WESTERN ASS0CIATI0N NEWS

Western lluilding Material Association is advising its mentbers, especially those with an obligation under the [)rugI;ree Workplace Act, that it is to their advantage to establish an effective policy on drug and alcohol abuse.

They suggest that the l)rug-[rree Workplace Manual and f:mployee Education Video Tape produced lor the lumber and building material industry and available through the association will help to educate enrployees in two ways. l:irst, the book helps the store or yard owner to understand the magnitude of the drug problem, its intpact on business and the government regulations intended to address the problem. Second, it helps the owner or manager to plan and implentent a program which meets the needs of the company. The book includes lists ol additional materials and sources of information on the subject of drugs in the workplace. lt also has inlornlation relative to the truck driver drug testing and educational requirements of the lrederal Flighway Administration.

Western Hardwood Association menrbers endorsed species diversifica- tion at the spring meeting in Ashland, Or., April 25-27. o By and large, independents will continue to do a better job ol servicing the customer and employee than the larger chains. o We will be dealing with a more knowledgeable customer base. o We must cross-train our personnel and use them where they best benefit the company. o We will see a continued decline in new home building; however, we will continue to see a rise in repair and remodeling of homes. o We will have to accept metrics; they are here to stay. o Management will have to spend more time planning, planning and plannlng. o We will need to become special order experts.

Following the theme "Turn Over A New Leaf," the association will work to incorporate all western hardwoods growing in Washington, Oregon, California and Alaska into their plans for consistent supply, grading and promotion. tt is felt that species diversification will enable sawmills to get sawlogs while also serving the need lor fiber in the pulp and paper industry. ln addition, the specialized veneer business should get a giant boost. Other advantages would be making more products available to wholesalers, distribution yards and manufacturers and providing more members and strength for the association.

The association's lall meeting will be held in Victoria, 8.C., Canada, Sept. 30Oct. 3. The l99l spring meeting will be held in Sacramento, Ca.

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association has compiled a summary of what lumber dealers can anticipate in the future.

In presenting the inlormation, Gary Woodward, Ci&M Building Supply, Anthony, N.M., MSLBMDA president, said, "lt almost goes without saying that the decade that just ended was a roller coaster ride for our industry."

. We must enhance our employee training programs.

Our contractors will need to feel more comlortable in bringing their customers into our stores. Our stores need to be neat. clean and well merchandised.

. Management will need to develop close relationships with major suppliers and major customers.

HomeClub Names New Pres.

James Halpin has replaced John Chase as president of HomeClub, Fullerton, Ca.

Flalpin, former manager of HomeClub's sister company on the east coast, BJ's Wholesale Club. is the fifth president in five years for the southern California chain. Chase. who had the position for almost a year. resigned to join his family in Florida.

First quarter earnings for HomeClub showed a 220/o sales increase with a 3206 drop in operating income compared with the same period in l 989.

USA Today Cites Wood-Kote

Wood stain and finish producer Wood-Kote Products, Inc., Portland, Or., is making national news in its commitment to the environment, garnering the cover story of USI Today's Earth Day issue.

Headlined " Environmental Good Guys," the April l9 article reported on the company's installation of ten 10,000-gallon above-ground tanks and ongoing development of environmentally safe products.

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Lumber Yard's Cocaine Tunnel Unearthed

F-ederal agents have seized a Douglas, Az., lumberyard after discovering it hid an underground tunnel used to smuggle at least a ton of cocaine in from Mexico. said authorities.

Carved 30 feet below ground, the 273-ft.long passageway linked Douglas Building Supply's 8-monthold warehouse to the Agua Prieta, Mexico, luxury home of the company's owner, said customs agents. The 5-ft. high, 4-ft. wide tunnel was well lighted, lined with concrete to prevent cave-ins, and featured com-

Emst Adds New Departments

Ernst Home & Nursery has added three new departments to the building materials and home improvement products it stocks at its new 48,000 sq. ft. Westwood Village Shopping Center store in West Seattle, Wa.

The home supply department features paper products, cleaning supplies and other often needed household goods at extremely low prices. The recreation and leisure department carries a complete line of fishing tackle and camping gear as well as everything needed for a family picnic or outing. The office supply department offers an inexpensive place to shop lor everything from pa- partments in the walls which could be used to store as much as five tons of cocaine, authorities said.

The entrance was hidden in the house's game room beneath a concrete slab on which a pool table rested. A hidden switch triggered a hydraulic lift to raise the slab and pool table about five feet into the air.

At the other end, an advanced hoist and pulley system apparently raised drug packages into the warehouse's staging area from the tunnel below, said officials. Tractor-trailers and other rigs were then presumably per clips and legal pads to computer paper. loaded with thousands of pounds of cocaine and dispatched to delivery points elsewhere, they said.

"We wanted to try out our newest ideas in West Seattle because the people there have been very loyal to us over the past 25 years," said Tom Stanton, senior vice president of operations for Ernst. "lt typifies the energy and potential of the resurgent markets here in the Northwest."

"So flar. the results have been very positive," store manager Scott West added. "Since our soflt opening at the beginning of April, sales have been excellent and interest has been high. Many customers have stopped me in the aisles to tell me how much they like the new store."

Following months of rumors of a below-the-border drug highway, customs agents pinpointed the suspicious site using sophisticated seismic equipment. Two drivers were nabbed near Phoenix May l0 along with over a ton of cocaine after departing the Douglas Building Supply loading dock. said authorities.

After a weekend of surveillance, officials raided the warehouse and home, arresting two others and confiscating the properties and an associated business, Douglas RediMix Concrete.

Agents estimate the tunnel had been in operation for six months, after taking six months and $ I .5 million to build.

Manville Bankruptcy Inquiry

Two New York judges supervising asbestos damage cases indicated that they might seek to reopen Manville Corp.'s bankruptcy proceedings.

They also suggested that the Manville Personal Injury Settlement Trust might have been mismanaged and ordered an explanation of why it has been depleted with many victims not to be compensated until after 2000.

Reportedly, hundreds of millions of dollars paid as fees to a handful of plaintiffs' lawyers helped create the shortage.

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Arizona Distributor Expects Rebound

Western American Forest Products, Inc., Phoenix, Az., recently became one of the newest members of the Simpson family of distributors.

A two-step distributor to door shops and lumber yards, Western American has traditionally carried commodity lumber products. With l6 employees, the company serves the entire state of Arizona.

Dave Graff, who has been with the company since 1973, became branch manager at the beginning of this year. In the l6 years he has lived in Arizona, Graff has seen a lot of fluctuations in the state's market. "We had a real boom town market for a number of years, but then the migration to Arizona slowed down. The market has suffered as a result of the over building in the mid '80s. There's been a glut ofhouses on the market, but I think we've bottomed out. Within the next three years, I expect to see a rebound with a much more mature and stable market emerging."

"Western American has survived," continues Graff, "because we're well established and have a good relationship with our custo- mers. Broadening our product base has helped a lot. Carrying doors has increased the profit base and given seat of his car, but the boy was grabbed before he could enter.

A00lTl0l{ of wood doors has heloed Western American Forest Products, Inc., with customers such as Pima Door & Supply Co. calling for stacks of the product.

When the employee tried to switch the ignition off, the suspect punched him, police said. After a briefscuffle, the car backed up, striking the guard in the legs, then swerved toward the manager, running over his foot before speeding off, said officials.

Three days later, Oceanside police arrested the man and his wife, suspected drug users, after they were captured by San Diego police after another shoplifting incident, said police.

Litter Into Lumber?

A new company is banking on consumers preferring lumber that's garbage. Literally.

Replatec Co. plans to recycle various waste plastic - including soda bottles, telephone casings and milk jugs - into a lumber substitute designed for "non-structural" use.

The first $2 million plant of a planned string of such facilities across the country has been proposed for Los Angeles, Ca., and should produce $2 million to $3 million a year in plastic lumber, according to Replatec.