Plywood Annual Meeting

An upbeat assessment of the plywood industry's market prospects through the next l8 months was provided at the 39th annual meeting of the American Plywood Association in Portland.

Addressing more than 600 members and guests, APA exec. v.p. Bronson J. Lewis said that the industry has started to recover from the severe market collapse of 1974 and early 1975.

"The plywood industry isn't going to break any production records in the second half of this year," said Lewis. "But it should finish the year with around 16.3 billion sq. ft. of production, a welcome improvement on last year's 15.9 billion."

He also said that the industry is picking up speed for an expected record plywood year in 1976:. "production should reach 18.7 billion square feet next year." The best year to date was 1973's 18.3 billion feet.

Lewis expressed encouragement at recent improvements in the rate of new home construction and expects this trend to continue.

Plywood's improving market prospects, he added, are also based on continued healthy growth of the home remodeling and do-it-yourself sectors, and of many other diversified markets such as commercial construction and industrial packaging and materials handling. He described remodeling/do-it-yourself as the No. I plywood growth market.

Retiring APA president and incoming board chairman William C. Smith, v.p. and general manager of Timber Products Co., Medford, Or., said that the plywood industry 'lhas an unrivaled record as a recession fighter."

He contrasted last winter's grim conditions, when nearly one-third of the total industry was idled by the market crash, with the current "still not ideal but healthier position." H9 reported nine mills closed and 40 curtailed for market reasons in the week ending June 21, out of 190 mills nationwide.

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Smith added: "lt says much for the worker loyalty and high caliber of management in the plywood industry that mills can survive the traumh of last winter and still be around for the better markets we now see ahead."

The new officers are: Chairman of the Board of TrusteesWilliam C. Smith, Vice President and General Manager, Timber Products Company, Medford, Ore.; President, John M. Richards, Vice President, Western Division, Potlatch Corporation, Lewiston, Ida.; Vice President, Ehrman V. Giustina, Vice President and Operations Manager, Giustina Bros. Lumber & Plywood Co., Eugene, Ore.

Set for the Upturn

Gordon Steck has been named manager of West Range Corporation's Rialto, Ca., branch, according to Paul Sparso, general manager. The appointment was one of a series of recent moves by West Range that included naming Dwight Curran sales manager and the addition of Dave Damon to the Cloverdale, Ca., headquarters sales staff.

"These changes were made to reorganize and consolidate our operations in order to better serve our retail customers and to position ourselves for next year's upturn," Sparso said.

West Range Corp. is a lumber wholesaler with concentration yards in Cloverdale and Rialto.

New Name: Trend Lumber Go.

Bonnie Sales Co. of Arcata, Ca., has been sold by New York based Tidewater Industries to Trend Industries Corp. of Salem, Or., which changed Bonnie Sales'name to Trend Lumber Co.

Operation of Trend Lumber Co. remains under highly regarded general manager John Kelly, who notes that with the exception of the new name and the stabil2ing influence of new ownership, "all else remains the same."

Principals in the parent corporation include Willard Friesen, formerly of Lebanon Lumber Co. before he sold it to Willamette Lumber; Bill Claussen, an attorney who is the son of Willard Claussen who owns W.O.W. Lumber Co. in Oregon;and Robert Johnson, a successful investor.

Alder Seminar

Northwest Hardwoods, Inc., Portland, and Mercury Hardwood Lumber Co. combined recently to present a major seminar on alder and the new finishes available for alder.

Held at Mercury's City of Industry, Ca., yard it drew approximately 150 furniture manufacturers and designers who were genuinely enthusiastic about the possibilities for increased alder use, according to Mercury's Bob King.

The seminar utilized slide presentations and how-to talks by both hardwood experts and industrial coatings specialists and was presented a number of times between noon and 8 p.m.

In view of the response, company spokesmen indicated they expected the seminar to become an annual event.

New D&R Gen. Sales Mgr.

Seth J. Potter has been named general sales manager for Dant & Russell, Inc., J.S. Heigel, president of the Portlandbased forest-products company recently confirmed.

In the newly created position, Potter has responsibility for all sales of lumber and allied products, including D & R's rail, millwork, export lumber, import and wood preserving departments. He also directs sales of production from company mills at Warrenton, Or., Marysville, Wa., and Haines, Ak.

Formerly national sales manager, distribution centers for American Forest Products, Inc., he had been associated with that firm since 1948 in a management capacity.

President of the Lumber Association of Southern California immediately before moving to Dant & Russell, Potter also served as a director. He was also Southern California area leader for the North American Wholesale Lumber Association.