EDITORIAL

A Word of Thonks

f TSUALLY IN THIS space in the magazine we try lL/ to devote ourselves for the most part to subjects that warrant serious study, discussion and comment. Subjects that afiect most if not all of us who do business across the West.

But this month we want to say something that has nothing to do with marketing, merchandising, buying, selling, size standards and all that. What we have to say, simply, is thanks.

The thanks we ofier are for all the nice cornments you have had for us with regard to our changing the name of the magazine to Western Lumber and, Build,in g M aterials M erchant.

Frankly, as we hinted around in first explaining the changeo we were a little nervous about tle change and how some of our longtime readers (some from the first copy, 45 years ago) would go for us changing the name. I-Ionestly, we were afraid that perhaps the winds of change had not aired out the entire industry.

We shouldn't have worried. Your response was better than anything we could have hoped for. And it reaffirmed, for the umpteenth time, our faith in our business and the people in it.

We think it goes to show tkat American business, even during a depressed time, such as it is now for some of our readers, recognizes progress. That a new, more accurate name and an expansion of circulation area and news coverage to include the entire West indicates that we reflect the confidence of all when we say that the present trouble in lumber and building materials is by no means a permanent condition. Like many of our readers and advertisers we put our money where our mouth was and went ahead with the expansion.

So it was doubly gratifying to all of us connected with'the magazine that your response was so solidly in favor of the changes we had made.

Thanks again.

NewArizono Column

TN THIS MONTH'S issue we are pleased to bring I vou for the first time a new column on soutl*".t".r, retailers that will be appearing on a regular basis.

It is called The Arizona Scene and is being written by Frank Davis, the secretary-manager of the Arizona Raail Lumber & Builders Supply Association. Frank Davis took over the reins of the Arizona asoociation moro than a year.ago from GusMichaels, who had been head man with the Phoenix-based group for many years.

Frank's first column, appearing on page 42, tells of the plans of the Salt River Valley HooHoo club in Phoenix and how they pla4 a Forest Products Fair to tie in with National Forest Products Week which runs from October 16-22 this year.

Frank has a good source of news in that Phoenix club, as they are one of the best and most active in the country, not to mention the rest of his area.

The Arizona Scene joins the columns that two other retail association bxecutives write monthly for The lflerchanr. They are Bob McBrien, executive vice president of the Lumber Merchants Association of Northern California, whose group covers northern California and Nevada, and Ross Kincaid, executive vice president of the Western Retail Lumbermen's Association which covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Alaska from its Seattle, Washington office.

To Frank Davis, a hearty Welcome Aboard!