Technology

A man who worked at a Raleigh, N.C., lumberyard was arrested and jailed on March 9 for allegedly using a credit card belonging to his employer, according to an article in the News and Observer. 

Kendryl Direlle Garner, 42, was accused of making $797.40 in unauthorized purchases in April using the credit card of his employer, American Woodyards, a supplier of custom, cut and specialty lumber. 

For the first time since 2005, The Home Depot and Lowe’s Cos. both delivered positive comparable-store sales in all four quarters of 2010. Last year was also the first year both companies showed an increase in full-year sales since 2005. 


These trends are strong evidence that the worst of the economic cycle has passed for the two home improvement retail giants.


A study on major home appliances by The NPD Group showed overall growth in the category in 2010, with an 11% increase in dollar sales compared to 2009.

Although sales for most appliances did not reach pre-recession levels, dishwashers were one exception, showing a 22% increase in dollar sales over 2009, putting them on level with 2007. 

Full-sized refrigerators and range hoods both experienced double-digit unit and dollar growth, with laundry appliances coming in just under 10% in dollar growth. 

Leviton has announced its membership in Zhaga, an industry co-op of lighting manufacturers aimed at the development of standards and specifications for the interfaces of LED light engines. Zhaga standards enable interchangeability between products made by diverse manufacturers. The consortium was established for the benefit of consumers and professional buyers of light engines and luminaires.

Behr Paint and Home Depot will attempt to reach further into the pro market with the launch of the Kilz Pro-X line made by MasterChem Industries. Both Behr and Kilz are part of Masco Corp. The announcement was made at the International Builders’ Show on Jan. 12.

Initially the Kilz Pro-X line will offer 1,300 colors. Designed as part of Behr’s “Direct to Pros” program, the company hopes to begin with a February rollout and finish in May or June of 2011, when all 2,000 Home Depots will have the program.

It’s been nearly two months since Chicago-based True Value launched its new e-commerce site, and in that time the hardware co-op has seen traffic to TrueValue.com triple.


The new site already features more than 22,000 SKUs of its core assortments in accordance with its Destination True Value format. 


Russell Kennedy retired as president and CEO of ENAP, the New Windsor, N.Y.-based lumber and building material co-operative.

On an interim basis, CFO Steve Sallah will be acting chief operating officer.

Kennedy led the co-op -- the name is an acronym for "Everybody Needs a Profit" -- for the past five years. In a prepared statement, he pointed to his appreciation to and confidence in the current ENAP team.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has asked members to contact Congress in support of legislation to open up lines of credit for new-housing production.

The association sent an alert to members, encouraging them to ask their representatives to co-sponsor the Home Construction Lending Regulatory Improvement Act.