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I Avoiloble in eorly December 2001

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LuminOX@ reflects rodiont energy owoy

Seruing building products retailers and wholesale distributors in 13Western states-Since 1922

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Serving 13 Western states

PUBLISHER Alan Oakes (ajoakes@aol.com)

PUBLISHER EMERITUS David Culler

EDITOR David Koenig (dkoenig@ioc.net)

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Bobert Fay (rlay@ioc.net)

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Dwight Cunan

AD SALES MANAGER Chuck Casey (chuck@ioc.net)

CIRCULATION Heather Kelly

ADMINISTRATION DIFECTOF/SECRETARY Marie Oakes (mfpoakes@aol.com)

How to Advertise

Contact our advettising olfices for rates:

U.S.: Chuck Casey, 4500 Campus Dr., S|e.480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872; (949) 852l9!10; Fax949-852-0231 : chuck@ioc.net

INTERI{ET A0S: Alan Oakes, www.buildingproducts.com; (949) 852-1990; Fax 949-8520231; aioakes@aol.com

How to Subscribe

Contact Heather at (949) 852-19S0

U.9.: 1 year(12issues), $15; 2years, $24; 3years, $30

FOREIGN (Peryear paid in advance inUS funds): $35;Airratesalso available.

SINGLE COPIES: $3+ shipping; Backissues (when available), $4.50+shipping

Happy Holidays and thank you!

By the time you read this column, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah will have passed, and Christmas will be soon upon us. It is the time of year when we start to think back on what we are grateful for, what has happened that has gone well, and what we can plan and look forward to in the New Year.

After recent events, it may be hard to identify what we should be thankful for, but it is not until we face challenges both in our businesses and personal lives that we can perhaps appreciate what we do have, the more so when we do not have them anymore.

This year has been a great learning lesson for me personally, and I hope everyone could be so lucky. This year having had to deal with family illness very close to home, watching and dealing with the turn of world events, and working in an increasingly tougher business environment. it would be only too easy to forget all the good of the year. I have come totruly understand the value of good health and that many people are not as fortunate. That you never know what is going on in someone's life when you see or call them. That there are many more good people than bad people. That we often lose sight of what is trulyimportant. And that we take too many things and too many people for granted. The value of having conscientious, hard working people supporting you was never so clearly shown to me as this year.

A year ago in December, I was sitting a few thousand miles away contemplating moving to Southern California and thinking of entering a new industry-the lumber and building industry-a radical departure from what I had been doing for the last few years. With a great deal of trepidation, as we all go through when contemplating major changes in our lives, I went ahead after a calculated decision process, never contemplating the number of new friends I would make in this industry in such a short time. Never could I imagine so many people caring about my success or the success of our magazines. It has been refreshing and rejuvenating to be supported by so many people in this industry. This is an industry of honest-to-goodness values that we should all be proud of. Long may it stay this way-in fact, let's make sure it does.

My colleagues and I would like to thank you for your support and friendship over many years, as well as your loyalty. We would especially like to thank our advertising partners, who put trust in us each and every month. We wish you, your colleagues and your family's happy holidays and a very successful and prosperous new year in 2002. We remain committed to supporting this industry and making your company successful in any way we can. Once again, thank you!