EDITORIAL

A Forwqrd Step?

\f/E WELCOME THE LIKES of Jim Cooper's W l"tt"r, printed in our May issue! He takes us to task for expecting the manufacturer to foot the bill for training local lumber salesmen, and suggests we beat the drum for local wood promotion funds which ciruld be used for that purpose.

We think the answer is somewhere in between. For instance, most retailers are selling many nonlumber items. Thus, a sales training program set up by the local union-management funds would of necessity train salesmen of building materials, rather than lumber exclusively. Such a program would greatly benefit the building material retailer. W'e endorse it, we encourage it, we hope retailers everywhere will benefit from the southern California experience. We commend the group for the way they have used available funds for wood promotion (though not as yet for sales training).

We would also like to point out that NationalAmerican Wholesale Lumber Association has for the last three years had a sales training program, based on actual experience in the sale of lumber. In this case an association has helped its members to help themselves through the sharing and codification of actual experience. Wholesale lumber salesmen are doing a better job for their mills as a result.

There must be a mutual meeting ground, and maybe this should be at the local lumber association level. We suggest that manufacturer's associations might spend more time and money developing programs that will train and educate member-s and salesmen of regional and local building materials groups by involving association representatives in local programs as a matter of policy. And it might be well for local groups, in turn, to encourage their lumber suppliers to show them ways they can make a better profit on the sale of this material, and to help themselves with a local sales training program developed from local union-management funds.

Undoubtedly there is a great deal more to be said on this subject. If we can act as a lorum to generate practical ideas and turn them into action, we will be serving our purpose.

A Fresh Breeze

TYfE IN THE West have had our share of breezes W this year, blowing in rain, snow, sleet, floods and just plain wind. But the freshest breeze we .have experienced occurred in, of all placeso Boca Raton, Florida, where the National-American Wholesale Lumber Association assembled for their annual convention.

This fresh breeze was generated by none other than W'endell Barnes, WWPA's executive vice president, in an unscheduled, off-the-cufr, down-to-earth talk to the convention.

In short order he suggested that (l) NAWLA be asked to participate in the program at the next WWPA convention; (2) an advisory committee on technical problems be formed to inclu.d,e wholesalers and retailers; (3) wholesalers be consulted with respect to a new set of rules being drawn up by WWPA, and (4) that NAWLA may well promote WWPA's grade guarantee. With good reason Mr. Barnes was given a standing ovation. Here, finally, is a gentleman, new to the industry, who is able to see the forest instead of the treeso who brings a fresh and enlightened viewpoint to the marketing of lumber, who is blowing a new horn, a new tune, and has brought a fresh breeze into the forest.

The industry will do well to listen with both ears to what he has to say. He may not be right every time, but we can be sure he is not going to tolerate the status quo just because "we always did it that way."