Obltuarles

Wode Cothran Hrrrlson, Jr., president of Millway Lumber Co., died in Greenwood, S.C., on Oct. 24, 19E4. He was 70.

A graduate of The Citadel and an Army veteran of World War II, he was a past president of the South Carolina Forestry Association and the Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association.

He is survived by his widow, Sarah Nicholson, a son, two daughters, his mother, five brothers and two grandchildren.

Hechinger

(Continued from page I0) sary to maintain a competitive stance.

Home improvement retailers will ultimately recognize that there is a huge market potential of senior ciqizens among our population. This heretofore relatively untapped segment of over-55 consumers today numbers fairly close to 50 million people. Think of it! In the years ahead, the number of people in my age category will increase to the point where one out of every four people will be over 55 years of age. Do we want cater to this group? You bet your life we do!

Look at the statistics. Senior citizens control 28s/o of the discretionary income in this country of ours; their combined personal household annual income is over $575 billion dollars. Seventy percent own their own homes and most have already paid off their mortgages. I'm a do-it-yourselfer and I've seen 80-year-olds in our Hechinger stores who would put me to shame. We, as retailers, must cultivate this group by educating them. They can and should be an important, vital part of our industry's consumer mix.

As many in our industry know, the Hechinger Company is in the midst of a two-year expansion program which should result in 20 new stores. We, as home center retailers, are upbeat about 1985 and beyond. Along with our expansion, we know that finetuning our market approach is vital to our future. We are prepared and confident that our decision making skills and new awareness will result in 1985 being a growth year of opportunity.

Niebling

(Contlnued lrom page I4) distribution? There is a cost to performing the wholesale funclion.

Can the largc raailer rely solely on buying direct or utilizing buying cooperatives for his supply needs? Will these suppliers have the financing and the professionalism to increasc their impact in such a changed environment?

In the past decade, the independent wholesaler has found that he cannot be dl things to all people. He has also found' that he can be more than competitive when he specializes in doing something better than anybody else. The large nation-wide wholesaler of commodity dimension is just as specialized as the small industrial wholesaler.

We think it's goingto be a hell of a year. . .sometime in 19E5.

Truck Broker

(Continued fron page 4 I ) the trucker, the transportation middleman provides service that is necessary and valuable. ln 1929,7590 of all the distribution in our country was done by the railroad. With the help of the truck broker and the recent deregulation in the industry, trucks have been successfully competing with railroad. Presently, rail and truck are hauling nearly equal percentages.

Since he acts as the custodian of the material being shipped, the responsibility of any freight claims that may arise is certainly the duty of the truck broker. He also carries substantial cargo and liability insurance, as well as being licensed by the Interstate Commerce Commission, to insure the security of the load for the customer as well as the prompt payment to the driver.

With more and more freight being distributed by truck the role of the truck broker goes beyond the truckers and into the realm of the consumer and shipper. Instead of calling numerous trucking companies each day to pick-up their loads, a mill or wholesaler now has the convenience of making only one phone call to the transportation professionals. This saves the customer time and money along with creating a variety of loads for the trucker.

There has been much talk that certain wholesalers do not particularly carc to usc thc scrvices of thesc truck brokers, for the simple rea$rn many do not own thcir own trucks. Howcver, if dl the raail yards across the country felt the same way about the role of the wholesaler, who owns no mills or manufacturing facilities of his own, a kcy link of distribution and sales in the lumber industry, or any industry, would bc lost. The forest products industry would quickly come to a frightful halt.

Transportation middlemen are important in many channels of distribution. Putting the trucker and the customer together while saving both money and time turns this inexpensive transportation service for truckers and customers into a priceless resource.