The soft economy might have a lot of folks second-guessing plans to improve their homes or build new ones, but a local supplier to the nation's building industry is banking on future growth.

Norandex Building Materials Distribution has just finished moving from its headquarters in Macedonia to new and larger corporate offices in Hudson.

President Brian Chambers says the move fits into the company's plans to pursue more markets and expand its product line.

''We wanted a corporate office that would support that growth,'' he said.

The 47,000-square-foot facility on Executive Parkway West — the former corporate office for Dairy Mart Convenience Stores — also includes an expanded training facility to support the educational needs of 1,400 employees working in 150 branches in 37 states.

''Even in tough economic times, we want to be investing in our people,'' he said.

Chambers said Norandex started looking for a new facility last fall after being acquired by Saint-Gobain, a multinational corporation based in France. Norandex was previously owned by Owens Corning.

At the time of the sale, there was some discussion as to whether the division's headquarters would remain here, but the company's core talent was in place and Northeast Ohio is logistically a good central location, Chambers said.

And Hudson in particular ''has a reputation as one of the best places in the Midwest for employers to do business,'' he said.

Chambers said there's no doubt that economic conditions — specifically, the worst housing market in decades — have been difficult, and revenue is below last year's pace.

''The good news,'' he said, ''is we're starting to see some stabilization'' and Norandex will be ready to take advantage.

About 15 of the 85 positions in the corporate office were added in the past year, Chambers said.

''We've added people . . . to give us the ability to expand locations and product offerings,'' he said.

Norandex currently sells a range of exterior building products to builders and contractors, including siding, windows and doors. In addition to adding new brands to its traditional catalogue, Norandex is reaching into new areas that include decking, manufactured stone and roofing.

Norandex was founded in 1946 as the Weathertite Co. Last year, it became part of the Saint-Gobain Building Distribution Sector, which has more than 4,000 outlets in 24 countries.

Saint-Gobain is parent to five other area companies: Saint-Gobain Grains & Powders in Canton; Saint-Gobain Norpro in Stow; Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics in Ravenna and Akron; Saint-Gobain Technical Fabrics in Dover; and Saint-Gobain Crystals in Hiram and Solon.