raws a record number of Northwest dealers

the tutelage of Ringmaster Ernie Nailor of Nailor Lumber Co. in Port Angeles, Wash. various manufacturers and distributors gave five minute check-outs of their products. Presentations were made both Friday and Saturday afternoons.

The first of the Friday business sessions had a scheduled talk ';American Soeiety and the Communist Future" by a speaker named Dr. I. V. Alexandrov. His talk started quietly enough, but it certainly didn't stay that way long, particularly as he lauded communism and ran America into the ground. Some of the audience were about ready to climb the wall until they were let in on the secret. It seems that Alexandrov is really professional speaker George Velliotes and his gimmick is riling up audiences. And is he good at it!

The need for efrective communications by Montana State Professor Burl ITinchester rounded out the morninE session. The well-attended W'estern Round"up Mixer at the Portland Hilton that evening per. formed its stated task with cordial ease.

A panel discussion on lumber and buildit g materials marketing kicked-off the Saturday business sessions. Panelists were Jack Parshall, Building Supply News, George V. Stein, NLBMDA and Wes Wise, f'fiHE FORWARD'LOOKING Lumber

REPRISEI{IAIIVE 0F the better displays at the show are these three. That's Jack Banton, l.P. salesman, m.anning the company's handsome booth at top right. Weyerhaeuser displayed (center) many of their merchandising aids for dealers. Armstrong's set-up stressed their full line of building materials.

Building Materials Merchandiser. The roundtable was moderated by Bill Scharpl of Scharpf's Twin Oaks Builders Supply Co. in Albany, Oregon.

Dynamic speaker and marketing expert W. Heartsill Wilson then spoke to the dealers on how they could efiectively use the communications and marketing tips he offered.

The big social event of the exposition was the concluding get-together on Saturday night, the annual dinner dance and show.

Headlining this year was Rusty Draper and a troupe of dancers, but for humoro the prize will have to be divided between Ray Blackstock and Ansel Hyland, retiring and incoming presidents respectively. They got so many appreciative laughs with their gentle humor, it was enough to make one wonder if perhaps they were two gentlemen who missed their true calling.

Association manager Ross Kincaid and his right-hand men Felix Johnson and Arnie Kirkebo and Alfred E. Palumbo, exposition chairman, and his wife who handled the distafi side all should take deep bows for this year's exposition.

No doubt about it, first class, all the way.

I Merchants Association of Northern California, tired of flying by the seat of its pants, a year ago appointed a market' ing and distribution committee charged with developing pertinent facts from its membership, designed to -help all do a better job-(read-rnake more money).

Homer Hayward, that well-known Salina.s father, golfer and H4yward Lumber's boss, chaired the committee, with the able assistance of members Lloyd Carter, Sterling Lumber; Budd Hubbard, Hubbard & Johnson; Lyle Schafer, Minton's, and Steve Yeager, Yeager & Kirk. They developed a searching questionnaire coveri"S (f) self analysis, (2) future goals, and

(3) supplier analysis.

, On the basis of replies from half of the LMA membership some mighty interesting information was developed, to wit:

(l) In business: more than 20 years under 10-19 years I0 years

Same ownership: tnore than under 20 years lI-19 years I0 years s6.4% 2s% rL.S%

(3) Same location: more than und,er 20 years lI-19 years I0 years ffi.zvo ISvo 8%

The figures sent in by northern California dealers of LMA regarding annual sales volume show tlat nearly eight percent have an annual sales volume in excess of one million dollars. The breakdown is: Annual sales volume: und,er $200,000 $201,000-#399,000

2Ls% 2r.s% $4100,000-$700,000 $700,000-$I million 30.8% rg.s%

More than $1 million

7.7%

\ffhile many of the figures show that the individual features of a business tend to expand as the business grows larger, this is certainly not true in all cases. In tlle