Pcrtonalr (Continued.liom Nge 26)

Cherlcr W. Eerndcn, prce., Alpine Bngineered hoductB, lnc., Pompano Bcach, Fl., was elcctod pres. ofthe Brecutivce' Association of Fort l^auderdelo.

Frenk E. Wchh is thc ncw mktg. mgr. at Azrock Induetrics, Srn Antonio, Tx., replacing Jlm Murphy, who has rctircd. Tony L. Dirmond is now Azrock product mgr.

Drvid P. Johncton has rejoined Stanley Tools e8 national accounts sales mgr., according to exec. v.p. Joocph L. Joncr.

John W. Crrc is now mktg. mgr.-OEIr{ Metal Building lnoulation ptoducto for CcrtainTeed.

Richrrd Englend, chairman emeritue, HechingctC.o., has retired fiom thc board of directors.

Perrry G. Jenningo has bccn promoted to scnior director of employee relations/ compensation at Lowe's Cos., North Wilkesboro, N.C. Connd D. Yount is ncw as tcchnical scrvices analyst II.

Merk W. Gebcl is heading Allgcier Computer's new Dallas, Tx., sales office.

Nency lewis, pres., City Lumber, Fayetteville, Ar., was appointed Mid-America Lumbermens Association's representative to the National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association board of directors.

Eorecc Drvlr, Standard Building Matorial, Pine Bluff Ar., has rcturned lo work efter aufforint an eorta aneurycm in Novcmbcr.

tVillirm Lcc Rurrcll, exec. v.p., Miesiosippi Building Material Dealera Aesociation, tackson, Me., is recuperating following a Feb. lt heart attack.

Tom Hrrtlcy, crec. director, Virginia Building Material Aosociation, Richmond, Va., and VBMA p,res. John Spcnccr, Spencer Home Conter, laxington, Va., attended the recent Small Busincss Legislative Council'o annual meeting with fceturcd speaker hesident Georle Bucb.

lVilmr Powers has rctired as mgr. of communications from Riverwood International, West Monroc, l,a.

A. C. 'Bud'Utccy III, Coastal Lumber Co., Walterboro, S.C., wae named corporate'8 Mill Manager of the Year. Other award winncrs: Devld L. Normen, Eddic M. Deughtra and Roberl E. Rich, Havana, Fl.; Jemer Dixon and Ellie Henell, Thomasville, Al.; John Dnvid Cherlton, Henry, Tn.; Randy Hoets and Toby Covington, Walterboro, and R. Shane Spell, Denmark, s.c.

Joe Churchmen, Moore & Cone Lumber, Newport, Ar., has retired after 46 years in the business, with sons David and Bob taking over the yard. David also replaced Don Thompson as chairman of MLA's Atkansas State Committee.

Grra Woodron, formerly oroc. v.p. of Southcrn Pine lnspeclion Burcau, ie now director of opcratione at Hughes Wood hoductr, Bon Wicr, Tr.

Evrl,cm Mryo, Mayo Building Supply, Bentonville, Ar., has bccnelectcd chairman of tho board of Northwcct Arkensas Community College.

Jemer Cellrhen, a88t. eales mgr., Union Camp, Mcldrim, Ga., is rccovcring at homo following open heart surScry.

Newell LeVoy is now prce. of Builderway Inc., Greenvillc, S.C., eucceeding l)on Huclon, who continues on the board.

John Donnelly is ncw to contractor ealee at Lowe's, Cookeville, Tn. At North lVilkoborc, N.C., Hq., Robcrt L. lVhiddon ie now scnior mgr.-taxation; Williem M. Hurd, mgr.-satellitdvideo communications; Todd P. Norrio, mdeg. information analyst; Gery R. Cook, store mdcg. epccialist, and Micheel T. Miller, senior rcal cstate mgf.

Joc Flemming, Burton Woodworlc, Montgomery, Al., won two roundtrip tickets to Hawaii in a National Home Center Show drawing.

Phil lVitter, owner of Baton Rouge Lumber Co., Baton Rouge, La., is now pres. Curtis Turner is the new gcn. mgr. A. J. Herris and Alan Mertin have resigned.

Mary Jo Allison has joined Bladen Builder's Supply, Elizabethtown, N.C., in accounts receivable.

Florida Chains ln Price War

Adopting comparative price advertising common with grocery chains, Home Depot and Builders Square stores in the Fort Lauderdale, Fl., area are slugging it out.

Emphasizing their lower prices, a Builders Square ad claimed shoppers could save $35.24 on a nine item comparison and that they would beat any lower price found by l0%. The comparison was faulty with a typo which increased the difference by $7.

Home Depot couniered with an ad appearing as a letter from southeastern Home Depot's president Bruce Berg. He claimed that Builders Square compared temporarily low prices with Home Depot's regular prices, and did not include model numbers to allow head-to-head comparisons andused prices at the Davie store even though prices might be different in different markets.

Berg explained that he took out the ad because he was mad. Mark James, vice president of marketing at Builders Square's corporate offices, claimed Home Depot started the battle and that prices for his company were not temporary. Comparing a sale price withan everyday price is considered an unfair trade practice, according to Florida's attomey general's office.

Fellow building material retailers and shoppers are waiting for the next round.

Ways To Beat Your Gompetition

Competition isheavy among building material dealers in Knoxville, Tn. Independents like Tindell's Inc. as well as chains like Lowe's, 84 Lumber and Moore:s have been threatened by the entry of two Home Depots.

"We face a daily deluge of radio jingles, mailbox stuffers, newspaper ads and slick tabloids, all trying to build that lowprice image the big boys love," writes Gene McKinney, Tindell's manager, in ProSales, a contractor magazine.

Since 95% of our sales are with pros, the new Home Depots haven't taken any consumer business from us, he explains. "But Home Depot has taken sales, high-margin sales, from its chain competitors, some of whom do a lot of pro sales in addition to consumer sales. I say high margin because Home Depot, despite advertising designed to build a low price image, operates at one of the highest profit margins in the industry."

To maintaintheircash flow, the chains have responded by pursuing contractor sales with vengeance. When chain competitors decide to go after builder business by buying it with low price gimmicks, everyone's profits are squeezed, at least in the short run, McKinney notes.

Carl Tindell, president of the company, has a favorite phrase, McKinney emphasizes,"It's not business as usual!" Translated, this means independent building material dealers cannot continue to do business with poor inventory and accounts receivable controls, runaway expenses and the same old customers. We must use the power of our computers to control our inventory. We must maintain good, sound credit procedures, train our people and ourselves to control expenses. We also must find new customers outside our normal area of operation, Tindell writes.

A dealer opening a window and door specialty showroom, a North Carolina dealer adding wooden swings and