Hampton Lumber and affiliate, RedBuilt, are pleased to announce the appointment of Ted Osterberger as Chief Executive Officer of RedBuilt, effective June 1, 2025. Osterberger succeeds Don Schwabe, who will retire later this year after ten years of leadership.

Based in Boise, Id., RedBuilt is a provider of innovative engineered wood products and structural solutions. Osterberger currently serves as RedBuilt’s Vice President of Operations and brings over 25 years of industry experience to his new role.

“Ted’s deep knowledge of the business, his unwavering commitment to people, and his proven leadership make him the ideal choice to lead RedBuilt into the future,” says Randy Schillinger, CEO of Hampton Lumber, RedBuilt’s parent company.

Schwabe will remain with the company through September 1, 2025, to ensure a smooth transition of leadership.

“It has been the greatest honor of my career to lead RedBuilt and to work alongside such a talented and committed group of people,” says Schwabe. “I am also incredibly grateful for having had the opportunity to carry on the legacy of Harold “Red” Thomas, Tom Denig, and Kurt Liebich. And now, as part of Hampton Lumber and under Ted’s leadership, the best is yet to come for RedBuilt.”

Schwabe’s tenure included the successful acquisition of RedBuilt by Hampton Lumber in 2024.

Washington, D.C.-based law firm Wiley, on behalf of the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood, has filed antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission, seeking relief from unfair trade practices by Indonesia, Vietnam, and China. These petitions have significant implications for the U.S. economy, in which hardwood plywood plays a critical role in producing numerous downstream products.

The Coalition represents a substantial majority of hardwood plywood production in the U.S., and its members include Columbia Forest Products, Commonwealth Plywood, Manthei Wood Products, States Industries, and Timber Products.

The petitions, filed May 22, allege that the governments of Indonesia, Vietnam, and China are actively subsidizing their industries through dozens of programs, including providing products at subsidized rates and multiple grant, tax, and lending programs. Additionally, hardwood and decorative plywood producers from the three countries are dumping their products into the U.S. at margins of up to 133.7% for Vietnam, 202.8% for Indonesia, and 474.2% for China, according to the petitions.

These unfairly traded imports have caused material injury to the domestic hardwood and decorative plywood industry, including reduced production, shipments, profits, and employment. Without trade relief under U.S. AD/CVD laws, the petitions argue, the domestic industry and the thousands of American jobs it supports are in jeopardy.

“Domestic hardwood and decorative plywood manufacturers have been harmed for decades by dumped and subsidized imports from Indonesia, Vietnam, and China,” said Timothy C. Brightbill, co-chair of Wiley’s International Trade Practice and lead counsel to the Coalition. “Trade remedies are necessary to restore fair competition for this essential U.S industry.”

The Coalition members operate more than a dozen facilities across the country, including in Arkansas, California, Michigan, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The Wiley team representing the Coalition also includes International Trade partner Stephanie M. Bell and associate Stephen A. Morrison.

Andritz has acquired LDX Solutions, a provider of emission reduction technologies and related services in the North American industrial market, with annual revenues of about $100 million. This acquisition further strengthens Andritz’s offering of environmental technologies and its presence in the growing North American market.

Comprising the strong legacy brands of Dustex, Geoenergy and Western Pneumatics, LDX Solutions offers a wide range of technologies and engineered solutions for a cleaner environment. The company’s wet electrostatic precipitators (WESP) and regenerative thermal oxidizers (RTO) will further complement Andritz’s comprehensive clean air technologies portfolio. With a team of 250 experts, decades of experience, and an installed base of more than 2,000 systems, LDX Solutions also enhances the service offering for Andritz customers throughout North America.

Harald Reissner, Senior Vice President Clean Air Technologies at Andritz, comments, “We are very pleased to welcome the LDX Solutions team to our Environment & Energy business area. Their long-standing industry experience, excellent product portfolio and operational excellence perfectly support our long-term growth strategy that focuses on sustainable solutions minimizing CO2 footprint.”

One year after groundbreaking, Mercer Mass Timber (MMT) has announced the completion of the first phase of construction on the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a future cultural destination located in the heart of the North Dakota Badlands, and the largest mass timber project in the state to date. 

Phase one construction began one year ago and is centered on the museum building and its dramatic roof structure of sweeping curves and complex geometry. The roof, designed to echo the rolling topography of the Badlands, required precisely engineered connections and joints, supported by steel wrapped in wood to maintain a seamless timber look. 

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is the largest use of mass timber in North Dakota to date. MMT is supplying approximately 1,800 m³ of CLT and glulam for the 93,000 sq. ft. structure, including custom glulam connections supporting the museum’s curved roof.

 The final mass timber delivery date is scheduled for June 1, 2025, marking the official start of phase two of construction, which will include Mercer Mass Timber contributing canopies designed to support photovoltaic panels—expanding mass timber use in outdoor architectural features.

“This project is a testament to what visionary design combined with advanced mass timber engineering can create,” says Ricardo Brites, Director of Engineering & VDC at Mercer Mass Timber. “From custom made glulam connections to a curved roof profile that’s as complex as it is beautiful, this project sets a new bar for civic architecture.”

Incorporating mass timber is a means to honor Theodore Roosevelt’s enduring legacy of conservation with a beautiful nature-forward design. Mass Timber also offers innovative construction advantages, including 25–40% lower carbon emissions, faster installation, and strong fire and earthquake resistance for enhanced safety.

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is set to open on July 4, 2026, and every living president is anticipated to be in attendance.