Lumbermen Gather for Gals Gala

f'l' \\ AS "lhe l,ovs night out" for 5an 'L 1",'rrrarrd,, Valley lrrml,"rmell a{ th" eill. from the Hoo-Hoo-Ettes Club \o. (r ho,.ted their annual company night partv in Panorama Ciry. (ialif.

A gathcrirrg o{ more than 75 }rosses. fellon' r'mPlolct:s and gucsts turned out for the eala. u'hich bcgan with a t'or:klail partl' and conlinrred through dinncr and dancing.

0lulr presi<lcnt Agncs Mclntl'rt' o{ \{'est

Western Lumber & Building Moterials MERCHANT Coast Lumbt'r Inspection Bureau sen'ed a-c mistress of cert'monies for the outing. making the guest pr(,sentations and prc-siding at thc raffic bor uhere a rnountain of door lrizes wert' tlistrihutr'<1.

At the top oI the tloor lirizt' list was the "monel hat." tr chtrpt'au u'oven from dollar bills. 'which ua-' rvorn homr: by llush Culbertson. rvhose "lrettt'r half." Jt'ssit'. is resident lumbergal at San Iicrnando Lumber Companr''s officr'.

SEEN AT H00

Doris (Mrs. John) Kiner of LASC and Carl of WCLIB. (3) "Mac" McCoig, Anawalt Lumber & Materials, Pacoima, and Marge Brooks, Far West Fir Sales. (4) Here's Mary Williams'great gams. (5) Russell Mullin, Ethyl Sly and Andy Anderson from

Burbank

From All of Us, to All of You-Our Friends, Customers and Suppliers

W We wish to extend our sincere s H thonks for your confidence in us.

H For I 6 veors we hove endeovored

H to foster o close relotionship be- fi In this joyous seoson, then, we TI

$ tween deoler ond customer.

$ wish you oll o tr VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS I AND w X A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR ts

SID SIMMONS / ANN SIMMONS / ROY STILLWELL / GALE

DAUGHERTY / ART MEEHAN / BILL DEUEL / GEORGE

McMANUS/ MARSHALL JACKSON / FLOYD BEATY/ LoUIS

KUNERT / TOM REIFER / HAROLD SIMMONS / DOROTHY

SIMONS/ BETTS GOODFEI-LOW/ DOROTHY HAGERMAN / IDA WALDEN

8725 CLETA STREET

DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA.

P.0. BOx 489

(2r3) 773-1910 lT'S A BIG OPERATl0il at Angels' Pomona store. (1) shows typical customers at check out stand. (2) Housewear and paint department in main store is sizable. (3) Store features everything from record' ings to washing machines. (4) One of Angels' hard- ware displays. (5) Outside lumber yard features all major species in all lengths. (6) Every inch of floor spa'ce is used to sell at Angels. 0) More hardware display cases featuring all kinds of tools. (81 lm' pressive entrance-way beckons bargain hunters. (9)

Shed in background holds all cuts and grades.of lumber while lumber in foreground is ready to be hauled away by customers who require single pieces or a hundred. Angels has five trucks and a semi. More than 4,000 shop each weekend.

Profits are on the side of the Angels

fT'S WHAT'S up lront that counts!

I If this old axiom o{ commercial advertising holds true to the merchandising field, it certainly would describe Angels Home Improvement Center's method of merchandising.

Because the people at Angels believe that real merchandising begins on the floor, which probably accounts for their Pomona, Calif. store havine a warehouse not much largei than granJmotheros sewing parlor. It's I5'xI5'!

"It doesn't sell things to have them stored," says Sid Klein, obviously proud of his tiny warehouse.

The Angel operation is relatively new. Prime mover and corporation president is Sid Kline, who opened Angels' first home improvement center in El Monte, Calif. in 1962. Since that time, Angels' expansion has taken Kline and his associates to Po' mona where a 103,000 sq. ft. facility has become the west's largest outlet for roofing, prefinished plywood, Douglas fir plywood and sheetrock.

At the helm at Pomona are Les Morris, manager. The corporation's vice-president is Frank Denny (who is also Kline's assist' ant) and Ted Wasserman, controller. Kline's wife, Beverly, is secretary-treasurer' She also is in charge of personnel.

'oWe class ourselves as the greatest mer' chandisers in the business. We are merchandisers-not discounters," Kline says.

"True, our people work longer hours. But pay is excellent. We have a top wage situa- tion at Angels and our men know where they're going."

He explained that other stores are in the planning stage and, because of the terrific reception given the El Monte and Pomona outlets by the general public, three other facilities will be opened.

Angels' San Bernardino store opens in April, 1967, with a Riverside facility due to bow in in July of next year. A third operation, Pasadena-Arcadia, is slated to open in January of 1968.

Kline's optimism in the past has more than paid ofi, he explains. The idea behind his success is a recognition of the customers' need to have easy access to carry-ofi items, preferably pre-priced and attractively pre' sented. It's as simple as that.

"Years ago they said you couldn't mer. chandise lumber like groceries. But you can. Buy in volume, sell in volume with a low markup. This year alone," he pointed out, "we are going to exceed $6 rnillion with two yards and no one else in California can match that!"

Just four years agq they were taking in $l million.

"Our employees compete with themselves. We know exactly what kind of man we want and if he pans out he's kept with us. Our men have to make more thru bonus because of our profit sharing. If a man is with us and he can't make more. we don't want him."

Angel Pomona store measures some I2.000 feet. A fleet-footed stafr of 24 handles thousands of customers a week and are on hand to answer questions relating to innumerable items in stock. An estimated 4,000 people converge on each of the Angels stores on week-ends alone.

At Pomona, a giant revolving sign that spells "ANGELS" welcomes the customers. Once inside, these people can buy lumber" hardware of all kinds, paint, plumbing, electrical supplies and equipm,ent and gardening supplies from a nursery.

Just on the inside of Angels' six checkout stands is a well-sized, well-stocked lumber yard. All dimensional stock is piece priced and color-coded for convenience to the customer.

The lumber shed opposite the store is a sizable 12,600 sq. ft. The shed for domestic lumber is B0' x 22'. Inventory is 3t! million bf. Adjustable racks are a feature of the yard and forklifts can move whole bins of lumber to their predesignated places in a minimum of time.

A continuing program at Angels is the talent search.

"We're always flying around the country seeking managers and assistant managers as well as people on down the line," Kline asserts. Incentives to employees are the company's top flight profit sharing plans, pensions, vacation package, hospitai benefits and sick leave benefits.

The search for management is a must for Angels. Kline and his -associates are negotiating for five other locations, one of wh[h is planned for Anaheim in 1968. The increase in volume dollars ($6 million from two outlets in 1966) augers for more ex- pansion. They estimate that $15 million will be taken in in 1967.

Kline confessed that two national building materials suppliers have made ofiers to buy Angels, but he declined to name them. He said that with such help he could realize his dream of 25 new facilities within five years.

Much emphasis is laid upon requirements for employees at Angels. Classes and seminars on selling (on company time) are conducted by suppliers and others connected with the store. Top priority is placed upon Iocating men with a selling background.

"We want the ambitious fellow who wants to earn from twenty to $25.000 a year. Our management crew now is the best.

In addition to their retail outlets, a wholesale division buys, sells and imports items for Angels. Called S & B Supply Co., they list among their customers industrials and contractors. The company headquarters in El Monte in a 15,000 sq. ft. plant.

Holding to the time-tested theory that everything under one roof facilitates a smoothly-running operation, Angels has its own ad department. Conn Lacy fills the spot as manager and Marv Church is layout manager, Angels advertises in the local press, radio and by direct mail. Several circulars are mailed out each year and an annual catalog is distributed. Another man handles all display and sign painting. o'We try to make it easier for our customers. Our people are all experts in their fields. Ii a man wants to know something about a piece of lumber or a smaller electrical items, our salesmen are qualified to answer these questions. They're all experts.

Les Morris, Angels' affable general man. ager at Pomona, summed up the company's approach to the customer.

Does Morris feel that Angels is on the move toward greater expansion?

"Absolutely. If they ofiered me double elsewhere, I wouldn't move. When you know what's coming it makes everything easier."

W. Frederick, vp, orgonizotion & per;Snnel, Fibreboord Poper Products Corp., "iold the recent IMA Top Monogement the stroight focls on personnel f': ond it reolly hod some of them