SOUTHERN ASSOCIATION

Oklahoma Lumbermen's Association's Spring Mart '91 enjoyed sales of $1.4 million between 650 registered retail and more than 550 exhibitor personnel.

Spirits were high at the March 23-24 show at the State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, and "the lumber wholesalers were extremely pleased," said John Branscum, OLA manager.

Leonhardt Lumber Co., Oklahoma City, won the grand prize, while $1,000 cash awards went to Buford White Lumber Co., Shawnee; Kennedy Lumber, Henrietta, and Lumber Mart, Guymon.

OLA next convenes July 26-28 for its annual family weekend outing at the Western Hills Resort, Fort Gibson Reservoir.

l,ouisiana Building Material Dealers Associafion elected George Kellett, George Kellett & Sons, Inc., New Orleans, president at the annual convention in Lafayette.

Others elected March 7-10 were A. J. Harris, Baton Rouge Lumber Co., llaton Rouge, lst v.p.; Wallace Poole, Poole Lumber Co., Covington, 2nd v.p.: Ray Duplechain, Parish Lumber & Supply Co., Baton Rouge, treasurert Dudley Webre, Landry Lumber & Supply Co., Luling, national dealer director and past president.

Directors: Steve Ashy, Don Bertrand, Mimi Blouin, Scott Bradlord, Steve Buller, Jeff Cardinale, Tracy Harrel, Bob Hayden, Bubba Jones, Trey Kiper, Richard Knight. Chester Morrison, Jerry Negrotto, Chip Norman, Jim Pearce, Calvin Shoemake, Jerry Smith and David Stine.

Weyerhaeuser Co. received the Supplier of the Year award. The President's Award went to Ray Duplechain and Dudley Webre received the Ned Ball Award.

Coming events include the Con[erence with Congress, May l9-21, Washington, D.C., and the annual summer meeting, July l8-21 in Destin, Fl.

Carolinas-Tennessee Building Material Association is conducting management round tables throughout the region on "Growing Your Business" this spring.

Increasing margins in today's economic and competitive environment, merchandising for profits and expense and inventory control will be covered by Roy Burleson, Project Pros; Tom Robinson, Robinson and Associates, and Guy Fowler, CTBMA.

Dates and locations include May 7, Jackson, Tn.; May 8, Murlreesboro, Tn.; May 9, Knoxville, Tn.; May 21, New Bern, N.C.; May 22, Summerville, S.C.; May 23, Columbia, S.C. Asheville, Greensboro and Fayetteville, N.C., seminars were in April.

Kentucky Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association will sponsor a surplus building material auction at the Kentucky Fairgrounds & Expo Center, Louisville, June I and 2.

Peak Auctioneering, Kansas City, Mo., is in charge of the sale which will allow dealers to turn stagnant inventory into cash, according to Billy Thompson, KLMDA executive vice president.

Florida Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association is in a mini membership campaign drive until May 15.

Tom Joyner, Joyner Lumber Co., chairs the competition of two teams captained by Earl Horton, Robbins Insurance Co., and Allen Osteen, East Coast Lumber.

The Horton team includes Cindi Rourk, Timber Products Co., and Jinr Brock Jr., Brock Supply Co. Ken Smithhart, Dixie Plywood & Lumber Co., and Bob Chamberlain, Dataline, are on the Osteen team.

Winners will be honored during the FLBMDA summer conference. June 20-23 at Innisbrook Resort, Tarpon Springs. Government relations, executive, membership, truss executive, convention and associates council contmittees will hold meetings during this nteeting which includes sports and social events.

Mississippi Building Material Dealers Association officers, board of directors, past presidents and committee members will meet at the River Park Hotef , Natchez, Iuly 26 and 27.

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Nrllonrl Lumber & Bulldlng Mrterhl Derlers Assochllon affiliates will send representatives to the annual legislative/leadership conference May l9-21 in Washington, D.C.

Activities will center at the Loew's L'Enfant Plaza Hotel with the American Forest Resource Alliance conducting a workshop on effective grassroots lobbying on the firsl day.

Dr. John Baden, chairman, Foundation for Research on Economics and the Environment, will speak on "Perspectives on Economics and the Environmenl" on the second day. Workshops on northern forest lands and wetlands will tollow. Mark Rey, American Forest Resource Alliance; Neil Sampson, American Forestry Association, and George Frampton, Wilderness Sociely, are scheduled to debate "The Future of America's Timber Supply."

NLBMDA legislative reports, workshop reports, a presenlation on affordable housing by Charles Field, National Association ol Home Builders, and the economic outlook of housing and other construclion by Robert Murray, McGraw Hill, also will be heard during the afternoon. Speaker of the House Thomas Foley has been invited to keynote the evening banquet.

The final day will include breakfast with Congressman Lindsay Thomas, and visits to Senators and Representatives on Capitol Hill.

Bulldlng Productr Dlgcrt

sawmill. Finished lumber was expected to be ready by May l, said Steve Anthony. Additions include completely new buildings, faster planer, high speed stacker, and one new dry kiln. Other dry kilns were repaired.

The improvements are said to boost the mill's capacity from 80 million bf to producing about I l0 million bf annually.

The Sept. 27 fire caused $3 million in damages, destroying the mill and about 800,000 bf of lumber. A spark from the planer room ignited sawdust. (See Dkesl, Nov. 1990, p. t7)

Wllllame Bros. Rebullds, Grows

Williams Bros. Lumber Co., Atlanta, Ga., has re-opened a Conyers, Ga., yard destroyed by fire last November as the first step in its growth plan for the '90s.

"Williams Bros. expects to add several locations over the next two years and is actively looking at several outlying suburban locations," Jerry Johnson, one of the owners, said.

The replacement facility has over 34,000 sq. ft. under roof with a showroom, warehouse space and a window and door assembly operation. The market area includes six counties.

Hechinger Unveils Prototype

A newly remodeled Hechinger's may be the model of things to come for the retailer's other existing locations.

Reopened three months before the anticipated arrival of the area's first Home Depot, the Glen Burnie, Md., Hechinger's incorporates new merchandising techniques targeting d-i-yers, expanded product categories, aggressive price points on certain items, outdoor checking and scanning. Scanning, for one, will be in all units by year's end, said John Hechinger Jr., president and c.e.o.

"Remodeling existing stores will be a big emphasis," he said. "At this point, Glen Burnie represents our current thinking, all or parts of which could be translated into other stores as an ongoing process for us."

Ceiling tiles have been removed or otherwise concealed and high shelving and signs added to give a wide open, warehouse look. Displays are more extensive and elaborate, showcasing kitchens and baths, decks, millwork, plumbing and electrical, paint, garden, even full project displays.

Numerous comouter-aided design terminals are positioned throughout the store. And a new system ofcheckouts and pickups has been installed in the outdoor lumber and garden areas.

Rebuilt Bearden Reopens

Nearly seven months after a devastating blaze gutted much of the 84year-old business, Bearden Lumber Co., Bearden, Ar., has reopened with all new state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.

The Anthony Timberlands-managed company reopened department by department, beginning with the

A new commercial division has opened in a downtown Atlanta facility on Glenwood Avenue. A hollow metal frame shop, a commercial hardware construction shop and inventory are geared toward the commercial construction industry.

Clear Cutting Ban Lifted

In a stunning reversal, Amendment No. 7 eliminating clear cutting in Arkansas' Ouachita National Forest was lifted by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Agriculture John Beuter. The amendment, a criticized result of Forest Service Chief Dale Robertson's famous "walk in the woods," was adopted only five months after the original forest plan was amended to use even-aged harvest methods.

The regional forester has been ordered to develop new clear cutting guidelines or implement the plan as originally amended.