Independent scores on a triple play

UENDO Mill & Lumber Co., a IUlthree location consumer operation in Northern California, has evolved from a sawmill to a wholesale lumber yard to a retail operation in less than 40 years.

Joe Mayfield, son and nePhew of the two who founded the firm in 1945, built his first home center in

Ukiah in 1960, the second in Willits in 1975 and the third in Clearlake in 1979. All have the same layout, product configuration and retail business plans.

Each has 10,000 sq. ft. under cover with a full service lumber and building materials yard outside. The business mix for the trio is 6590 con- sumer/3590 contractor. In addition to the retail stores, the company operates a pre-hung door shoP and a light wood remanufacturing operation. Annual sales are $6 million for the total operation.

The three stores are located about 20 miles apart with Ukiah in the middle of the dog-leg arrangement. Each

Story at a Glance

Independent chaln geared to communlty needg oerves town and rural market... from sawmlll to home center.

Pacific and Harwood Products nearby.

The main industries of the area are timber, wine and recreation. To serve these markets, Mayfield maintains a diverse and deep inventory. His stores have all the products needed by the homeowner and d-i-yer as well as lumber and commodity building materials. Automotive parts and animal feeds cater to special interests in the area. Green nurseries as recent additions at all three stores are doing surprisingly well. Ready-mix concrete service is available.

to nearby small towns rather than expect people to drive to a central store. These independent chains are strong and attract a clientele which prefers more personalized service than is provided by larger national or regional chain operations.

serves a rural trading area of about 25,000 people. The stores are open seven days a week to meet the needs of townspeople, ranchers and forest and timber company employees as well as vacationers in summer. They are unique in having business customers as near neighbors. Masonite Corp. is across the road, LouisianaPacific next door and Georgia-

Management pays a lot of attention to inventory and price. They use a number of suppliers including Builder Marts of America with which they affiliated about a year ago. Mayfield has praise for this buying power as well as the access to seminars, training manuals and other services.

Mayfield, who is a past president of the Lumber Merchants Association of Northern California, is typical of the numerous building materials merchants who find that it pays them to take their merchandise

Credit for the dominant position of Mendo Mill in the area goes to customer service, according to Mayfield. "We offer knowledgeable employees who can help d-i-yers, " he says. "Our stores are well lit and clean, we deliver, we thank customers for their business and we strive to develop long-term relationships. "

Mayfield has an inside track in knowing what the residents of Mendocino and Lake Counties like and want. He was raised in the mill camp that grew up around his father's sawmill and attended its one room schoolhouse with the children of the workers at the mill.

Future plans for Mayfield include adding several more stores in areas where he senses a need plus updating and remodeling present locations to keep his level of service high and attractive.