Technology

Medina, Minn.-based Rockler Woodworking and Hardware introduced a Protective Bench Mat made from 100% recycled rubber tires. The three-millimeter thick mat measures 24 in. by 60 in.; protects the tops of work benches; and saves tools and projects from the scratches, dings and dents associated with general labor tasks in a shop. 

Development of the 2012 edition of the National Green Building Standard (NGBS), ICC 700, is now under way, with members of the consensus committee and the seven task groups officially appointed on Feb. 25.

Doron Broadfoot, president of The Rent-It Store in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, took over as chair for the board of trustees of the American Rental Association Foundation.

The Moline, Ill.-based ARA Foundation also named a new vice chair. Catherine DeBusk, VP of Party People Rentals in Phoenix will fill that post. Two new trustees joined the Foundation board: Andy Cooke, VP Cooke Rentals in North Carolina, and Dave Garton, sales and marketing manager for John Deere, Moline, Ill.

Brooklyn-based MarJam Supply Co., the 2010 Home Channel News Pro Dealer of the Year, acquired the assets of seven yards in Alabama and one in Mississippi.

The company's website lists the new Alabama locations as Alexandria, Auburn, Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, Pelham and Tuscaloosa. Additionally, MarJam added a unit in Gulfport, Miss.

Murray Armstrong, an Ace Hardware executive who helped build the co-op’s international division during his 21-year tenure, has died at age 63. Armstrong passed away peacefully in his home in Winfield, Ill., on Dec. 14, according to a notice posted on the website of the North American Retail Hardware Association.

Abbeville, Ala.-based Great Southern Wood Preserving formed an alliance with specialty building materials distributor U.S. Lumber Group.

Under the new alliance, an affiliate of Great Southern will become a minority investor in U.S. Lumber and customers of both companies will leverage the benefits of increased volume purchasing and sharing of "best practices." No jobs will be adversely affected, nor are management changes anticipated, the companies announced. 

Jeremy Stine, the current manager of government and public affairs for the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association (NLBMDA), is leaving the association to take a marketing position at Stine Lumber.

Sulphur, La.-based Stine Lumber operates 13 locations in Louisiana, and is owned and operated by the Stine family.

Electric corded lawn mowers accounted for only 6% of the walk-behind market in 2010 — but that’s up from 2.9% in 2009, according to data from consumer research firm The NPD Group.


Soaring fuel prices, tougher government emissions standards and a general trend toward environmental stewardship have given rise to more cordless electric walk mowers and manual mowers, especially for homeowners with smaller lawns. And powered mowers are feeling the trend, as well.