Lumber fraternity in Motown

with the quolity, dependobility ond service you con

I Aluminum Window Screening

I Fibergloss Window Screening

I Fibergloss Potio Screening

I Spline & Supplies

A MERICA'S Motor City of ADetroit was the venue for the l06th annual gathering of Hoo-Hoo International. the fraternal order ofthe forest products industry.

Ron Garka was elected new president, first v.p. Teeny Johnston and Christopher Goff, secretary treasurer. The immediate past president is Detroit club member George Reneaud. Beth Thomas remains executive secretary.

The organization has member clubs in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Malaysia. Convention headquarters was the futz Carlton Hotel, Dearborn, Mi.

In addition to club business, the men and women of Hoo-Hoo toured Motown automotive-related sites, watched the Canadian shore go by on a dinner cruise on the Detroit River and enjoyed the fellowship for which the organization is justly famed.

Next year's convention wil be on

( Continued Jrom previous page ) the m/s Elation, Carnival Cruise Lines' new ship, departing Los Angeles Oct. 3, returning Oct. 10. The cruise ship convention is a first for Hoo-Hoo. The 2000 convention will be held in San Antonio, Tx.

INCOMING president of lumber fraternity HooHoo International (1) Ron Garka with his wife, Marge, at the group's annual convention. (2) TonV Vecchiolia, Norma & Ed Gavotto, Jbe

Burqoyne lll. (3) Charles Cabe, Kevin Kelly, Pat-Story. (4) Vicki & Ron Paul. (5) Teeny & Nancy Johnston. (6) Donna & Jim Garka. (7) Howard & Sandy Davidson. (8) Mary Moynihan. (9) Keith & Maggi Waddell, June Walker, Bernie Barber. (10) Rod Garka, Tom O'Meara, Fred Frudd. (11) Marion & Archie Brown. (12) "Bea/' Breeden, Malcolm & Robin Powell, Von Simpson. (13) Bernice & Manny Litvin, Bob & Bettie Van Every. (14) Richard Martin, George Mclean. (15) Matt & Jeanne Miller, Jim dBarbara osbuolo. (16) John & Colleen Schneider, Dolores & Peny Moloney. (17) Bob Carper, Tom Osborne, Gordon Graham. (18) Dave & Margaret Marteney.

Union Pacific Decentralizes

Union Pacific Corp. is restructuring its railroad management, moving away from the centralization that has exacerbated service problems for over a year.

The railroad has been reorganized into three regions, each with its own vice president and management team.

During the 1990s, the nation's largest railroad has been relocating operating managers and train dispatchers to its rail headquarters in Omaha, Ne., using technology to link with field operations. But, in light of continuing problems from last year's acquisition of Southern Pacific, "the railroad is too large to operate from one location," admitted a UP spokesperson.

Ace Enlists Chilean Giant

Ace Hardware has allied itself with Santiago, Chile-based Sodimac S.A., the largest home improvement chain in South America.

With annual sales of $700 million. Sodimac operates 43 retail stores up to 115,000 sq. ft. in Chile, four in Columbia and one under construction in Peru. They will begin carrying Ace brand products and be serviced by Ace's Tampa, Fl., retail support center.

l-Joists Production Growing

Despite low-to-moderate lumber prices in first quarter 1998, builders continue switching to wood I-joists in record numbers, according to recent production figures from APA-The Engineered Wood Association.

Volume increases in the use of wood I-joists continue to outpace new housing starts. "At this rate, we could see the market share grow from 33Vo in 1997 to 4OVo this year," says Craig Adair, APA mgr. of market research.

In the first four months of 1998, Ijoist output was strong and lumber prices low "These numbers indicatc that builders are willing to pay a little more up-front for a product that is easier to install and provides better performance," he says. "And when lumber prices drop we don't see a move to switch back. Experience indicates that builders who use I-joists two or three times are unlikely to return to traditional lumber framing materials."

APA forecasts l-joist production to top 760 million linear ft. in 1998 and nearly I billion in the year 2000.

Fighting Employee Turnover

One downside to the strong economy for U.S. retailers is high turnover among store associates, the worst in 25 years, according to MOHR Retail Learning Systems.

"There are no quick fixes for high turnover," says MOHR's Herb Cohen. "Training helps and so do incentives. But the best place to start is recruitment and selection. Because the job market is so competitive, many retailers find themselves settling for whomever they can get, even though these may be the individuals least likely to stick with the job."

According to Cohen, the most important factor is the attitude of top management. "Unfortunately, they' ve considered associates as a disposable commodity seldom worth training and peripheral to creating the shopping experience," he says. "What top management needs to keep in mind is that without employee satisfaction, it's impossible to have customer satisf'action."

Management should find ways to make associates feel competent and then regularly reinforce that confidence, he suggests.