Cluss Lumber acquires Maryland-based Beachy

Uniontown-based O.C. Cluss Lumber Co. has acquired a Maryland-based competitor in a deal that expands the company's presence into Maryland and adds a location in West Virginia.

Terms of the deal to buy Fred E. Beachy Lumber Co., of Oakland, Md., were not disclosed. Beachy Lumber's locations in Oakland and Canaan Valley, W.Va., generate annual sales in excess of $13 million. The deal becomes effective June 1, Cluss said.

Christopher Cluss, president and chief executive officer of Cluss Lumber, said the company has annual sales of about $70 million, and the acquisition will help Cluss Lumber meet its business plan for 2003 that projects volume to exceed $100 million.

'The acquisition of Beachy Lumber will help to attain that goal. Beachy is a well-managed, profitable company that fits perfectly into our regional geographical mix,' said Cluss.

With the acquisition, Cluss Lumber will employ about 330 people.

Along with its Uniontown store, Cluss Lumber has locations in Hempfield Township and Center Township, Beaver County, and three in West Virginia - Fairmont, Buckhannon and Beckley. Cluss Lumber also has a central distribution center in Hempfield Township.

Cluss said about 80 percent of the company's business comes from sales to construction professionals, which reflects the influence of retail outlets such as Lowe's and Home Depot.

'We still do $15 million to $20 million a year with do-it-yourselfers, but the percentage has changed. Our business has shifted to the commercial sector,' said Cluss.

Beachy Lumber employs more than 50 workers, and all will be retained by Cluss Lumber. Beachy has been in business more than 50 years, said President Carl Fike. He will remain with Cluss Lumber as general manager of the Oakland and Canaan Valley operations, and will also serve on the board of directors of O.C. Cluss Lumber Co.

'We just got together. Business has never been better, and I think it was a good deal for both sides,' Fike said.