Technology

In another example of the merger of home improvement and high technology, Amazon is spending a reported one billion dollars – that’s billion with a “b” – for the smart doorbell manufacturer Ring of Santa Monica, Calif.

Sales activity at SPF mills notched lower; meanwhile, the pace of OSB activity accelerated.

The nation’s leading wholesale distributors of home improvement products and building materials saw an increase of 2.23% in 2011 sales, according to the research that produced the 2012 Home Channel News Top 100 Distributor Scoreboard.

Click here for analysis.

Employee morale
The following is a response to the article, “Unhappy employees are staying put.”

“[Unhappy employees are] soon to be going, or at least when the economy improves — that’s when they will leave in droves because of extreme low pay and lack of respect from employers. Why wouldn’t they? No one likes being used or abused. Do you?”
— Rick Heath

New categories, products and trends take the stage in Las Vegas.

Home Channel News selected 50 hardware stores -- one from each state -- for inclusion in the second annual Hardware Store All-Star list. The stores distinguish themselves with strong customer service, innovative approaches to retail, and a connection to community and customers.

The alphabetical listing of All-Star stores, one from each of the 50 U.S. states, continues here with Virginia and Washington:

Building Product Retailers Alliance (BPRA), a coalition of LBM trade groups, and Schaffer Associates, an executive recruitment and human resources firm, have formed a partnership to help BPRA members recruit new staff members to replace those lost during the housing bust.