Christian Miller Snavely, Jr., the chairman emeritus of Snavely Forest Products , World War II veteran and past chairman of the North American Wholesale Lumber Association died Oct. 24. He was 88.

Snavely is remembered by friends and colleagues as a generous and well-respected business leader. He was elected chairman of the industry trade association, NAWLA, which honored him with the prestigious Mulrooney Award for outstanding contributions to the forest products industry.

Denis Abrams, CEO of paint maker Benjamin Moore, was fired from his job over a  dinner cruise to Bermuda that was charged to the company’s tab, according to an article in the New York Post. A group of officials from parent company Berkshire Hathaway, owned by billionaire Warren Buffet, showed up at the paint company’s Montvale, N.J., office two weeks ago and escorted Abrams from the building, the Post reported. 

After investigating pricing practices among foreign appliance makers, the U.S. Commerce Department ruled on March 19 that two South Korean manufacturers and four Mexican producers were guilty of “dumping” their bottom-mount refrigerators on the U.S. market by selling them at less than fair value. The case was opened in response to a complaint filed by U.S. manufacturer Whirlpool. 

Cologne, Germany -- From the International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany, a torque wrench, a cutting plier and triple-blade cutting tool earned innovation awards.

Koelnmesse, organizer of the 2012 International Hardware Fair, and the Central Hardware Trade Association (ZHH) jointly awarded the “EISEN 2012” innovation prize for the top tool products, industrial supplies, fastening and connection systems and fittings.

The winners are:

In February, Home Channel News published a special "Made in the USA" report, including the products, the stories and the people behind the concept of domestic manufacturing and marketing.

Orlando, Fla. -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, addressing a crowd of home builders on the last day of the International Builders' Show here, did his best to explain how low mortgage rates -- his chief weapon to stimulate the housing market -- have fallen short of their goals. But Bernanke’s speech before a crowd of more than 200 attendees was not an apologie; on the contrary, Bernanke seemed a little frustrated about a lack of action in other government and business sectors and seemed worried about the overall effect of the housing crisis on the general economy.

"There has actually been recovery since 2009, but there's probably nobody in this room who believes that," said economist Bob Berg during a luncheon presentation at the Northeastern Retail Lumber Association's (NRLA) 2012 LBM Expo.

He added to the positive news by suggesting that banks are starting to lend money again, as the nation's financial institutions slowly realize that one of the few ways for them to make money is to lend it the old-fashioned way.

Addressing the need to keep jobs from moving offshore, President Obama singled out Master Lock as an example of a company that moved jobs back to the United States -- and should be rewarded for it.

“A few weeks ago, the CEO of Master Lock told me that it now makes business sense for him to bring jobs back home,” Obama said in his Jan. 24 “State of the Union” address before the U.S. Congress. “Today, for the first time in 15 years, Master Lock's unionized plant in Milwaukee is running at full capacity.”

Ray Griffith will find himself in good company on Feb. 7.

The CEO of Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Corp. will share the spotlight at an Orlando, Fla., ceremony on the eve of the International Builders’ Show. Griffith will be the Spirit of Life honoree at the 30th anniversary celebration of City of Hope’s Hardware/Homebuilding Industry group.

Analysts were expecting a boost in November's residential construction data, but not this much of a boost.

The Commerce Department's residential construction report released Tuesday morning showed housing starts at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 685,000 -- that's 9.3% higher than the revised October estimate of 627,000 (revised from a previously released figure of 628,000). It's also the highest level of starts since April 2010. 

Compared with last year's near-record low, total housing starts were up 24.3%.

HD Supply reported $2.1 billion in net sales for its third fiscal quarter, a 10.7% increase over sales of $1.87 billion during the same quarter of 2010.

Net loss for the quarter, which ended Oct. 30, was $105 million, compared with a loss of $99 million in the corresponding quarter of 2010. Operating income improved $31 million to $78 million.