Construction Equipment purchases L. B. Smith dealerships for Volvo Construction

ASC Construction Equipment USA Inc. is the new owner of 12 LB Smith dealership operations in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and eastern Tennessee, the company recently announced.

The dealership specializes in Volvo Construction Equipment along with other products that serve the needs of construction equipment customers.

"ASC is committed to customer satisfaction," said Ron C. Huibers, chairman. "Our 200 experienced employees have demonstrated this very commitment over many years. We have a unique opportunity to invest for the long term. The sole purpose of our investment is to satisfy current and prospective customers with our expanded products and services."

As the new chairman, Huibers has almost 20 years experience in the distribution and manufacturing of construction equipment.

"We are committed to sustainable growth - growth in our customer relationships as well as growth and opportunities for our employees," Huibers said.

ASC purchased 12 Southeastern dealerships from LB Smith Inc. The locations include Mobile, Birmingham and Montgomery, Ala.; Knoxville and Chattanooga, Tenn.; Raleigh, Charlotte and Asheville, N. C.; Columbia, S. C.; and Savannah, Atlanta and Augusta, Ga.

The ASC corporate office is in Charlotte.

Wallace Community College celebrates building renovation

State, federal and local dignitaries recently joined the faculty and staff of Wallace Community College to celebrate the re-opening of the newly renovated Science Building at the Wallace campus in Dothan, Ala.

WCC President Linda C. Young hailed the project as one of her proudest accomplishments, pointing out the building's Greek architecture and the number of students it serves.

"Sixty percent of our student population uses this building for academic course requirements and 100 percent of our allied health and nursing students, or 38 percent of the total student population, frequents this building," Young said.

The Economic Development Administration provided a $1.2 million grant to initiate the renovation project and the college matched the allocation with funding from the Public School and College Authority. Jack Allen, a civil engineer with EDA in Atlanta, coordinated the Wallace project.

Allen said the college's role in providing the bulk of southeast Alabama's allied health and nursing workforce was a key factor for obtaining EDA approval for funding.

He added per capita income and the need for health care workers was the basis for establishing "distress," as required for grant consideration.

Louisiana-Pacific to build OSB mill in Clarke County

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation recently announced that it would build a new oriented strand board (OSB) facility in Clarke County, Ala.

LP signed a memorandum of understanding with Clarke County, the Clarke County Industrial Development Board and the State of Alabama. The company will build the facility on 820 acres near Thomasville.

Construction of the plant should begin during the third quarter of 2005 and finish in late 2007. The plant, which will employ about 130 people, will produce about 700 million sq. ft. of OSB once production begins.