Business
Buying Time
A convergence of market forces has independents looking to sell and acquiring companies eager to buy as the industry rides another wave of heavy consolidation. Case in point: Once a bastion of independent, industry-leading pro dealers, Chicago became in 2005 a conglomeration of large national suppliers with only several standout independents--including Buffalo Grove, Ill.-based Edward Hines Lumber and Aurora, Ill.-based Alexander Lumber--left to compete with the chains. And according to pros and analysts alike, markets across the country could be poised to follow the Chicago model in a wave of industry consolidation that most believe has yet to crest.
15 MIN READ