For one day recently, the parking lot adjacent to Virginia Hardwood Co.'s new facility in San Diego looked like a mini-trade show. More than 250 guests, mostly local contractors and builders, visited exhibits set up by 10 companies offering wood flooring, tools and equipment. The occasion was billed as a "Grand Re-opening" for the distributor.

Earlier in the year, VHC moved from the space it had occupied for 25 years to a new 23,000 square foot facility at 8925 Carroll Way. Aside from doubling the amount of space available, the new site is also more easily accessible to larger vehicles and includes a showroom. For Stacey Deiter, the vice president that oversees the San Diego operation, the move was long overdue.

"This gives us many benefits we didn't have in the old location," said Deiter. "People can get in and out more easily and we have a much larger selection than we previously did. Business has been good enough that they could have made this move years ago," The distributor also has locations in Azusa and Oxnard, Calif., as well as in Phoenix and Las Vegas.