OWITHI2 ITEM$ MY MEM0 nY'l,iill,,ffiTitr#T

"We've gained total control over our inventory in less than a year with aTriad.

We've reduced our stock by $10,000 in six months. And sales areuo 4"/" with a 3% increase in gross margtn. Our Triad's made life a lot easier and business a lot more orofitable. We used to spend days walking aisles and tracking inventory by hand. Now it's done l$ PERFEGI,'i,n"{#illi#"F*t items that aren't selling well. Our turns have increased, too. V1/e're up over a full half turn. Wrth one vendor our ordering used to take 372 hours; withTriad we do it in one hour.

"lt's made a big difference in our accounting functions, too. We used to run behind, but with Triad everything is right up to date. I can make better, faster decisions with more current information about payables and receivables. Everything I need is right at my fingertips.

"Working with the people at Triad has been a real pleasure. They've come through on everything they promised. And if we need any assistance at all we lust pick up the phone and call Triad's 800 number, or the local office. lt's an excellent service company, very responsive to our needs. They really know the lumber business, too.

"Gaining complete control over the whole company and the entire inventory has made us a lot more profitable. I don't think we could have done it without theTriad. Now, with over 12,500 items in stock, my memory is perfect...

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industry makes it obvious that strong "imp€tus" is neded in the marketing of Western lumber to compete with other geographical areas and alternate products.

That's why the Western lumber industry is considering a major marketing effort, according to John Barrett, chairrran of WWPA's Marketing Service Committee.

But competing in cost is only part of the story, Barrett points out. "Now we must come to the market with programs that will generate genuine demand for products of Western mills," years, wwPA's promotional publicuions have "led the

Entitled "lmpetus" because that's precisely what it hopes to give to Western lumber sales, the program was first proposed to WWPA's membership at its March spring meeting in San Francisco, and ap proval was given at the fall meeting in Scottsdale to send the plan to the mernbership for a mail ballot. If approved, portions of the program will begin after the first of the year.

Imftus is based upon both usermarket and geographical-market strategies throughout the U.S. Four "geomarkets" are delineated in the plan, with high priority on an expanded "Mid-America" geomarket plus Texas and traditional Midwestern states.

Retailers are keyplayers in the Impetus plan. WWPA would provide extensive merchandising programs expressly involving retailer tie-ins, with heavy puHicity and advertising direcrcd both to trade and consrmpr audiences. Also included in Impetus are LaBelle and other audio-visual progr8m3.