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Empire's 11th Spring Buying Show - We were pleased to have so many in attendence for our 11th Spring Buying Show. Thanks to all the vendors and customers who participated. The winner of the Grand Prize truckload was Larry Barrett of I&L Lumber in Aberdeen Idaho.
The Empire Building Materials 11th Spring Buying Show held every 2 years in Bozeman Montana brings together Empire’s vendors & customers with new products and familiar faces to prepare for the next building season. This year appeared much like any other but with most if not all in attendance feeling the pressure of a sagging building climate. In an economic slump where any profit advantage is a blessing, one man chose the benefit of others over himself. Larry Barrett, owner of I & L Lumber in Aberdeen, ID was the grand prize winner of an entire truckload of building materials worth more than $20,000.00. As he stepped forward to claim his prize he whispered to Christine Meland, Empire’s Show Coordinator, that he would like to donate the entire load to Habitat for Humanity. I & L had recently sold the lumber side of the business choosing to focus on more moulding and millwork products. Even though that amount of free materials could have reinvigorated his lumber business he chose to donate the materials to a good cause which he decided was Habitat for Humanity.
Both Empire Building Materials and Habitat for Humanity express their appreciation and gratitude to Mr. Barrett for his generous donation. You can find his store at 75 East Central in Aberdeen ID.
Habitat for Humanity International was founded in 1976 by Millard Fuller along with his wife, Linda. Habitat has built more than 300,000 houses around the world, providing more than 1.5 million people in more than 3,000 communities with safe, decent, affordable shelter. They will be picking up the materials from the Bozeman Empire location March 12 for distribution. To learn more or volunteer visit their website www.habitat.org.
- New Products and Market Changes - In the last six months we have seen historical pricing levels in cedar. See, it’s not just gas! “Chinese Cedar” has recently been the latest introduction by the cedar market. It has generally been seen in the decking and fencing markets. While these products are available to you from Empire, our domestic producers are working hard to supply the quality product we expect.
The introduction to an increased selection of import lines in lumber and millwork products has been a great addition to our current stock options. Pre-finished products have also been on the forefront of Empire’s search for exceptional quality building materials. We will continue to experiment and learn what the market will accept and what you want in pre-finished items.
Empire has added a new line of hardwood decking products. Ipe hardwood decking that has been an incredibly popular. We also have made available four flavors of engineered hardwood pre-finished flooring. The stock of doug fir timbers and beams has also greatly expanded. We are excited about our new composite fencing product from Heartland Biocomposites. We think Prairie Pickets are a product the public has been waiting for. Also, in the millwork shop we have brought some price competitive import doors into the mix.
The 2007 building season is set to bring another record year. Thank you to all of our dealers and suppliers that turn the many tasks we do into successes.
Your friends at Empire!
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