LMA heads for The Lake

It's the pine trees of Lake Tahoe for the 33rd annual meeting of the Lumber Merchants fusn. of Northern California, May 6.8, as the group again presents a strong schedule for its members.

The Annual Dangerous Divot Diggers golf go begins Sunday events at 9:30 a.m. (Bloody Mary, anyone?), followed by the manufacturers' cocktail party that evening, which is followed by 50 lucky devils who will see the Elvis Presley Dinner Show.

Hiring and retaining employees is a next a.m. panel discussion after the earlier general membership meeting. Manufacturer attitudes regarding dealers are then explored in a speech by Armstrong Cork's Eugene Hannum.

Manufacturer displays are open from 2-4 plm. that afternoon, with the president's dinner dance capping the evening activities.

Closing day begins strongly with an OSHA presentation by Phil Mork of the Wisconsin dealers' assn. that has received good reviews everywhere presented. Economist Julian Taylor of the Bank of America is the prognosticator at the special luncheon that will also hear awards presented for sa{ety achievements. New officers will then be presented to the members.

Special programs for the ladies in. clude a tour of historic Virginia City, with lunch at the Sharon House on May 7, with a cruise of Lake Tahoe set for the next day. Bring your woolies !

A drawing will again be held for a free color tv.

The Crowded West?

One of the significant population trends revealed by the 1970 Census is that the United States has become highly urbanized.

Almost three-fourths of the nation's population lives in urbanized areas. In the Census Bureau definition an urban population comprises all persons living in urbanized areas, plus those living in cities and towns of 2,500 or more outside urban areas.

Surprisingly, the West is the most urbanizeil reginn ol the U.5., with 84.6Vo of the residents of the nine Western states living in urban places. California is the most urbanized state of all with 90.9Vo of its population living in urbanized areas. Other Western states with a high degree of urbanization are Nevada 80.9%, Utah 80.4%. and Arizona 79.6%.

This is surprising because population density in the West is 23.9 per. sons per square mile compared with 57.5 persons per square mile for the U.S. overall. So the Western paradox is that most of the population here is clustered on a relatively small percentage of the land.

The West's highly urban population presents difierent opportunities to marketers, and different problems as well. A high degree of urbanization implies a difierent lifestyle, possibly different response to products, services, and advertising messaees.

$2lO Million G-P Exponsion

A $2f0 million capital expansion in I9?3 for 48 new manufacturing plants, distribution facilities and plant expansions, all to be completed or under construction during the yearo has been announced by GeorgiaPacific Corp.

R. B. Pamplin, chairman and president, said it includes construction of 26 new manufacturing plants and 1I new building material distribution centers plus significant additions and modification of II other manufacturing plants.

The figure does not include capital expenditures for acquisition of timbero timberlando existing manufacturing plants or other assets to augment the internal growth program, he explained.

Pamplin forecast that in coming years 'oconsumer demand will chal. lenge our ability to supply our products such as plywood, lumber, particleboard, gypsum, pulp, paper and chemicals." He predicted a slackening in residential construction will be offset by gains in their other building materials markets.

Although G-P did not enter the PVC market until mid-1972 with its initial venture in plastic moldings to replace wood needed for other purposes, it already is planning other new plastic products 'osuch as siding for buildings, doors, shutters and other key products.n'

The company also is expanding its timber baseo it was indicated.

The 1973 plant construction and modernization budget includes, among other facilities, 13 new lumber sawmills, 1l new distribution centers and seven new panelboard plants to manufacture compressed wood board for construction and industrial use. Significant expansions or modifications include four plywood plants, four gypsum wallboard plants and a polyethylene extpqsion plant.