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A 90-YEAR-OLD retail dealership fl.dominates the contractor market in Tacoma, Wa., because it is totally customer service-oriented and offers a sales force that averages 30 years of experience.

The firm is Gray Lumber, with two locations in Tacoma and a reputation for leadership in engineered wood and other types of building products and services.

Gray has prospered and grown despite a heavy influx of "big box" retail competitors. Assistant sales manager Jack deleon says there are several reasons for Gray's continued growth, including:

. Active cultivation of customers and specifiers through membership and participation in organizations such as the Associated General Contractors and the Master Builders Association. Most of the area's major architects, engineers, contractors and other specifiers belong to these groups.

"You have to meet face to face