Door company steps up merchandising and "lnflation Fighter" program

four day series of Open Houses, including luncheon meetings for architects and dinner meetings for dealers to celebrate the opening of their handsome new Display Showroom has been held by the Bel-Air Door Co. of Alhambra, Ca.

One of the few Western door factories still working full time, BelAir has kicked up its merchandising program as part of its successful "Inflation Fighter" program of holding down prices.

The Display Showroom is open to all Bel-Air customers to use both as a place to view a sizeable part of the Bel-Air line, as well as a place to which dealers can bring their customers. The company also gives dealer staffs training and instructional sessions on the care, selling and merchandising of doors.

An extensive automation program, coupled with proper buying, the best sources of supply and "just, plain working harder" were credited by company president Sam Fineman as methods Bel-Air had used to avoid the rapid and steep price increases that many other door companies had inflicted upon their customers.

Lushly carpeted, the new Showroom features scores of doors, including bi-fold, richly hand-carved doors, slab, panel and a myriad of other models. The firm has the world's largest fancy, handcarved door inventory.

At a brief presentation following each dinner, new doors made by Maywood, Inc., Amarillo, Tx., were introduced along with a new model of the popular Pet-Dor. Bel-

Air distributes both firm's products.

Bel-Air covers the entire Pacific Coast, as well as Arizona and Nevada with a fleet of company trucks. The plant has 100,000 sq. ft. under cover in addition to approximately 40,000 sq. ft. in open yard storage area. They have occupied the plant since 1939.

The last meeting in the series also featured recognition of the invaluable job the employees had done in implementing the "Infla-

Story at a Glance

New Display Showroom opened by Bel-Air Door Co., complete with a training program to assist their customers' employees plant tours show how automation, other devices, help firm hold down prices as part of the "lnflation Fighter" plan.

tion Fighter" program the company has used to resist the neccesity of frequent price increases. Proud of their large number of long-term employees, president Fineman singled out for special recognition chief shop foreman Rudy Ramirez, who has been with the company for more than 38 years.

"We want to use this oppor- tunity also to thank our loyal customers and urge them to use the new showroom as yet another service provided by Bel-Air to help them in their sales and merchandising efforts," president Fineman said.