a!atI *H I ffitf !{:

Vollintary Industry Quality Co1vtrol By Certification Of Qualified Inspection Agencies

At AWPB's lerboratorv, all tests and evaluations are per'formed by highlv qualified peruonnel.

of Economic Advisers

"Notwithstanding what happened with the stock market, the economy entered the fourth quarter as it ended the third, with vigorous growth."

Robert J. Bretz Survey Committee Chairman National Association of Purchasing Management

"Housing, which has been one of the steadiest performers during this five-year economic expansion, is extremely vulnerable to any further increase in interest rates."

Jim Fischer President National Association of Home Builders

EXCllAllGlllG ideas at the National Building Material Distributor Association's annual meeting exhibits: lll Bob Martin, Al Leitschuh, association exec. vp. l2l John Campbell, Simmie Whittaker, Mark Setzer, Dick

Distrlbutors Like New Format

Reaction to the switch from table top displays to booths was positive among most of the 800 attending the National Building Material Distributor Association's 36th annual meeting.

"A couple of samples atoP a table doesn't do as much (as a booth)," commented Tom Welsh, Welsh Forest Products.

"The booths are good, the right size, not too big," added Hal Huff, Sequoia Supply.

Ron Pott, RW Specialties/Western Turnings, also liked the booths, "You've got to show the Product. I think the days ofjust talking to people and glad handing are over."

Over 150 booths were open for two days during the Oct. l0 to 13 meeting at Caesar's Palace Hotel in Las Vegas, Nv. Response was so good that 100 booths have alreadY been sold for the 1988 sessions in New Orleans, Oct. 29-Nov. l, 1988, at the Hyatt RegencY.

Educational sessions with their new ideas and suggestions for increasing profits in the building products industry were equally well received. Bill Sharp, Percon Group; Bruce Merrifield, Merrifield Consulting Group, and Glyn Jones, Can- for Ltd., provided indepth knowledge and suggestions for industry improvement. Harold Cohen, cochairman of Somerville Lumber and Supply, gave insight into the retailer's perspective at the general session on the second day of the meeting.

Syndicated columnist ("Merry Go Round") Jack Anderson talked of personal responsibility in politics while Capt. Gerald L. Coffee, a Vietnam prisoner ofwar, shared a special message on surviving. Comedian David Brenner brought appreciative laughs at the President's Banquet on the last day.

Lindberg

(Continued Jrom page I0) dence in the economy. Potential home buyers may retreat to the sidelines, further diminishing a market already being nicked by changing demographics. Housing starts would then be even lower than the 1.5 to 1.6 million units forecast by most analysts before Black Monday.

But that would not be so terrible a thing in 1988 as it would have been a few years ago. That's because southern pine lumber relies less and less on framing for the housing sector. We have diversified our market by deliberately creating new demand for southern pine lumber in engineered wood systems, treated markets and exports.

The treated lumber sector is booming. In 1980, about 1.74 billion board feet of treated southern pine lumber was consumed. With the rising popularity of building wood decks and other outdoor structures, that demand shot to 4.9 bbf in 1986 and is expected to wind up at 6 bbf in 1987. Close to half of all southern pine lumber production is going into the treated markets.

Exports have also turned up. In 1986, southern pine lumber exports climbed 8.70lo over the year before. The latest data for 1987 showed that southern pine lumber exports were running 260/o ahead of the 1986 pace. Those export markets have been concentrated in the Caribbean and Western Europe, but recent developments are opening doors across the globein the Mideast, the Mediterranean and South America.

Engineered wod systems have been diflicult to quantify, if only because we are poised for takeoff in this market segment. Increasingly, architects and engineers are seeing the benefits of using wood systems for commercial construction, rather than steel or concrete. And our inroads in this segment will only be widened in the future when Reliability Based Design (RBD) formats for wood are developed and implemented. The first step down this high-tech road was taken bY SFPA in 1987 by allocating $10,000 as start-up funds for an RBD manual.

Engineered systems, exports and treated markets are thus being substituted for whatever will be lost in homebuilding in 1988 and the future.

All bets are off, of course, if the Crash of '87 brings down the economy like a house of cards. But if some measure of stability can be achieved, you can bet that southern pine's strategy of diversified markets will pay offin 1988.

Wholesaler Sales Trends

Wholesale wood products jumPed ll.2% from 1985's $4.9 billion to 1986's $5.5 billion, according to a North American Wholesale Lumber Association sales survey of its 367 member firms.

LUMBER BUYER/SALES: 3-5 years experience. MUST have direct mill contacts to qualify. Excellent salary and exceptional fringe package. Relocation & fee paid. Maugans & Associates, P.O. Box 36802, Birmingham, Al. 3s236. (205) 987-7s82. Recruiting for the forest product industry.

Twenty-five (25) words for $19. Each additional word 65d. Phone number counts as one word. Address counts as six words. Headlines and centered copy ea. line: $5. Box numbers and special borders: $5 ea. Col. inch rate: $4O camera ready, $45 if we set the t)?e. Names of advertisers using a box number cannot be released. Address replies to box number shown in ad in care of Building Pmducts Digesl, 4500 Campus Dr,, Suite 480, Navport Beach, Ca. 92660. Make checks payable to Cutler hrblishing, Inc. Mail copy to above address or call (714) 852-1990. Deadline for copy is the l5th of the month. PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY C'OPY unless you have established credit with us.

IMPORT VII\fft FLOORING

1500 rolls (90,000 square yards) 6'x 90'all first_ quality. 15 patterns. 870 per square yaro.

Shaw Wholesale Company $ol) 767-6464

P.O. Box 2474, HoI Springs, Ar. 71914