ls the worst over in Texas?

FLlllKll{G Welsh Forest Products display are lll Lindsey Peacock, Alan Gray, Sam Bryson. l2l Harris Kimbell, Linda Priddy, Howard Powell. l3l Joe Elder explains treated lumber uses to Kay Cade, Nelda Cade. l4l Curtis Vauohan Jr.. Tom Rice. Cosmo & Toni Guido. tbl Steve Pbpper, Laura Schoepf. 16l Ross Jackson, Ron Rogers. l7l Dan Anderson, Rod Didier, Max Welch, Terry Welch. (81 Bill Plant and Building Products Digest's Jean Waggoner Gogerty. l9l Ronald Tassin, Mike Smith. ll0l Bobby Crowley, Guy Smith, Ron Hilliard. llll Dean Leaman, Dan Coleman, Ray Nunn, Winston Depew, LAT's new exec. v.p. ll2l Carl Thibodaux, Christopher Goff, Steve Rountree, Marc Hoover. ll3l Mark Anthonv. Kerlin Drake. Shannon & Mike Cites. (ill Doug Crider, Tom Lynn, Doris

Smith, Jim Petrey. llSl Mark Adams, Paul Hill, Steve Wolfe. ll6l Lee Sanders, Chrissy & Tom Hanover. llTl Mike Nichols, Ken Biggs, Harold Tate. llSl Ron Denton, Melvin Clark, Allen Stahl, John Scott. ll9l Dale Gilliam. Jack Gilkey, David Preslev, Greg Houx. l20l Terry Burkholder, Mitch Boone, Richard Peshlakai, Greg Kruse. 12ll Bobby Tosh, Les Day.

T HE general consensus at the I recent Lumbermen's Association of Texas annual convention was that the bad old days of the last three years are finally over and that the long-awaited turnaround has slowly begun. While conditions vary within Texas, most agree that gains will be gradual, with another boom out of the question.

Story at a Glance

Business conditions expected to improve in most areas attendance up. goodtraffic through exhibits. George Natsis new president. next year: San Antonio, April 6-8.

The l02nd annual was held in San Antonio, April l5-17. Attendance was up considerably over last year and floor traffic at the show was better than the previous expo. Both exhibitors and their dealer customers

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,\1 Lttnthcr' plitns to ()pct.l a 19,2(X) sq. li. storc ttncl witrchousc in Scvicrvillc. 'l'n.... I'hc If ayntitrkct, Vlt., ,\1 l.turtlx'r has rcopcnctl ltl'lcr cxtcnsivc rcnrocleling lllttoras' hacl sintultirttcous grund rcopcnings lilr cxpuncled and renrodeled stores in l)ctcrsburg and Norlblk, Vl., ('harlottc and Ashcvillc. N.('. . .

Lowa's celcbrated the grancl reopening of its rclocirtcd J'honts<ln, (ia., store

Ht,t'hin,qcr has openccl a ncw 315,000 sq. li. rcgional clistribution center on 35 acres in ('harlotte. N.C. . . . ,Si'oltl,ls closed a 20-year-old store in lrort Myers, I;1., with plans to open a hardware store at a latcr clate . .

Ilomt, I)epot lnc.. which is building an 83,(XX) sq. li. store in Melbourne, ljl., sct to opgn in Oct., plans to open two more stores in Atlanta, (ia., this year with three additional units projected over the next three years: they have also purchased store property in Margate, I;1., (see p. 22 for story) ltrcir . llutthtr /'/l.r has bccn ollcnccl in .llcksonvillc. .\r., by llltit l)uyi.s Ltmhcr ('o.

Bu ilders'Strppl1, Co., Lancaster, S.C., is celebrating its 80th year .The Lumber Mart, Guymon, Ok., had a barbecue fbr contractors, part of its 25th anniversary celebration .., MidAllsntic' Cedar, Charlotte, N.C., is now called Mid-Ameri<'a Cedar.

JM Lumber plans a 52,000 sq. warehouse with an I 1,000 sq. showroom in St. Lucie West.

('tt.r I.urnbar ( ir.. lrus closcd its -l'ar1l<ln Springs, lil.. strlrc. consolicluting at its ncwcr, ncarby Oldsntirr, l l., krcation . . . l)on Slonc plirns u honrc ccntcr cmphasizing lunrbcr irr Lakc .llckson.-fx....

IIomc l)apor will gct $25.0(X) cash ln<l a $25.(XX) nrerchandisc creclit in an out-ol'-court scttlcmcnt ol'a lawsuit it filed against 2llice l)c1tot Inc. . . Wells Lunnnt's lawsuit against Williunrson- I )ickic Muttu.lhcturing ('o. l'<:r trade clress inf'ringemcnt has been scttled with a conscnt .iudgenrent

,trllied Pl.\,v,tnrt Corp., a subsidiarY ol' PI.Y' 71r',, lndu.strics, In<'.. has opened a 10,000 sq. ft. distribution center in I)allas. Tx.. Michael Olmstead and Michael Overstreet, nranagers attd oltcncd l wholcsalc olf icc in ljorl W<lrth. 'lx. lduho 'l'inht,r Corp., Boise, Id., is constructing a hardwood mflg. fircility in Ilison. Ar., targeted for a sunrnrer opening

1. ('. Dutton Lunrber (orp., St. Petersburg, lrl., is now selling treated lumber Marks f'orest Prorluc'ts (ir., Ilirmingham, Al., has opened a sales oflice in Lake Charles.La....

Irinal negotiations between Powell Lumber (b. and the management of four of their lumber div. units were expected to be completed after this issue printed; leveraged buy-outs are proposed for facilities at Tyler, Tx., Charlotte, N.C., a treating plant at Opelousas, La., and the Lake Charles, La., yard the parent Powell Group will remain in land and timber managemenl.

( ottstul Lutrthtr ('o. has rrcquircd lltooti.t Itnthcr ('o., ncar l)aris, 'l'n.. lncl ftrrnrccl the 'll'rtrrt'.s.u'a l)ir. ol ('tn.stul. hcadcd by Willilnr lt. Nccsc. lormer prcs. ol' Phtx'ni.r; opcrutions incluclc a sawmill. prcssurc trcilting plant and a rcgional salcs ollicc...

'lrus .loist is atlding ctluipmcnt at thc Natchitochcs, ll.. lircility runcl cxpanding.joist production at thc Valdosta, (ia.. plant lntcnrutionul lhpcr ('o. will build a $40 million plus oricnted strand boarcl plant in ('ordele, (ia....

Gcorgia-l'oci.lic ('orp. has frrrnred an lndustriul Wood Pradu(ts I)iv,. including harclboard plants in ('onway, N.(1., and North l-ittle l{ock. Ar.: particleboard plants in [-ouisville, Taylorsville and Oxford, Ms.; South IJoston. Va.; Russelville, S.(1., and Vienna, Ga., and the MI)l;plant in llolly tlill, S.(1. . .

General Elec'trit' ('o. has acquired Roper (outdoor power equipment and appliances) in Augusta, (ia. . . . Dow Chenical (b. has opened a Styrofbam insulation mfg. plant in [)alton, (ia....

More than tltree lons ol t'ocaine were allegedly discovered in a Tarpon Springs, Fl., warehouse, hidden in hollowed-out lumber imported fiom Columbia, South America. The warehouse owner, a leading local businessman, was arrested on drug smuggling charges, according to The Tarpon ,\pringsHerald...

Ply Marts has opened A Place for Everything, a specialty retail operation in Norcross, Ga., and plans four or five more storage product units in the Atlanta

Vaughan & Sons, lttc'., San Antonio. Tx.. has consolidated its wholesale lumber activities under the name Alamo Forest Products lrc. (see p, 7 for story)

Housing srazs edged up 0.5% in April (latest figs.) t0 a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,561,000 despite a6.90/o fall in single family starts... multifamily unit starts leaped 23.3ok. building permits dropped 4.1')/o