@@W[sB67w@,**ffi-ffiCI

SecretaryManager

tfrHE association has formed a marketr ing and marketing trends committee' Virgil Hunt, director of marketing for the O'Malley Companies is serving as advisor for the committee.

The balance of the committee is represented by cash and carry, consumer-contractor, wholesale and manufacturing oper' ations. Hunt outlined the four areas the committee should be involved in:

(I) Serve as an advisor to the exec. vp. on marketing matters regarding both the local and the national associations.

(2) Define and initiate marketing programs that will be of mutual benefit to our dealer membership and the building material industry.

(3) Work with the National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association in helping to sell marketing pro' €irams designed by national that would be of benefit to our local membership.

(4) Serve as a source of new marketing ideas that could help our marketing counterpart at the national level. The committee has had several meetings and has come to the decision that a cost of doing business survey should be conducted in order to get a financial profile of the Arizona building material industry. This would enable the committee to build programs that would be beneficial to the association members.

Approval was given to the marketing committee to conduct such a survey by the board of directors at their first quarter board meeting. The association office is now in the process of polling its membership for participation in the survey.

The committee also is going to partici' pate in the association's annual meeting by sponsoring a seminar on some timely subject of interest to our industry.

Ake-Woolford Builders Supply, Inc., Phoenix, was signed up recently as a new member.

We had a fine first quarter board meeting in Phoenix. Our marketing and marketing trends committee, chairmanned by Ace Mason, presented an outline of a cost of doing business survey which was endorsed by the board. Questionnaires were later sent to our members for membership support. The board elected the following members to the National Executive Cornmiftee: Larry Hamman, alternate committeeman, Morris Turken; national dealer directoro Dean Drake; alternate dealer director, Sam Hauert,

Exclusively for California

to more ond more Coliforniq deolers ond distributors. For yeor oround supplies of dimension lumber ond precision-trimmed studs, depend on D & R.

Old Growth Fir Dimension from F.S.P. Lumber Co., Port Orford, Oregon

Hemlock Studs from Wqrrenton Lumber Co., Worrenton, Oregon

Hemlock Dimension from Westport Lumber Co., Westport, Oregon

Fast, regular ocean shipments by barge from Southern Oregon and the Columbia River direct to Southern California.

Now, over 5,000,000 leet of dimension lumber and studs monthly . manufactured especially for Southern California construction needs.

Art Neth would appreciate an opportunity to tell you how you and your customers will benefit from using dependable D & R dimension and studs. You can reach him by calling 872-1280 or 783-0544.

NETH, Lumber Sales

JIM NORTON execulive vice ' president of the Lumber Merchqnls Associotion of Northern Coliforniq

4516 Et

A T THE moment, most everyone in the r r construction industry is preoccupied with the money situation. Home builders from across the country have been to Washington en masse to attempt to free mortgage money for their operations. Oth. ers who didn't make the trip are keeping in close touch with their local bankers in hopes the situation will change for the better'

Come the end of November. it's a safe bet that the construc. tion industry will be preoccupied with another topicthe major firms who will be entering the housing field via the much-publicized Operation Breakthrough. Sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, this program has already attracted low-cost housing O*-OY" from over 500 firms.

Among the firms who have their eyes set on the future housing market are some very successful companies including Iockheed Aircraft Corp., Arthur D. Little, Bechtel Corp., Gruman Aircraft, Republic Steel, Union Carbide, Dow Chemical, Alcoa and AllisChalmers. Even Harvard University has submitted an Operation Breakthroughproposal.

When all the sifting has been done, it's expected that 15 to 20 contract winners will be announced in late November. These firms will then use some I50 sites across the country to show the industry and public alike how to meet the need for low-cost housing. Certainly their efforts will affect the retail building materials dealer in one way or another and it will pay us to keep in touch with this activity.

Most retail building materials dealers in northern California have been in business for quite some time. Many trace their founding to the very early days of their town. During their business lifetime, these same dealers have seen many builders come and many builders go. But never has there been a time like the present when so many major American business firms are getting into the act.

At the same time, the mobile home industry is making tremen. dous gains in manufacturing techniques and sales. Just the other week Grolier Inc., one of the nation's largest publishers of encyclopedias and other reference books, entered the mobile home field. The {irm has begun construction on a 140-acre project contain. ing 600 or 800 units.

As the president of Grolier says, "We have a policy of diversi' fying only into businesses that make sense. Housing now makes sense." Let's hope it continues to make sense to the retail building materials dealer also.