Redwood attracts @mmercial contractor dollars

I IGHT commerical consrruction is E a steadily growing segment of rhe building market. Redwood siding is one of the most popular materials for this type of construction because of its appearance, performance and competitive price. Redwood lumber dealers can increase their business to commercial builders by stocking a range of popular redwood sidings, including: clear all heart, clear and B grade. Knotty redwood rustic sidings are also popular and economical for commercial buildings. Aside from having the right materials available, there are several other ways to attract corffnercial builders. The key is to think like a builder.

There is no question that builden are after a good price and estimates that they can use for their bids. Dollars they save can mean the difference between loss or profit and winning or losing a bid for a job.

Redwood is competitively priced with other materials used in commercial construction such as brick and other forms of masonry. In addition, installation of redwood siding is often more economical, as it can be done by most carpenters.

Beyond price, there are many services

Story at a Glance

Get your share of light construction sales by stocking redwood siding scout construction projects, use special salesmen, help with estamating and bidding, have a special contractor sales counte[ offer credit terms, itemized billings .

a lumber yard can provide that will make a builder's life easier. When it comes down to it, a helpful and consistent supplier can be more valuable to a builder than the best deal in town.

Some lumber yards have special salesmen for professional builders. One yard we contacted has an outside salesman who looks for new customers by checking the building permits and scouting new construction projects. Professionals like to deal with professionals, so the better informed your sales force is, the happpier it will make the commercial builders.

A good salesperson can help a builder remember all the items needed for a particular job. During the bidding and estimating process, this helps the builder to avoid unbillable expense. When it comes to building time, delays and extra trips by the builder or lumber yard delivery trucks will be prevented.

Many yards have a special sales counter for builders. This is a psychological ploy as well as a practical feature. It helps to illustrate that builders are considered preferred customers. It also makes a clear delineation between builders and other customers where different prices are concerned.

Delivery is important to builders. Naturally, builders appreciate a short time span between the order and the delivery. They also expect to get things in good condition. Redwood is bought for its appearance, so builders expect to receive their lumber in good shape.

Builders expect credit-2O to 30 days is not uncommon. Working out the terms of credit is a policy that each lumber dealer has to consider carefully.

Commercial builders have to be good bookkeepers and like everyone else, they probably hate doing it. Itemized bills are important for builders in their own planning and billing. If a builder is working on several different projects at one time, it will help if the jobs can be billed separately. Fortunately for dealers, new computerized billing systems make it easier to provide bills in a helpful format.

As more and more businesses move to suburban areas, the potential for redwood sales for commercial buildings will continue to grow. Dealers need to consider all the ways to expand their sales to this growing market. The frst step can be to stock the popular grades of redwood sidins.

Olrlr has moved its headquarters liom Pasadena, Ca. tri the Grace Flome Centers West otfices in Diamoncl Bar. Ca. Culo,eras Lunther, Altaville, Ca.. has opened a new 6.000 sq. ft. fecility conrrecting with the Mark Twain shopping centcr..

&1 lsattber Co. has closed six stores in Oregon and Washingttrn (see p. 3l lor story) . . Hubbanl Buildir4q Supply, Hubbard, Or., has been purchared by Deln Augustus and renamed Hublxud Htu,th*tre ontl Lwnber . . Handluruxt will open in a new shopping center location in Vista, Ca.

Lturtbenrrcrt's is negotiatinu lor a store in lssaquah. Wal . . .ir,r,,.r,r,Dr.qgs is building a new 2,970,000 cu. ft. fiicility on an ll acre industrial park site in Sacramento and will move fiom its present downtown Iocation where they'r,e been since 1B78...

Prt.t' 'rt S(^'(' Cot?.. Seattle. Wa.. owner of Entst Horne Center:s, has changed its name to Seatle Standard Ctr1r. . Frcd Mcvarwill expand its home improvement line in a 44,000 sq. ft. enlargement of its Creshanr, Or.. store

Hone Depot hr. has dropped plans to open five new stores in the Detroit, Mi., market, selling the facilities under development to Par:e Membership Wrelnwe lrc., Denver, Co. (see p. 3l for details) and rcserved a 115,000 sq. ft. location in a shopping center under construction in Pico Rivera. Ca.

Pa}'ft:.rs Caslrrrzns, rvhich recentlv closed rts Aunrra. Co.. Huglt M. lVrcrls Builrlirry Materiuls, is considering a ncu soullrcust Dcnvcr unil . Matlcl Lturtber; a 54-ycar-old Trcona. Wa.. retailer. will close this nronth (see st()ry. p. .19) . .

Stuulurd Brunds, which will open 5t()rcs in Huntington Park arrd Diamond Bar, Ca., in April. and a new Colorado Springs, Co., unit in N{ay, recently conrpleted an interiorlexterior renovation of its San Ralael Horne Decorating Center, San Rlfuel. Ca. .

Wall Dr-v Kiht htts adcled a new lumber stgrage building at their Lorrg Beach, Ca.. piant Ctns Head Lrunber antl Phtttntl, Co., Wilnrington, Ca., has movcd tcl Berfh 200 in the Los Angeles. Cla.. harbor.

A .$700 million bid by Harold Ceneen, former ITT chairman, for the 660 store retail empire oi trV R. Gruce & Co. has been reported by usually reliable source st a Crace spokesrnan saicl Ceneen was "one of more than 100 individuals and companies expressint interest" Grace operates 307 home centers under various nantes includins Httnt!.t' Dtttt. Htuuh'Qn'. On tuurl Sfipl), Hcrrchffire, Ole's and others

Mttwtutt G'r,rr7r hus corrrpleted ils acquisition of Tlte PtrciJic Ltunber Co., San Francisco: more than 827c of the shareholders ok'd the $40 per share takeover fuluuilk': late\t prl)posed plan lirr' repaving cledibrs exlencls rlver .11.+ verars q,ith no pxn'ision for intcrcst: itsbcstos rietims uill be puitl lrnnt a trust funcl o1- S2(X) nrillion in cash anrl receivables. a $1.5 billion bond ancl 5475 nrillion in annual installnlents ()\cr' 22 yclrr':

Keatrc Ertterprisas, Ptitter Valley. Ca.. has expanclcd with a new olf'ice/ warelrouse facility . Alodtlhr Enterpnse has nrovecl its western regiclnal office to Salern. Or.

Tht' Aillri,rr,rI Kittltttr Ctrltitrr't .4ssociatirtu expects cabinet sales to rise l7c this year to 40.1 rnillion units . Notionol Rrast Prrxlutts Atsrxir$iou has moved to 1250 Connecticut A",e. NI.W.. Washington. D.C. . .

Decertification elcctions ltave now been held at 1tJ ktuisianu-PaciJit' facilities with 16 r,oting in firvor of decertification and tuo appcaling to thc National Labor Relations Board.

Oreprtt Wlkurrcne LLunbar Co. is liquidating its Ncwport and Lincoln City, Or., retail stores Gallelrcr Hanhtrxxl Co., Santa Fe Springs, Ca.. is now a clistributor fbr PennaGrain Products

Palnrcr G. ktt'is Co. will pay a 79 first quarter dividend . . Gern"ginPociJit"s building pnrducts sales in 1985 increased from $379 million to $391 rnillion at Pope & Thlbor 4th qLrarter 'll-5 income u,as lOp a share vs a 4th quarter '8zl loss of 78p . lhe Poilartll wood products group's ner'8-5 sales uer.' $950.-l million corlpared with $993.9 rnilliott in l98+ . .

HtnrcClub plans to open rtn Oakland. Ca,, unit this month r,lith stores in Stanton, Riverside, City of Industry, North Hollywood and West Los Angeles, Ca., expected to open

PctciJic Ltanlrcr Co. minority shareholclers were deniecl a orelirninary injunction to bkre k ivl(t.ywnl Groult Inc. from completing its tender offbr of $870 million for the co. . . Srntlnvest Forest Indu^rnre.r, which lost 59.823,000 in 1985, has received an extension of a temporary restrilining order to keep a rninority shareholder group tiom soliciting proxles

Httrsirtt \tot'l.\ ( litth('d l5.7cl irt Jurr. (latest l'ig:. t t.r a seustlnally aeljusted annual rate of 2,088.000 units . single family honies led the biguest jLrrnp in almost two ycars with a 24.57c increase. an annuarl rate of 1,353,000 units rnultifirmily were up 2.57c tct an annual rate of 735,000 units . the west trailed the rest of the nation with only a 1.8% increase in starts building permits dropped 0.2c/c to a 1.870.000 unit annual rate