Story at a Glance

Hardllnes Industry growth contlnues... worklng smarler wlll be vltal... professlonallsm must be emphaslzed.. flercer competltlon.

As distributors, we too must be in touch with the needs of the retailers we serve and provide them with a total retail support program to help them to prosper in this more competitive and maturing market. And we can do that by being better listeners. by providing the forum to let retailers in different regions df the country identify their concerns.

There is a sense of excitement in the future of this industry, and that excitement comes from identifying the challenges we face and being able to turn them into opportunities for even greater growth. The rewards will be there for those retailers committed to excellence in merchandising, store design, advertising, employee service, product knowledge, training and customer service those retailers who know their store, their markets and how to sell and service their customers better than their competitors.

(lomprehensive education is needed for the industry to prosper. The association believes it has no greater responsibility than to help companies find answers to educational problems. Aflter more than a year of research and planning, we have established the Education Foundation, dedicated to advancement of the building products industry.

This program will meet the industry's education challenges to address critical education concerns. Programs will be directed at flour major areas: ceo, owner, operator; operations management development; sales, and manufacturer/distributor.

Innovative and needed programs such as a comprehensive audio/visual series on management topics and inside sales training will be developed. A building material distribution management institute will be organized at a major university. Aimed at mid-level managers, it will teach disciplines for advancement to senior management.

Seminars will be held to train employees in sales and marketing responsibilities. Scholarships, identification of college programs to prepare students for building products distribution and management positions, and establishment of building products distribution programs in educational institutions will ensure quality professionals entering our industry. A program to publish research studies and articles will benefit both professionals and the industry

The correlation between continuing education and business success is understood by those companies which enjoy prosperity. However, the lack of apprecia- tion for this correlation could very well forecast hard times for others.