Distributors' 25th annual

The National Building Material Distributors Association had recordbreaking attendance at its 25th Annual Fall Convention, held recently in Atlanta, Ga. Nearly 1,500 distributors and manufacturers, and their wives, attended the semi-annual meeting.

Many industry leaders paid tribute to retiring exec. v.p. S. M. Van Kirk, who has been the sole administrative officer since the founding a quarter century ago.

The founding of the "Van Kirk Award", a retailer-judged contest to select the top wholesaler firm of the year was announced. The contest will be held each year with overall winner and five regional winners announced at NBMDA's Fall Convention.

Special honors were also accorded to Roger L. Hancock, Arizona Millwork Co., Phoenix, Az. as NBMDA's outgoing President for 1976.

In an address headlined, "The Only Certainty About Energy is the Uncertainty," Richard J. Anderson, of the Battelle Memorial Institute, described "the energy situation in this country as absolutely terrible and getting worse by the hour." He stressed that the energy resources of this country are finite. "We aren't at the limit yet, but it's in sight."

Economist Paul W. McCracken told the group that he could not rule out the possibility of another downturn in the economy.

In the only pessimistic opinion of the convention, controversial economist Eliot Janeway told his audience, in a classic, simple and poetic vernacular, "There ain't going to be no housing boom anytime soon." "While Kissinger has been running this government," he said, "no one has told those oil people where to shove it," referring to the OPEC countries. "The Middle East will do anything we say the minute we figure out what to tell them to do." he said.

NBMDA s traditional Product Group Meetings covered Applicator-Home Improvement, Components-Fabrica- tion, Flooring/Wood-Vinyl-Ceramic, Laminates, Lumber-Plywood, Millwork, Specialties I, (Paneling/Molding), Specialties II, (Ceiling Systems/Lighting/Grids), Specialties III, (Transulcent/ Fiberglass Panels/Shelving Systems/ Artificial Brick).

On the final morning of the convention, members were given a glimpse of what lies ahead in construction materials by some of the top names in the building materials industry, including Robert D. Peterson (moderator), president of Palmer G. Lewis Co., Auburn, Wal F. T. Weyerhaeuser, president of Conwed Corp., St. Paul, MN: R. Trumbull, Owens-Corning Fiberglas, Toledo, OH; William Green, Alcoa Building Products, Inc., Pittsburg, PA: William T. Robison, American Plywood Association, Tacoma, WA.

Weyerhaeuser predicted a major growth in residential rehabilitation, both as a result of the rising cost of new homes and the high cost of money. The high cost of energy, he said, has made home remodeling by do-it-yourselfers attractive. "The professional is pricing himself out of the market." he added.

Trumbull, with a slide presentation, showed how, even while new housing starts were decreasing, sales of insulation were on the rise. Green, of Alcoa, said aluminum siding is and will continue to be the superior wall covering in the new home market. and Krashin foresaw a burgeoning drywall adhesive market, with mostly latex types prevailing, with decorator uses becoming more and more popular.

APA's Robison thanked members for their help and support in passage recently of the National Forest Management Act and he painted a bright future for wood products.