WE DO A COMMON THING UNCOMMONLYWELL

n Specialists in framing and cuttings-all species.

Backed by company timberlands and sawmills, remanufacturing and custom milling.

Outside sales contracts exceed 300 MBF annually.

Technical expertise and financial ability to buy f rom all sources.

Size fosters flexibility and service. Time tested track record.

retailers, two of which were small, rural indepcndents. Steve Feinstein, who today owns a chain of retail building material outlets headquartered in St. Louis' was also on that panel. Feinstein is credited as being the greatest innovator in the home center industry, having guided such giants as Forest City and Grossmans and Moore's in the l%G1970 formative years of the home center industrY.

I watched him as he sat on the platform waiting for his turn at the microphone. He jotted three or four notes as he listened to the brief address of the firs speaker from a small New England town. Hethen opened his remarks by telling the audience that his exp€nses to the convention had easily been repaid by just one merchandising idea he recognized from the previous speech.

Later. Feinstein told me that during that one 90 minute session he walked away with two merchandising concepts and one sales promotion theme that he will adopt for his chain. When we se€ these concepts and themes replayed by his chain, I expect that they will be a little more refined and a lot more productive.

Today, innovation is costly! ln spite of their larger overall expense budgets, the chain operators qlnnot afford the experimentation freedoms they exerciscd in the past. I look for creative changes to come from the independent retailer and the smaller chain. But, I can't help feel that the road to success in the 1980 s will be traveled not only by the early innovators but also bl' the early imitators.

Thol's How lt Goes!

"MyJirst three months in business, I sold quite a lot: my house, my furniture, my car."

Behind the Scene in Sales

There are building supply dealers whose employees sell lumber every day without knowing much about what is involved in getting that lumber to the store. This account of a few days in the travels of Russ Swift, West Coast mgr. for Coastal Lumber, gives some insight into the work of a wholesaler.

Swift was picked up at the RaleighDurham airport in Raleigh, N.C., by Coastal Lumber Co.'s corporate pilot, Dave Johnson, in one of the firm's corporate aircraft, a Mitsubishi MU2. After he had visited the home office in Weldon, N.C., Russ was driven by Lyman Shipley, v.p. of marketing and Art Willard, Southern hardwood product mgr., to the mill in Kinston, N.C. Jimmy Johnson, mill mgr., showed everyone around, pointing out that it is a hardwood single-band mill with a planer. They can dress most hardwood species with the exception of oak. Kinston has two package kilns and two track kilns with an annual kiln capacity of 2,400,000 maximum.

The next day, Johnson flew Swift, Shipley and Jerry Williams, v.p. of operations, to West Virginia where they spent the day at three of Coastal's operations. The first stop was Buckhannon, W.V., a yard with seven package kilns and eight progressive kilns for a total annual kiln capacity of 7,000,000 maximum.

Mark Ellis, the plant mgr., gave a tour of the yard including the planer which dresses most hardwood species with the exception of oak. While there, they met with Barry Cook, regional mgr. of Appalachian operations, and Rolan Rhodes, div. mgr. of Appalachian operations. Next stop was Dailey, W.V. There the mill mgr., Raymond Adord, and Randy Foster, assistant mill mgr., showed them the operation. They were cutting hard maple in the sawmill. Dailey has a planer with the ability to dress oak. three track kilns and two package kilns with an annual kiln capacity of 3,800,000 maximum. This mill also can surface oak with a Strait-o-plane.

The last stop for the day was Elkins, W.V., where plant mgr. Don Megert showed them around. This is a yard with a planer that can dress most hardwoods with the exception of oak. They have seven track kilns and an annual capacity of 7,000,000 maximum.

Although Swift did not go to Thomasville, Al., and Denmark, S.C., he was brought up to date on the improvements at these two mills. Thomasville has installed a new gang saw and carriage and Denmark also has a new gang saw. Seller, S.C., has been converted to a strictly cypress mill. At this location they run various patterns, channel rustic,bevel siding, and ship these as well as kiln dried rough cypress.

Swift's visit concluded with a meeting with Paul Barringer, pres. of Coastal Lumber, and Steve Conger, executive v.p. of Coastal Lumber and pres. of Coastal International.

Home Depot Exec to Speak

Bernard Marcus, chairman of The Home Depot, Atlanta, Ga., will be the keynote speaker at the Hardware Industry Week Service Event/National Hardware Show to be sponsored by the American Hardware Manufacturers Association, Aug. l4-18, at McCormick Place and McCormick Place West, Chicago, Il.