Operotion Home lmprovement Shooring ot $18 Billion Torget in | 957 After Srimuloting Congress in Tucson , Ariz.

The Tucson llome Improvement National Congress (THINC) held last n.ronth in Tucson. Arizona, u'as hailed as a "tremendous success" by OHi E,xecutive Director John It. Doscher and the 160 top people in building materials, home ecluipment, lending, federal grivernment and local Operation Home Improvemer.rt committees u'ho attended it. E,stin-rates oi the number of houses to be improvecl in 1957 varied from five to l0 million, and the best estimate of the size of the repair and remodel nTztrket in 1957 l'as $18 billion IF n'rore can be done to enlist builders, craftsmen and contractors in the business.

Top U.S. money lenders reported no shortage of money for home improvement but said the problem is to do more to make it easier for homeowners to obtain materials, services and labor for their OHI jobs.

Deiegates from the east tooli a u'hole DC-7 to go to Tucson but the clelegates from the 'nrest stole the shon'. They g:rvc local ler.el rcports of OHI srlccess stories from l.ugene, Seattle, Alaska, llonolulu, I-os Angeles, Oakland and proved that rvhere there is a good local OHI program business can be increased 20c/o to 607o.

F'o11or'r'ing a cocktail welcome party at the Sar-rta Rita hotel thc er-enir.rg of Januarv 31, the THINC got dorvn to business February 1 u'ith a u'elcome b1' Paul B. Shoemaker, vice-president (sales) of Masonite Corp. and president and board chairman of OHI. The morning session heard six managerial arrcl editorial panelists on "Industry Expar,sion: Problems arrcl Progress," and a panel of six constlnrer nlagazinc editors on "Creating- Consumer Demand."

Fritz Burns, Los Angeles and Honolulu builcler, rl'zrs toastmastcr at the luncheon. He called OHI a "cash-register program" and poir-rted out the errduring aspects of the improvement program. Aiter an invocatior.r by Bishop Green, Gov. X{acFarland made zr ferv remarks zrnd HHFAdministrator Albert XI. Cole ga\re a short address. Cole said that much lr,as accomplished in the first year,rf Operation tlome Improvernent and reaffirmed tl.re adrnir-ristration's interest in encouraging private industry to get on u.ith the home improvement job. He delivered the personal Eisenholver message (CLM, 2/15/57) which predicted "a banner year for OHI."

The afternoon session resumed at 2:30 rvith a talk by Frecl C. Hecht, general merchandise manzlger, Sears, Roebuck & Co., on "Selling tl're Consumer," in rvhicl.r he told horv seriously Sears takes OHI. He explained the "onestop" service in their 700-plus stores and the 'l-color ads they're taking in magazir-res, ouiy the second national ad Sears has e\rer rlln. The afternoon pancl, "Financing-the Kev to Nlarket Expansion," rvits moderated lrr- Donald Z. Albright, vice-presiderrt of the Security-First National Bank, Los Angeles, and included bankers, lenders aud an editor. l.-HA Commissioner Blakey's talk on "Lerrding Policies Under Title I" n'ouncl the afternootr sessi,.,u.

A bre:rkfast for local OHI chairr-nerr started the second clay Felrruary 2. A standing vote of thanks u-:rs exter.rded to Tucson and its OHI Con.rnrittee u'itl-r special recognition of the great job done by Lun-rber Dealer L. P. Flermes, N{artha Norvels, daughter of X{ichigan Lur.nber Dealcr ancl NRLI)A Official llussell P. Not'els, and by llil1 Beal. N{iss Nou'cls told horv C)I-{I rvas 'rvorked in 195(r ir.r Tttcson, a relatively "t'tct"' tou't'r. l;1. Promotional emphasis on interesting the public irr "personaltzing" its hon-res-atlrling carports. fences. etc.

"The three sales steps taken," she said, "were to plant the seeds of discontent; to make it 'exciting, fun and fashionable' to dress up homes; and to make the public aware through panel discussions and planning of financing and construction arrangements that the job could be done reasonably and easily."

Robert \r. Blackstock, the Seattle lumber dealer, u,as cluotecl as saying it would take thc federal govcrnment 250 vears to rnodcrnize all the houses r-reeding itif government tackled the job of sub-standard housing, and it n'as told horv Houston lumber dealers linked OHI u'ith the city's home beautificzrtion can-rpaign and hou, one rnortgage firm there did $1,000,000 a month in modernization and rcpair (the biggest item-home air conditioning). The report from OHI in Nerv Orlear-rs saicl it lvets the dealer's responsibility to countererct advertising for a second auto, a second or Color TV set, rvith an appeal to get,'rtc lir-irtg unit, u,hich many people do not lTave.

The lirst formal talk of the morning s'as "Keep the Parasites (lut of Home Improvement," by NABBB President Victor Nyborg. l-ocal OI{I Success Stories rvere heard from N{oclerator Jim Hoffer, OHI Local Level Manager; ][rs. Winifred Pike, Los Angeles; Enrest Upshau'. Oakl:rnd, ancl other dclegates. "The Tucsorr OHI Storl'" llas introduced by Phoenix I-urnber Dealer J. C. O'X'{al1ey, 1st vicc-presicler.rt of the National Retail Lumber Dealers Assn., and Dealer llernes and Nliss Nou'els lr.ere hearcl.

-|ack T)oscher presented "Rctter Yorrr Livirrg: the 1957 OHI Program" and the adjournment remarks u'erc rnade 1..'y Prcsidcnt Shoemal<er. Thc hnal dav n,ound rrp lvith a cocktail party poolsicle at T,-l Conclrristador irr n-estern clress. An adrle<l starter at tl.re THINC rvas the OHI (Oper-