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FRED CARUSO hours of exhibits by 60 trade show exexecutive secretary hibitors.

lloRE rhan 500lumber and buildIUling material dealers and suppliers from throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, New Mexico and Utah are expected to gather in Denver on Sept. 15-17 for MSLBMDA's 9fth annual convention and exposition at the Sheraton Denver Tech Center.

The convention will feature eight full

Speakers will include Johnny Walker, former chief executive of Lowe's Companies, Inc., who will speak on successful marketing; Sid Voorhees, partner with Eugene Planing Mill in Eugene, Or., whose presentation "If lt's Going to Be, It's Up to Me" will cover communicating with and motivating the people we work with, and Richard Reid, partner with Reid & Wright, Inc., who will present a slide show on the history of the lumber industry.

Another highlight will be a "working lunch" for dealers with round table discussions on isues confronting the lumber industry. Keynoter will be Bud Howe, partner and v.p. of Carver Lumber in Peoria, Il., and president of the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association.

Convention planning committee members include Jerry Harwood, Harwood's Lumber Co., Rocky Ford, chairman; Hal Olson, Armstrong Ceilings, Denver; Don Herbel, BMD, Denver; Rick Heimsoth, Capital Lumber, Cheyenne, Wy.; Dave Stookesberry, Economy Lumber, Greeley; Don Cameron, Cedar Lumber, Denver; Bob Hutchison, Pine Junction Lumber, Pine; Kathryn Smith, exhibit and convention coordinator.

MSLBMDA recently moved its headquarters to the Creenwood Plaza office park in southeast Denver.

The new address is 5500 S. Syracuse Circle #105, Englewood, Co.80lll. The new telephone number is (303) 793-0859.

2090 limitation on the estimate of job account that is required on the preliminary notice under the old provision. Unrealistic job estimates were ballooned and therefore were unrealistic for the actual cost of the job.

FRANK DAVIS consultant

f Hnee major changes were written I into the Mechanics and Materialmen's Lien Law as it was passed in the 1983 state legislative session with the Associated General Contractors working together with the Arizona Lumber & Builders Supply Association to create what was described as a "clean-up" bill.

The major changes are:

(1) The original bill as adopted in 1979 required a legal description ofthe property in the 20 day preliminary notice. The 1983 bill allows the flexible version with either a legal description or location by subdivision plot, street address location to commonly known jobsite sufficient for identification.

This definitely aids the material supplier since getting a legal description was costly and time consuming.

(2) The second major change is the

The new law gives enough flexibility for estimated costs of209o over or under any estimations.

(3) The third major change is that the Notice of Completion has to be recorded by the owner and mailed by certified or registered mail to the general contractor and to all persons who had previously filed the 20 Day Preliminary Notice.

Under the old law the language was ambiguous so that in many cases the persons filing a lien would not be sure when the job was actually completed.

I urge ALBSA members to be aware of the changes in order to protect their rights under the new law.

HARRY MENDENHALL executive vice president

aFt oMPANI' IIvIAGE ! An intangible Yrhat every ciealer savs he desires to have in the most favorable light.

Company Image! An attitude in the minds of the employees that reflects management.

. Company image! A measurement used by the consumer to judge confidence in your products, your employees, your service and your word.

The reason that I bring up the subject of company image is because of 9090 of the answers by employees to the following question contained in the Product Knowledge Correspondence Course test.

The question, of course, is preceded by a reading of the chapter on selling and the importance of the customer.

Question: Which comes first, the company or the customer?

Most employees answer: The company, even to the extent of adding, "the company gives me my paycheck" or "the company hired me."

Many retail dealers spend thousands of dollars developing a company image. They develop a logo. They develop company colors. They develop slogans. They provide company uniforms. They paint the company name on trucks. They buy advertising depicting most ofthe above. Yet, none ofthese things can overcome a poor company image unless management spends equal time and effort on education of the employee.

In my visits to association member stores, I frequently find a bubble pack that has been opened with the contents pissing. When I mention this to an employee, the usual answer ib "Yeah them @t$t: customers will steal you blind unless you watch them every second. " When material is disorderly on the shelves or lumber is sticking out from the racks, it is always those @t$t= customers who sorted through it, then scattered it. These comments seem to be used to explain every stocking, housekeeping and inventory shortage problem in the store.

Many of these comments against the customer are justified. We all know that shoplifting has increased to alarming proportions and customers do tend to sort through materials scattering them about in the process, but why is the store in existence?

A bit of further research locates the reason for the employee attitude that is anti-customer. Management can be overheard criticizing the customers, and in many cases, the criticism is conducted in the presence of store employees. Discussions about customer delinquent accounts, returned checks, doctoring invoices and many other problems soon leave everyone with an anti-customer attitude. The thousands of dollars expended to develop a positive company image aretotallyineffectiveunder circumstances such as those mentioned. Every dealer would like to be known for his service, quality and availability of materials, fairness to his customers, knowledgeable and helpful employees and prices that are competitive. He wants his customers to want to come back to his store because they can get the materials and service they desire.

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Imported And Domestic Woods

Our ainr is to Iill rour rt'tluirt'nrt'nts, lrromptlr', rvith cornpctitir clr prict.rl qualitv products.

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flTl " national consunrcr pancl o1' r F1ouserlares is rated espccialll'

HOUSgwafeS i2-5,999 rc;rrcsctrlatirc lrort:citoitl: iarorairi\ irr rourrgcr arrd rtrotc.rlnr()lCCtahlC tr, {itt,oi.crlril [ \ it uct]l !()n\Linlq.ys..tltrir' .irtulcr" -Antertca(tl()ll]el.}lAkl.'!-\1.]l\t't1]gt1l1.)l]ll|:llll\ll.\'l\Irl,\||!,4l||ll',.]l]'\ll!llll]\|/l\ tltdrk.lt.|iit'ttl'tr.111i,,''1.1'.'''.'.,.ii' ducts thcy buy in todal's markct (iu('\ti(rnlrajr-t'. lor rtrt 80fir rctttrn gdil('r;11 lr,rJllll;ti lr )ll Consur-ner-s colttint.lc ttt tltltk place for being responsive to their Briet11. the studl'cornparcs thc inrconsumer needs, and they think agc ot' housewarcs to fivc other price as the rlost inrpclrtattt t'actol irt those housewares items are botlt leading consLlmer goods industries: the pur e liase o1' lrou:ew arcs llrL)reasonablv oriced and well madc. automobilcs, clclthing, food, fur- ducts, but its rr-latir r- irttportattce has bakeware items, kitchen tools and r Apparently after having dealt

That's the word from Ronald A. niture and to1's. It ranks the relative pretty well Iocled off and, in sonrc Fippinger, managing director of the iniportance of sir key factors affec- cases, dcclinecl sincc 1979. National Houservares Manufac- tins consumer ourchase Datterns: o The importance of both color,' turers Association and spokesman brand, color,/design, price, selection, dcsign and selection have increased for the nation's giant housewares in- sizes and warranty. It erplores con- over the past lour years, and product dustry, whose sales last year totaled sumer attitudes torvard six specific warrantyprovisionsdonotappearto more than $20 billion by manufac- housewares product categories: be particularly important to conturers and close to $40 billion at bathroom accessories. cook and sumers. retail.

Fippinger based his comments on gadgets, outdoor products and ac- rvith inflation and rising prices durf indings of the NHMA's j ust- cessories, serving products and ac- ing the late '70s and early '80s, published "Survey of Attitudes and cessories and small electrical ap- American consumers erpect high Purchase Habits of Consumers of pliances. In addition, it details con- pricesandacceptthem,buttheyhave Housewares Products: A 1983 Pro- sumer preferences for color and reached the point u'here they also cxfile of the American Houservares decor in kitchens and bathrooms, pect more sty'ling, colors and sclecConsumer," the third in a series of along u'ith lifestyle trends that relate tion in return for higher prices. comprehensive consumer studies.

The study for 1983 tells a lot about how, why and where American con- to housewares purchase patterns.

Highlights of the iindings are: r Most houservares categones are given relativel-v high product quality

. Housewares ranks third amone ratinss. *'ith cook and bakeu'are sumers buy their housewares today. leading consumer goods industries, It is based on a sample of 2,400 behind foodandclothing, butahead homemakers selected at random of automobiles and tovs.

Housing Figures Revised

Housing start figures released each month by the Commerce DePartment are often revised as later data completes the statistical picture. In the latest adjustment May's performance was upgraded from a 19.l9o increase to a 19.590 rise.

Figures for housing Permits and sales of new homes also often suffer from atimelag. Estimates of housing permits issued in May for all categories of houses from single familY to multifamily units have been revised upward as have sales figures for March, April and May.

The revision of sales figures erased the decline in April and made MaY the fourth month in a row with an increase.

Why the Start Numbers VarY

Residential building contracts, totaling $8.2 billion in MaY, showed a 2t/o advance from April's value, after seasonal adjustment, in the latest F.W. Dodge Index.