SOUTHEASTERN SCENE

cou"rrns assoctatton news In Alabama, Florlda, Georgla, Kentucky, Loulelana, Mlssleelppl, the Carollnae, Tenneesee and Vlrglnla.

Vlrylnlr Bulldlng Mrterlrl Assoclrtlon members will preview products and services for the winter selling season at the summer management conference, Aug, ll-14, at the Ramada Oceanside Tower, Virginia Beach.

Tabletop programs will be slanted to fall sales promotions as well as new products. "Negotiating Strategies" offered by

Bill Lee, Lee Resources Inc., will aim at helping the dealer to make his business more profitable. Dealers will have an opportunity to exchange ideas at the traditional roundtable sessions.

Committee meetings and a board of directors session will complete the business portion of the conference. Golf and tennis tournaments are scheduled for recreation.

Kentucky Lumber & Bulldlng

M rterlrl Derlers Assoclrtlon is reminding its members that "one important ingredient your business has that no competitor can claim is you."

They suggest that dealers exploit this edge with creative thinking including: o l"eaturing their picure in ads. o Writing a weekly column for the local newspaper if they have some writing talent. o Sending a birthday card to every charge customer. o Greeting customers as they come into and leave the store. o Visiting job sites to check on customer satisfaction. o Directing prospective homeowners to the best source for a mortgage. o Publishing a company newsletter for cuslomers. o Jotting a short personal note on each customer's monthly statement.

Texas Toplcs

((.'orttitruad lrcn ltage 24) ston economy has suffered in the last lew years. Those problems have been well documented. But, the fact is, a recovery is underway. Perhaps one of the most telling statistics is that in the first half of 1986, only Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York had more new business starts than Houston. Permits for single family residences were up modestly in 1987 over 1986. Unemployment is down. To push forward with its economic diversification, Houston is actively building on its already extensive medical care and research base as well as the expanding space industry in conjunction with NASA.

Meanwhile, and thanks to a more diverse economy, the Dallas area is better equipped to stage its recovery than most areas of the state. While the area lost 21,000 jobs between December 1986 and December 1987, it has gained 9,000 jobs between January 1987 and January 1988.

Permits for single lamily residences were up modestly in 1987 over 1986. Unemployment is down.

In the north Dallas suburb of Plano, from 1980 to 1986, population grew from 72,000 to 107,000. Housing starts for the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area are projected to grow from 68,000 last year to 72,100 by the end of this year. Personal income for the area will climb from $39.8 billion in 1987 to $41.14 billion in 1988. Unemployment in January 1988 was 6.40/o for the area compared to a higher statewide 8.4%.