Western dealers promoting treated wood

I L MEIR'S Building Centers in n thg greater Puget Sound area of the State of Washington credit over 20s/o of their lumber sales to pressue treated wood.

Five years ago, Al Meir carried only a small supply of 2" x 4" and 2" x 6" pressure treated lumber for plate stock. Today he offers a broad line through five retail yards and one contractor wholesale outlet.

"We like pressure treated wood because it's easy to sell," said Meir. "People like the looks of it. It's good grade, and with its nice brown color it looks pre-stained. In addition, especially in our climate, the long life is an important consideration."

"Our sales used to be 8090 contrac- tor and 2090 do-it-yourself. Now they're about 50/50. We're selling posts, deck boards, substructureand we're beginning to sell a lot of landscape ties, both used and new brown-toned ties."

Story at a Glance

How two western retailers pro mote pressure treated wood in their respective markets...merchandising, customer educa. tion and employee sales train. ing common to both.

Al Meir's Building Centers don t rely on pressure treated wood to sell itself. They do a lot of merchandising. Banners identify the yards as Pressure Treated Wood Headquarters and the people as experts. Sample decks give customers something to touch and to walk on. At this year's Tacoma Home Show. Al Meir featured a l0' x 2O' model deck. People were on the deck all of the time, he said, and collected a great deal of literature.

"It was a lively exhibit," reported Meir. "Of these visitors. 7090 said they were going to build a deck or do some sort of landscaping. And in the next week alone we sold more decks than we normally sell in four weeks."

Bill Blair, owner of Don Blair

April,1985

Lumber in Stockton, C'a., is unotlrcr' dealer r',ho likcs pfcs Llrc ilcatccl \\ood but docsn't relv on it to scll it sclt. The conlpanv regLrlarll crtndrrcls builcler clinics.

"\\'t-'re also planning on a scries ol' clinics lirr the honteou'ncr and clo it, roursclf cLrstontcrs," Blair said.

Illair also conducted a firll-clar scrninar lirr his staff' on hou ro sell l)f e ssufc t rcntcd w'ood.

"\\ic brought in fcpre\entatives ll()nr lltC Ple\\ut(' lleillinu !()ntlailniCr and rnaclc a lirll,scalc lechnical prescr)talion to our sales 1tcoplc," he said. "Nou. \\c lire crtnl'iclcnt lltat rvhcn crrstontcrs ltar c clLre stions altcr Ioclking thrutrrglt our lilcratrrlc mcks and sanrplc displar s \\ L. can rrn:\\ cr the rn inte llige ntlr'. "

Blair alsc'r plans to ric in riirh ,,\rrcrican \\'oocl Corincil's proposccl clcsign home in tlie Stocktttn arca in olclcr lu promote intercst in thc Pc|rrranent \\'ood Foundation. IIe is alrcadl getting inqLriries abour thc Pernrancnt \\ ood Foundation as acccptancc gf()\\'s ilmong contractors.

"\\'c'r e hacl telephone calls ll'oln as tar north as Ukiah, Ca.,and south cl()\\n to thc Los Angeles area," he bcurnecl. " fhis is really a drantatic brcakthrough lctr lrood and espccially l)fc5surc Ircalcd \\'ood. "

'[o rnakc it casie r litr custonters to get \\'hal the1,, ncccl, Don Blair Luntbcr. has il \cparatc (ancl :teadill' grorving) corcrccl arca lor pfc\sure tr.catcd rroocl . l'ltc tottcl is scltaratcd by catcgoryt-P-2 lirr abor c glorrncl r.lsc, f'DN litr bclon glotrncl usc, LP-22 lbr ground and \\atcr eoltturtt.

"To our *av ol' rhinking," Bill Blair obserrccl, "that'\ rilrat an olclt'a.hitrnctl Itrrrrherr lrr.l i. - r.:ir irrr:,,ril' customers *hat thcl ncccl to clo the job at hand in the Lrest possitrle xav."

W.O.O. D. VisitsWestCoast Mills \\'.O.O.D. lnc., Boulder, Co., is cclcbrating its 25th anniversarl,' *'ith a \\Icst Coast rnill tour Aprrl 22-26.

Accorcling to Rogcr Gage, tour chairntin, the gror-rp rr,ill visit Eureka, Ukiah, tlie rcd.'l'oods and San Francisco, Ca. Stops riill incluclc Sirnpson

Tirnbcr's rednoocl nrill; Pacit'ic I.urtrber's olcl groutlt rnill: Britr I.untbr.r's rcdwoocl lcncinu rlill; \lasonitc's harclbttarcl plant : [.oLrisianu-[)ueil'ie's Rcdcr piant;Reicl & \\'rigltt': renllnrulacturing planl arrcl Stunclurrl SlrLrcturc's larninulccl bcant plunt.

SPECIALIZED TREATMENTS NOW AVAILABLE o Wolmanized Lumber r Heavy Oil Penta o Waterborne Penta r Dricon Fire-Hetardant

. Creosote

PRODUCTS AVAILABLE r Cedartoneo

. Landscape Timbers r Raifroad Ties

. Poles

. Posts

. Dricon Fire-Retardant

Treated Wood

. All Weather Wood Foundations-

. AWPB.FDN Stamped

For inlormation on quick service call the treating experts!