HILLMAN ACQUIRES ALL POINTS

The Hillman Group, Inc., subsidiary of The Hillman Cos., Inc., Cincinnati, OH, has purchased All Points Industries, Inc., Pompano Beach, FL. All Points is a distributor of commercial and residential fasteners and related products. Its annual revenues for 2006 exceeded $34 million, the company reported. Greg Mann and Gaby Mann, principal owners of All Points, will remain as president and vice president, respectively.

All Points Industries, Inc. was established in August 1996 (see HP, Summer 2003, page 33). Since its inception, it has developed into a major supplier to the hurricane protection hardware market in the United States and the Caribbean. All Points has also developed a retail division that supplies general and hurricane hardware to the trade.

Hillman sells to hardware stores, home centers, pet suppliers, mass merchants and other retail outlets principally in the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America. Its product line includes thousands of small parts such as fasteners and related hardware items, keys, key duplication systems and identification items such as tags, letters, numbers and signs.

Max W. Hillman Jr., CEO, said, “All Points is the market leading supplier of specialty fasteners for hurricane protection. All Points has demonstrated [its] ability to grow the business by providing high quality products and outstanding customer service. The addition of the All Points business will strengthen Hillman’s presence in the Florida market and provide additional market opportunities.”

“All Points is very excited to be part of the Hillman organization,” said Gaby Mann. “Hillman’s vast distribution and marketing resources will allow All Points to strengthen and grow its position in catering to the OEM and LBM markets.”

QMI ACQUIRES ROLL-A-WAY STORM & SECURITY SHUTTERS

QMI, Itasca, IL, has acquired the assets of privately held Roll-a-way Storm & Security Shutters, St. Petersburg, FL. QMI manufactures rolling shutters for security and hurricane protection; Roll-a-way manufactures and installs storm and security shutters. The announcement was made in late January. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Roll-a-way will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of QMI, specializing in sales and installations. QMI will maintain the sales office and manufacturing facility in St. Petersburg.

The acquisition combines two industry leaders in security and storm shutters and enables QMI to have an expanded presence in the Florida residential market. Roll-a-way, formerly a division of Valco Enterprises Ltd. Prime Marketing Group, historically has been the largest retailer and installer of hurricane shutters to homeowners in the United States, according to a statement from QMI.

“This is QMI’s first acquisition and an exciting milestone for our company,” said Jim Miller, president and CEO. “This acquisition extends our portfolio of shutter products to include accordion, colonial and Bahama shutters.”
As the companies integrate, customers are to be the top priority, according to Miller. “We are committed to maintaining a high level of customer service and support,” he said. “Ongoing customer communication will be very important as we go through this transition, and we are already reaching out to customers to communicate our plans.”

NOAA SELECTS READ NEW NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials in January named Bill Read the new director of its Tropical Prediction Center, which includes the National Hurricane Center and two other divisions, in Miami, FL. Read has served as the center’s acting deputy director since August 2007.

Tropical storms and hurricanes have frequently played a major role in Read’s professional life. He and his team were at the forefront in July 2003 as Hurricane Claudette made landfall on the Texas coast. He also was part of the Hurricane Liaison Team at the National Hurricane Center in Miami when Hurricane Isabel came ashore on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and raced northeast in September 2003.

“[Read] has what it takes to be the nation’s hurricane center director. He’s spent 30 years of his career as a weather professional with NOAA dedicated to protecting lives from severe weather, much of it hurricanes and tropical storms,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Ph.D., undersecretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “Bill has been a trusted consultant to emergency managers in and around Houston and I’m sure he will foster that type of goodwill in communities vulnerable to hurricanes.”

Read was appointed to direct the Houston/Galveston weather forecast office of NOAA’s National Weather Service in 1992 and led it through the challenges of the National Weather Service modernization and restructuring program in the mid 1990s.

Prior to joining NOAA’s National Weather Service, Read served in the U.S. Navy, where his duties included an assignment as an on-board meteorologist with the Hurricane Hunters. He began his career in 1977 with the National Weather Service test and evaluation division in Sterling, VA, developed his forecasting skills in Fort Worth and San Antonio, TX; and, served as severe thunderstorm and flash flood program leader at the National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, MD.

PROPOSED LEGISLATION SUPPORTS BUILDING SAFETY

Sen. Mary Landrieu, Louisiana, and Rep. Dennis Moore, Kansas, introduced legislation on Capitol Hill in January to provide federal grants to building departments to enhance public safety. The Community Building Code Administration Grant Act of 2007 would provide $100 million over five years to help local governments hire, train and equip code officials, including building and fire inspectors.

If approved by Congress, the grant would aid communities that see their resources stretched when they face building booms or major rebuilds after a disaster. Studies show that every dollar invested to build stronger and safer results in savings of $4 to $7 in reduced damages when a disaster occurs.

“As the Gulf Coast recovers from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, we must ensure that our communities have the necessary funds to comply with safety standards for new public buildings and homes,” Landrieu said. “Currently, no federal funds are designated for building code administration, and as a result, there is widespread lack of enforcement, presenting a major threat to public safety.”

“As co-chair of the Congressional Hazards Caucus, I’m well aware of the damaging effects that natural disasters can have on our communities,” Moore said. “Our government is supposed to set priorities and invest taxpayer money wisely. I firmly believe that this legislation will help ensure the safety of buildings across the country and ultimately will reduce the cost to the American taxpayer after a disaster.”

The proposed legislation is endorsed by the International Code Council. “Too often, especially in smaller communities, there simply aren’t sufficient resources for building safety,” said ICC CEO Rick Weiland. “The Code Council has long recognized this need and applauds the vision of Senator Landrieu and Representative Moore for taking the lead in this important effort to provide much-needed funds to local code enforcement departments. Safety in homes, schools and all buildings for children, adults and seniors is a priority of every community in America. Congress is stepping forward to act on that priority. Better building through better code enforcement is clearly in the best interests of our country and every community in it.”

“Code enforcers are on the front lines of public safety. The work they do every day saves lives and protects property,” Weiland added.

CONDE NAMED COASTAL PRODUCT LINE MANAGER AT SIMONTON WINDOWS

Simonton Windows®, Parkersburg, WV, has named Mark Conde to fill the position of coastal product line manager for the award-winning company. Conde is responsible for the marketing of the company’s impact-resistant Simonton StormBreaker Plus® product line.

“[Conde]’s extensive marketing experiences in our industry with Ingersoll-Rand and Schlage Lock Co. will be extremely valuable to us at Simonton,” according to Chris Monroe, vice president, marketing. “He knows the importance of branding and solid marketing tactics. This will help enhance the positioning of our coastal products and strengthen our sales in the future.”