Western region associations ioin forces to help improve their dealers'profits

/\ group of officers representing ^/r\ five major Western region lumber and building material associations met recently for the second time this year to formulate plans to develop the best programs of each association for the ultimate use by the dealers of all the associations.

Each association has developed and provided to its individual members certain programs that have been highly successful. By making these programs available to the other Western associations the dealers will have an opportunity to take advantage of the best offered.

Since each association has demonstrated that it has certain areas in which it is strong, the group decided that a means to disseminate information to all dealers in the Western region is necessary. Information covering many subjects will be distributed through a common bulletin under the heading of l,lestern States Lumbermens Council. The five participating associations will mail copies of these information bulletins to their members. The bulletins will cover subjects such as training,labor relations, OSHA, Consumer Product Safety C ommission, building codes and many others.

Each association will continue to operate independentlyi however, behind the scenes the associations will be developing better programs through the Western States Lumbermens Council.

The first in the series of bulletins under the heading of Western States Lumbermens Council will be mailed soon.

Since the bulletin information is important in the daily operation of business, each dealer is urged to establish a binder for filing these bulletins. They will prove helpful and provide a ready reference file.

An important need of all dealers is training. As expressed by the association presidents present and representing the dealers, training of top and middle management, sales staff, yard men and truck drivers is needed. Through the consolidated efforts of the five Western associations a series of outstanding programs can be brought to the dealer at minimal cost.

If an association has developed an outstanding and successful training program there will no longer be a need for the other associations spending days developing a similar program for its members.

Programs that are available on a national level, but costly to bring to the West coast, can now be made available aI a lower cost through scheduling in each area on a joint coordinated effort.

The major advantage in the formation of the Western States Lumbermens Council is that each association will now take advantage of programs already developed which eliminates duplication of effort. It will provide improved training programs for all dealers. The cooperation of all Western associations in developing additional programs and information for the dealers will permit each individual association to continue operating as an independent, keeping the individual identity of itsmembers (which is sometimes lost in consolidating smaller associations into giants) while providing programs usually associated with larger associations having staffs adequate to develop needed programs.

Two programs set for the near future are an estimating course to include material take off and an all new merchandising cassette-slide program with equipment to use in-store for the do-it-yourself trade.

PRIME M0VERS of new Western group are E.P. ''Woody" Railey, president, Western Euilding Material Assn. and president, Scharp's Twin 0aks Builders Supply, Albany, 0r.; Wayne Gardner, exec v.p., Lumber Assn. of Southern California; Richard V. Petersen, exec. v.p., Montana Building Material Dealers Assn.; George Rothfuss, president, Arizona Lumber and Builders Supply Assn. and president, Prescott Lumber and Roofing Co., Prescott, Az.; Frank Davis, exec v.p., Arizona Lumber and Builders Supply Assn.; Ross Kincaid, exec v.p., Western Building Material Assn.; Jerry DeCou lll, president, DeCou Lumber Co., Atascadero, Ca., and president, Lumber Merchants Assn. Northern California. Not in photo but behind the camera; Harry Mendenhall, exec v.p., Lumber Merchants Asn. N orthern California.

Some early-bird predictions for housing '76 include: "not above 1.5 million housing starts, probably closer to l.3 million." Lee Simpson, Louisiana-Pacific; I .525 million, George Christie, chief economist, Dodge Reports; 1.51.6 million, Robert Pamplin, head of Georgia-Pacific; 1.4 in both '76 & '77, Dr. Eugene Conatser, Bank of America; American Plywood Assn. sees 17.5 billion sq. ft. of plywood production in '76.

Production of housing in the lst 9 mos. of '75 was at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1,103,000, lowest rate for the period since '46. . .Sept. starts were.1,240,000 down ZVo from Aug., tho 7% ahead of the year earlier rate; permits were up 87o.

The prime rate has dropped to 7 Yz%, with further declines fore. cast and $$ is again flowing back into the s&ls, both good signs for housing.. .somemajor s&ls in the Southwest have lowered their rates on home loans.

Changes in federal subsidies to low and middle income housing and release of previously impounded $$ is exp.ected to have an early impact on the single family home market. .at least 250,000 new starts are expected to result. .

A $ 1.5 million fire hit Louisiana-Pacffic's mill in Inyo County, Ca., origin unknown; more than 3 million bd. ft. were destroyed, Fibreboard's Round Prairie saw mill, Dillard, Or. suffered a $l million conflagration recently that razed the mill part of the operation, but left 4 million feet of lumber untouched.

Foxworth-Galbraith will close itsMayfair, Az,yard in '76, then build a home center in a new location. . .a new Hayward Home lhalker Lumber Co., Casper Wy., plans to build a $600,000 office bldg. in the downtown area on the site of the original lumber yard. .Orcas Lumber, Friday Harbor, Wa., has added a new street-front display area. .

Center has opened in Delano, Ca., replacing the facility that burned earlier this year. .the Douglas County Lumber retail operation, Winchester, Or., has moved into the old Evans Products'plywood plant.

Knox Lumber, St. Paul, Mn., has opened a new store in Billings, Mt., .Butte Bargain Lumber, near Oroville, Ca., has added a pole bldg., plans a new wing shortly. Soise Building Supply plans to open a 52,000 sq. ft. home improvement center next summer. .C. Meek Lumber, Redding, Ca., plans to add an 8,000 sq. ft addition.

Despite local opposition, ^Foxworth-Galbraith has gotten an OK for a9 acre site in Mesa, Az., .workers atPhilo Lumber Co., Anderson Valley, Ca., (near Santa Rosa) are trying for the second time in two years to form a chapter of the International Woodworkers of America. . .LeMaster Builders' Supply 'of Snohomistr, Wa., had an opening for its new yard, site of the former H.O. Seiffert Lumber Co.

Ford Custom Lumber is moving into expanded new quarters in Windsor, Ca., their Cloverdale, Ca., facility is still operating; new machinery includes a planer, moulder and timber sizer. . PonAbode, ,fnc., Windsor, has been purchased by John L. Hubbard and Charles F. McCray; home office is in Rentsn, Wa.

U. S. Plywood has opened a new distribution facility in North Las Vegas, Nv., .Acme Pallet

Co., Sonoma, Ca., has changed its name to Sonoma Pacific Co., its hq. are in Oakland. .Reliable Wholesale Lumber has completed its move into its new distribution yard, Huntington Beach, Ca.. . Tabet Lumber, Belen, N.M., had a grand opening for its $250,000 expansion covering 15,000 sq. ft.

Kingman Co. isa new Honolulu, Hawaii sales agency repping mainland mfgs. . .Weaver Forest Products is a new Medford, Or., firmed founded by John and Lois Weaver. . Look-Clements Wholesale Lumber Co. is a new company with offices in Broomfield and Evergreen, Co.,

Wickes has discontinued itsl San Diego-based mobile home operations; losses apparently run in the $ l5 million range. l{eyerhaeuser has chartered six strips for up to 15 years to haul manufactured forest products to Europe, primarily. .

C.I.T. Financial ,Services has announced a specialized financing plan for dealers serving the home improvement market. new regs allowing retailers to offer 5% discount for cash (rather than a credit card) have yet to produce much action at the retail level. .

Construction contracts in'76 are expected to be up about I5% according to McGraw-Hill. .G-P wall paneling is one of the stars of the U.S. gov. exhibit "Technology for the American Home," now touring Yugoslavia and Russia. . .bldg. mtl. mfg. profits were up in the 2nd quarter after two pievious quarters of sharp decline, reveals F. W. Dodge.

Georgia-Pacific has begun a voluntary education program for its employees in basic metrics. G-P is also into its 3rd re-printing ofa pro-free enterprise speech by their c.e.o. Robert B. Pamplin entitled "Isn't It Time For A Peaceful Uprising?"; copies are available thru Joe Bennett at gorp^.lg:,.900 S.W. 5 th, Portland, Or.97204..