Story at a Glance

Shortage of peopleentering industry long range program needed hard times possible.

Story at ? Glance

intriguing and necessary part of our industry, more conventional, but more professional ways of doing business will receive greater emphasis in the future. Quality, value, customer service, competitive prices and good selection will be words we will hear often as consumers become more knowledgeable and sophisticated' pressive rate of growth even with increased competition and a gradually maturing market. The challenge fo1

Hardlines industry growth continues. '. working smarter will be vital. professionalism must be emphasized fiercer competation.

As distributors, we too must be in touch with the needs of the retailers we serve and provide them with a total retail support program to help them to prosper in this more competitive and maturing market. And we can do that by being better listeners... by providing the forum to let retailers in different regions of the country identify their concerns.

There is a sense of excitement in the future of this industry, and that excitement comes from identifying the challenges we face and being able to turn them into opportunities for even greater growth. The rewards will bb-there for those retailers committed to excellence in merchandising, store design, advertising, employee service, product knowledge, training and customer service those retailers who know their store, their markets and how to sell and service their customers better than their competitors.

Comprehensive education is needed for the industry to prosper. The association believes it has no greater responsibility than to help companies find answers to educational problems. After more than a year of research and planning, we have established the Education Foundation, dedicated to advancement of the building products industry.

This program will meet the industry's education challenges to address critical education concerns. Programs will be directed at four major areas: ceo, owner, operator; operations management development; sales, and manufacturer/distributor.

Innovative and needed programs such as a comprehensive audio/visual series on management topics and inside sales training will be developed. A building material distribution management institute will be organized at a major university. Aimed at mid-level managers, it will teach disciplines for advancement to senior management.

Seminars will be held to train employees in sales and marketing responsibilities. Scholarships, identification of college programs to prepare students for building products distribution and management positions, and establishment of building products distribution programs in educational institutions will ensure quality professionals entering our industry. A program to publish research studies and articles will benefit both professionals and the industry.

The correlation between continuing education and business success is understood by those companies which enjoy prosperity. However, the lack of appreciation for this correlation could very well forecast hard times for others.