Technology

The 2011 National Hardware Show opens today in Las Vegas, featuring thousands of products organized across nine categories on the massive Las Vegas Convention Center show floor.

The Show will continue to offer exciting special events, including product demonstrations, roundtables, informative addresses and panels by industry experts, including the Golden Hammer Awards breakfast event, taking place Wednesday morning.

KB Home has acquired land within the Elworthy Ranch property in the town of Danville, Calif. Development of the site will begin soon, and the home builder expects groundbreaking on new model homes before the end of the year. KB Home plans to construct 84 Built to Order single-family homes in the new community, Quail Ridge.

The Bozzuto Group, a residential builder based in Greenbelt, Md., has hired Chris Block as its new director of construction. 

Sharp Electronics Corp. has announced that Mark Viken has been named VP, marketing. He will report to John Herrington, president, Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America.

Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Do it Best Corp. promoted Jason Hipskind to regional sales and business development manager for the southeastern United States and hired Jean Fahy to serve the western United States. Both will focus on building and strengthening member-owner relationships with the co-op.

Hipskind is a 13-year veteran of Do it Best, most recently serving as a RetailPLUS! manager for the past two-plus years. He also brings extensive experience in retail development and member support over the previous decade to his new position.

The Mill Yard, a Northern California lumberyard, was able to relocate to a better site with the help of its local municipality, according to an article in the Eureka Times Standard. 

Jeld-Wen has sold part of its Yakima, Wash., vinyl extrusion plant to Quanex Building Products, according to an article in the Portland Business Journal. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. 

Quanex is a longtime business partner of Jeld-Wen. Quanex’s Mikron operation will purchase equipment and other assets from Jeld-Wen’s extrusion operation. 

Arrow Lumber, a seven-unit chain of hardware stores and lumberyards headquartered in Buckley, Wash., is running into resistance from both city and county officials over a proposed expansion to his Port Townsend lumberyard, according to an article in the Port Townsend Leader.