This is related to the "I Love Wal-Mart" conversation started by Fosco on
July 7th. Free TeraNews just purged everything before July 9th.

I was able to find this info on Royal Oak, it might have something to do
with the recent shut down, and the price of lump and briquettes.

http://www.vanguardenvl.com/VRCN/statefines.htm

Ocala, FL

Company: Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc.
Business: Wood charcoal manufacturer
Why inspected? Investigation into death of a worker who was electrocuted and
killed when he touched an energized electrical terminal while trying to
reach the restart switch of a machine.
Fine: $132,000
Reason for fine: One repeat citation
*Exposed live electrical parts
Nine serious citations, including:
*Failure to ensure that hazardous machinery is locked out during maintenance
*Inadequate emergency response plan
*Confined space hazards
*Inadequate machine guarding
*Lack of chemical labeling
*Failure to provide fire extinguishers


http://envinfo.com/caain/consnt.html

No. CD-2000-13

Case Name United States v. Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc. (E.D. Va.)

Notice of Proposed Consent Decree

65 Fed. Reg. 44,808 7/19/2000

Summary of Consent Decree

The consent decree resolves claims against Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc. under
the Clean ir Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq., for civil penalties and
injunctive relief to redress violations occurring at Royal Oak's Kenbridge,
Virginia charcoal briquet manufacturing facility. Under the decree, the
defendant.is required to pay a civil penalty of $450,000 and is subjected to
injunctive relief designed to ensure future compliance.

Stopped into my local Agway to pick up some lump for a friend (who
transferred to Ohio after our factory in NJ closed)- Royal Oak at 20
pounds for under $10 (i.e., CHEAPER than at the brand new Wal-Mart just
down the highway).

Usually they carried the blue bag, "Star Grill" Royal Oak, made in the
USA (labeled for sale in the US and Canada). Didn't think much about
the fact that they were now carrying the more common red bag (since I'd
been led to believe they were the same) *until* I was loading them into
my truck and notices a stamp/sticker that was some sort of export/duty
stamp and now see that the bag says "Made in Brazil". (Another source
of lump switched from Royal Oak to some Brazilian brand, but I thought
that was because it was a Portugese mom & pop store...).

My buddy in Ohio is currently using made-in-Paraguay "Blackwood Canyon"
lump- altho' he also likes their "all natural" briquets, as well.

On 11-Jul-2005, "Couillion" > wrote:

> This is related to the "I Love Wal-Mart" conversation started by Fosco on
> July 7th. Free TeraNews just purged everything before July 9th.
>
> I was able to find this info on Royal Oak, it might have something to do
> with the recent shut down, and the price of lump and briquettes.
>
> http://www.vanguardenvl.com/VRCN/statefines.htm
>
> Ocala, FL
>
> Company: Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc.
> Business: Wood charcoal manufacturer
> Why inspected? Investigation into death of a worker who was electrocuted
> and
> killed when he touched an energized electrical terminal while trying to
> reach the restart switch of a machine.
> Fine: $132,000
> Reason for fine: One repeat citation
> *Exposed live electrical parts
> Nine serious citations, including:
> *Failure to ensure that hazardous machinery is locked out during
> maintenance
> *Inadequate emergency response plan
> *Confined space hazards
> *Inadequate machine guarding
> *Lack of chemical labeling
> *Failure to provide fire extinguishers
>
>
> http://envinfo.com/caain/consnt.html
>
> No. CD-2000-13
>
> Case Name United States v. Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc. (E.D. Va.)
>
> Notice of Proposed Consent Decree
>
> 65 Fed. Reg. 44,808 7/19/2000
>
> Summary of Consent Decree
>
> The consent decree resolves claims against Royal Oak Enterprises, Inc.
> under
> the Clean ir Act, 42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq., for civil penalties and
> injunctive relief to redress violations occurring at Royal Oak's
> Kenbridge,
> Virginia charcoal briquet manufacturing facility. Under the decree, the
> defendant.is required to pay a civil penalty of $450,000 and is subjected
> to
> injunctive relief designed to ensure future compliance.

Good job Couillion. Nice piece of research. I would hasten to add though
that Wal-Mart has not been indicted for safety violations or hazardous
working
conditions as has (apparently) Royal Oak. Sadly, the packaged Royal Oak
product was damned fine. I'm going to miss it.

One of the major complaints agains Wal-Mart is they dictate the prices they
will pay for various commodities, rather then bending to pay whatever the
vendor wants to charge. What's the matter with that. I enjoy the right to
dictate what I will pay for anything and everything. Sure, Wal-Mart is the
major market for many products, but they wouldn't be if the vendors held
out for free market prices.
--
The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed
my mind.)

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>
> Good job Couillion. Nice piece of research. I would hasten to add though
> that Wal-Mart has not been indicted for safety violations or hazardous
> working
> conditions as has (apparently) Royal Oak. Sadly, the packaged Royal Oak
> product was damned fine. I'm going to miss it.
>
> One of the major complaints agains Wal-Mart is they dictate the prices
> they
> will pay for various commodities, rather then bending to pay whatever the
> vendor wants to charge. What's the matter with that. I enjoy the right to
> dictate what I will pay for anything and everything. Sure, Wal-Mart is the
> major market for many products, but they wouldn't be if the vendors held
> out for free market prices.
> --
> The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed
> my mind.)

Hi Brick,
I wasn't implying that Wal-Mart was involved, just that this was part of
Fos' "I Love Wal-Mart" thread. I'm sure there are other places to discuss
the pros and cons of
Wal-Mart. It is hard to imagine that there is enough manufacturers mark-up
in a $6.00 bag of lump or briquettes to pay those hefty fines. Which is
probably why the doors are shut. I'm glad I bought 400 pounds of it last
time I went through Ocala : )

Couillion

"Couillion" > wrote


> Hi Brick,
> I wasn't implying that Wal-Mart was involved, just that this was part of
> Fos' "I Love Wal-Mart" thread. I'm sure there are other places to discuss
> the pros and cons of
> Wal-Mart. It is hard to imagine that there is enough manufacturers
mark-up
> in a $6.00 bag of lump or briquettes to pay those hefty fines. Which is
> probably why the doors are shut. I'm glad I bought 400 pounds of it last
> time I went through Ocala : )



What am I missing here? I understood from Big Jim's original reply that
they just won't sell wholesale to the publick anymore.

Are the doors closed for good?


TFM®

Couillion wrote:
> >
> > Good job Couillion. Nice piece of research. I would hasten to add though
> > that Wal-Mart has not been indicted for safety violations or hazardous
> > working
> > conditions as has (apparently) Royal Oak. Sadly, the packaged Royal Oak
> > product was damned fine. I'm going to miss it.
> >
> > One of the major complaints agains Wal-Mart is they dictate the prices
> > they
> > will pay for various commodities, rather then bending to pay whatever the
> > vendor wants to charge. What's the matter with that. I enjoy the right to
> > dictate what I will pay for anything and everything. Sure, Wal-Mart is the
> > major market for many products, but they wouldn't be if the vendors held
> > out for free market prices.
> > --
> > The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed
> > my mind.)
>
> Hi Brick,
> I wasn't implying that Wal-Mart was involved, just that this was part of
> Fos' "I Love Wal-Mart" thread. I'm sure there are other places to discuss
> the pros and cons of
> Wal-Mart. It is hard to imagine that there is enough manufacturers mark-up
> in a $6.00 bag of lump or briquettes to pay those hefty fines. Which is
> probably why the doors are shut. I'm glad I bought 400 pounds of it last
> time I went through Ocala : )
>
> Couillion


>Which is probably why the doors are shut. I'm glad I bought 400 pounds of it last time I went through Ocala : )

Does this mean that all of Royal Oak's plants are closing, including
the one that manufactures lump? I just bought some more RO lump, and if
they indeed have shut down operations, I better head back and get some
more! If Royal Oak is no longer making lump, I wonder to which lump
charcoal manufacturer Wal-Mart will switch?

Jim

"TFM®" > wrote in message
om...
>
> "Couillion" > wrote
>
>
>> Hi Brick,
>> I wasn't implying that Wal-Mart was involved, just that this was part of
>> Fos' "I Love Wal-Mart" thread. I'm sure there are other places to
>> discuss
>> the pros and cons of
>> Wal-Mart. It is hard to imagine that there is enough manufacturers
> mark-up
>> in a $6.00 bag of lump or briquettes to pay those hefty fines. Which is
>> probably why the doors are shut. I'm glad I bought 400 pounds of it last
>> time I went through Ocala : )
>
>
>
> What am I missing here? I understood from Big Jim's original reply that
> they just won't sell wholesale to the publick anymore.
>
> Are the doors closed for good?
>
>
> TFM®
>
>

I don't know what the rest of the story is, but ..... don't, or won't sell
to the public, at least two major fines (any dollar amount with a comma in
it is bad if you are the one paying it) in the last five years, and that is
without any mention of a lawyer or civil law suit. With or without
insurance, I wouldn't continue to take hits like that. The next Royal Oak
we see will probably be sold in Wal-Mart and made in a country with out
lawyers and government protection agencies.. I'd be glad to buy it retail,
but around here decent lump is hard to find, that's why the big load of it
from Ocala.

On 11-Jul-2005, "Couillion" > wrote:

> >

<snippage>

>
> Hi Brick,
> I wasn't implying that Wal-Mart was involved, just that this was part of
> Fos' "I Love Wal-Mart" thread. I'm sure there are other places to discuss
>
> the pros and cons of
> Wal-Mart. It is hard to imagine that there is enough manufacturers
> mark-up
> in a $6.00 bag of lump or briquettes to pay those hefty fines. Which is
> probably why the doors are shut. I'm glad I bought 400 pounds of it last
> time I went through Ocala : )
>
> Couillion

Sure wish I had. That's some good lump. Very decent price too. I'm going
to guess that they will reopen pretty soon. Politics prevails and Royal Oak
is pretty big. Something like eleven plants nationwide.

--
The Brick said that (Don't bother to agree with me, I have already changed
my mind.)

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