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Home Hardware Recognizes the Best Stores from Across Canada

Home Hardware honored the best of the best from more than 1,080 stores this week by presenting 20 stores with the Proud of My Home Award and the top performing store with the Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year Award at the annual Home Hardware Spring Market.

The recipient of this year’s Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year Award for retailing excellence is Hauser Home Hardware Building Centre in Camrose, Alberta, which is owned and operated by Rob Hauser.
"My staff and I are honored to have been selected as recipients of this prestigious award," said Rob Hauser, Dealer-Owner, Hauser Home Hardware Building Centre. "We take great pride in serving our customers and meeting the needs of contractors, do-it-yourselfers and home renovators with quality products and services."

To receive the Proud of My Home Award, stores must achieve the highest standards in retailing, merchandise presentation, staff performance and overall quality of the store. Recipients demonstrate excellence in staff performance and customer service; interior presentation including clear signing, tidiness, and merchandise presentation and displays; exterior presentation including cleanliness and attractive window displays; staff training; and participation in Dealer network initiatives.
From among the Proud of My Home Award recipients from coast to coast to coast, one store is chosen as the top store to receive the Walter J. Hachborn Store of the Year Award, which was presented by Home Hardware Stores Limited President and CEO, Paul Straus.

"These award recipients exemplify the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit shared by all Home Dealers. These Dealer-Owners and their Staff put in a total team effort to create the best experience possible for their customers," said Paul Straus, President and CEO of Home Hardware Stores Limited. "On behalf of more than 1,080 Home Hardware stores and their Dealers, I would like to congratulate the 2012 Proud of My Home Award recipients and Hauser Home Hardware Building Centre on these worthy accomplishments."

Congratulations to the following stores were awarded Proud of My Home Awards:

· Harris Home Hardware - London, Ontario
· Brantford Home Hardware - Brantford, Ontario
· Smith & Hladil Home Hardware Building Centre - Owen Sound, Ontario
· Keswick Home Hardware - Keswick, Ontario
· Orillia Home Hardware Building Centre - Orillia, Ontario
· Gananoque Home Hardware Building Centre - Gananoque, Ontario
· Timmins Home Hardware Building Centre - Timmins, Ontario
· Wellesley Home Centre - Wellesley, Ontario
· Tracadie Home Hardware - Tracadie-Sheila, New Brunswick
· Buck's Home Building Centre - Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
· Clarenville Home Hardware Building Centre - Clarenville, Newfoundland
· Kenora Home Hardware Building Centre - Kenora, Ontario
· Richards Home Hardware - Outlook, Saskatchewan
· Home Hardware Building Centre Creston - Creston, British Columbia
· Hauser Home Hardware Building Centre - Camrose, Alberta
· Pioneer Home Hardware Building Centre - Campbell River, British Columbia
· High Level Home Hardware - High Level, Alberta
· Les Entreprises Nova Inc. - Rawdon, Quebec
· Quincaillerie Nouvelle - France - Granby, Quebec
· Quincaillerie Home Hardware - Rimouski - Rimouski, Quebec

The names of the individuals in the photo are as follows:

Terry Davis, Executive Vice-President & Chief Operating Officer, Home Hardware Stores Ltd
Rob Hauser and Angie Arksey, Dealer-Owners, Hauser Home Hardware Building Centre
Vikki Stang, Hardware Manager, Hauser Home Hardware Building Centre
Richard Badke, Area Manager, Home Hardware Stores Limited
Lance Shipley, Director, Retail Operations, Western Canada, Home Hardware Stores Limited

Uniboard® Obtains ECC Certification

Mills Surpass CPA Criteria and Make Green Top Priority!

UNIBOARD®, a North American leader in engineered wood products, announced today that its manufacturing facilities are now ECC (Eco-Certified Composite) certified. This new certification replaces the previous EPP (Environmentally Preferable Product) certification established in 2002 by the Composite Panel Association (CPA).

Uniboard's raw particleboard, MDF and HDF are ECC certified and surpass the criteria required by the CPA. To be certified, each plant must first meet stringent CARB Phase 2 emission requirements and then comply to at least three out of a possible five CPA criteria. Val-d'Or, Sayabec and Mont-Laurier mills meet all five ECC criteria. Uniboard thermofused melamine products will be ECC certified in May.

"We are proud to continue to make green initiatives our top priority and satisfy our customer needs for more ecological products," states Sara-Kim Diotte, Product Manager at Uniboard. "This is not only exciting for us but it is also for our customers. We are honoured to have this certification across our mills and during this transition, we will gradually incorporate the ECC logo on all of our product packaging and marketing tools."

The new ECC standard dovetails neatly with increased market demand for greener options. Uniboard's efforts in complying with and even surpassing the latest industry models demonstrate its deep commitment to that process.

For further information:

Sara-Kim Diotte
Product Manager
Uniboard® Canada
1 800 263-5240
Sara-kim.diotte@uniboard.com

RONA Re-Discovers Canada's Natural Beauty

RONA launches new paint and primer in one; invoking the Group of Seven

RONA, the largest Canadian distributor and retailer of hardware, home renovation and gardening products, launched its latest home improvement offering - the RONA Collection paint and primer in one. Inspired by Canada's natural beauty, the new shade selection brings together Canada's most iconic natural backdrops including greys from the Canadian Shield, greens from the pines of Quebec, tranquil blues from the Pacific ocean and hues of yellow from the wheat fields of Alberta.

To celebrate this launch, RONA has commissioned seven Canadian interior designers to showcase the RONA Collection paint and primer in one through their respective regional colour palettes. Drawing on talent from across the country, with the original Group of Seven as inspiration, RONA has gathered this elite group of interior designers to create and share colour palettes that capture the unique beauty in each of Canada's diverse regions.

"Canada's natural beauty was the ideal inspiration for our new RONA Collection paint and primer in one," said Marie-Soleil Tremblay, Merchandising Director. "Canadians can now bring the beauty of nature into their home, and be confident that they are using a product that offers high end finish to their décor." RONA Collection paint and primer in one.

The RONA Collection paint and primer in one provides great value, and a fast and easy way to put a fresh face on your home. The new line of paint can be applied to any surface, previously painted or not. The paint eliminates the need for a primer, reducing the number of coats. It is ready to use, with no thinning required. The 100% acrylic latex paint is easy to apply, has minimal odour, dries quickly, and like all RONA products is formulated with the environment in mind.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/articles/toolbox.asp?aid=174856&issueID=25590 to view the full article online.

Owens Corning Earns Place Among Nation's Elite Climate-Related Innovators

Owens Corning, a leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems and residential and commercial building materials, has been nationally recognized by Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes as a leader in the innovation of clean-tech solutions and new products, the mitigation of climate change related risks and the management of carbon emissions.

The Maplecroft Climate Innovation Indexes (CIIs) are comprehensive studies of the country's largest multinational companies and how they manage and adapt to climate change, with a special focus on innovation.

This rating of the 360 largest U.S.-based companies ranks Owens Corning 80th among the top 100 companies with free-float market capitalization of more than $1 billion.

Maplecroft rated each company against more than 100 criteria, including: technological innovation and new working practices to combat climate change impacts; management of climate-related issues; adaption to physical climate-related risks, such as flooding or more extreme weather events throughout the supply chain; and, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

"It's an honor to have earned a place on this list," said Owens Corning Chief Sustainability Officer Frank O'Brien-Bernini. "Owens Corning is committed to balancing economic growth with social progress and environmental stewardship as we deliver more sustainable solutions to our building materials and composites customers around the world.

"We are particularly proud that a special emphasis was placed on innovation, a core value and a practice which Owens Corning has a rich history – and an exciting future," he added.

Other companies who share a place on this list include GE, Alcoa, Johnson Controls, Ford and Intel. According to Maplecroft, Owens Corning is among a list of companies that will enable investors to identify the most resilient and innovative companies with the best long-term growth prospects. Maplecroft believes these companies are best positioned to succeed in the climate-changed, low-carbon environment of the future.

More information is available at www.maplecroft.com

Construction in Canada Enters 2nd Decade of Strong Growth

Construction employment will remain at all-time record high levels in Canada for the next decade or so, according to a new forecast of labour supply and demand published by the Construction Sector Council (CSC).

Canada will need an estimated 319,000 new construction workers from 2012 to 2020 to keep pace with increased construction demand and to compensate for the rising number of expected retirements, says the national summary report, Construction Looking Forward, 2012-2020 Key Highlights.

"As the industry enters this second decade of strong growth, stakeholders are drawing on past experience to find ways to meet future demand," says CSC Business Co-chair Tim Flood, President of John Flood and Sons (1961) Ltd. "Recruiting for the projects is the first priority, but there is a second, critical challenge related to training and retaining workers to meet current needs as well as long-term needs."

"The industry is working to ensure that investments in apprenticeships and other types of training and support systems keep pace with demand," he says.

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/articles/toolbox.asp?aid=174858&issueID=25590 to view the full article online.

Manitoba to See Steady Gains in Construction Industry

Construction will continue to be a leading industry in Manitoba over the nexy decade with the new residential home building and electrical utility sectors reaching record high employment levels. Industrial, commercial and institutional construction will also see steady gains.
The Construction Sector Council's (CSC) just released Construction Looking Forward, 2012 to 2020. Key Highlights for Manitoba says that the Manitoba construction industry is entering a second decade of strong expansion. Strong gains in both residential and non-residential markets will keep unemployment rates low, and industry may face challenges meeting the expanding demand requirements over the next several years.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/pdf/Manitoba_to_see_steady_gains_in_construction_employment.pdf to view the full article online.

Prime Source Building Products Canada Ltd. Partnering with TIM-BR MART as a Key Supplier

Vancouver, BC – PrimeSource Building Products Canada, North America’s largest purveyor of nails and fasteners is partnering up as a key supplier for TIM-BR MART, a leading edge buying group in Canada.

PrimeSource has expanded its distribution footprint in Canada to provide national distribution coverage from coast to coast. "This part of our strategic growth plan enables PrimeSource to provide increased service levels to our growing customer base, and fulfills the need of just-in-time requirements for our customers" says Michael Gibson, Regional Vice President, PrimeSource Canada.

Visit http://www.naylornetwork.com/wrl/pdf/PrimeSource.pdf to view the full article online.

The Toolbox

Western Retail Lumber Association