0ptimistic note at hig convention

66\I'/E'VE turned the (.onrer. no YY doubt about it." summed up one dealer, reflecting the consensus of members from WBMA's four state area of Oregon, Washington, ldaho and Alaska, that business for' the balance of '71 will continue to eet better.

The big Westeln exposition/convention, held this year in Portland, included a number of improvements and innovations calculated to make the program better than ever. Mini conferences. r'unning four at a time, offered a wide diversity of choice to members; the conclusion o{ the convention mid-day Saturday, February a

EXHIBIT-VIEWlllG (l) former WBMA staffer Felix J'ohnson, Bud and Velma Groom. (2) Don Ericksor, Al Richert. (3) Bud Beil, Joe Campero. (4) Rex Sorick. (5) Larry Valbers. (6) Treve Jones, Zack Brandon, Duane Lash-a. (7) Chuck Lauber. (8) John Kendall, Cameron Kyle. (9) John Kendall, Clayton Moore.00) Bill and Eleanor Gordon. (11) Ed Seaman. fl2) Djck Fidler, Carl Backstrom. (13) George Jacobsen. (14) Don King, Tom Lawrenson.05) Forest 0. Garrigus.

Sfory dI d Glonce

Convention dates moved to November, next convention is this fall in Seattle . . . more 1 day seminars planned "lke" Parker is new president.

This year's changes foreshadow more improvements. The timc of the convention date has been moved {orward from February to November, putting the next convention nine months away. It will have all the usttal [t:al.urcs, except {or thc display exhibits. The following convention. November, 1972, will again have the popular exposition as a part of the package.

Elected new president was A. H. "Ike" Palker, Parker Lumbt:r Co.. Bremerton, Wash. First vp. is Bert Kinzig, Holbrook Lumber Co., Scappoose, Ore.; 2nd vp., C.E. "Chuck"

Link, lloist, Cascade Corp., Boise, ldaho.

\ew WIIMA t'xetulive comnrittet'man lor tht' next 3 years is Jerry Williams. Valley Best-Way Bldg. Supply, Spokane, Wash. New directors-at-lalge (l year) are Gary LaChance, Hwy 10 Lumber, Issaquah. Wash.; Richard K. Morse, Canby []uilders Supply, Canby, Ore.; and Halry Helliesen, Helliesen Lumber & Supply, Yakima, Wash. New dealer'-director to NLBMDA is Carl Knoll, Knoll Lumber & Hardware. Kenmole^ Wash.

Four new director'-* wt:re elected from both Oregon and Washington and two each from Idaho and Alaska. (A list ol their names altpcars in Ross l(incaid's column on pag,e 24 ol this issae).

A three hour stem windins sales seminar by Eden Ryl that *u. u,,.y favorably received began the convention program February -1,. Miss Ryl urged members to realize that they can t:ontrol to a great degree what happens in their lives and that circumstances should not be allowed to dictate behavior. "You can choose and control your own behavior," she emphasized. The self-fulfilling prophesy, she warned, can be negative as well as positive.

Grand opening o{ the exhibits, held in the Hilton display hall, a level below the meeting rooms, drew an enthusiastic reception from visitors. The first day the displays were open to employees, architects and contractors.

ARCHIE iAOORE

Archie Moore, former lightheavyweight champion of the world, was the break{ast speaker next day, relating his work with his ooAny Boy Can" youth program in San Diego, Calif. He said that the kids of today can best be helped by adults working with the young and by adults working with each other.

He explained that he teaches his kids to think fast, a process he demonstrated with eight volunteers fhom the audience. Moore, as agile of mind as he is of body, rapidly grilled the volunteers with a number of quick questions. WBMA's Roger Baron, quizzed at some length by Moore, acquitted himself particularly well.

The four mini-conferences, held mid-morning on both Friday and Saturday ofiered a choice of (I) an EDP demonstration by Chet Nortz, exec. vp. of the Mountain States Lumber Dealers Assn. and president o[ Management Advisors, lnc., (2 ) Management Guidelines by Sel Vander Wegen, CPA, and Morton Schnade o{ the Federal Trade Commission who spoke on the Truth in Lending Law (Regulation Z), (3.) Remodeling, do-it yourself and consumer marketing by Building Materiak Merchandiser publisher George Milne, and (4) Updating store layouts by the very capable Dick Fidler. A special meeting for suppliers with S.M. Van Kirk, exec. vp., of the National Building Material Distributors Assn. was also held.

In his talk on Regulation Z, the FTC's Morton Schnade explained some of the actions of the law, pointing out that it applies only to credit transactions" that the ttcreditor" must be regularly engaged in the extension of credit and that the "customer" must be a real person, not a corporation or an association, and that he must use the credit personally for household, family or farm use. A discount for prompt payment is considered a credit transaction under the law.

Store layout specialist Dick Fidler said lumber dealers have the technical knowledge that can give them the edge in competition with mass merchandisers and discounters. But, he cautioned this knowledge must be combined with better looking stores and better sales techniques.

Personal service is more important, he avered, than price, a point missed by many discounters. Eighty percent o{ tht' dollal is spent by the women. who are more interested in good ideas and a pleasant place to shop, than they are by price alone.

He urged the dealers to borrow the good ideas in display and layout from visits to neighboring discount st0r'es.

i oRE PTCTURES +> ON THE NEXT PAGE

Earle D. Brodie, a management consultant who spoke the last morning of the meet, said owner-managers are different than professional man' agers because they are Proven money makers (after the first year or so), are dealing with their own money and are free from company politics. These three factors, according to Brodie, mean the owner-manager is in a better position to make money than the not-so-involved hired manager.

He said that too many executives waste too much time in activities that produce no profit, His cotrnsel also was to avoid getting too involved with employees as it inhibits making the hard decisions necessary to the best profitability of the company.

Introduction of new president "Ike" Parker and the other new of. ficers at a big luncheon Saturday, plus an inspirational speech by Calvin Johnson wound up the WBMA's 68th annual convention in sood fashion.

convention member. Q) )erry Williams, Bob Peterson. (3) lim Bender, Velma and Bud Groom. (4) Hazel and Homer Greer. (5) Ted and Burt Vaughan. (6) Al Harper, APA; dealer Jerry Williams, (7) Carl Knoll, Jim Bender, Wayne Mattson. (8) Mrs. Pete Sylvester, Sel Vander Wegen. (9) Wayne Mattson, Vern Greer. ('10) Cameron A. Kyle, Treve Jones. (ll)

Unicientified member (left) and Doug Schumacher, lke Parker. (12) Velma and Bud Groom, (13) Aaron Koch, Cecil Cleveland, Harold Byers. (14) Marguerite and Curt Kehoe.