Home Center Merchant

BILL FISHMAN

Bill Fishman & Affiliates

'l 1650 lberia Place San Diego, Ca.92128

20. a critic refened to the national newspaper. USA Tbda', as "McNews." Well. I say three cheers for McNews! I only wish that therc was a fast food capsule I could digest that could synthesize all the information that\ in the unread stack of trade publications decorating my office floor.

I have great envy for those who have developed specd reading skills. I haven't. Also I havenl curbed my appetite for all those publications that I feel I must at least peruse to keep abreast of my interests. I cant.

McNEWS!

Maybe that's enough time to catch up on all I secretly say a silent prayer asking that all the reading I feel obligated to absorb. printing presses stop for at least one year. During a recent television broadcast, 20/

Protect it witr Swedish Formula

This is what can happen to CCA lumber not pro tected against the weather... lt won't rot, but it can

WARB SPLITand CUP

It can even twist out of shape so much that it pulls nails up. Surely you've seen itonce perfect wood that has lost every bit of its beauty to the destructive effects of the weather.

My reading "system" breaks down often and the only way thar I can catch up is to ttuow out. or file. months of unread trade books thal seem to be having babies. So on some given evenings. I find myself dumping my collection of recent publications, which I saved because "l would get to them sometime soon."

This mountain of paper is usually consmrcted of 15 national and regional building material books (5 per month x 3 months). 12 home center books. six advenising and pblishing books. six contractor books. six trade books directed to tlre "rneetings and conventions" industry. 24 newsleners from consultants. accountants. and platform speakers.

Then there are Ote Frequent Fller magazines that corne with my OAG Focket Guide. tlre market research studies. a sixweek-old Business Week. a copy of Forbes, that I swiped from United Airlines. three current issues of the Sarr Dego Tanrript, 12 unfolded Vhll Sreet Jounnls. and thee issues of "An Production."

There are also seven plastic bags of post cards (direct response cards as they arc called by Ore pros). each pack containing :rs many as l00 cards urging me to send for more information about building material poducs. charts and graphs to program my time. executive toys. ard rnore books to keep me upto-date on trends in marketing.

I qsdy. tlrcrc are ttre 14 mail order catalogs selling office fumiture. compltter desks. and typewriter ribbons which. for sorne unexplained reason. I feel a great need to rcview. And. of course. there are tlre four annual directories...but. enough!

Maybe I ought to pay that the pcsses stop for two years. Then again. it's with a great deal of apprchension that I discard 90 days of unread trade publications. I live in constant fear that in my consulting work I will mention some company offtcer who was canned 6O days ago...or talk about tlre successes of a company that filed Chager ll last week or about a Chicago chain thar no longer exiss because it was abaorbed by sorne ottrcr giant.

Maybe I'll have tinre to rcad 'em all next week! Life is full of torgh decisions!

When *nding in a chonge of a&ras Plezs include zip code on bth old and rY addrisses and either the oH lod u thc inlormation from it. Thank!

ECAUSE the window industry is fast changing in both fashion and technology, ttre folloving interview with a manager at Andersen Corp. aims to bring the dealer up to date. Questions cover issues which we have found to be of the most concern to those on the selling side of the industry.

Q: How has the window consumer changed?

A: The consumer is much more knowledgeable about the product. I see more consumer advertising today by manufacturers who at one time only advertised to their trade factors. So the consumer hears more. retains more, knows more. An elderly lady will stand toe-to-toe with you and argue about U-factors and R-factors - things that people in the trade didn't even talk about five to ten years ago. There's also a very strong "do-ityourself" trend. More and more people want to do their own building or remodeling.

Q: Who exactly is the consumer?

A: In the home building industry it can be the homeowner himself, an architect, or the building contractor. The contractor is especially important in speculative housing projects. In the commercial sector you also find the architect, but the general contractor, developer and building owner are becoming more and more influential.

Q: What about windorv design? Hov has that been changing?

A: Feople want an open, airy sunny feeling in their homes, and they've learned that a good window will gain more passive solar heat than it can lose through convection, conduction or thermal radiation. As a result. con- sumers are using either bigger windows or putting more small ones together in large configurations.

We also see a trend in casement or projecting windows, as opposed to the double-hung style which has been the popular favorite over the years. Perhaps this is because people realize that casement windows close more tightly, but I think if you come right down to it, consumers buy beauty. They talk energy and they buy beauty. Fortunately they can do both.

Similarly, there's a trend to use windows for architectural interest as opposed to just light and ventilation. You see windows shaped as half circles, quarter rounds, ellipticals, and trapezoids. Some window manufacturers are offering one-of-a-kind windols for people wanting an especially large or different shape.

The roof window has probably been one ofthe biggest trends in the window industry over the last few years. You see it in remodeling and new construction for all architectural styles. I think this trend has come along because the roof window is a new way to get some light and ventilation into more areas of the house.

Q: Have there been any dramatic changes in window materials?

A: With the exception of glazing materials, I don't think there have been any dramatic changes in the last 10-15 years. You can only make a window so tight; you can only make the frame so thick for insulation. We have an air infiltration rate, for example, of .M on our casement windorv; that's close to no air infiltration.

The glass is the least insulated part of the window, and most manufacturers are putting a lot of their research and development dollars in that area. Today's new glass has a metal coating on it which actually insulates better than triple pane glass and works in cold and hot weather to help keep room temperatures comforable.

Q: Do you foresee a day when there will not be a wood window?

A: It's possible that we'll someday have to find other window materials as a result of an undersupply of lumber. As long as it's the easiest to work with, the most cost-effective, and the best insulator available, we're going to use wood. There are alternatives for frame materials should that become necessary, plastic foams or mixtures of sawdust and resins, for example.

Story at a Glance

Knowledgeable consumerc are asking questionsyou better be able to answer...morc casement and proiecting windows... buyers talk energy but buy beauty...high tech glass developments.

Q: What do consumers need to know in buying a window?

A: Consumers are being bombarded with all kinds of information about new glazing - "high-tech," "low emissivity," "high performance"so I'm sure they have a lot ofquestions. Consumers have to determine what makes a product the best they can afford - namely, materials, manufacturing processes, performance, and the firm behind it.

As for the window dealers, many have decided to stock quantities of windows because they can buy them at a better price, pass some of the savings along to consumers or trade customers, and maintain more competitive prices. Profits rise this way. But the dealer's main job is to answer the consumer's questions with facts. How well does a particular glazing perform? How much will it save the homeowner if he uses it? What's his original investment? The window dealer has an obligation to be knowledgeable himself and to educate the consumer, so that the consumer can make a good choice.

Topics

JOE BUTLER, JR.

crecudve vlce preeldent r the pesticide formulation has any concentration ofthe ingrediens listed below and does not have a statement saying "For Lawn Use Only."

Tttg LAT otfice has received several I calls from dealers who have recently received notices from manufacturers advising that it may become necessary for the dealer to become licensed to sell pesticides and herbicides such as lawn, weed and brush killers. The following is provided as a guide for dealers to determine whether or not they need to become a licensed dealer.

Pesticide: Dealers are required to have an herbicide dealers license to sell pesticides and to report monthly sales to the Texas Department of Agriculture only if: the pesticide has l0% or more of the ingredients listed belov and is sold in containers greater than 16 oz. (over 2 pounds dry measure):

Sale of the ingredients listed below in containers greater than I quart (2 pounds dry measure) can be made only to licensed applicators:

(l) 2, 4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2. 4-D)

(2) 2, 4. 5:Irichlorophenoxyacetic Acid (2.4.5jr)

(3) 2-Methyl4-Chlorophenoxyacetic Acid (MCPA)

(4\ 2-(2,4. 5:Trichlomphenoxy) Propionic Acid (silvex)

(5) Folychlorinated Benzoic Acids: and

(O Derivatives and formulations of $b6ratm listed above in I to 5.

Dealen are not required to have a license to sell pesticides if: o pesticides do not contain any ofthe above active ingredients; r pesticide formulations with l0% or less of the abore are sold in liquid containen of I gallon or less (4 pounds or less drY measure). and the label states "For lawn Use Only:" o pesicirte fcrmului<xrs with morc dun l0% of the abo,t are sold in li<1uid conaircrs 16 oz. or less (2 pourds or less dry measure) and the label sates "For L:rvn Use Only."

Herbicide: Dealers are required to lurrc an herbicide dealen licerse o sell hedic-lles i.e. lawn. wecd. and brush killen, if the producr contains a hormone herbicide.

All licensed dealers must recotd ad rcport sales monthly to the Texas Deparlment of Agriculture. Dealen wisturg additixul infcrmation on record keepirg requirerrrrrs as uell as applications for licenses strould coner dte Texas Department of Agriculture District Office for their area.