Mike Robuck

Over the past two years, 84 Lumber’s Dayton, Ohio lumber store suffered hits from damaging tornados in 2019, followed up by last year’s pandemic. Exactly two years later, the building materials supplier officially  re-opened the Dayton store this past Memorial Day. The store, located at 6200 Poe Ave., has served the Dayton and Cincinnati markets […]

F.W. Webb Co., which is based in Bedford, Massachusetts, has opened a new location in West Harlem, New York to bring its total number of wholesale stores in New York City to three. The new location stocks plumbing, heating, PVF and commercial water heater products and supplies for commercial and residential contractors. In addition, the […]

Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI), Columbus, Ohio, released its monthly TRENDS report, showing the average sales performance by HARDI distributors was an increase of 60.6% during April. The average annual sales growth for the 12 months through April was 13.7%. “The 60% gain reflects stimulus driven demand being compared against a -19% sales […]

Hillenbrand Inc. (NYSE: HI) announced on Thursday that President and CEO Joe Raver will step down from those roles at the end of this year. After being named president and CEO in 2013, Raver is retiring, according to Hillenbrand. Hillenbrand’s board of directors appointed Kimberly K. Ryan to succeed Raver as CEO on  January 1, 2022, […]

Construction spending during April was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,524.2 billion, 0.2% above the March 2020 estimate of $1,521 billion, but 9.8% above the April 2020 estimate of $1,387.9 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. During the first four months of this year, construction spending amounted to $452.3 billion, 5.8% […]

F.W. Webb Co., which is based in Bedford, Massachusetts, announced it’s now selling, renting and servicing McElroy fusion equipment as a certified distributor. The entire line of McElroy fusion equipment is now available across F.W. Webb’s footprint. F.W. Webb’s Springfield, Massachusetts location will serve as the main hub. McElroy is a global manufacturer of fusion […]

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector ticked up slightly in May as the overall economy grew for the 12th consecutive month after dipping significantly last year due to the coronavirus, according to the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report On Business. “The May Manufacturing PMI registered 61.2%, an increase of 0.5 percentage point from the […]

Fasteners distributor and manufacturer Optimas Solutions, which is headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, announced on Tuesday that it has opened a new regional distribution center in Knoxville, Tennessee. Optimas opened the doors on the  new distribution center to better serve current customers while also reaching into underserved markets. Optimas said it also improved supply chain security. […]

Swedish industrial manufacturer Atlas Copco announced it has struck a deal to buy ARPUMA regel- und fördertechnische Geräte GmbH, which is known as Arpuma. Arpuma, which is based in Kerpen, near Cologne in Germany, is a specialized vacuum systems and solutions provider for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Arpuma has 14 employees, and the company […]

Carlisle Cos. Inc. (NYSE:CSL), Scottsdale, Arizona, has sold off its Carlisle Brake & Friction (CBF) division to CentroMotion in a deal worth up to $375 million. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory clearances, and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021. CBF makes brake and friction solutions for off-highway […]

Like many distributors, Kimball Midwest had to completely revamp its in-person training and development programs to virtual video conference last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The effort was successful, as seen last month when Kimball Midwest announced it was one of 59 organizations honored as part of Chief Learning Officer’s 11th LearningElite Awards program. […]

Specialty building materials distributor US LBM Holdings LLC, Buffalo Grove, Illinois, on Tuesday announced it has acquired American Construction Source (ACS). Once the deal closes, US LBM Holdings will have operations in nearly 400 locations nationwide, including several new states. Financial terms of the private deal weren’t disclosed. The transaction is expected to close during […]

On Tuesday, United Rentals Inc. (NYSE: URI), which is based in Stamford, Connecticut, announced it has wrapped up its previously announced deal to buy General Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: GFN). When the deal was announced last month, United Rentals said it would pay $19 per share in cash for General Finance. The total enterprise value stands […]

To continue reading this article you must be a paid subscriber. Subscribe to MDM Already Subscribed? Click here to log-in | Forgot your password? • President of North America and Europe John Caplan outlines three types of e-commerce platforms — marketplace, SaaS and wholesaler/retailer. • When developing a platform plan, start with the most basic […]

To continue reading this article you must be a paid subscriber. Subscribe to MDM Already Subscribed? Click here to log-in | Forgot your password? • Last month, Kimball Midwest announced it was one of 59 organizations honored as part of Chief Learning Officer’s 11th LearningElite Awards program. • Like many distributors, Kimball Midwest had to […]

Builders FirstSource Inc. (Nasdaq: BLDR), Dallas, announced Monday that it has agreed to buy Cornerstone Building Alliance SW LLC for approximately $400 million, subject to adjustments. More than 300 Cornerstone Alliance employees will be joining Builders FirstSource, the company said in in its press release, including True Carr, managing partner of Alliance. Alliance is the […]

Core & Main LP, St. Louis, Missouri, announced on Friday that it plans to go public after filing paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its initial public offering (IPO). The company filed a registration statement with an S-1 form  with the SEC detailing its plans to go public. Core & Main […]

Core & Main LP, St. Louis, Missouri, announced on Friday that it plans to go public after filing paperwork with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for its initial public offering (IPO). The company filed a registration statement with an S-1 form  with the SEC detailing its plans to go public. Core & Main […]

The Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) rose to +0.24 in April but was down from +1.71 in March. Three of the four broad categories of indicators used to construct the index made positive contributions in April, but three categories deteriorated from March. The index’s three-month moving average, CFNAI-MA3, decreased to +0.07 in April from […]

Stamford, Connecticut-based Crane Co. (NYSE: CR) announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement to sell-off its Engineered Materials division for $365 million to Grupo Verzatec S.A. de C.V. on a cash-free and debt-free basis. The completion of the deal is subject to the customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals At the same time, Crane […]