..THE 8 BILLION DOLLAR CONNECTION''

Western Building Action

Western states are expected to account for 370h of the predicted 929,000 new housing starts in the metropolitan areas of the United States this year, according to figures released by the National Association of Home Builders.

Los Angeles-Long Beach, Ca., and San Diego, Ca., each with 38.000 starts forecast; Seattle-Everett, Wa., 32,976, Riverside-San Bernardino. Ca.. and Phoenix. Az., each with 32,000, and Anaheim-Santa AnaGarden Grove, Ca.,22,500, are listed as six of the ten potentially most active markets in the nation.

Others are Houston, Tx.. 57,635: Dallas-Ft. Worth, Tx., 50,000: Chicago, Il., 43,000, and Detroit. Mi., 22.000.

Three other western areas are in the top 20: Denver, Co., I lth: Portland. Or.. 17th. and San Francisco-Oakland. Ca.. I 8th.

With 340,000 housing starts projected for the metropolitan areas of the western states, 60%r of these are expected to be single-family units.

ln 1978, the 426 independent wholesaler members of North American Wholesale Lumber Association distributed 8 billion dollars worth of forest products in North America.

A good "connection" for the manufacturer of forest products who relies on the wholesaler as the primary sales force of the industry. A sales force that moves the item, that moves the product line, and that sells the new product or system.

A good "connection" for the retail dealer and the industrial user of forest products. The independent wholesaler provides supply from a wide number of sources and gets it to where it is needed.

A good "connection" for both supplier and customer. The independent NAWLA wholesaler financially suppoded the producer in 1978 by carrying $652,000,000 of accounts receivable on a daily basis. In the marketplace, the NAWLA wholesaler in 1978 provided readily accessible inventory for customers in excess of a quarter billion dollars.

The wholesaler "connection" . one with the sales ability to distribute billions in wood products and the financial ability to handle the costs to do so.

Hardwood Plywood Everywhere

The Ilardwood Plywood Manufacturers Association's 1979 annual spring nreeting was held in March irr Washington, D.C. However. the high point of thc convention was the aflernoon when everyonc was takcn by six buses to Reston. Va., whcre IJPMA's new 11.200 sq. lt. olfice and laboratory builcling was viewed by nrcnrbcrs for thc flrst tinrc.

The reception roonr is donc in sequencecl rratchecl teak plywood while the boarcl of'directors' roonr is in nratched sliced plain whitc oak architcctural plywoocl.

Each officc is paneled in a clifl'erent type of interior surlace nraterial from donrestic and inrlrortcd species to prefinished, printecl, vinyl lanrinatcd. paper overlaycd and enrbossed panels. The floor in each olficc is of a cliffcrent tylle ol- lanrinatccl lrarclwood flooring fronr natural finislr to ntcllow browns. Thc lauan flush doors have becn coverccl with thc sanre rraneling as used in that lrarlicr.rlar roonr.

Western Gonstruction Gosts Up

The cost of construction materials and labor across the nation increased an average of 12.30h in the 12month period which ended March 1979, reports McGraw-Hill Information Systems Co. This compares with an 8.50ft rise registered a year earlier.

On the average, building material prices increased 15.401r and labor 7 .70h in the past l2 months, according to the report. During this period total cost increases were the highest in the region consisting of the Pacific Coast and Rocky Mountain states, which registered a 15.40h increase. The smallest cost gain, 7(Xr, was shown by the New England states.

Wood Pallet Record

For the l6th time in the last l9 years, the wooden pallet industry set a new production record in 1978. With an estimated 270 million wooden pallets produced, they consumed 6.7 billion board feet of lumber which was l70lt of total lumber production in the United States.