iqtion news

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association is sponsoring millwork sales training Feb. l0 in Denver, Co.

Western Building Material Association will hold its 30th annual Young Westemers conference lan. 2l-24 at the Coeur d'Alene Resort, Coeur d'Alene, Id., followed by an estimating course Jan. 25. Themed "Envision 2fiD," the conference will feature seminars on "The Sum of Your Parts, Where Does All the Money Go?" by YWC trustees Andrew Thomas and Terry Brown, "Service and Safety Outside the Box" by board members Steve LaMarr and Mark Legg, "Conflict Management: All for One and One for All" by board members Steve Levers and Christina Buttz, "Profit Partners" by president John Humphrey and trustee Keith Graul, "Nail that Sale" by board memben Kamlin Hodgkiss and Jeff Peterson, and "Establishing Your Presence" by past president Natasha Valach.

WBMA also is staging its 2fth build- ing material marketing course Feb. l0-l l, an estimating course Feb. 12, and Bill Lee's consultative selling techniques seminar Feb. 16, all at WBMA Hq., Olympia, Wa., and an estimating course Feb. 24 at the Holiday Inn, Bozeman, Mt.

Lumber Associafion of California & Nevada named Kelly Purcell, Builders Supply, Palm Springs, Ca., as 1998 President's Award winner during its recent annual convention.

Martyn Temple, Weyerhaeuser Co., Long Beach, Ca., won the Associate of the Year Award.

Western Wood Products Association has appointed Michael McGuigan as its Alaskan regional manager, overseeing its lumber grading services in the state.

Based in Anchorage, he will be responsible for mill inspections, grading training and lumber education activities. Currently seven Alaskan mills are using WWPA's services since they were made available in March.

TJM Adding Research Center

Trus Joist MacMillan has begun first phase construction in Boise, Id., of an $ll million technology center for its engineers and researchers.

About 130 employees now based at various Boise locations will work at the 172,000-sq. ft. facility. The 45,000-sq. ft. first phase will house systems development and engineering support centers, corporate research center and pilot line (equipment for process and product development now based in Vancouver, B.C.).

"The research center will allow our scientists to innovate, create and test new products and get them to market more quickly," says Trus Joist MacMillan public relations manager Dennis Burbank.

Once phase one is completed in March, work will begin on phase two, for completion in December.