At 60, Western Wholesaler ts All Ears 'i,- .:: :

Everfeellikeyoucan,tgetthroughdevelopedtheBMD,n'u.il,...,J-.-$'il,. to your supplier'? Well, listening has tomer education program.

Simpso$ StfOrrg-TW qgrneetorsr,and become stock in trade for western BMD merchandising services per- Johns

Manville

{nsulat{bn. regional wholesaler Building Material sonnel follow their trucks to their In some cases that meant replacing Distributors, Galt, Ca., this month cel- retail customers'facilities, help unload long-carried products. "We fired ebrating its 60th anniversary. products, stock the shelves, and ensure some suppliers," admits Tabor. "We

The company was founded in 1943 displays and products are neatly orga- had a l4-year relationship with an as a wholesale division of a panel nized, stocked with brochures, and insulation supplier, but it wasn't doing manufacturer. Eventually, as the dis- properly priced. anything for our customers. Our martribution unit took off and more prod-

Although BMD will always remain ketshare improved six-fbld when we ucts-including initially commodities, a physical presence ("We believe in switched to Johns Manville." drywall, steel and roofing products- brick and mortar, real people and To accommodate the growth, by were added, the manufacturing side buildings," says Tabor), the company early next year, BMD hopes to open was abandoned. BMD's entry into is upgrading its technology to provide another distribution center in Fresno, specialty products came in 1952 when customers with a faster, easier tool. Ca. the firm became the first distributor Retailers will be able to check inven- Looking back, one turning point for Simpson Strong-Tie. tory balances instantly and purchase was BMD's conversion to an employ-

The key, says Garry Tabor, vice products during off hours. ee-owned company, a process compresident and general manager, is One of the biggest changes has pleted in 1998. Tabor notes: "Once "developing great and strong cus- been the Power Brands program. you become an owner, it changes the tomers. We are constantly listening According to Tabor, "Our customers entire thing for employees. They now and trying to contour their needs to the told us they really wanted BMD to work for themselves. Profits don't go assets we have." offer more and better products. Over to New York or Chicago; they stay

As a result of feedback from cus- the last three years, we have tried to here and are reinvested back into the tomers, BMD became one of the first get the number one or number two business." building product wholesalers to offer brand in their respective channels, so BMD wants to be different. "I've next-day delivery. It moved to 24- our product offering is second to been in the industry for 25 years," says hours-a-day operation. It changed its none." Tabor, "and the model really hasn't truck fleet to better service the types Market-leading brands include changed much. Our mantra is to redeof products customers wanted. It Hitachi power tools, Marvin windows, fine building material distribution."

)ver 70 years of producing skilshns nuglrt us afew i qtah,nblt, pnnctples

. PRODUCE A SUPERIOR PRODUCT

. PRICE IT RIGHT

. HAVE IT AVAILABLE

DO WHAT WE SAY WE WILL DO

Weyco Closing 2 Oregon Mills

Weyerhaeuser Co. is closing two mills in Oregon and eliminating nearly 200 jobs due to cut costs amid poor market conditions.

By the end of the year, the company will close its laminated veneer lumber plant in Junction City, Or., which employed 128 people. About 38 workers will lose their jobs, with the remainder transfened to operations in

Eugene and Stayton, Or

In addition, Weye.haeuser will officially close its North Bend, Or., containerboard mill Oct. 13, laying off 158. The facility temporarily closed in early July.

Alliance Focuses On Safety National Lumber & Building Material Dealers Association has

CaI Coast Wholesale Luftrber, fnc.

P.O. Box 673* 3150 Taylor Dr. Ukiah, California 95482

0o7) 468-0141

Fax(7o7) 468-0660

E-Mail - www.calcoast @pacifi c.net allied itself with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration to increase workplace safety awareness.

Key to the partnership is the development of training and education programs and "tool box talks" on record keeping, forklifts and safe lifting targeted to the unique aspects of the lumber and building material industry.

NLBMDA and OSHA willdevelop and disseminate information on these topics by speaking or exhibiting at industry conferences, local meetings, and through various media, including their respective Web sites.

Change At Silver Dollar Open

In an effort to return to its longtime site without conflicting with other industry events, this year's Silver Dollar Open will be held in the fall instead of its traditional June date.

The Oct. 17 golf tournament marks the return to its home of more than 40 years, the Alta Sierra Country Club, Grass Valley, Ca., after two years in Auburn, Ca.

In addition, a portion of the event's net proceeds will help establish the first annual SilverDollar Open Scholarship Fund to fund educational programs within the industry.

A SOLID CORE OF LUMBER , GUARA]ITEED FOR 20 YEARS AGAINST: TERilUTES, DRy ROT, GRACK|NG, CHtpptl{G, PEELING AND FADING

- BUTLDS LIKE STANDARD LUMBER, NO SPEC|AL TOOLS RESUIRED

- THE IDEAL TIAINTENANCE.FREE MATERIAL

WWW.WOOD-GUARD.COM

Please call JOEL (800) 521-3633 ext. 205 or email us JOEL@WOOD-GUARD.COM

Redwood Stands Up To The Heat

In a recent series of fire performance tests conducted on l2 commercial decking materials, California redwood ranked number one in flame resistance.

The tests, recently completed by the University of California Forest Products Laboratory, were specifically designed to evaluate the performance of various decking materials when exposed to wildland fire hazard conditions, such as those throughout much of the West.

For many years, redwood has been recognized for its fire resistance: in fact. redwood-clad structures were credited with limiting the extent of the great fires following the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

The species has historically been used in firewalls and fire doors, and currently is the only decking material allowed for rooftop decks in San Francisco.

The other l1 decking materials tested included a variety of wood/plastic composites and pure plastics. According to the California Redwood Association, several of the alternative materials degraded during the short exposure tests, while the remainder deteriorated prior to completion of the long exposure tests. Modes of degradation included: accelerating or runaway flaming combustion, flaming drops or particles falling from the deck, and collapse of a deck board with or without load.

Construction Heart2x6, the most widely used redwood decking material in California, was the only product that exhibited none of these four degradation effects during the long exposure tests, according to UCFPL director Professor Frank Beall.

CRA expects thats the study's results "could have significant implications for the development of new fire codes for urban wildland interface fire zones."

Judge Denies Payless Refund

A federal judge has ruled that now-defunct retail chain Payless Cashways cannot recoup more than $820,000 it paid lumber supplier Canfor Forest Products Ltd. weeks before declaring bankruptcy in June 2001.

Payless had earlier agreed to wire payment when lumber orders left Canfor's yards in Alberta, Canada, and Houston, Tx. From May l4-18, 2001, Payless wired a total of $820,564 to Canfor. On June 4, the chain filed for Chapter I I protection.

Payless attempted to void the payments using a provision in bankruptcy law that assumes a company filing for bankruptcy was actually insolvent as much as 90 days before filing, making any payments during the period illegal. The only exceptions include cash payments that benefit the bankrupt firm.

Yet the judge ruled that the lumber helped provide inventory and, since Payless paid for the wood before receiving it, the transactions could be considered cash.

Gorrection

Plum Creek, Columbia Falls, Mt., is Sustainable Forestry Initiative certified, not FSC certified as erroneously listed in last month's Certified Forest Products Buyer's Guide.