August 2006

Mayer Electric Supply Co. Inc. will acquire Jones & Lee Supply, Knoxville, TN.‘Jones & Lee is already a very solid distributor in the eastern Tennessee market and together we see that this will foster even quicker growth with customers in Knoxville, as well as the surrounding communities,’ said Jim Summerlin, Mayer’s president.Jones & Lee was

The economy is showing the lagged effects of higher interest rates, skyrocketing energy prices and slower employment gains. Gross domestic product growth should experience below-trend growth over the next 18 months, and manufacturing activity in the U.S., which has been on a roll lately, will slow appreciably in 2007, according to a new report. The

second-tier supplier agreements have developed. Service & KnowledgeTraditionally, distributors with expertise in specific production or process problems have always created effective barriers to entry. But as customers have gained more access to product information, how they value the nature and type of application knowledge has changed significantly. It’s become a tougher battle to differentiate from

Home Depot Supply reported 325-percent sales growth in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, thanks to its rapidly expanding base of newly acquired wholesale businesses. Sales at HD Supply were $3.38 billion for the quarter or 13 percent of Home Depot’s overall $26 billion in sales for the second quarter of

or her probable advancement had employment been uninterrupted.For example, prior to deployment, an employee completed the training needed to advance from a counter sales position to inside sales when an inside sales position was available. Upon reemployment, the employee would qualify to return to counter sales and would once again be in line for promotion

Canadian distributor sales fell for a second time in three months (-0.6 percent) in June, pulled down by lower sales in the automotive sector. Wholesalers sold $41.5 billion worth of goods and services.Sales contracted in three of the seven sectors in June, accounting for approximately 49 percent of total sales. Decreases were registered in the automotive sector (-2.1

June 2006 sales of merchant wholesalers, except manufacturers’ sales branches and offices, after adjustment for seasonal variations and trading-day differences but not for price changes, were $331.1 billion, up 1.4 percent from the revised May level and were up 13.5 percent from the June 2005 level. The May preliminary estimate was revised upward $0.9 billion

a 10 percent jump. The company reported a net loss of $1.1 million in the second quarter 2006. For the six months ended June 30, 2006, Strategic Distribution reported revenues of $74 million compared with $62.7 million for the same period last year. The company reported a net loss of $2.2 million for the first

June U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $322.68 million, according to The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association. This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTC program, was down 0.4 percent from May but up 26.7 percent from the total of $254.74 million reported for June 2005.With a year-to-date

RONA Inc., Squamish, BC, a Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home improvement and gardening products, has acquired British Columbia-based Mountain Building Centres Limited. Mountain Building Centres is a supplier of building materials, home improvement and hardware. Mountain Building Centres is a private company and employs 60 full-time staff members and posted sales of $22 million

The Home Depot Supply has agreed to acquire Edson Electric Supply, an Arizona-based electrical distributor that operates 11 locations throughout the state. The acquisition will extend the reach of HD Supply’s electrical business to key growth markets in the Southwest. Established in 1962, Edson Electric Supply serves residential and commercial contractors. Its productsinclude wire, lighting, electrical

Edgen Corporation, Baton Rouge, LA, a leading global distributor of specialty steel pipe, pipe components and high grade structural steel sections, plates and tubulars for use in niche applications in the energy infrastructure market, reported sales for the second quarter ended June 30, 2006, were $98.2 million, compared with $74.4 million for the same period

falling 3.5% in June. Prices for copper and brass mill shapes and for plywood also turned up in July. The indexes for softwood lumber and for building paper and board decreased less than they had in the previous month. By contrast, prices for aluminum mill shapes fell 2.3% after rising 2.4% in June. The index

Stock Building Supply, Raleigh, NC, distributor of building materials to professionals in the U.S., has acquired Martin Architectural Products, in Cary, NC. Martin reported sales of $26.3 million in fiscal 2005. ‘The acquisition of Martin is another significant step in developing our commercial sales program,’ says Fenton Hord, Stock president and CEO. Founded in 1975, Martin is