EtEN

schools. The VICA programs also place great emphasis upon leadership, citizenship and character development. The ALBSA is most pleased to have been involved in this endeavor and congratulates the six gold, two silver and four bronze medalists who came from Arizona.

Our first quarter board meeting has been scheduled for Sept. 22 and 23 at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff. ln addition to considering normal housekeeping issues, we will be adopting some educational programs for the coming project year. One of these programs will represent a new and exciting venture for the ALBSA and will be reported in this column in the next issue. Another educational program under consideration and tentatively planned for Oct. 9 is a day long seminar on the many facets of successful home centcr operations. Don

We also want to congratulate Tim Spellman of Spellman Hardwoods, Inc., Phoenix, upon his election as president of Young Lumbermen of Arizona. YLA is an affiliate of the ALBSA and operates to provide educational, promotional and social opportunities for industry members under 40 years of age. They have planned many projects and events for the year. One will be a joint dinner meeting with ALBSA members in October to hear a prominent speaker.

Future Dates

Check our Calendar on page 20 tor information on upcoming conventions, meetings and trade shows in your region.

CTING in response to a storm of protests from small business owners across the country, Congress has passed legislation repealing the controversial Internal Revenue Service regulations which would have required taxpayers wishing to substantiate a business use deduction for automobiles and other vehicles to keep contemporaneous records of such use.

The new law also:

(l) Restores a pre-1985 law requiring taxpayers to support a business use automobile deduction by use of adequate records.

(2) Exempts certain vehicles which are not likely to be used more than a minimal amount for personal purposes from any substantiation requirements.

(3) Provides an exemption from any requirement for tax withholding on a vehicle fringe benefit provided to an employee, provided certain conditions are met.

(4) Reduces the annual investment tax credit limitation on so-called luxury automobiles used in business from $1.000 to $675. and reduces the maximum first year depreciation on such vehicles from $4,000 to $3,200.

(5) Requires the IRS to issue new regulations carrying out the purpose of the statute no later than Oct. l.

While the statute is deceptively simple, Congressional intent in adopting its provisions is spelled out in detail in an unusually long report filed by the HouseSenate conference committee which resolved conflicts over differing versions of the bill.

The new law will require some addi- tional IRS regulations to flesh out its provisions. In the meantime, however, we suggest you consult with your accountant or tax preparer for advice on compliance with the new requirements. Some record keeping is still necessary. The National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association'slegal counsel has prepareda more complete memorandum on this issue.

Dealers should take the precaution of checking out IRS notices before making payment. Penalty notices can be wrong. The IRS has increased the use of computers to automatically generate penalty and interest notices for underpayment and late payment of taxes. These notices may not be reviewed by IRS employees before they'ie sent. Common errors include:

(l) Payments made that were not recorded by the IRS.

(2) Payments made on time that the IRS thinks are late.

(3) Failure to file a return that you were not required to file.

Our recommendation is that. before sending the requested amount, you check out the notice. If you have trouble, turn it over to your accountant.

FRED CARUSO executive secretary

UILDING strength, building profits, the two year theme of thE association's overall progrirm, will be the theme of the glth annual convention and trade show. Nov. 7-10 at the Marriott Hotel, downtown Denver.

A new feature this year will be c.e.o. night on the opening day. Chief executive officers, owners and managers will receive special invitations to attend the opening night of the trade show.

Bloedorn Lumber Co.. which has l7 yards in Wyoming, Colorado, Montana and Nebraska, will hold its annual managers meeting in conjunction with the convention this year. Other multiple yard operations are being encouraged to use the convention as a meeting place for their managers and as an incentive for their top producers.

Kenneth Brosh, chairman of the board of Crissey Fowler Lumber Co., Colorado Springs, Co., was named honorary life member of the MSLBMDA recentlY.

Brosh, age 70, was raised in Montrose, Co., and began his career in the lumber and hardware business working with his father. He graduated from Colorado College and received his MBA from Columbia University.

In 1949 Brosh, his father, W. C. Kurtz, Sr. and Clyde Briggs, purchased the Crissey Fowler Lumber Co. Although Brosh remains active in the management of the firm, it is now headed by his son, Kent Brosh, president and c.e.o.

Nominees for honorary life membership must be at least 70 years old, have been a member of the MSLBMDA for at least l0 years and have made contributions to their company, industry and association.

"Frankly, Johnson, until you notified me that you were quitting, this hadn't been my day."

The Merchant Magazine

New U.S. Plywood Spin-off

U.S. Pllriood is a llc\\' colnpany t'ormed b1 a leveragccl buy'out ol' ser eral Champion lntcrtiutiortal ( orp. building produclr trpcralirrtts bl currcnt management.

Included are the sales and distribution organization, Iurnber sales ccntral, ordcr central, soLrthern \llee ially rttantrl'ae turing., indu.trial particleboard and Lebanite hardboard. The ner.r conrpan) revives the U.S. Plyivoocl name, *hich has not bcen uscd sincc 1972 *hen U.S. Pl1wood-Charripion Papers Inc., rihich merged in 1967, [recunre Champion lntcrnational (-orp.

Thc Jire.tirrrrt.ir tlrc iurgt,sl rcr br Champion to rcduce the Sl.2 billion debt incurred in its latc 198,:1 acquistion of St. Regis (-orp. and to locus the companl' on its core busirress o1 pulp and papet tttartullLe ltttittg.

The neri company' is tlic third largest in the industr-v bchind Wcycrhaeuser and Ceorgia-Pacific. It u'ill bc second in size only to G-P as a national u'holesale building prodr.rcts distr ibulor with operations in all rcgions and metropolitan areas of the country. Weyerhaeuser is a close third in size.

Approxinrately 75r,'o of U.S. Pl1'wood sales r.r'ill be to building matcrials rctailcrs ranging in size from indcpcndcnt lunrbcr 1'arcls to rcgior.ral and national multi-yard chains. In 1984 the operations nou establishedas U.S. Pl-vr.rood en'rplo1'ccl approrimatcly 27fi) salaried and hourl) cmployees and had total sirlcs ol' S1.2 billion.

Richard \\'. Lo*'r1', l'onnerll' executive r.ice president ol' Cihanrpion International Corp., is chairman and c.e.o. of U.S. Ply'rvood Corp. J.F. "Jack" Armstrong, fornrer v.p. of sales and distribution f'or Charnpion lr.rternational building products, and Johr.r E. Masaschi, former vice president and general managcr for industrial particleboard prodLlcts 11t C'h anr pi on l nternati onal, a re ereculive vice presider.rts.

[)lants includcd in the ne\\' company are (iaylord, N{i., Ortord, \Is., and Scluth Boston, Va., particleboarcl; C'ata*ba, S.C'., ertcrior sidings: Lcbanon, Or.. indrrstrial harclboarcl; Orangetrur g, S.( ., I{iglt Point, N.C'., (l)lirlcston, S.( ., ancl Cal.'cston, I-r., pancl ancl rcticcr product s.

SPECIALIZED TREATMENTS NOW AVAILABLE

. Wolmanized Lumber

. Heavy Oil Penta o Waterborne Penta r Dricon Fire-Retardant

. Creosote

PRODUCTS AVAILABLE r Cedartoneo r Landscape Timbers r Railroad Ties

. Poles

. Posts

. Dricon Fire-Retardant Treated Wood r All Weather Wood Foundations*

. AWPB.FDN Stamped

For information on quick $ervice call the treating experts!

Metal Buildings Set Record

Metal building system sales for low-rise commercial, community and industrial facilities, rose 3390 in 1984 to a record $1,333,552,000, according to the Metal Building Manufacturers Association. The best previous year was 1979.

Medium size strip shopping centers and office buildings were the star performers in metal building sales in 1984 which saw the industry begin to win an increasing number of multi-story projects.

Noting that metal building system sales outpaced general non-residential construction spending last year, association spokesmen said 1985 could be another excellent year for MBMA manufacturers.

Strong homebuilding activity generally serves as a prelude for continued growth in commercial developments, which have been the leading end-use market for metal building sales in recent years, according to MBMA.