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Organizational Changes Announced at C.H. Briggs Company

C.H.Briggs Company today announced organizational changes within its Sales and Marketing functions. Effective immediately, Joseph Kearns will assume the new position of Chief Sales Officer and Luis Arias has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer. Both will continue their roles as executive team members.

As head of sales, Kearns has responsibility for developing and expanding customer relationships, and will oversee all sales personnel and activities. Additionally, Kearns will continue to oversee customer service.

As head of marketing, Arias will oversee all marketing and product management functions with responsibility for identifying and developing market opportunities; launching and managing products and programs; and developing and executing advertising, public relations and marketing communications activities.

Arias most recently served as Vice President of Surfacing with responsibility for the premium decorative surfaces portfolio and the company’s partnership with DuPont. Before leading the Surfacing business unit, Arias held a variety of positions within Marketing and Product Management at C.H.Briggs during his 14-year tenure. Additional work experience includes outside sales positions at Hettich America and The Pillsbury Company. Arias holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina.

Kearns joined the company in 2005 and most recently served as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer for the hardware and board divisions. Prior to C.H.Briggs, Kearns was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for MasterCraft Cabinets, a subsidiary of Elkay Cabinet Group, the fourth largest residential cabinetry manufacturer in the United States. Prior to that Kearns served in executive leadership positions in the communications industry, and with Whirlpool Corporation, the world’s largest manufacturer of kitchen and laundry appliances. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Management from Tusculum College.

For more information, visit www.chbriggs.com.

Products

New Access Control Management Solution for Small Businesses

Videx, Inc. is excited to introduce a new stand-alone version of the CyberAudit-Web Lite software. Designed specifically for small businesses, this affordable, user-friendly software makes electronic access control easy to manage and works in conjunction with CyberLock electronic locks and keys. With the Lite software and CyberLock electronic cylinders, a small business can quickly convert their existing mechanical locks to a full-functioning access control system without any need for wiring.

This easy-to-use software allows a business owner to program each user’s key to access selected locks on specific days and only during certain times on those days. A key can even be preset with a date that it will become inactive. Most importantly, both the electronic locks and keys record openings and denied entries, providing the owner with a detailed audit report of activity. Lite easily accommodates installations of up to 50 CyberLock electronic locks and 50 electronic keys.

There is also a server version of CyberAudit-Web Lite that is designed for access over the Internet. The server version is intended for companies that want to host multiple clients as a service. The software can handle multiple databases so that client accounts can be managed efficiently.

For more information about CyberAudit-Web Lite and other CyberLock products, please contact Videx by phone at (541) 758-0521, by fax at (541) 752-5285, by email at sales@videx.com, or visit our web site at: www.videx.com.

Kolbe Offers Windows and Doors for Independent Living

Kolbe offers its high-quality, wood windows and doors with universal design options that simplify comfortable, accessible, independent living.

Kolbe Ultra and Heritage Series universal design features include motorized operators, longer crank handles, larger knobs or oversized lever locks to make casement windows easier to use. On double hungs, a crank handle allows the bottom sash to be operated with minimal effort in a seated position.

To make entry and exit easier, Kolbe Garden-Aire sliding doors may be ordered with an aluminum sill ramp for a smooth transition between interior and exterior. For swinging doors, flush-to-floor sills are engineered into the doorframes as integral components to ensure that the level of the finished floors aligns with the thresholds for accessibility. Lever handles also are offered on swinging doors, making them easier to operate than doors with knobs or latch handles.

Chairs and Cares Model Accessible Home in Wausau, WI serves as a showcase where people can experience accessible living design, see innovative adaptive equipment and technology solutions, and obtain information about building materials and more. Involved with the project from its earliest stages, Kolbe contributed 51 windows, 21 interior doors and entry doors.

Universal design at Kolbe emphasizes more than function. Custom wood species, exterior colors, and divided lites are among the breadth of options to consider when choosing windows and doors that not only make everyday living easier and more comfortable, but enjoyable for years to come.

To learn more about Kolbe’s universal design products, please call 800-955-8177 or visit www.kolbe-kolbe.com

Woodharbor Doors & Cabinetry Expands Semi-Custom Line

Woodharbor Doors & Cabinetry, Inc. is enhancing its Rockglen Cabinetry line of semi-custom cabinetry in three areas. Quarter-sawn white oak, a popular wood species choice for Mission and Arts & Crafts designs, is now available for all Rockglen door styles (with the exception of mitered doors). It is offered in 11 colors.

The company is also adding "espresso," a very dark brown, to its Rockglen palette. Espresso, a popular color with consumers, is available for quarter-sawn white oak and cherry.

For more information on any of these products, contact Cindy Dahl at (641) 423-0444, ext. 2270.

Corporate Info.

Negwer Adds New Materials Division

Responding to customer needs and current market trends, Negwer Materials Inc. has created NM Specialties, a new division that offers a one-stop shop for CSI Division 10 specialty products such as toilet compartments, bumper guards, protective wall coverings and fire protection specialties.

"We are launching NM Specialties specifically to meet the product needs of our clients," said Pete Wilhelms, vice president of marketing and product development. "We now offer a complete list of products for an entire commercial building project and continue to offer a knowledgeable staff that is available to help our clients every step of the way. We’ve also named Julie Davis as our lead for the division. With her 13 years of experience working with specialty products, we are confident she will be a knowledgeable resource for our clients."

Based in St. Louis, Davis was an integral part of starting up NM Specialties. She also is responsible for inventory, managing stock lists and bidding items for the new division. She previously served as the owner of A Perfect Fit Promotional Products, where she handled the day-to-day operations, including sales, customer service, purchasing, bookkeeping and production.

For more information on the new division, visit www.negwer.com/Products/ or contact Julie Davis at 314.552.0579.

In Other News...

Kwikset, the leader in innovative residential security, has changed the way home and property owners will view the protection and functionality of door locks with the nationwide arrival of SmartKey. This ground-breaking new lock technology provides consumers with the ability to re-key locks quickly and easily for improved access control and one key convenience. Full Story

VOXCOM Security Systems has partnered with iControl Networks, the first provider of mass-market, web-based 'Home Security 2.0' solutions, to produce an offering that allows customers to remotely monitor and control their homes. VOXCOM's Active Response Monitoring solution, an innovative monitoring, notification and video services platform, will be integrated with iControl's iHub technology: a home security router that plugs into the home network and connects wirelessly to security panels, IP cameras, sensors, and Z-Wave-based home automation devices (such as lighting, door locks, thermostats, etc.). Full Story

Masonite is launching two new environmentally friendly interior doors, the Safe 'N Sound and the Safe 'N Sound Emerald. The two new solid core interior doors feature DorCor, a low density core made from rapidly renewable wheat straw. Full Story

Houston, TX-based Able Door Manufacturing is closing all three of its manufacturing centers after 27 years in business, reported Professional Door Dealer. Full Story

To provide home builders and remodelers with an interior door option that is as classic as it is modern, CMI is introducing the CraftMaster Crossmore – a new flat-panel door with an elegant, smooth finish, reported Building Online. Full Story

Pella Corporation's introduced a new collection of wood entry doors combining classic craftsmanship with timeless natural beauty and reliable function. Ranging in style from classic Arts and Crafts looks to rugged, rustic or refined options with finishes like fine furniture, Pella's new wood selection includes Mahogany, Rustic Walnut, American White Oak and Cherry to complement a wealth of home designs for new construction, as well as remodeling and replacement applications. Full Story

Renewal by Andersen, the start-to-finish window replacement division of Andersen Corporation, has been granted the Good Housekeeping Seal on all of its replacement windows and patio doors. Full Story

ASSA ABLOY has acquired 20% of the shares in Copiax AB from Verdane Capital, a financial investor. With this acquisition ASSA ABLOY now owns close to 31% of the capital. Copiax is a Swedish wholesaler of security products focusing on locksmith, security installers and builders merchants. Full Story

Wheeler's Building Materials, Rome, GA, has filed for Ch. 11 bankruptcy protection. The distributor and manufacturer, which serves the struggling residential sector, has 15 distribution facilities throughout Atlanta, North Georgia, Birmingham, AL, and Charlotte, NC. The company also ceased its door manufacturing production line at its Riverside, GA, location but will continue to employ a "limited number of people" to provide security and manufacture doors on an as-needed basis, reported Modern Distribution Management. Full Story

Austrian manufacturing company Internorm is using RFID to track containers of the doors and windows it makes as they move between its three production facilities. The system enabled Internorm to eliminate the manual processes it employed to track containers, and the errors those processes could cause. It also helps the firm get more use out of its containers, as well as double-check the accounting work of the external trucking companies it hires to move goods among its sites, reported RFID Journal. Full Story

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