TUMBXR

chot! wilh "Bort {Jock Kelly} ,rlqYsrick" qt tho indutlry cocktqil porly opcning tha Exporition to buy, and how to turn prospects into sales and customers into salesmen.

Chairman Duncan Briggs pointed out that the market for better living: home improvement, modernization, repair, and remodelingholds a profitable sales potential for every building materials dealer. Mr. Briggs further commented that the retail lumber dealer "has an excellent vantage point through his day-to:day contacts with contractors and hoine ownerl in his community." Visiting lumber dealers were advised to analyze their positions to take maximum advantage of this. growing market and plan to go into it more extensivelY'

Selling To Farmers

"How to Malie Buyers Out of Farmers" was the subject of a lively panel disiussion developed and produced by G. Kenneth Milliken, executive vice-president of Southwestern Lumbermen's Association, Kansas City, Mo.

Stress was placed on the need for lumber dealers to understand that to-day's farmer is a modern businessman in his own right and wants to be so recognized. It was pointed out that ofien too little effort is put forth by the lumber dealer, and his selling personnel to become acquainted with the way the farmer wants to be sold.

Business Outlook

Winding up the most successful series of business meetings in the history of the NRLDA Exposition was a p_erceptive "Look At Tomorrow" by Walter E. Hoadley, Jr., treasurer and chief economist of Armstrong Cork Company' Echoing the optimistic tone of the Exposition's opening session, Mr. Hoadley cautioned, however, that aggressive action based on sound planning is needed to assure the healthy economy he envisions. He warned that the young homemakers who constitute the lumber dealers' biggest market are just recovering from their first enlightening bout with "recession" and will step into financial commitments with more caution than they have displayed heretofore.

Advising dealers to plan intelligently for business in the coming year, Mr. Hoadley suggested, "Take a fresh look at markets you are now serving. Have you overlooked any new markets ? Determine the areas of greatest growth and concentrate your efforts there." He also emphasized the importance of knowing lr,'here profits and losses occur both in product lines and in operations. The dealer must insist upon good product turnover, said Mr. Hoadley; "play to demonstrated sales strength and drop products with proven sales weakness,"

Mr. Hoadley forecast a keen competitive battle in store for the building materials industry and counseled dealers to "make sure that too manasement recop"nizes frrllv its izes fully its "make top manag'ement recognizes fully responsibility to plan ahead, to insist upon constant healthy change, bringing new ideas and products into the organi- zation to capitalize fully upon the most promising market opportunities."

A big attention-getter in the component construction area at the convention was a trussed rafter fabricating and assembly demonstration presented daily by the Timber Engineering Company, Washington, D. C.The special truss demonstration followed the merchandise sales huddles on Lu-Re-Co component construction, and featured the cutting, grooving and assembly of a full scale TECO trussed rafter. Two men cut, grooved and assembled the TECO truss, using Wedge-fit split ring connectors. The truss was completed and ready for erection in less than 12 minutes. Design details for the TECO fabricating bench and typical roof truss designs are available, without charge, from Timber Engineering Company, 1319 18th Street, N..W, Washington 6, D. C.

A revolution in the distribution of building supplies is now taking place as dealers and manufacturers prepare to meet "the unprecedented demand for building products that will result from the new boom as the Fabulous Fifties give way to the Soaring Sixties," declared James D. Young, general salesmanager of The Yale & Towne Manufacturing Company's Lock and Hardware division at the opening of the Exposition. Mr. Young predicted that the next decade would see an average level of one and a half million housing starts a year and that the unparalleled increase would be made possible by the "highest level of national prosperity in American history."

Because of population "spillover" from large metropoli- tan areas, suburban and rural areas will account for an increasing proportion of the new construction, Mr. Young said. He declared that lumber dealers in these areas were in (Continued on Page 64)

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