Extensive promotion package NDcAttlnG. f: ' Line.

Coast and Alaska distributors.

They are co-op advertising, truckload sales, product demonstrations, tabloid promotions, and graphic media layout ideas.

"If an alert building material dealer has as much concern for advertising and promotion as he does for other management areas of his store he will surely benefit", says PGL's Chuck Lauber.

"Often the most abused, missused and overlooked advertising "arm" is co-op advertising, which can be the salvation of a retail advertising budget. The amount of earned, but unused co-op advertising is staggering. Our merchandising kit details the complete subject of cooperative advertising, good and bad. Co-op does take some bookkeeping and follow-up, but it pays off."

The kit contains over 40 ad slicks representing 23 product lines, product demonstration and truckload sale headings. Available free to selected PGL customerE, it is $5 each to others.

Merchant Ads Get Resu

by John Schmitz

Second Of Two Parts

lrrrtcr the enrbr"orie Northrvest Ilardwood Associatiort. 1955. Orte ot thc llrst objectivcs: to set up a touglr cluality control progr uln tltat. would

Story at a Glance

The story of the Northwest Hardwood Assn. and its fight to assure an adequate supply of alder, guarantee consistent quality. .a look at present uses and its popu larity.

give alde r tlrc rcpr-rtation it dcscrvcd. SLrch a saf'cguard would assure- rnanufacturcrs llrat they werc llctting cxactly' what they paid for.

Aldcr grades had bccrr dct'ined in the NIILA rule book since 1931. undcr tlrc standard critclia lirr all hardwoods. But becausc o1' tlrc nature of tlrc wood and thc industry it selvcd, thr'sc grlding rules wcrc rcvised ilt l9(rl. Tlrc rcvision '"vas u .joirtt NHLA\IIA proicct.

Norv tliat the llde-r indtrstry had rcfirrcd its gradirg Iulc-s. tltc lrext stcp was to irrrplenrertt tlrcrn.

Tlrc vehicle clroscrt wrs the higlll) rcgardcd and [.J. S. governntettt-11'rl"rlovcd PLIB--l'acil'ic Luntber lnspcction Bureau. [iver sincc 190(r, tlrc PLIB had r'strblrslrcd itscll' as one o1' tlrc hest-krtorrrr gr:rtlrttg \er\ier'\ ()pr'rating on thc Plcif ic Coast. Atid Iron'. lirr the firsl tirrrt', it rvas being cuJlcd ol to visit sr.rbscribing i'r-llA nrills regrrlalll to scc that the NIILA-NllA rules rvclc bc'irrg closely lirllorvcd by rrill gLrclcrs.

Toduv. ull ot' the tt'tctttltc-r rrtills irt the Nortlrwcst llaldn'ood Assrrciution gradc by the NHLA-NIIA rLrlcs and over 85',7 subsclibe to thc PLIB inspection supcrvision service.

With the establishrncnt ol. l cluality conlrol progranr. NIIA's sccond goal. tlrlt ot pronrotion. llrs bccn ntade nrrrclr casier. On tol) ol' tlr is arr ongoing ldvcrtising and pLrblicill carnpaign has curricd thc word to uldel uscrs. making tlrcnr nrore awalc ol'tlrc alder indust11,'s self-regulation and of the nrarkct potcntial of this plolilic hardwood.

Workability Comparisons

So what's tlrt- aldcr potential likc today? In orrc cncouraging phnrse greater llrarr cvcr bclbre. Onc prorrinenl NllA nrcrrrbcr noted that firrniturc nranullrcturcrs are now selling aldcr purt'lt'on its nanie valuc llonc. as opposcd to usiug it as u slaincd substitutc-. And shoppers arc report. edly taking to the trcnd. Trvo such flrnrs llral boldly pr oclairrr their ',volks lrc "Made frorn Wcstcnr Aldcr" irrc Mobel, lnc. and Styline Corp.. botlr o1- lndiarra.

A rcbirtlr of thc con ternporary 1r'cnd in tirnriture de-sign is also putting Wcstclrt alder in tlrc spotlight. Here nrirltl:relurL'r's Jrr' lr\ing le\\ stnirrs to bring out tlrc nattrral grain and tlrc lirrislrcd piccc is rnlrkctcd on its own beatrtr,. So after brclking liee o1-thc "rrr,risance sy ndr-onrc." this "Cindercllr" rvood r)ow scclns to be slrcddirrg thc "substituto sl,ndronre" for a t'anre lll its own.

Monrrclr Wood ProdLrcts o1- ('erritos. Cr. is l'irrding a big nrlrkct 1'or alder as a conr[]onent in furnitLrrc franres. TIrc contpany rcrnarkcd thlt i1 secnrs to be going countcr-currcnt to 1r'lditiorlrl tlll'1lc ilorvs. sirrcc nrany of its dclivcrics travel fronr tlrc West to rttanuluctttrr'rs alrd industlial r-rst'r's in thc []asl and South.

Sonrc otlrcr well-krrowrr rrranulactrlrL'rs xroLlnd the coLurtr.y wlro have llrd good sLlccess rvitlr uldcr include: Intcrni1t ior)rl Paper. ('o.. Lorg-Bell Div. (kitclrcn cabinets). Longvicw. Wa.: Ilurris ol'Pcndlcton (dinirrg roilnr and bcdloorrr funiitLrrc). I)cncilcton. Or.: TlrLrnderbird Fulrtitrrrc (dining roorn lrnd bedroonr lirrrrilrrle. occasionll trbles). Scottsdulc. At., Autherrtic [:unrilure' Products (carly Anrc.rican chairs), ChLrh Vistl. Ca. and Riverside Furniturc- Corp. (bedroonr I'r.rnriturc. occasiorr;.rl tables.',vood-trirnrncd upholstercd lulniture), Fort Snrith. Ar.

The lirture'l At the very lcasl it Jooks bLight to the Northrvest Hardrvood Association. The We'stcrrr alder product tlrcy pronrote is in abundant supply, is now getting nrorc of' the respcct it dcserves and is grorving in denrarrd .lust about as last as NIcDonald's lranrburgers are in Tokyo.

Thc lirunding tathers ol' thc Northrvest Illrdrvc'rod Association probably lrcvcr drcarned thc alder irrdustry would bcconre quitc what i1 is today. But after 20 exciting years of growth, toclay's generation ol' NIIA menrbers don't have to bc told that they'rc inlo sonrething good. Artd thc best part is tlrat it's going to ge1 bctter.