Technology

Hardwood moldings manufacturer Artistic Finishes launched a new marketing theme that brings a "new consumer-focused element" to the company's marketing program. The theme of its "Beginnings" campaign is "The finish is just the beginning."

It’s a bad idea to spend too much time thinking about the past. But it’s impossible to know where we are going unless we know where we’ve been. In that spirit, here are the top 12 most-viewed stories of 2010 — one from each month — that appeared on HomeChannelNews.com:


January: “Home Depot cuts 800 jobs” 


February: “Mixed results for Ace Hardware” 


March: “84 Lumber closes 10 stores in 10 states” 


April: “At Lowe’s, a Sunday-hours lawsuit”


Costello's Ace Hardware intends to open two new stores by early April, bringing the Long Island, N.Y., hardware company's store count to 17.

The new stores will be located in East Islip and Smithtown, N.Y. 

"We feel that we have a market that can support independent stores," said president Mike Costello in an interview with Home Channel News. "And as we find the right locations, we just keep going for it."

Home Channel News asked readers if they agreed with the selection of Jeffrey Immelt to lead the President's Council on Jobs and Effectiveness. Here's what we heard.

ThinkEco, a New York City-based company that develops energy efficiency technologies for homes and businesses, will show the home version of its flagship product, the modlet, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Jan. 6-9. The modlet—short for modern outlet—is the first wirelessly-communicating intelligent outlet that saves consumers money by reducing energy waste from plugged-in appliances and other consumer electronics.

Ace Hardware Corp. reported total revenues of $859.3 million for the fourth quarter, a 7.4% increase over revenues of $800.3 million for the same quarter in 2009. Net income was $20.6 million for the fourth quarter of 2010, compared with $12.4 million in 2009, a 65.1% increase.

For the full year, total revenues were $3.5 billion, a 2.1% increase over fiscal 2009. Net income was $75.1 million for fiscal 2010, compared with $95.7 million in fiscal 2009, a 21.5% decrease.  

Georgia-Pacific has announced it is in the final construction phase of a nearly complete oriented strand board (OSB) facility in Clarendon, S.C. The mill was part of the acquisition last May from Grant Forest Products that also included an operating plant at Allendale, S.C., and another operating plant at Englehart, Ontario. The acquisition totaled approximately $400 million.

After a brutal winter, what the industry can use now is a splash of color — from raspberry red to lime to black and white. Even “green” qualifies, when used to conserve energy. On the following pages, the New Product Showcase opens on a colorful collection of handy or heavyweight home solutions for the 2011 selling season.

Gardening Colors