M&A activity heats up

Prosales, May, 2005

If the last few months are any indication, mergers and acquisitions activity in the LBM supply industry is not showing any signs of slowing down. Dealers are already building on the strong M&A activity from 2004: the 2005 PROSALES 100 Annual Survey of Leading Construction Suppliers indicates that 26 of the top 100 dealers acquired at least one company in 2004 and 19 companies plan to acquire a total of 92 yards this year. Along with Hope Lumber's announcement that it has acquired Leed's Building Products (see page 40) and Stock Building Supply's purchase of Davidson Industries (see page 14), several other companies have announced purchases this spring:

* Lanoga Acquires Bernco: Redmond, Wash.-based Lanoga Corp. has purchased Lakeville, Minn.-based independent doors, windows, and millwork fabricator and distributor Bernco. Single-unit Bernco will operate as a part of Lanoga's Winona, Minn.-based United Building Centers (UBC) division, which has 202 lumberyards, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities across 17 states. "[Bernco's] expertise in the millwork business and relationships with builders in the market will be a nice complement to our UBC operations in the area," said Paul Hylbert, Lanoga president and CEO, in a recent statement. Bernco's 87 employees were invited to remain on board. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Lanoga Corp. (www. lanoga.com) employs more than 8,000 people, operates more than 300 stores in 20 states with additional divisions including Lumbermens, Spenard Builders Supply, Home Lumber, and Dixieline, and had reported 2004 gross sales of $2.75 billion. Roper Bros.

* Roper Bros. Acquires Valley Lumber: Petersburg, Va.-based building supplier Roper Bros. Lumber Co. announced the acquisition of Winchester, Va.-based single-unit building materials supplier Valley Lumber & Building Materials, which will operate under its name as a division of Roper Bros.

"The Winchester market fits well with our existing footprint," says Roper Bros.' executive vice president Barry Brockwell. "Steve and Theresa Cluss, the former owners, built an exceptional development in the marketplace. We have similar customer profiles so there are a lot of synergies between us." The acquisition expands Roper's market into the northern and central areas of Virginia and creates a combined annual revenue of more than $120 million. Valley Lumber's management, including its former owners, will remain with the company.

Founded in 1909, Roper Bros. (www.roperlumber. com) operates four additional yards in Virginia.

* ABC Acquires McLean-Thomas, Town & Country Industries: Beloit, Wis.-based exterior products supplier ABC Supply Co. expanded its market reach into Buffalo, N.Y., after acquiring the assets of exterior building products distributor McLean-Thomas on Dec. 13, 2004. "The product mix offered by McLean-Thomas is well-aligned with the products and services offered by ABC supply in this market," said David Luck, president and COO of ABC Supply, in a statement.

On April 8, ABC announced its purchase of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Town & Country Industries, a five-unit distributor of pool and patio enclosures and hurricane protection products, as well as building products. Town & Country will continue to operate under the Town & Country name as a separate business unit of ABC: the Town & Country management team will remain on board, including former owner, Tim O'Connor, now division president.

ABC Supply (www.abcsupply.com) was founded in 1982 and has more than 288 locations in 45 states and reported 2004 sales of $2 billion.

* White Cap Acquires Greenwald: Extending its reach into the specialty hardware, tools, and materials market, Costa Mesa, Calif.-based specialty building supplier White Cap Construction Supply, a division of The Home Depot Supply, has acquired Springfield, Va.-based Mid-Atlantic distributors Greenwald Supply and Greenwald Industrial Products Co., adding two locations in Maryland and Virginia to its fold.

White Cap Construction Supply (www.whitecap direct.com) was purchased by The Home Depot in June 2004 and had reported 2004 sales of $500 million.