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GB0UNDBREAKING for Weyerhaeuser

Buildino Material Distribulion Business dislribution ceiter in Sanla Clarita, Ca., was attended by cuslomers and public officials: Skip McDonald and Tom Mullin, Terry Lumbei; Terry Laughlin, Mar Vista Lumber; Joanie taudhlin; Gary Sell, Terry; Dave Mattheis,

Part-Timers Bigger Risk

The average part-time employee's theft activities are more costly than those of a full-timer, according to a study by Reid Psychological Systems.

The study found that over the course of three years, part-timers who admitted to cash theft stole an average $414.61 from their employers, 337o more than full-timers. Part-timers admitting theft also stole 47Eo more merchandise ($367.95) than the average full-timer.

Environmental Show on L-P

Louisiana-Pacific will star in a segment of Today's Environment on CNBC Oct.29 and on The Discovery Transponder, Nov. 2, 7 a.m. PST.

Hosted by Ed Begley, Jr., the show uses a magazine-style format to provide a comprehensive look at new technology affecting our environment in a positive way. Louisiana-Pacific's process for converting recycled newspapers into wallboard and insulation will be featured.

Roadside Lumber; Joe Davis lll, Davis Lumber; Jo Anne Darcy, Santa Clarita mayor pro-lem; John Hagle, Hagle

Washington Home Center Fight Takes New Turn

A life-size eagle waving an American flag and a Home Depot salesman buying merchandise at Builder's Square may seem like a nightmare, but they are all part of the great Federal Way, Wa., home center battle.

Eagle Hardware & Garden excused an employee from duty in the expresso stand, dressed him in a brown feathered suit complete with talons, a white crown and yellow beak, handed him a U.S. flag and ordered him to wave customers into their parking lot before they could go across the street to the new Home Depot.

Home Depot recently opened with a board sawing at which King County councilman Peter von Reichbauer joked he was there to buy sale-priced acoustical tile for the Kingdome ceiling, which requires multimillion dollar repairs.

The home center fight "will be a battle won with customer service," said Depot manager Dave Ward. "The edge we'll get is by doing things customers never expect." He told the story of the salesman who ran over to Builder's Square and spent $50 more than Home Depot charged the cus- tomer who wanted a brand they didn't have.

Wally Tesch, Fagle's disrict manager, after visiting the new Home Depot said, "We don't fear them one bit."

Eagle is celebrating its second year in Federal Way with a huge inflated eagle perched on the roofand a gift of a package of screws for each customer.

Home Depot has five Puget Sound stores. Eagle, based in Tukwila,. Wa., has 19 including many in western Washington. HomeBase stores in the area include a Vancouver location opened in late August. Ernst Home and Nursery, Seattle, also is well represented. Builder's Square closed the store involved in the anecdote Sept. 25.

Oregon Product Database

Living up to its motto, "We'll find an Oregon wood product for you!," the association WPCC, Inc. maintains a database of over 425 manufacturers of secondary wood products in tlle state.

Moulding, millwork, cut stock, windows & doors, cabinets, displays & fixtures, furniture, specialty products nunufacturers, wood fabrication and manufacturing services are included on the database which is not limited to members of the association.

WPCC's goal is to match potential customers with Oregon manufacturers, products, processes, equipment and materials and to assist manufacturers in developing contacts which might lead to mtrket opportrnities.

Jim Mercer, marketing manager, says,'lilPCC's Manufacturing Capabilities Database is probably the most detailed ever assembled on secondary wood products with over 1,200 fields of information. It can tell not only who produces a product" but who has the capacity !o produce it."

Searches are free for potential buyers and WPCC members. Others are charged $50.

Jeff Menifield, Best Manufacturing, Inc., Portlan( Or., after using the service, said, "Now I get a wood part for my product from a fellow Oregon manufacturer, instead of a Midwesterner, and save a significant amount of freight cost."

Information about the service is available from (503) 385-5353 or (800) 548-8438 in Oregon.

Charred Yard Unfazed By Fire

A day after a four-alamr blaze leveled their facility, Stanton-Cudahy Lumber Co., Hillsboro, Or., was back in business.

Working from modular office space and without covered storage, the company had trucks hauling lumber in and out of the yard by the next afternoon. "We're faking it," explained Michael Cudahy, co-owner of the lumber, plywood and carpeting wholesale fimr.

As many as 75 frefighters battled the Aug. 29 blaze that destroyed the main 200,000 sq. ft. warehouse, its contents (including about $500,000 worth of lumber), adjoining 20,000 sq. ft. office building, four forklifts and a delivery van.

Cudahy said the business was fully insured, and he hopes to have a new warehouse built by early January.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

Revived Railroad On Track

For the frst time since the formerly bankrupt line became a public agency two years ago, the North Coast Railroad surpassed its monthly shipping goal of 400 carloads, the number it needs to turn a profit.

Handling nearly 957o wood and wood products, the now state-owned line serves 12 sawmills between Eureka and Willits, Ca.

After repairing tracks and roadbed damaged by storrns and years of neglect, the new owners have been concentrating on restoring the lost freight business. Shipments had reached a low of 149 cars by January 1993 when David Hebert took over as general manager.

North Coast Railroad attributes the comeback to renewed reliability and personal service. "We had to restore (the mills') level of confidence," said John Ryan. "Under Eureka Southern, there had been derailments, products would sometimes move very slowly. We just kept shipping and shipping, showing the number of cars kept increasing each month."

Built by Southern Pacific and Santa Fe in 1914, the line was bought by Eureka Southern Railroad in 1984 but quickly fell into bankruptcy. Trustees ran the line for years, even proposing selling its tracks for scrap, before local community leaders organized a purchase with public funds in 4pil1992.

The North Coast Railroad Authority consists of seven directors - six county appointees and a representative from Cal-Trans, which supports the line because it reduces the number of trucks (and thus traffic and accidents) on the highways.

Boys Tour Hardwood Mill

After completing a tour of Ganahl Lumber Co., a group of Cub Scouts in Anaheim, Ca., knows more about hardwood lumber than most other youngsters.

The pack watched a video about trees being a renewable resource, listened to an explanation of the different types of hardwoods, visited the custom mill and planing mill, and viewed demonstrations of the planer machine, miter saw and band saw. Each took home a notebook of handouts on hardwoods, contractor pencils and small samples of red oak and Honduras mahogany.

Deonn Deford, Russ Elmore, Karen Gomez and Scott Foley participated in tle presentation.