Ware-Butler Building Supply Continues to Grow in 2022

Ware-Butler Building Supply and its parent company, Pleasant River Lumber, are about to finalize two more acquisitions, bringing their Maine-based retail locations up to fourteen. They completed the acquisition of Twin Rivers Building Supply in Dixfield on April 1st and are scheduled to complete the acquisition of Morrell’s Hardware in Greenville on April 29th. These two locations will both function as companion sites to nearby Ware-Butler locations to help provide options for Mainers with both community hardware supply and contactor building-materials supply to Greenville and Oxford County.

Established in 1988, Twin Rivers Building Supply in Dixfield services western and southern Maine. The Ware-Butler Dixfield yard will be operated as a satellite location of the Ware-Butler Mexico store. The two locations will function as one team. Mexico will offer a full-service Ace hardware supply and customer pick-up lumber yard while the 10-acre site in Dixfield will provide full-scale contractor service and delivery yard a few miles up the road. Over the years, owner Alan Elliott and his team built a high efficiency, customer-focused operation known for outstanding service and delivery. Alan will remain on the Ware-Butler team in a Sales role, supporting customers and our growth in Western Maine.

Morrell’s Hardware in Greenville has been providing hardware and building materials since the 1950’s. John Morrell has owned the operation since 1984, and a Morrell has been at least part of the ownership team since 1959. In the late 1990’s, Morrell’s stopped selling a full range of building materials and focused on hardware sales. This acquisition means a return to a full complement of product offerings to Greenville. Morrell’s will join the Ware-Butler team on April 29th and will continue to be an Ace Hardware Store for the community. They will also work with the Ware-Butler contractor yard located on Log Home Road, just two miles away. With Moosehead Cedar Log Homes moving into its new Dover manufacturing facility in May, the Ware-Butler Building Supply team will gear up and begin sales and deliveries out of the contractor yard that will be run as a companion to the location downtown. Owner John Morrell will remain on board in support of the transition through June, then become a resource to the two-site operation in Greenville with his 50 years of knowledge until 2023.

“Ware-Butler Building Supply and Pleasant River Lumber are excited to continue to grow and round out our retail team with these two acquisitions. We will be up to 14 locations in Maine selling building materials to homeowners and contractors including 7 full-service Ace Hardware stores. With support from our partner suppliers and Pleasant River Lumber, this helps us ensure we have the products that our contractors and customers need”, says Ware-Butler’s Chief Operations Officer Alan Orcutt. With the new acquisitions, Ware-Butler will employ 285 people statewide.

Parent company, Pleasant River Lumber, currently owns and operates lumber manufacturing facilities in Dover-Foxcroft, Jackman, Enfield, Hancock, and Sanford that specialize in spruce/fir framing lumber and eastern white pine boards. In addition to the mills, Pleasant River Lumber owns Moosehead Cedar Log Homes, AA Brochu Trucking/Chaffee Transport, Quality Saw Sales and Service, and A&A Brochu Logging, a logging division specializing in commercial thinning. With the new acquisitions, the Pleasant River Lumber family of companies will employ a total of 678 people working and living in Maine.

Ware-Butler’s fourteen locations include Waterville, Madison 201, Livermore Falls, Madison Main Street, Enfield, Greenville, Gorham, Mexico, Dixfield, Kingfield, Palmyra, Stillwater, Corinth, and Orrington.

Source: Ware-Butler, Inc.