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By R. V. PETERSEI{ executive Yice president

beyond his control

J-Yl are shaping the destiny of the average building material dealer.

The money market and its cost fluctua' tions, the materials market subjected to the vagaries of changing economic conditions, the whims and moods of the consumer, the constant change in product availability and usage, the varying productivity and increasing cost of labor. All lhese factorsand many more-are working in concert to force the dealer to try to create and control his sales opportunity. New products and new product usages must be presented to his customers. New concepts in construction and technological changes, require sell- ing by alert, trained, knowledgeable sales people. The aggressive, progressive dealer recognizes the need for continual training and up-grading of sales personnel within his organization, and the need for continuing educational programs. Only in this way can he expect to meet the challenge of the changing market.

It is encouraging to talk with dealers and have them admit that they are busy in spite of money shortages and high interest rates and the comparative absence of new construction. All indications seem to point to the probability that the repair, improvement and remodel business should maintain fair momentum through the fall months and into winter.

In recent monthso much dealer attention has been required in trying to understand and comply with Regulation Z. It is appro. priate perhaps to remind all of the need to comply with the wage-hour regulations, particularly as regards keeping payroll records as prescribed by law.

Merged Firm Now Speciolizes

The lively firm of Eugene'Willamette Lumber Co. in Eugene, Oregon, is now spe' cializing in cutting planks and timber; sizes are available up to 30" x 30" and in lengths to I0U.

In 1967 Emerald Lumber Sales, headed by D. P. "Chuck" Johnson, merged with Eugene-Willamette and operates now under the latter name. Partners are W. B. ooBill" Johnson and "Swede" Johnson. Same name but not related. Bill is a twenty year veteran in the business and a graduate of the University of Washing' ton. Swede racks up twenty-five years and is a University of Oregon man. When Ore' gon meets Washington on the Big Game day the partners don't speak.

Bill's family is an old pioneer stock, his great grandfather having homesteaded near Hillsboro before Oregon was a state.

Housing Breqkthrough Cloimed

A dramatic new approach to housing construction technology, using rigid polyurethane foam panels has been announced by Modular Concepts, Inc., of Gardena, Calif. The company says its code-approval panels, incorporated into a modular housing system, make possible rapid construction of large quantities of quality low-cost housing with superior improvements in insulation, technology and other important features. It already has erected a two-bedroom home in six hours with only four men.

The panels are code-approved by FHA, VA and the International Conference of Building Officials.

Modular Concepts' board chairman, John F. O'Grady, a former assistant to Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover of atomic sub fame, said the new urethane core panels soon will be found in housing developments in the Pacific Northwest, California, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada and Alaska.

'oBasically, what we're doing is applying modern chemistry to the construction industry," said O'Grady. "We've developed a patented process by which the urethane foam is inserted into a sandwich panel on the job site with low-cost portable equipment."

The completed panel is two inches thick and four feet wide.

NAWLA's Annuol Regionol Meets

National-American Wholesale Lumber Association has scheduled the first regional meetings of their annual l7-meeting regional tour. They are held each fall in seventeen key locations throughout the U.S. and Canada and annually draw an attendance of over 500 wholesaler personnel at the local level.

Starting in Los Angeles, Oct. 14, meetings will run in San Francisco, Medford, Eugene, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.

Distribution yard and warehouse meetings will be held Oct. 14 in Los Angeles, and Oct. 24 in Seattle.

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