MOUNTAINJ STATES

FRED CARUSO executive secretary

rials, Peekskill, N.Y., will be a speaker at the MSLBMDA management conference on Nov. l0 and I I at the Hyatt Regency Tech Center Hotel, Denver. Co.

Skylights Head For The Top

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TMSLBMDA has opened its I doors to retail dealers and industry suppliers in Arizona and is actively recruiting members to fill a void created by the abandonment of the Arizona Lumber & Builders Supply Association.

According to president Steve Olson, MSLBMDA is amending its bylaws to allow for two representatives from Arizona to serve on the 15 member regional board ofdirectors. Sensitive to the financial difficulties the Arizona association has had over the past several years, the board is oflering former members of that association a "membership dues holiday" in recognition of the loyal support they gave their industry during the diflicult times.

Companies that had paid a full 1988 dues are being granted full membership privileges in MSLBMDA for the year. Those paying monthly dues or having paid a portion for the year will be given the option ofpaying pro-rata dues for the rest of 1988. Former Arizona members must submit a membership application inordertobe recognized as MSLBMDA members. They then will automatically become members of the national association.

New Mexico members of the MSLBMDA have been sent a copy of a memo released by Timber Products Inspection, Inc., regarding counterfeit and inappropriate grade stamps circulating in that state. Lumber dealers are asked to help in locating any shipment or pieces of lumber bearing bogus marks. The memo included photo copies of bogus stamps and a brochure showing the ALSC approved grade stamps.

Carl Dill, Dill's Best Building Mate-

"Despite declines in many areas of residential building, skylight sales continue to increase," says Steve Bechtold, Ventarama president. "In our experience, the rate of growth has exceeded our most optimistic projections."

He reports that skylights have become "a necessary amenity" in many new homes. "Now builders are including them in every price range."

Installations in existing homes also are moving at a quick pace. "Homeowners appreciate their benefits, but they also know that skylights add to resale value," says Bechtold. "They may be more commonplace now than they used to be, but they still generate excitement among home buyers."

"Acrylic models are generally less expensive, yet offer a higher insulating value," Bechtold says. "However, some people prefer the aesthetics of glass."

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Five New Dixielines

The first of five new Dixieline Lumber stores has been opened at 720 Sycamore Drive in Vista, Ca., by the San Diego-based firm. A prototype for the other four units, the Vista store, which is 60,000 square feet, will have between 50 and 55 employees and a projected annual sales volume of $6 million, according to Dixieline president Bill Cowling, Jr.

The other stores will be in Carlsbad, adjacent toI-5 Hwy; Rancho California; mid-San Diego; Poway and, possibly, one unit as far north as the Costa Mesa area.

Remarking on the tough metro San Diego competition and the opening of a new Home Depot store 100 yards from Dixieline's flagship Sports Arena Drive unit, the outspoken Cowling asserted his indifference to the warehouse retailers,

"People want service, price is secondary. We have everything they don't have: a mill, delivery, panel saws and a contractors division, among other things," he said. The two stores Dixieline opened in 1987 in Lomas Santa Fe and the Convoy store in Kearny Mesa broke even their first month, Cowling noted. Dixieline Lumber also plans a new truss plant to be built and operated in the free trade zone in Tijuana, Mexico, just south of the United States/Mexico international border. Lumber and plates will be sent from San Diego to Tijuana, as-

Win Customers With Service

Ninety-five percent of customers who have a negative experience never patronize the establishment where the incident occurred again. That's bad news. And if that weren't bad enough, the average customer who feels wronged tells somewhere between 8 and 16 people about his experience, according to the American Research Institute. These statistics mean trouble for those in the service industry who act as though customer service is a concept of the past. As the consumer spending frenzy of the 1980s grinds to a halt, competition in the service industry for a share of the shrinking market is intensifying. Organizations in the industry who refuse to see cus-

The Merchant Magazine sembled into trusses and shipped back to the U.S. Dixieline will operate the plant in conjunction with Gutsa Construction, reportedly the fourth largest construction company in the world. Its net worth has been set at $1,400,000,000. tomer service as the key to continued success are finding the door to the future locked and bolted.

Retailers have learned that topnotch customer service leads to valuable customer loyalty. However, a successful customer service program requires that all employees, especially those who directly serve the consumer, be committed to excellence. How can that commitment be achieved? One way is using screening techniques to help select job applicants with attitudes that are favorable to good customer relations. Thorough orientation and training programs are another. Finally, management itself must be totally committed to giving customers what they want.