Boise Cascade reports fourth quarter results
Boise Cascade posts $16.2M Q4 loss

Boise Cascade Holdings Reports Fourth Quarter 2010 Financial Results

BOISE, Idaho, March 2, 2011 /-- Boise Cascade Holdings, L.L.C. (BC Holdings or Company) announced a $16.2 million net loss for the quarter ended December 31, 2010, and a $6.1 million full year 2010 net loss. During 2010, BC Holdings sold its remaining equity interest in Boise Inc. for net proceeds of $86.1 million and recognized a $25.3 million gain. The Company contributed the proceeds to its wholly owned operating subsidiary, Boise Cascade, L.L.C.

Boise Cascade, L.L.C. reported negative fourth quarter 2010 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of $2.6 million, compared with negative EBITDA of $12.4 million in fourth quarter 2009. Boise Cascade, L.L.C. reported full year 2010 sales of $2.2 billion and positive EBITDA of $22.1 million, which included $4.6 million of litigation proceeds. This compared with 2009 sales of $2.0 billion and negative EBITDA of $35.3 million, which included a $6.0 million gain on debt repurchases and $3.7 million of asset closure costs. At December 31, 2010, we had $264.6 million of cash and $219.6 million of debt.

The Company's 2010 revenues and earnings continued to be negatively impacted by reduced demand for the products it distributes and manufactures. New residential construction remained weak in 2010 with housing starts of approximately 587,000. 2010 housing starts were slightly higher than the 554,000 starts experienced in 2009, but were still approximately 60% lower than the 10-year historical trend of about 1.5 million per year.

"I am proud of how both of our businesses performed last year at the second lowest level of housing starts in over 50 years. Our Wood Products and BMD operating segments reported a combined $38.1 million of EBITDA, which was a $66.8 million year-over-year improvement. In addition, we were able to improve our net debt position by $61 million in 2010, and we are well positioned for the year ahead," stated Tom Carlile, CEO.

Building Materials Distribution (BMD) segment sales were $402.7 million in the fourth quarter, up 9% from the same quarter a year ago. Prices for the segment were up approximately 8%, with volumes up about 1%. BMD reported $2.4 million of EBITDA in fourth quarter. This was up from the $1.0 million reported in fourth quarter 2009. Gross margins declined 70 basis points in the quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago; however, gross margin dollars increased as a result of higher sales. Total expenses were lower as a percent of sales, resulting in an improved operating margin. For the full year of 2010, BMD reported positive EBITDA of $19.1 million on $1.8 billion of sales.

Wood Products segment sales in the fourth quarter were $156.6 million, up 14% from the same quarter a year ago. The sales increase was attributable primarily to 12% higher plywood sales volumes, 7% higher I-joist sales volumes, 12% higher I-joist net selling prices, and 13% higher laminated veneer lumber net selling prices. The segment reported negative $1.8 million of EBITDA for the quarter, an improvement of $7.6 million from the negative $9.4 million reported in fourth quarter 2009. The main factors contributing to the improved financial performance were improved product pricing for engineered wood products and lower per-unit manufacturing costs for plywood. For the full year of 2010, Wood Products reported positive EBITDA of $19.0 million on $687.4 million of sales.

Outlook

Absent a decline in unemployment and a reduction in the housing supply overhang, we expect to continue to experience below normal demand for the products we distribute and manufacture. Industry commodity wood product prices could be volatile in response to operating rates and inventory levels in various distribution channels. We expect to manage our production levels to our sales demand, which will likely cause us to operate our facilities below their capacity.

About Boise Cascade

BC Holdings is a privately held company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Our wholly owned subsidiary, Boise Cascade, L.L.C., is a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of building products and one of the largest producers of engineered wood products and plywood in North America. For more information, please visit our website at www.bc.com.

Webcast and Conference Call

BC Holdings will host a webcast and conference call on Wednesday, March 2, at 11 a.m. Eastern, at which time we will review the company's recent performance. You can join the webcast through the Boise Cascade website. Go to www.bc.com and click on the link to the webcast under the News & Events heading. Please go to the website at least 15 minutes before the start of the webcast to register. To join the conference call, dial 800-374-0165 (international callers should dial 706-902-1407) at least 10 minutes before the start of the call.

The archived webcast will be available in the News & Events section of Boise Cascade's website. A replay of the conference call will be available from Wednesday, March 2, at 2 p.m. Eastern through Wednesday, March 9, at 11 p.m. Eastern. Playback numbers are 800-642-1687 for U.S. calls and 706-645-9291 for international calls, and the passcode will be 39857763.

Basis of Presentation

We present our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Our earnings release also supplements the GAAP presentations by reflecting EBITDA and net debt (cash), both non-GAAP financial measures. EBITDA represents income (loss) before interest (interest expense and interest income), income taxes, and depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is the primary measure used by our chief operating decision makers to evaluate segment operating performance and to decide how to allocate resources to segments. We believe EBITDA is useful to investors because it provides a means to evaluate the operating performance of our segments and our company on an ongoing basis using criteria that are used by our internal decision makers and because it is frequently used by investors and other interested parties when comparing companies in our industry that have different financing and capital structures and/or tax rates. We believe EBITDA is a meaningful measure because it presents a transparent view of our recurring operating performance and allows management to readily view operating trends, perform analytical comparisons, and identify strategies to improve operating performance. EBITDA, however, is not a measure of our liquidity or financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to net income (loss), income (loss) from operations, or any other performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. The use of EBITDA instead of net income (loss) or segment income (loss) has limitations as an analytical tool, including the inability to determine profitability; the exclusion of interest expense, interest income, and associated significant cash requirements; and the exclusion of depreciation and amortization, which represent unavoidable operating costs. Net debt (cash) is defined as total debt minus cash and cash equivalents. Management views net debt (cash) as a measure of the Company's leverage. Like EBITDA, the use of net debt (cash) has limitations as an analytical tool. Management compensates for the limitations of these non-GAAP measures by relying on our GAAP results. Our measures of EBITDA and net debt (cash) are not necessarily comparable to other similarly titled captions of other companies due to potential inconsistencies in the methods of calculation.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that are "forward looking" within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements speak only as of the date of this press release. While they are based on the current expectations and beliefs of management, they are subject to a number of uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ from the expectations expressed in this release.

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