EDI,:TORIAL

Lumber Copitol Moves South

Temporarily that is.

The week of November 8 must have set some sort of a record {or forest products industry meetings in southern California. The Holiday Inn in Palm Springs hosted the fall meeting of the National Forest Products Association in the first part of the week. National-American Wholesale Lumber Association had an area meeting at the Jonathan Club in lros Angeles on Wednesday, and Thursday dawned to a stockholders and directors meetine of Wood Marketing, Inc. at the Beverly Hilton.

Many top industry executives were in town; a few were seen at all three meetings. There was, as usual, a rump session here and there, some soul searching, some criticism of the programs.

NFPA presented a well-conceived program with outstanding speakers, concerned mostly with illustrations of how technological developments can bring profits to the industry. Forward-looking lumbermen were stimulated to develop further their research and development departments. Many of the new products or methods covered by the speakers have already been reviewed in The Merchnnt. One other item of interest was a proposal by Mort Doyle, earlier suggested by National-American, that an advanced training program for young industry executives be established.

Hardly mentioned was the code work NFPA is doing. We believe this is by far its most important function. W'e believe they must set up an educational program at local levels that will: (1) demonstrate the dollar value of changing codes to permit the use of wood and (2) thus enlist local support and interest in this activity.

National-American's meeting was primarily devoted to a presentation by W'endell Barnes of WWPA covering the new grading rules proposed for the species represented by his association. Retailers will be glad to know that the mles will be compressed, written in layman's language, include simplified span tables and require properly identifying grade marks.

The big news of the week emanated from the glass and aluminum portals of the swank Beverly Hilton. Wood Marketing, Inc., the new corporation set up to handle the marketing and promotion phase of the forest products industry, unveiled a four-year program that delighted some and appalled others. It was a beautiful presentation of a fairly original program {or wood ,promotion. The basic concept is to send a "traveling circus" of twenty trailers, each illustrating a different use of forest products, to 30 major markets. Clinics or seminars for architects, engineers, builders and distributors with pu'blic exhibits for the public. Ballyhoo eight weeks ahead of time- follow up, of a sort, after the Caravan of Wood leaves town.

The good stockholders of WMI, within 20 minutes of the conclusion of the presentation, were asked to vote approval. We understand the directors met approximately the same fate. We ask how the cream of the industry, presented with a $1,950,000 program, a program designed to save the industry from virtual extinction. could be led to the trough and made to drink after 20 minutes, more or less, of discussion?

This program cannot work without cooperation from a permanently established wood promotion group in each market visited. The public and the users of the product mtst have a wood information center of one sort or another to refer to on a year round basis-year after year. You could accomplish this with $1,950,000 a year in 30 centers. If you felt flush you could bring in Hollywood and Broadway occasionally to pep up interest But the store would be open all the time to those who need your know-how. And they could find out at any time where yo:ur ,product is available. And your local distributor could distribute some of his dollars to get people into his store. And local labor involved with you could contribute generously to a perrnanent center.

But for a Road Show! The basic concept may have come from lumbermen, but please don't let Madison Avenue, which doesn't realize the Iumber industry is made up of 30 thousand sawmillmen, each with a difierent approach, dictato an imaginative but unworkable program. Let's get down to the point of sale and spend our dollars wisely.

Fqrm Belt Retoil Sfore Gefs o

Face-Lifting; Cqsh So/es Soor

f)ETAIL LUI,IBER DEALERS with our-

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dut"d lacilities are invited to inspecl King Lumber Co.'s Shafter, California establishment to see what a faceliftins can do. The firm has just spent in the neighborhood of $10,000 to remodel its store.

"This yard was typical of many lumber yards located in most any area of the country and had not been brought up-to-date or remodeled in years," explains Arthur E. Masters, King president. "The yard had done a good business, but we knew it could do better with an improved decor."

Before remodeling, the Shafter showroom arca was 936 sq. ft. which was extended to 1764 sq. ft. A few additional items were added to the floor display, but essentially it was the same merchandise only displayed in a more attractive manner to permit the customer to make his selection.

"As is common with manv yards." explains Masters, "many of the items now on display were previously kept in the backroom where customers couldn't see them . and thus didn't buy them very often.,'

Paint played an important part in the remodeling with distinctive colors selected for each department-hand tools, electrical supplies, bathroom accessories, garden tools. plumbing supplies. erc.

"W'e realize the value of a se6d 6ele1 combination plus good lighting lor most of our store customers are women accustomed to shopping in well-planned stores," comments King's Shafter manager, Phil Haws.

The Shafter yard is located in a city of approximately 6000 people and the ""onorrry is dependent primarily upon cotton, potatoes, sugar beets, onions and other agricultural commodities. There are no laree industries in this area. but many .-aliindividual businesses thrive.

King's remodeling program has already begun to pay dividends-the Shafter Chamber of Commerce has thanked the firm for "the outstanding improvements, the excellent workmanship and beautiful design which show good planning."

"Looking at the remodeling in another wol, we have {ound that the average monthly cash sale for Assistant Manager Jim Taylor has increased 226/o," comments Masters, "which shows that our returns in future years will be many times the $10.000 to $11,000 spent on thr: improvements."