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Meet "Ham" Knott: An advertising man who became a lumberman

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OBITUARIES

OBITUARIES

T|HERE COMES A time in many a man's I life when he simply gets his fill. and that's just what happened to Hamilton

'oHam" Knott 20 years ago as he sat hopelessly stalled in a Los Angeles freeway snarl, "There's just got to be a better way," he heard himself mutter.

That night, after f inally completing his hour and a half homeward journey, Ham sat down with his wife" Lenore. and the two of them got down to the very serious business of replanning their entire future.

For Ham, it was a tough decision to make. His whole training at Fresno State and at the University of Mississippi had been in advertising. His whole business career was wrapped up in the Southern California Gas Company where he'd risen through the ranks to the position of advertising manager. It was a big company and a big job, but quite like the family in o'The Man In The Gray Flannel Suit," the Knotts decided to move back to Fresno where they both had been raised.

It wasn't without a certain amount of trepidation that Ham chucked his career with Southem California Gas, sold the homestead and moved back to FresnoIock, stock and barrel. But Ham was a realist. 'oI can always get another job. I can't get another life," he remembers thinking.

Using some of the equity money from the sale of their house, Ham abandoned his advertising career and bought an interest in K-Y Lumber Co. in Fresno from Walter Krumbholtz. The year was 1946.

In 1948, he sold his interest in K-Y Lum- ber and purchased the 2l/2-acre site at 4840 North Blackstone, Fresno, where Yosemite Lumber Company stands today. Over the years the'business grew in a series of careful expansions, the latest being a brand new 9,000 sq. ft. store. lVhile Ham has been busy the past 20 years, re-establishing himself in another industry and building a successful businesg he has not been too busy to lend a willing and able hand to his industry. As all the dealers who attended the recent annual convention of the Lumber Merchants Association at Lake Tahoe know, Ham did a truly magnificent job as convention chairman,

Althoueh Knott is a oolumber merchant" in the trul sense of the word, his advertising talents have not gone unused. He credits a good part of his business growth to a consistent, well-planned advertising program-and he budgets 4-5 percent of his gross sales to put the program across.

Regular full page ads in the Thursday issue of the Fresno Bee and a direct mail campaign are the backbone of his advertising program, but Ham has also had exceptionally good luck with radio spots. Here again he pretty well "covers all the bases" by using one local rock and roll station and one stereo-multiplex fine music station.

AtTH0UGll THESE interior shots would lead you to be lieve that this is strictly a do-it-yourself operation, Knott points out that "We're still very much in the lumber business and that's why we brought many lumber items right into the store. Lumber is still the major part of our volume." This shot (1) shows "Chief Yosemite" and two of his squaws entertaining the big opening day crowd. Largest of two checkout counters 0) is located up front in store. Total sales are currently running fairly evenly divided between cash and credit. (3) Paint and unfurnished section. (4) And even an "Art Bar"! Complete artists supply center is adjacent to paint department. (5) Rear checkout counter (note display of art by Yosemite Lumber's art customers). Knott's office is upper right in this photo; sales and adminiskative offices occupy rest of tloor.

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