NBilIDA Semi-onrUol Suggests Regionol Meetings to Develop Closer Relotionship Wirh Deolers

The 10th semi-annual national meeting of the National Building Material Distributors Assn. was held at the Jung hotel, New Orleans, May 15-18. The board of directors, meeting on May 15, heard reports of the various committee meetings preceding the directors meeting.

The Trade Relations committee-Chairman, Don Knecht of Building Material Distributors, Rapid City, S. D.-recommended that ways and means must be found to cooperate to a greater degree than heretofore in the manufacturerwholesale distributor-retail dealer team, and it was suggested that regional meetings with manufact'urers and retail dealers be developed, and also that the manufacturers list their wholesale distributors in national or local or regional trade journals.

The Merchandising and New Products committee, headed by H. P. Robinson of Goldberg Wholesale Supply Corporation, Tarrytown, N. Y., recommended that consideration be given to a national survey among retail dealers to determine the current status of acceptability of the wholesale distributor by the retail dealer.

The Marketing and Trends Study committee, with Harold W. Sparks of Lumberyard Supply Company, St. Louis, Mo., as chairman, reviewed the current trends in commodity products, discussing in particular the wholesale distributor's position in Asphalt Roofing-Insulation Board-Mineral Wool-and Steel and Merchant Wire products.

The Group Insurance programs of NBMDA were reviewed by R. C. Boehm of Lumber Dealers Supply Company, Libertyville, Ill., indicating that the two group plans were extremely valuable services to the members of NBMDA, and that remarkable increases in participation had taken place since the last national meeting.

West coast members attending the Nerv Orleans meeting were Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Freeman, SoCal Building Materials Co., Los Angeles; Mr. and Mrs. Ray Haley, Haley Wholesale, Santa Barbara, Calif., and M. E. Blackstock, Lumbermen's Supply and Wholesale Co., Seattle.

Dick Freeman, who is a director of the NBMDA, reports to The CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT that a regional meeting will be held in San Francisco this year on Friday, August 9. Time and place will be announced in an early issue and it is anticipated that leading west coast dealers will be invited to participate in a panel discusgion to'air their problems to the distributors.

The formal program starting on May 16 featured Professor Wesley Wiksell of Louisiana State University School of Speech. "Have You Tried Listening" was the subject of his talk reviewing the necessity of executives giving full and complete attention to conversations with employes. Unless the employer can put himself in the employe's position and understand his problems, the employer will have a dissatisfied employee, Wiksell stated.

Wendell B. Barnes. administrator. Small Business Administration, Washington, D.C., prepared talk, "What the Small Business Administration Is Doing for You," was given by Justin Green, district director of the New Orleans district. Mr. Barnes' talk summar\zed the activities of the Small Business Administration, indicating that since the start of the agency's lending program in October 1953, through January 31, 1957, the agency had approved almost 5,50O business loans totalling well over $247 million. He also discussed the activity of the Small Business Administration in joining with local banks to lend small firms government funds. Many pamphlets and booklets relative to the financing and operation of small business are available through the district offices of the Small Business Administration, Mr. Barnes stated.

The afternoon session was devoted to a panel discussion, "Efficient Distribution-Is It Over Or Just Beginning?" moderated by Donald I.. Moore, editor of Southern Building Supplies. Participants included C. T. Gilchrist of American Steel & Wire Division, J. Vaux Wilson of Homasote Company, Sam M. Arnold of Arnold Lumber Co., Kirksville, Mo., Robert L. Hamilton, Plank Road Lumber Company, Baton Rouge, La., Robert C. Bourne, Tomkins Brothers, Newark, N.J., and J. M. Hoak, Wheeler Lumber Bridge & Supply Co., Des Moines, Iowa.

A review of Homasote Company's method of compensatory discounts to the wholesale distributor based on services performed was given by J. Vaux Wilson. J. M. Hoak summarized the wholesale distributor's position in efficient distribution as follows:

"Our job in this organization is a big one. We must get our message across to the manufacturer first and to the re(Continued on Page 46)

Roy Sworfs to Redding for Cqloveros

The appointment of Ray Sr,varts (left) as sales represerrtative for Calaveras Cement Company in the lledding area is announced by \Iel J. London, Calaveras vicepresident in charge of marketing. Su'arts n'i11 be in charge of dealer and contractnr sales in seven Northern California criunties and in sciuthern Oregon. He n'ill headquarter in Redding, u'here he rvas born and raised and rvas student body president at Shasta High School in 1950. A straight "A" student, he n on life memltership in the California Scholarship Federation and n'ent to Stanford university on a scholarship. Srvarts \\'as quarterback of his high school football team, forrvard on the basketball team, and pitcher for the baseball team. He played frosh football and varsity baseball at Stanford, interrupting his studies there to play for the Pittsburgh Pirates farm clubs in Florida. While playing shortstop for the I)irates from 1954 to 1956 he worked during the o11-season as a substitute teacher in San Francisco and I{edding public schools.

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Home Permits

High

La Habra, Calif.-I'ermits for 123 single-family du'el1ings and a duplex valued at $7,452,444 $rere included in the $1,697,884 builcling-permits valuation here during April.