uorres

W.W. "Pete" Sharp, Jr., 82, founder and former owner, California Redwood Sales, Santa Rosa, Ca., died March 16 in Santa Rosa.

A native of Oakland, Ca., he served in the U.S. Army during WWII and was an Air Force Major during the Korean War. Soon after, he and his partner Tom Gray founded California Redwood Sales. In time, he became the sole owner before retiring in 1974.

A graduate of UC Berkeley, Mr. Sharp was a past president of the Redwood Empire Hoo-Hoo Club.

J.R. "Dick" Fantz, 86, longtime innovator in the plywood industry, died of a heart attack Feb. 19 in Ramona, Ca.

After serving in the U.S. Navy during WWII, he began his building materials career, working for Davidson Plywood and Lumber, El Monte Wholesale Plywood, Western States Plywood, Davidson-Western Plywood, Plywood Finishing Corp. and Welch Southwest Plywood.

In 1956, after recognizing the need for the mobile home industry to begin using plywood panels composed of a substance other than natural wood, he brought the first carload of printed Plywall panels to the West. He was also one of the first in the West to use pre-printed woodgrains on paper and laminate them to plywood panels.

Port Trying To Close PLT

Pacific Lumber Terminal, Wilmington, Ca., is again urging the industry to help prevent its ouster from the Port of Los Angeles.

The Port's property management department has given notice that they are teminating PLT's lease July l, ending 52 years of continuous operation. When the company has been faced with similar circumstances in the past, customers, suppliers, transportation companies, labor unions and others have rallied to convince the Port to change its decision.

PLT is the only facility of its type in the Port, while a similar facility in the Port of Long Beach has a limited capacity. "Without PLT, clearly the building industry in our area will not be able to receive the adequate services and competitive rates it requires," says manager Doug Bench. "This fact, plus the continuing problems with limited rail service. make a viable lumber cargo terminal essential in the Port of Los Angeles."

He suggests writing letters of protest to the Port's executive director, board of harbor commissioners, city councilman Rudy Svorinich and Mayor Richard Riordan. Their addresses are available by calling PLT at (310) 834-5261.

Crown Pacific Adds Office

Miguel Hernandez and John Mazanet of Cal Plus Forest Products, Tustin, Ca., have joined forces with Crown Pacific Partners LP. Portland. Or.

Their Tustin office becomes Crown

Pacific's Eugene, Or.-based wholesale division's fourth satellite office, joining locations in Eugene, Cameron Park, Ca., and Ogden, Ut.

Coatings Rise At 3% Clip

Global demand for paints and coatings is forecast to increase 3Vo annually to 26 million metric tons in the year 2001, according to the Freedonia Group.

Strongest gains are forecast for water-based high solids, electrodeposition, powders and other nonsolvent products, with increased market share coming at the expense of traditional low-solid, solvent-borne products.

Call the experts: r Robert Moore r Jim Winward