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lnnovative firm develops its own software

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OtsITUARIES

OtsITUARIES

FIG CREEK Lumber Co. is a Ellumber company with a whiz of a computer and they're proud of how it works and how they got it.

A privately held corporation whose primary operations are retail lumber and hardware sales, they are located in Davenport, Ca., with branches in Watsonville and Paso Robles. They are also in logging and milling redwood and Douglas fir from the central California coastal regions with a milling operation at Davenport. Their current locations are near the site of their original operations, which began nearly 40 years ago.

Big Creek employs over 150 people, from forestry/loggtng and milling to their retail and corporate administration group. Their logging and milling operation produced over 16 million board feet of redwood lumber last year, while their retail outlets sold over three times that amount.

Customers range from the small do-it-yourselfer to the full-scale general contractor, but they are all served better by the computer in the opinion of Big Creek's management, owners Frank "Lud" and H.T. "Bud" McCrary.

Operations ranging from recording log purchases to generating estimates for customers' lumber requirements and point of sale invoices plus all accounting are facilitated.

The software is the result of a five year effort by a team of Big Creek employees,' including general managers, accounting managers, retail store employees and a systems designerlprogrammer. The programs are designed to be utilized by all Big Creek personnel, from the president to invoice clerks on their first day.

A primary feature that sets the sy- stem apart is that it was developed by and for Big Creek personnel relying on their over 100 years of combined experience. They created an onJine system, meaning the data is entered at the time of transaction. For example, the second a customer purchases an item on his charge account, the invoice is generated, the inventory is decreased, the account receivable is updated, and the sale is recorded in the general ledger.

The owners of Big Creek have been involved in a variety of ecologically oriented projects. One of their concerns has been the study, development and perpetuation of forest areas in the Santa Cruz Mountains. They have been one of the forces in the development of Applied Forest Genetics, a research and development group dedicated to improving forest productivity and longevity. Their enthusiasm for doing things better has transferred to the operation of their retail units by using the latest technological equipment.

Story at a Glance

Vertically integrated firm uses its own people to program company computer...user friendly, it is designed to be operated by virtually every person on the staff.

Weverhaeuser is committed tc FirstChoice Service every stepof theway

No exception.

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Reliable DeliVery wner weye.haerse. peop'e sivs yo: the'word. you can rel! o. I All orders will oe sr pped wre^ promisedon time. No excuses. lf a problem does occur. we will go the extra mile to satrsfy our customer.

a uOnSiStgnt QUaliW weve, r,aeu se r- p rod u ced p roo u c rs -nd d'e neasured against rigid q'uality control standards, We w,, not b, *{i{g: cLrt co'ners You can relv on Weverhaeuser products to neet vou. f t - performance expectations. Products purchased {or resale by

D- Weyerhaeuser wirt meet the same demanding requirements lf it - comes f rom us. vou can count on qualrtv.

Dependable SefViCg weyerhaeuser customer Servi6e Centers are conveniently located to meet the supply needs of our customersquickly and accurately. We work with our customers as partners, anticipating their needs and staying ahead with new products and new rdeas. And ourTradrng Centers are primed to give you prompt servrce on all direct-mill needs

PeOplgWhO Cafe you wir arways set a qurck responsel, accurate information and insightfulcooperation from the people of Weyerhaeuser. We are dedicated to solving customer problems, and working hard to be the preferred suppler. Your respect is Weyerhaeuser's top priority. We will never take it for granted. Weyerhaeuser

"Mistakes cost us a ton of money We have to go with someone we can trust We want a reliable source of supply. We want the right materials on time. And when it oets here we want a quality product no excepttons _.qL*

\A/orrarheor rqpr iq nnf .-r - ,- , ,,. a Jonnny-comelately. They know us. They know our market. They know how to help us make money."

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