A new president of the Copeland yards

Joseph Copeland, Iounder of the 86 yard Western chain of retail lum' ber and building materials yards that carry his name, has passed control of the organization to his 36-year old daughter, Helen Jo Whitsell, after 6l years in the president's chair.

The firmo founded in Portland's Lents District in 1912, has operations in Oregon (35), Washington (19), Idaho (3), California (25) and Nevada (4). Copeland, who will be B6 on the last day of August, will tell you with a twinkle in his eye that the firm has never had an unprofitable year. Sales last year topped $30 million. While stepping down as president, he remains chairman of the board.

Mrs. Whitsell, whose husband William holils an administrative position with the firm, is known to the trade as Helen Jo and has been with the firm for 13 years, the last one and one-half as general manager. She joined upon her graduation from the University of Southern California.

While acknowledging the difficulty of retiring after 6I active and productive years, Copeland notes that he and his wife have a lot more travelling to do.

The new chief executive officer admits she has a great liking for the lumber business. But insists the current women's lib movement had nothing to do with her promotion. "I have the greatest confidence in her ability to direct orir company," Copeland says. 'oShe's worked in all capacities and knows the retail lumber business."

A native of Sumner, Iowa, Copeland attended the University of Minnesota, with the idea of becorning a lawyer, This was after playing high

Sfory oI d Gfonce

After 6l yeors there is o new president of the Wesl's huge Copelond choin of yords . she is Helen Jo Whihell, doughter of {ounder Joseph Copelond ond o 13 yeor Yeteron with the ffrm.

school footlall as a tackle. But he naturallv was diverted to the retail lumber business. When he was 10 years old, his father purchased a lumber yard at Fredriclsburg [owa.

The Copeland family eventually moved to Montana and Idaho, always in the lumber business. The company's bright Halloween orange buildings and trucks and the familiar black cat are the results of an incident at Fenton, Idaho. "My father and brother, Lee, had a yard in that small town," Copeland remembers. "Just before Halloween one year a black cat had a litter of kittens, so the idea for our familiar trademark was born.tt

When tle Copeland family Grst reached Oregon, a 20-acre orchard was purchased in the Hood River area, but it proved an unprofitable venture. The senior Joseph Copeland also had lent $10,000 to a Hood River orchardist. He traded the loan for a small retail lumber and building materials yard in the then sparsley populated Lents area and the rest is historv.