Field service teams ready to serve dealer

By Victor Riolo Jr. Managerof WWPA Field Serices Department

Story at a Glance

WWPA field services staff ready to answer questions on uses of Wostern woods. Available nationwide. . pro. vide training, seminars, dealer information.

seminars also include sales trainings tips, helping dealers better understand their customer's needs and problems.

Naturally, we have a wide array of technical literature available to supplement our training efforts.

In addition to retail seminars, we offer professional training seminars for architects who are AlA-certified and provide continuing education units. We believe that the entire industry, including retailers, benefits from these programs which foster increased demand for Western wood products.

Finally, our staff members meet regularly with local building officials, acting as "ambassadors" between builders, manufacturers and local officials to help solve problems that might arise on the job sites. We've built a fine reputation in this area because of our credibility. It's our duty to call things as they are, not to take sides in an issue.

I like to think we practice a little "preventive medicine" in our job. The more we can do to help educate the building professionals, the less we have to do to "treatl' problems. We help make Western wood products easy to use, because the easier they are to use, the more they will be used. And that benefits retailers as well as manufacturers.

We are rightfully proud of the seminar program, but it's continually evolving to meet new needs. For example, we hope to develop a program for new retail employees and one for retail managers in the near future. We try to tailor our presentations to the specific needs ofan audience, notjust give a "canned" session.

We're looking forward to meeting more retailers and exploring with them the opportunities for greater sales of Western wood products.

Panelint Sidins lnstafigffg lnformation

SPEC PO|NT (n

Fire Retardar Lumber

Cha mpion Int e rnati ona I C orP. is expanding its particleboard plant in South Boston, Va.. Trus Joist Corp. has an option to buy the Willamette Industries plywood plant at Natchitoches, La., for the manufacture of Micro-Lam.. .Georgia Kraft Co. is constructing a new lumber mill at Cottonton, Al..

Dunbarton Corp., Dothan, Al., has acquired Valiant Door Co., Milton, Fl., and Builders Manufocturing Co., Leeds, A1... .Coleman Co., Fort Worth, Tx., has opened new offices, showrooms and manufacturing facilities.

Home Centers of America, Inc., San Antonio, Tx., opens a fifth store in San Antonio this month with plans for 1984 openings in Houston and Lubbock. Caddy Lumber Co., East Point, Ga., is celebrating is fifth anniversary. ..Builderc Speciolties Supply.Inc., Pensacola, Fl., has added a custom srindesrryalls div..

Molpus Lumber Co., Philadelphia, Ms., is being sold to Louisiana-Pocific; no price has been disclosed for the deal which includes both a pine and a hardwood mill.. .Crown Zellerbach is building a $30 million wood products facility near McComb, Ms....

Georgia-Pacific Corp. now makes fiberglass roof felts at its Hampton, Ga., and Ardmore, Ok., plants, and plans a resin facility at Crosset, Ar., with startup in mid-'84. ..Continental Woods Products is opening a manufacturing facility in Jackson, Ms..

Booker & Co., Inc., Tampa, Fl.; Deolerc Worehouse Corp., Knoxville, Tn.; Cameron

Wholesale, Waco, Tx., were regional winners in the 7th annual Van Kirk award wholesaler of the year contest sponsored by the NationalBuilding Moterial Distributors Association. HeilQuaker Corp., Nashville, Tn., is extending its market into the Western states. .

HodgeForest Industries, Boise, Id., has opened a reload center in Fort Worth, Tx..

Sun Terrace Casual Furniture, Clearwater, Fl., has been named vendor of the year by Hechinger .. .Great Improvemenls, a home remodeling franchiser, has opened an office in Deerfield Beach, Fl., with southeast Fl. its initial market.

Port Barre Lumber Industies, Port Barre, L8., which has sold its retail div. to Cash Home Centers, is building a distribution center and palletyard in Vicksburg, Ms.. .

Bowater Home Centers has opened a third store in Arlington, Tx., with plans for additional stores in North Richland Hills, Tx., and Plano, Tx.... Builderamo will open second stores in both Augusta, Ga., and Charleston, S.C., next ye:u . . .scotty's, Winter Haven, Fl., has reached 104 unis in the state with the opening of stores in St. Petersburg and Temple Terrace..

Lowe's held a gand reopening for its remodeled Marietta, Ga., store. . Singer Lumber, has closed. its Lumbermart store in Kenner, La... .Homecrafters, Pelham, Al., is expanding into Memphis, Tn., with two Homecrafters Warehouse outlets.. Hechinger will open stores in Burke and Manassas, Va., in the spring..

Sorrell Lumber Co., Perry, Ok., has been sold to Jim Soulek who will operate it as Perry Lumber Co.,' the Sorrell unit in Pawne, Ok., purchased by Kelley and Cheryl Bene, has been renamed Benes Building Center ..Stacy and Sons Lumber Co. is a new firm in Strawberry, Ar..

September hordwood lumber production in the South remained virtually the same as August, up 3590 from Sept. '82; orders up 490; shipments down 390; unfilled orders up 390; gross mill inventories up l9o the Hardware Sales Index of the National Wholesale Hardware Association was up 4.890 in the Southwest from 1982 and 5.990 in the Southeast...

As expected, housing starts fell in Sept. Qatest fies.); off 13.490 from the mo. earlier, the seasonally adjusted annual rate was 1,652,000; 45.7slo above the year earlier mark. average home mortgage rates of 13.6s/o are blamed for paft of the decline...

Single family starts were off ll.69o, multis saggd l6.3clo, both sharper declines than anticipated...bldg. permits for future construction fell 990 from the mo. previous (a 4-year high) and were 460/o ahead of the same time last year.