A New Beginning

Simply put, you hold in your hands either The Merchant Magazine or Building Products Digest, two sister industry magazines with almost 95 combined years of publishing history behind them and 17,000 monthly readers.

As David Cutler announced last month, he decided to retire in March after 39 years. He has made many friends for life in this industry who have asked me to wish him well. Having had lunch with him recently, I can say he is fully enjoying his new life.

I would like to thank David as his wife, Marti, for their help throughout the transition and for setting a great model and standard to follow. David had great integrity and concern for this industrywith one philosophy, to assist our readers and advertisers whenever they needed help. David will be a part of us for a long time to come, and I am pleased to say his name will continue to be associated with our publishing family as Publisher Emeritus.

As many of you have noticed, the magazine has not skipped a beat these past months. In fact recent issues are as strong as ever. I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to serve and support this industry, and continue its lengthy tradition.

Nowadays it's hard to find a magazine that can be everything to everybody, but I can assure you, we will continue to go the extra mile to ensure that both magazines continue to be the best they can be, and a reason to be read from cover to cover, and shared around your company.

We will never be happy with status quo. Our goal will be simple: to find reasons why our readers and advertising partners will read us each and every month. We will respect our heritage and traditions while moving forward.

To that end, we want to hear from you. Let us hear your feedback. Let us help you promote your company, your products and your associations. Let us hear about your expansion plans or your new people. Call me at (949) 852-1990, Fax me at 949-852-0231, e-mail me at ajoakes@ aol.com, or send us a letter at 4500 Campus Dr., Suite 480, Newport Beach, Ca.92660.

We are here to help you and serve this great industry by giving you the best communication tool in the market and showing you the industry and its people in a way you would not expect from a magazine. Continue to let us know how we are doing. Thank you for your trust. We will always remember to earn it again and again.

f\OST effectiveness is the latest \-zbuzzword for ensineered wood products. WillamettJlndustries and Louisiana-Pacific have become just the latest EWP producers to introduce more economical I-joist products.

"I-joist use has grown significantly," said Willamette Industries' Larry Foley, who has been selling engineered wood for nearly 30 years. "They had been primarily for custom homes, but now they're becoming common for tract and entry level home construction. So, we've been asked by our suppliers and their customers to develop a more cost effective joist for shorter spans."

The result was the SJ- 120 StrucJoist, which features a new l1/2" wide flange configuration in depths of 9-112" and ll-7 /8" According to Mike Hunsaker, general sales manager for engineered wood, "For years, Willamette has offered the most extensive engineered wood product line in the industry, and the creation of the SJ-120 reinforces our commitment to delivering high quality products that meet the construction needs of our customers."