Frost Hordwood Completes New Son Diego Fqcility

Friends, Gustomers Help Celebrnfe Ar Porry in Downtown Worehouse

Executives of Frost Hardwood Lumber Co., pioneer San Diego wholesale distributing concern, greeted friends and customers on the evening of November 6 when they acted as hosts to more than 150 Southland lumbermen at a cocktail party celebrating the completion of the firm's new warehouse facility located in downtown San Diego at State and Market streets.

The expansion program included remodeling of the rurrounded by 0re lumber, eral and executive offrces in addition to adding in excess of 8,000 square feet of under-cover storage area. With the addition of the new facilitv. Frost Hardwood now has tlrree large warehouses ott ihe 2f-acre plant site with a total nnder-cover storage area ol more than 30,000 square feet.

"E,very 20 years or so, it seems necessary to break down and fix things up a bit," said G. T. "Gordy" Frost, general manager of the 48-year old wholesale concern. He said the remodeling project was undertaken because of the increase in volume of sales and the desire on the part of management to moderni ze and. streamline the complete operation. And, of course, because they needed additioiral woiking and storage space.

It was just 65 years ago that Albert A. Frost, Sr., founder of the business, arrived in San Diego from Kansas. He attended Stanford university and, during his Junior year in 1911, he organized the Frost Hardwood Lumber Company. In order to graduate with his class of 1912, he placed an associate in charge of the lumber venture and returned to the farm to complete his education. Today he operates the firm in partnership with Sons Gordon T., manager, and Albert A,, Jr., sales manager.

Frost Hardwood stocks in excess of two million board feet of hardwoods for the San Diego county, Imperial county and Baja California trade. This includes domestic and imported hardwoods of more than 20 species, Douglas fir plywood, hardwood flooring, wall paneling and many varieties of allied products, such as insulation board and specialty items.

The firm offers service on a wholesale basis to nearly 100 retail lumber dealers in its trade area, plus qualified industrial users of hardwoods and softwoods, including boat builders, cabinet shops, etc.

It requires the services of more than 20 emploves in the operations department to keep the wheels of piogress moving at Frost Hardwood. This department is under the guidance of veteran Yard Manager John Stewart, who has been with the company for more than two decades. It is his duty to see tlrat stock moves in and out of the modern plant without delay. He works closely with Office Manager Al Mattison, who l-ras also been with the Frost firm for marry years. These two executives are responsible for the ordeily conduct of the business at the sales and distribution level.

Albert "Al" Frost, Jr. is head of sales and, in this capac- ity, is in charge of the importation and sales of materials from the Orient. Early this Summer he completed a survey trip to Japan, China and the Philippines.

The administration problems of procurement and distribution are handled by General Manager Gordy Frost.

Because he is the "dean" of San Diego lumbermen, Al Frost, Sr. endows his sons with the vasi experience which he has gained right in San Diego for the past half-century. Every detail is handled in an organized manner and the plant "housekeeping" is the finest.

M. P. Smith, yard foreman, is another 2}-year man. He keeps things "humming" in the plant, where it requires three trucks, two mobile units of yard equipment, and a five-car spur track to keep lumber moving io Frost customers. The plywood warehouse is located a block from the main yard and this operation is also under Smith's superv1s1011.

In addition to the three modern warehouses, one drying shed, one lumber fork-lift shed and the plywood stoiage warehouse, Frost Hardwood Company also maintains two

Key personnel of the Frost organization includes Larry McDonald and Bill Condit. territory salesmen. who cover all of the south end of the state of California. tirrough to and including Ensenada, Baja California. The office detail, such as billing, bookkeeping, credit checking, etc., is in the capable hands of three young ladies. They are Arlene Roberts, and the San Diego and Arizona Eastern railroads.

In addition to operating one of the finest hardwood wholesale distribution plants in all Southern California, the Frost Hardwood Company also distributes hardwood and softwood panels, plywoods, and certain items of Pacific coast softwoods, such as pine, spruce and fir.

Yes, from time to time it becomes necessary to do a "facelifting" job, and the one that Frost Hardwood Lurnber Company recently completed ranks this firm bright in the progressive spotlight for San Diego. Friends, customers and suppliers from as far away as Oceanside attended the informal cocktail party and open house, along with folks from Los Angeles and Mexico. They enjoyed just "looking things over" and everything was mighty pleasing.

Construction Contrqcts Up 26 Percenl in September

Contracts for future construction in the United States in September totalled $3,215,919,000, an increase of 26/o over the like month of 1957, reported F. W. Dodge Corporation, construction news and marketing specialists.

According to Dodge figures. residbntial building contracts in September totalled $1,460,270,000, up 27/o |rom the similar month a year ago. September contracts covered 114,642 dwelling units, an increase of 33/o over the corresponding month of 1957, the largest percentage gain in this category this year. The spread between the percehtage gain in dollar volume and in the number of units reflects the trend toward smaller average size units, particularly aoartments.

INTERNATIONAT IUMBER & PIYWOOD, INC., INGLEWOOD. CALIFORNIA .

FIDLER'S MANUFACTURING CO., INC.. INGTEWOOD, CALIFORNIA .- .

INTERNATIONAL PTYWOOD FRESNO, CATIFORNIA. & HARDWOOD CO., tNC.,