.1. tn Dusrness

ber Company, Gilchrist, Oregon and Whitty is president of Al Peirce Lumber Company, Coos Bay, Oregon.

Barnes was reelected to his post as executive vice president. G. Cleve Edgett was reelected as vice president. The membership elevated H. A. Roberts from secretary to vice president and Gordon J. Brown from comptroller to secretary. All four are residents of Portland, Oregon, where thtt association headquarters.

Sfory sI s Glonce

New housing starts in multi-family units expected to revitalize sagging market L. L. Stewart re-elected president Availability of mortgage funds predicted.

At work sessions, the association cryst' allized its opposition to a California pro' posal to prevent counties to tax eontracts for cutting timber on public lands. Lum' bermen expressed concern that success of a measure in California will lead to appli cations elsewhere. Success in the proposal, now subject to review by the California Attorney General, not only would place a serious burden upon timber operators, but also raise the threat of federal le' sislative review which could have disast' ious effects on bonds for county roads and schools. Both are now heavily supported by funds allocated from federal timberland receipts.

Gene Brewer, president of the National Forest Products Association and of U.S. Plywood-Champion Paper, Inc., told mem' bers that purposeful strides are being taken toward cooperative efiorts among the na' tion's forest products industry associations.

'oThere is a place in our industry today for bold strokes," said Brewer. o'We must regroup our strength and achieve a solid program without regard for historical procedures."

As an example, Brewer said the Wood Marketing [nc., a national, joint promo. tion group has asked for advice from wood producers and has urged merger of technical, marketing, advertising and pro. motion functions. He noted that top level, inter-association unity is being sought in a number of fields by the Economic Council, a new forest industry strategic planning group. The council has brought together leaders of the industry to con. sider long-range cooperative efiorts.

Another stride for forest industry co. operation was taken during the WWPA annual meeting when representatives of 12 major manufacturers' associations watched the first, coordinated, nationwide program in the history of the in. dustry. Lumber, plywood, millwork and shingle manufacturers from the U.S. and Canada, calling themselves the Coopera. tive Committee of the Forest Products Promotion Council, agreed on several joint programs in 1967. Included are national consumer advertising campaigns, trade advertising, consolidated exhibit space at the National Home Builders Show and other national publicity efforts.

In other actiono the association recog. nized imaginative industry leadership and planned beautification, stimulating community pride, with an award to the U. S. Plywood-Champion Paper, Inc. for planned improvements at Anderson, California.

L. L. Stewart, WWPA president, made the award, second of its kind made by the WWPA.

Hayward

President on the Move

A T THE Tl\ll. he assumed lh,'ofli,r',,f f, ,rr.'-id.,,t ,,f tlrt' J-rrmber Merr.hurrr's

A.sociation nearlv a lear ago, Hom,'r Nl. Ha1'ward annorrrr<'etl that he u'ould travt'l ertcnsivelv in the northerr) part o{ the stat(' to meet dealers and let thcm knou' lhat I-\lA is doing f<,r' thcm. He has kcpt good his promisc and. in addition. has travelcd to Washington. Chicago and thc Northrvest, mtttirrg with othcr lt'aclers to discuss currer)t industrl' problems.

"Onc of the greatest things that has happencd ovcr thc years in our industnhas been the spirit of cooperation that has dcveloped among retail dealcrs through assorriation in LMA." says Hayward. "Sure wt- are competitors and always will lrt'. lrut r,r't' also form an industrl that dt'rnarrds c'lose cooperation on the part of all concerned."

He has urged local dealers to get their' fliendly competitors together for frcquent roundtable scssions to exchanse ideas and lrut them into altion. He has oi.it",l *uny individual yards to obtain local thinking which he believes can influence LMA activities.

LMA's markcting and distribution committee {ormed two years ago with Hayrvard as chairman has pursued its aim o{ bringing people together for the common good o{ all and the group }ras produced facts and fieures to aid the dealer in achieving his marketing goals.

Speaking before large and small €iroups. Havrvard has imprcssed his audiences with the need to keep an opcn mind in appraising new methods, technologies and thinking regarding the retail building materials industry.

Ilayward is a third generation lumbt'r' merchant. Upon the death of his father. followed by the death of his grandfathcr five months later in May, 194,6, he took over the management side of the business and today operates six yards in northern California.

Should you change your business and go consumer?

By Reed Lowton, monogement consultont

TN THESE times, lives there a lumber or r building materials business owner who hasn't asked himself, ools there something I should be doing to bolster up my business?"

One often proposed panacea is "Go after the consumer trade."

The dealers who leap at the do-it-yourself market without adequate advance preparation are in for serious trouble. Just hanging out the shingle welcoming the man on the street is not enough.

In some cases, old line lumber yards have successfully turned their backs on the contractor business and have become general merchandisedepartment stores. Although potentially very lucrative, huge investrnents in new buildings, additional merchandise, and aggressive advertising and promotion limit this course to a handful of operators.

What can the average materials dealer do now to alter the odds in his favor? How does he determine his chances for success? How much should he spend? Can he budget in advance how much he can expect to get back in protit and how long will it take to attract etwugh new consumer business?

This series is dedicated to helping you