Plywood Distributors Xleeting in Son Frqncisco Told Industry ls | 5 Yeqrs Aheqd of ltself in Sqles

Ninety members and associate members of the National PlywooI Distributors Association attended the association's anhual Western Regional meeting at the Sheraton-Palace in San Francisco, February 27. The meeting was produced by NPDA Managing Director Mahlon !. Mu1s9n, and pre-sided oner by Alsociation President Roland R. Remmel, Little Rock, Ark. Mrs. Wayne (Pauline) Rawlings handled the registration formalities.

ThJ one-day regional meeting was called to order by President Remmelln the Palace's Comstock Room at 10:00 a.m. with a brief outline of NPDA activities to date. Remmel, who throughout the day demonstrated not only his leadership abilitf but also his iich Southern sense of humor, then turned the meeting over to William F. Forrest, president of the Plyrvood Manufacturers Institute and head of Pacific Plywood Products, Dillard, Oregon.

"We're- 15 years ahead of ourselves," Forrest told the group. "According to W. E. Difford, managing director of ttte Oppe, the plywood industry will produce and sell better than 7 million feet of plywood this year. According to the Stanford Research Institute, we weren't supposed to reach this figure until the year 1975!"

Forrest went on to outline the current Douglas Fir Plywood Assn. advertising budget of 4l million dollars,to help distributors sell plywood. He also stressed the need for producers to intensify their sales and promotional efforts-not just their production efforts-to help develop and achieve a more even market for Douglas fir plywood.

Urging the distributors present to begin exploratory talks aimed ai settling the differences between the HPI and IHPA associations, the next speaker, Jack Davidson, past president of the Imported Hardwood Plywood Association and head of Davidson-Western Plywood Co. of Los Angeles, discussed the terrific market penetration of imported hardwood plywood in recent-years-and subsecluently, the new markets, otherwise unobtainable, that the product has opened up for the nation's distributors. nl'm not going to say that we're not going to have a freight-car shortage," the next speaker, L._J. Ttyons'juq:rinteident of Freifht Car Service for the Southern Pacific,

-Davidsbn outlined the self-imposed quota systems worked out by the Japanese in order to avoid a market glut, including " t.* quota system to avoid previous "leaks" throughlhe free p-ort of Hong Kong. Davidson noted that on Ap-ril 14, the U.S. Tarifi Commission will begin hearings on tr6* charges brought against imported hardwood -ply- woods by the HPL Fe ended his talk by sho-wing slides of his reient trip through the plywood and lumber producing regions of the Philippines and Japan.

Registration List

National Plywood Distributors Association

Western RegionalFebruary 27, LgSg

Sheraton-Palace Hotel, San Francisco q!ACK, S. R.-Tri-State Plywood Co., Santa Clara, Calif.

AFFOLTER, Bill-Western Veneer & Plywood. Lebanon. Ore.

4VSNES, R. E.-Monarch Plywood Sales, Inc., Tacoma, fuash.

_BPAM4N, Jackson-Southern Ore. Plywood, Grants pass, Ore.

BECKSTROM, John A.-Beckstrom & Co.. Menlo park. Calif.

BETCONE, David S.-Eng. Plywood, Inc., Grants pass, Ore.

_B_I14?EITON, R. L.-Georgia-pacific Corp., Salinai, C"fit.

BURDICK, A. B.-No. Calif. plywood, Inc.,-irescent City, Calif.

CHANEY, R.-D.U.R., San Francisco

COLBOURN, Jack-E. L. Bruce Co., Oakland, Calif.

COLE, W. C.-Georgia-Pacific, Portland

COOK, Max-The.California Lumber Merchant, San Francisco

CRAIG, Wilbur-Menasha Sales Corp., North Bend, Ore.

CROFOOT, Leonard H.-Davidson-Western Plywood Co., L. A.

IRUVER, Norman O.-Cruver Sales Co., Tacoma, Wash.

DAME, C. E.-J. E. Higgins Lumber Co., San Francisco

P4VIPSON, Jack-Pacific Wood Products Co., Los Angeles

DINGITEY, John-Plywood Mfgrs., Institute, portland, Ore.

EARNWOOD, Don-Plywood Service, Ditlard, Ore.

EVJE, Atle-Tarter, Webster & Johnson, San Francisco

EXTRA, R. G.-Evans Products Co., Coos Bay, Ore.

FAHS, W. F.-Calif. Panel & Veneer Co., Los Angeles

FAVORS, Jack-Calif. Builders Supply, Oakland, Calif.

FORREST, William-Pacific Plywood Products, Dillard, Ore.

FRATT, Chuck-Georgia-Pacific Corporation, portland, Ore.

GIUSTINA, E. V.-Giustina Veneer Co., Eugene, Ore.

HALL, Leonard E.-Lumber Products, Portland, Ore.

HALLIGAN, E. D.-Timber Products Co., Los Angeles.

HAMPTON, John-Hampton Lumber Sales, Portland, Ore.

HARPER, Dale F.-Dale F. Harper Co., San Mateo, Calif.

HUNEKE, John-Stanford Research Institute, Menlo park, Calif.

4UryT, W. H.-Georgia-Pacific Corp., Portland, Ore.

INGRAHAM,GoTdon-Imported Hardw'd plywood Assn., S. F.

JOHNS, Harold N.-Simpson Timber Co., Shelton, Wash.

JOHNSO,N, C. D.-Structural Laminates, Inc., Beaverton, Ore.

JOHNSON, F. A.-Grants Pass Plywood, Grants Pass, Ore.

JOLGEN, C. A.-Chicago & No. Western Ry., San Francisco

KANE, Willard W.-U. S. Tariff Comm., Washington, D.C.

KRIEBEL, Frank-Southern Pacific Ry., San Francisco began, "But I 'rvould like to tell you what we (the SP) are doing to avert any major shortage."

LANGFITT, Frank-Georgia-Pacific Corp., Portland, Ore.

LEE, Baker P.-United States Plywood Corp., Santa Clara, Calif.

In addition to stressing quicker return of SP cars from other lines, and a stepped-up program of maintenance and repair (Lyo_ns noted that only 3/o of the company's rolling stock is tied up in the shop at any one time), SP is also de-liberately overloading cars on its own rouies in a further effort to save cars.

Lyons.also noted that the company is currently running empties into the lumber and plywood producing area from as far away as El Paso, in an effort to ease thJthreatened shortage. Southern Pacific currently owns 50,800 standard boxcars and 13,400 wide-door cars, Lyorls stated. The company is converting about three standard cars a day to widedoor cars, and in April it will take delivery of 500 iew 50,6,, double-door cars. he said.

Following luncheon, President Remmel introduced Emory Moore of Fiddes-Moore & Co., Portland, who is also chairman of the Softwood Advisory committee. Moore u-rC9d distributors to review their meihods of pricing to include a net extra on all odd sizes.

- Following Moore to the speaker's stand was W. FL \{eade, FHA Zones Operation lommissioner, of Washington, O.9.,_*trg explained FHA's new Minimum Property Stindards (which go into effect July 1) as applied to plywood.

Meade further brought out the rather surprising fact that FHA, which was established in l934,-returned a net profit to the government of 100 million dollars last year.

LEONARD, Bob-Bay Plywood, Inc., San Francisco, Calif.

LEWIS, Bronson J.-Plywood Mfgrs. Institute, Portland, Ore.

LYONS, L. J.-Southern Pacific Railway, San Francisco

MANNION, Ralph-Gamerston & Green Lbr. Co., San Francisco

MASON, C. D.-Rock Island Lines, San Francisco

McCOMBS, Harry F.-McCombs Plywood & Door Co., Chicago

McKAY, James W.-Plysize, Inc., Stockton, Calif.

McWILLIAMS, James P.-U. S. Tarift Comm., Wash. D.C.

MOORE, Emory E.-Fiddes-Moore & Co., Portland, Ore.

MUNSON, M. S.-NPDA, Portland. Ore.

MUNCH, I. V.-Karpen Plywood Co., Huntington Park, Calif.

NICHOLS, C. E.-Georgia-Pacific Corp., Fresno, Calif.'

OLIVER, V., Jr.-Georgia-Pacific Corp., Van Nuys, Calif.

OSMUNDSON, R. C.-E. L. Bruce Co., Inc., Oakland, Calif.

PARNELL, Al-North'w Door & Plyw'd Sales, Atherton, Calif.

PATRICK, R. W.-Emsco Plywood, Oakland, Calif.

PELL, Duncan C.-Davis Hardwood Co., San Francisco

PHIBBS, Fran-Columbia Laminating Co., North Portland, Ore.

PROUD'FOOT, Don A.-Simpson Timber Co., Seattle, Wash.

QUIRIN, Arthur F.-Willamette Valley Lbr. Co., Dallas, Ore.

RADDITZ, Bud-Wanke Panel Co., Portland, Ore.

RAINER, H.-The East Asiatic Co., Inc., San Francisco

RAKNES, George-Centralia Plywood, Inc., Centralia, Wash.

REMMEL, R. R.-Southland Bldg. Prod. Co., Liule Rock, Ark.

RENGIL, A. M.-Crown Zeller,bach Corp, San Francisco

REYNEKE, Bob-Plywood Div., Bate Lumber Co.. Portland

RIFFENRATH, E. T.-Georgia-Pacific Corp., San Francisco

RINDE, R. L.-Roddiscraft, Inc., Arcata, Calif.

ROSE, Norman R.-Georgia-Pacific Cor,p., Santa Clara, Calif.

SANDERSON, H. E.-Giustina Veneer Co., Eugene, Ore.

SHARKEY, Tom-H. R. Jones, Inc., Eugene, Ore.

SHIPMAN, Frank-Crown Zellerbach, Portland, Ore.

SHiPP, Kenneth J.-50 Chuniasero Drive, San Francisco

SMALES, Fred B.-United States Plywood Corp, Los Angeles

SiMITH, Keith B.-Interstate Container Corp., Red Bluff, Calif.

SNUGGS, Loyd A.-Lundgren Door & Plywood, Fresno, Calif.

STO,LESEN, Rolf-Durable Plywood, Menlo Park, Calif.

ST. ONGE, Larry-Grants Pass Plywood, Grants Pass, Ore.

SULLIVAN, R. D.-Pacific Cement & Aggregates Co., S. F.

TEAKLE, Frank-California Builders Supply Co., Sacramento

TOBIAS, Mervyn-1842 Lake Street, San Francisco

TRUMB,O, Dean-M. Trumbo Co., Inc., Portland, Ore.

WOODCOTX, L. J.-L. J. Woodcox Co., Oakland, Calif.

WOODHOUSE, J. W.-Pacific Cement & Aggregates, S. F.

WORKS, W. R.-Crown Zellerbach, San Mateo, Calif.

YATES, FLOYD-Southwest Plywood Corp., Compton, Calif.

ZALAHA, Jack-Hampton Lumber Sales Co., Portland, Ore.

ZIMMERMAN, Fred-Chicago NW Ry., San Francisco

In looking ahead to prospects this vear, Meade stated FHA is currently estimating 1,300,000 residential starts for 1959. Approximately 65/o of these homes will be financed on either FHA or VA terms.

"The trouble with the industry is that we've been treating customers like just so many consumers," admonished the next speaker, Don Proudfoot, director of marketing, Simpson Timber Company. "This goes back to a basic manufacturing fault of gearing the operation, the planning and thinking, to the tree-rather than to the customer's n&ds." Proudfoot further deplored the rather slow pace in past years of new product development-the very thing most wanted by the nation's distributors, according to a recent survey.

"According to the numerous distributors contacted, New and Profitable Products rates at the top of the list new products keyed to the needs and wants of the ultimate conslrm€r," he reported. Proudfoot closed by pointing out the v_ital part played by the country's distributors. Ee urged them to continue to pass along any valid new product ideas they might come across, bearing in mind that the industry is fast awakening to the challenge of outside competition. '

Urging the jobbers to devote more attention to creative selling, rather than price selling, the last speaker on the proglan! William H. Hunt, vice-president of Georgia- Pacific C_orp., Portland, also noted that far too many times jobbers do not realize a proper profit on special items carried in stock (special size panelsrveneers, elc.). Hunt urged (Continued on Page 18)