the second quarter.

• Lowe’s Canada will hire almost 3,000 associates in Q1.

• Sherwin-Williams Co. opened 94 new stores in 2016. The company plans a similar number, 90 to 100, in 2017.

• Tractor Supply plans to open 100 new stores in 2017 along with 25 to 30 new Petsense locations.

• TreeHouse, Inc., the Austin-based green-building home center, will open its second 25,000-sq.-ft. store (Dallas) in the first quarter and likely add another Dallas metro-area store before the end of the year.

Mergers and Acquisitions

• U.S. LBM Holdings acquired 12-unit Ridout Lumber of Arkansas.

Real Estate

• Menard Inc. opened a new store in the Kansas City, MO metro area.

• Orchard Supply opened its first central Florida store in Orlando.