NEWS + ANALYSIS Following up: Reprieve for Maryland lumber Maryland’s legislative session ended April 10 without acting on controversial bills In a move described as a “victory for common sense” by lumber proponents, the Maryland State Legislature has adjourned for the year without taking action on HB 1311 or SB 722. The bills would have prohibited multi- family dwellings above three stories from being constructed using wood- frame construction. American Wood Council Northeast regional manager Matt Hunter, B.C.O. — along with numerous representatives from building owners, architecture, development and engineering — testified in opposition to both bills. AWC president and CEO Robert Glowinski issued the following statement after the close of this year’s legislative session in Maryland: “This is a legislative victory of common sense. Our national building codes, including those used in Maryland, are the culmination of extensive work and research done by architects, engineers and building and fire code officials establishing precise requirements for safe construction. Substituting the judgment of legislators Reporter’s Notebook Tractor Supply CEO Greg Sandfort, after announcing a 2.2% Q1 decline in comp-store sales: 14 A glimmer of hope, unfulfilled PHOTO BY BUDDY SHOWALTER, AWC for these construction experts simply did not make sense, and we believe that became well-understood during testimony. As those experts all know, noncombustible structural materials like steel and concrete are also affected by fire and can fail, as we’ve seen in several examples nationwide over the last month. These bills were not promoting additional safety measures; they were promoting the interests of specific building materials.” “Weather can influence the demand for certain products, and while we had a challenging quarter with respect to sales and margin, our business is more accurately assessed by the halves, not the quarters.” MAY 2017 HARDWARE + BUILDING SUPPLY DEALER Even though home furnishings and electronics retailer Hhgregg declared bankruptcy in March — along with plans to close 88 of 220 stores around the country — a glimmer of hope remained. “Our team is dedicated to moving forward and being a profitable 132-store, multi- regional chain where we will continue to be a dominant force in appliances, electronics and home furnishings,” said Hhgregg CEO Robert Riesbeck at the time of the bankruptcy. But saying it doesn’t make it so. Less than a month later, the company announced plans to shutter all 220 stores. What happened? Discussions with private equity firms, strategic buyers and other possible investors failed to present a solution. Going out of business sales have begun. And all stores are expected to close by the end of May. Based in Indianapolis, Hhgregg was founded in 1955 by Henry Harold Gregg. It has reported losses for the past two years, challenged by online competition and discounters. HBSDealer.com