Palco- Loc. A Vlrri ety of Applications to LowerYcur Costs.

Both Clear All Heart Vertical Grain and Clear Mixed Grain are available in S4S, fascia, bevel siding and patterns. Clear All Heart Vertical Grain is knot-free all heartwood and provides the finest surface for maximum finish life. Clear Mixed Grain contains sapwood and offers a lower cost alternative. The product is manufactured in two thicknesses, 1" 1s70" n",, and 11/t" (11/rc" net) with widths ranging trom 2" through 12".

The superior dimensional stability of Palco-Loc Fascia consistently provides a straight, smooth and f lat installation. This assures that soffits can be easily applied and will maintain their position. This product is manufactured in single or double plow for'rf4tt or 3/a" soffit material. Palco-Loc plowed fascia, not only permits easy soff it application, but reduces applications costs and eliminates the need for moulding. Full 34" net thickness gives added value in stability and nail holding for gutters.

ldeally suited for new construction or remodeling, beautiful Palco-Loc Interior Paneling is economical and can be ordered in either Clear All Heart Vertical Grain or Clear Mixed Grain in any standard size and pattern.

The convenient long lengths of Palco-Loc Bevel Siding reduce application costs and result in fewer butt joints on most wall areas. Natural resistance to flamespread helps Palco-Loc redwood siding protect homes in ways most other wood sidings can't. And of course, redwood heartwood is famous for its resistance to decay and insects. May be ordered in both 1/2" and 34" standard CRA patterns.

{ E.J. JOHNSON d*& execultve Y \ vice president

t jl: to thc obvious sinrilarity and proxinrity of lunrber nrarkets. interests and custonrer/client relationships. a joint meeting ol'the l-umber,,\ssociation of Southern California and the ALBSA has been scheduled for Nov. 9t2.

The meeting will coincide with LASC's fall executive management seminar rrnd uill feature joint participirtion in business. social and golfing events. Beautilul Palm Springs. Ca.. will hostthe event with meeting headquarters at the MurquisIIotel.

At thc last .\LIlS,\ board oldirector's meeting. voluntarl participation in this historic meeting was approved It is hoped that an excellent rcpresentation of ALIIS,^ menrbcrs will lttend in an efJbrt to build nrore nrutualll uscf ul tics with our interstule partners. Nlorc inlbrnrationon this cvent will bc availablc soon. but please contact us if lou $'ould like to participatc in thc planning process.

I:riday'. NIay l..l. through Saturda-v". May l'1. are the clatcs ol thc 67th annual .\LIlS,\ convention to be held at the beautiful new ('rescent IIotel in Phoenix. Association president Nl ichael O'Malley iind convention chairman [)on Ilossack promise a program which features all the best of past business events.

Convention registration fees have been redesigned to induce greater participation of industrl' members both within

At ancl beyond Arizona. T'he package registration this year is $90 for menrbers and S(r0 lbr a nrenrber's s1-rouse. Nonmenrbcr rcgistration is $ | 50.

'I'he ('rescent is conveniently located at I)unlap and I-17 with quick access to Nletro ('cnter shopping. The hotel features a complete health club with squash and tennis courts. ,\ll will be available to convention guests. .\ special room rate has been arranged for ,{LBS,\ members.

One of the best aspects ol ,.\LBS..\'s conventions has been to gather a series ol speakers to address industry topics of useful interesl to cveryone. This year will be no dili'erent as chairnran I)on Ilossack promiscs somc very stimulating programs that will lircus on current lunrber markets and opportunitics. The busrness progranr will begin with a continental brcaklast and will concludc with a kc),-note lunchcon.

The second annual Ilill llell-l)ean I)rake Memorial (ioll' tournanrent will bc held in conjunction with thc Phoenix I loo-lloo ('lub to takc special advantage ol I:riday the llth. This Illack ('ar [)a1 will feature all sorts of'golf rng excitement as participants. superstitions not necessarily aside, vie for honors and prizes.

(iolf chairman I)oug l\{c('ullough promises a most memorable event. assisted by [)uncan ilossack, l:rank tleldt and Pete Kuehner, other members of the golf committee. They are seeking firms to participate in stocking ditty bags for the golfers.

Ilecause what's a convention without a chance to loosen up with western duds and renew good times with old liiends. the annual steak fry will be held l)riday night. llud []rown's llarn, on l:ast Northern closel-v- located to the convention hotel. will be the exclusive spot of lumbermcn and women to chow clown and, with proper spirit, to dance the night AWa-v".

\\'holesalers [:xtravaganza night, truly a highlight as convention goers enjo,v- an cvcning of lun, cxcitement and canraraderie will be held Saturday evening. Sponsoring firnrs have truly established a rich tradition which has made ,\rizona conventions most memorable. (-o-chairmen Steve Snavely and llill llerman team up to present this year's edition in a rather different light. You won't want to miss it.

Thot's How lt Goes!

"Don't knov'x'holte is. but I vt'ish I Itad ten more.just like him!"

The Merchant Magazine

And now Britt Lumber products are available in cedar, too.

nnf-nnnra IN II UUL:T\V/\V/S UU \:/ CHUCK LINK executive director

FIO YOU ever receive unsigned Y checks in the mail? I[you are confident ofthe payer's financial position, the certified public accounting firm of Knight, Vale & Gregory suggests an approach which will save you time and enhance your cash flow: o On the space where the signature should be, type in "over." o Type in your firm's name. o Sign your name and title above the firm's name.

Onthe back where you would normally endorse the check, type in "Absence of signature guaranteed."

Most banks will accept the check since the endorsement guarantees that you won't dispute a charge against your account if the check is not honored by the customer's bank. And the customer's bank will generally process the check and remit the funds.

The first action you should take after you lose a customer to a competitor is to ask yourself, "What can I do to get this customer back?" Second, "What has to be done to assure myself I don't lose more customers for similar reasons?"

Prepare a list of all the things that could have gone wrong with the account. Next, set up a convenient meeting with your former customer for a frank discussion to clarify the position. Consider key areas such as price, delivery, proper handling of warranties or guarantees and service calls.

Your ex-customer may try to be vague so as not to hurt your feelings. You want to solicit his support in helping you identify what went wrong by discussing your possible problems.

GARY L. SMITH executive vice president

A VERY significant event for all of us fil on the West Coast is coming up this October. The annual convention ofthe National Lumber andBuilding Material Dealers Association will beheld at the Wyndham Hotel in Palm Springs Oct. 13-16,1988.

The event takes on special significance because for the first time in many years the new president of NLBMDA will be a dealer from the West. He is Merle Mensinger of American Lumber Company, Modesto, Ca. Merle is a past president of LMA in addition to being past everything else in the association. He was the recipient of the LMA President's Award in 1986 in recognition of his many achievements and efforts on the behalf of the industry. Merle and wife Betty have been active on the national scene for many years as well and will represent us well as president.

The combination of events - a Palm Springs convention and a California president - should make for a very large turnout from both Northern and Southern California. LMA will be holding its fall board of directors and insurance trust meetings in conjunction with the event to encourage attendance, but we're sure that many who don't happen to be serving in those groups will want to plan on being there to help Merle get a good start on the next year's responsibilities.

Plan now to be in Palm Springs, Oct. 13-16. r988.

WAYNE GARDNER executive vice president

f Hfne used to be a group ol old I time weather prognosticators who followed the almanac relative to planting in the spring. February was the time when the groundhog saw his shadow, or didn't see a shadow, andeither ol the phenomena was to portend the advent of spring or more winter. March was said to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb or vice versa. Then in April if it rained on Easter we would get seven more Sundays of rain.

Whether or not the groundhog sees a shadow, no matter what the weather is like at the beginning of March or whether it rains on Easter, onething is certain. The warm, sunny days of spring will cause the flowers to bloom, trees to blossom and those of us with homes to start thinking about doing some home repair project.

lf you are going to get the maximum amount of business from your advertis- ing, you need to have trained personnel. Some feel that putting everyone in red jackets so the customer can spot them is an answer. And it is, partially. But the only one who really benefits from an untrained employee in a red jacket is the uniform supplY firm.

Putting a new coat on a person is not the answer. It is necessary to put a new person in the coat. And by new person, we don't mean a new hire. What is needed is a trained employeea new person in that coat. Asthe old minister used to say, "lt's better to shine up the old ones than to jine upthe new one." Training can be the answer.

Training can takethe form of study courses available through your associations, half day seminars on lumber, plywood, and other products, or l5 to 20 minute video tapes that are available on avariety of subjects to be used for inhouse training.

At the recent meeting of the Western Associations which is afllliated with NLBMDA, a lot of discussion took place over training, what was happening and what should be happening. A strong feeling was evidenced about some type of certification program. With this, an employee would cover certain basic courses and then work in a more specialized area to become a certified building material distribution specialist.

Recently NLBMDA announced an intern program that would allow some young person to spend six weeks in Washington, D.C. during the summer. While there, that person would see how NLBMDA works on behalf of the lumber and building materials industry as well as get acquainted with the operation of governmental agencies whose actions affect the lumber andbuilding material business.

There are many, many opportunities open for educating andimproving your personnel. As the buds on the trees and the new flowers with seemingly unbridled energy remind us of spring, hopefully we will also be reminded that a lot of untapped resource is in all of us. All we need is a little nurturing to bring us forth into full bloom and our best. Try a little education on your personnel. Let them bloom so that they attract the homeowner who needs material and helpful hints on making the job go easier. It will make everyone's spring. And do wonders for your sales.