The Merchant Magazine - March 2012

CEDARS OF THE WEST � GREEN BUILDING TRENDS � REDWOOD RISESMMAARRCCHH 22001122

TheMERCHANTMagazineTHE VOICE OF THE WEST’S LBM DEALERS & DISTRIBUTORS – SINCE 1922

44 � The Merchant Magazine � March 2012 Building-Products.com

March 2012Volume 90 �� Number 8

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CHANGE OF ADDRESS Send address label from recentissue if possible, new address and 9-digit zip to addressbelow. POSTMASTER Send address changes to The MerchantMagazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach,Ca. 92660-1872.The Merchant Magazine (ISSN 7399723) (USPS 796-560) is published monthly at 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480,Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872 by Cutler Publishing,Inc. Periodicals Postage paid at Newport Beach, Ca., andadditional post offices. It is an independently-owned publi-cation for the retail, wholesale and distribution levels of thelumber and building products markets in 13 western states.Copyright®2012 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Cover andentire contents are fully protected and must not be repro-duced in any manner without written permission. All RightsReserved. It reserves the right to accept or reject any edi-torial or advertising matter, and assumes no liability formaterials furnished to it.

Special Features9 INDUSTRY TRENDS

WHAT’S AHEAD FOR GREEN BUILDING

10 FEATURE STORYCEDARS SQUARE OFF, FROM WEST TO EAST

12 MARGIN BUILDERSWHEN RED IS GREEN: TESTS CONFIRM

REDWOOD’S EVIRONMENTAL SUPERIORITY

14 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCEVENERABLE DEALER CELEBRATES THE PAST

AS IT RAMPS UP FOR THE FUTURE

16 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTWRC SETTLES INTO INDEPENDENCE HALL

42 PHOTO RECAP: GUARDIAN MARKET

44 PHOTO RECAP: IBS IN ORLANDO

46 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTSOUTHERN CYPRESS HAS COMMERCIAL

CONSTRUCTION COVERED

In Every Issue6 TOTALLY RANDOM

20 OLSEN ON SALES

22 GREEN RETAILING

24 FAMILY BUSINESS

26 MOVERS & SHAKERS

32 KAHLE ON SALES

35 IN MEMORIAM

36 TALK BACK

37 NEW PRODUCTS

47 ASSOCIATION UPDATE

48 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE

49 DATE BOOK

50 IDEA FILE

50 ADVERTISERS INDEX

www.building-products.comA publication of Cutler Publishing

4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, CA 92660

Publisher Alan [email protected]

Publisher Emeritus David CutlerDirector of Editorial & Production

David [email protected]

Editor Karen [email protected]

Contributing EditorsDwight Curran, Carla Waldemar,

James Olsen, Jay Tompt, Mike Dandridge

Advertising Sales ManagerChuck Casey

[email protected]

Administration Director/SecretaryMarie Oakes [email protected]

Circulation Manager Heather [email protected]

How to AdvertiseChuck Casey

Phone (949) 852-1990 Fax [email protected]

Alan Oakeswww.building-products.com


CLASSIFIEDDavid Koenig


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TOTALLY RandomBy Alan Oakes

Are we off to the races… or back to the kennels?

TWO MONTHS INTO 2012, I’ve been trying to get a handle on the year ahead. As I wrote acouple of months back, we have been hearing better news, although perhaps more

regional in nature. Recent trade shows have shown a mixed picture of how everyone isdoing, but overall there are good signs that this year will be better than last, especially onthe remodeling side of the business. I just returned from IBS with a mixed view. On the one hand, the show footprint

appeared to be the smallest in memory. But after a quiet first day, the second seemed likeold times. As well, I thought the energy and positive news I saw and heard in the Northeasta couple of weeks back at NRLA was very encouraging, although I think everyone agreedthe news had better be better with the great weather this year compared to last. And, muchto my surprise, I actually got there this year, after being stranded in Chicago at the sametime last year (although only my GPS had any clue as to where I actually was staying). Many of you last year reported a sudden jump in business in March, but one that by

May had petered out. For others, there was no real spring business due to the bad weather.For the decking industry in particular, that business could never really catch up. So here’shoping that the good weather continues and we all have a great spring this year.If this feeling is for real—along with the continued stock market revival, the apparent

increase in new jobs, and declines in unemployment—then perhaps we are seeing the firstdawn of revival. I hope so! I have always argued you cannot have a U.S. revival without ahousing revival, and we are nowhere near that yet. However, I believe we will get there insmall steps. Hopefully, the job picture will continue to improve, meaning more money inpockets, more spending, and a continued improvement in sentiment, which will then feedon itself. But there is very fragile psyche with the American consumer about spending. Itdoes not take much to send us into a tizzy. My fear is that all the good news sometimesflies in the face of what many feel is not the reality.Today, I spoke with an industry veteran who has been looking for a job without much

success. Gone are the days I could name four or five companies to call. The recession haschanged many things and none more so than the ability to find a job. No longer can youexpect multiple job offers, a signing bonus, and a great increase on what you earned before.The old ways of sprinkling your resume around no longer seem to work. Fewer jobs

mean more competition. Job seekers must be pro-active like never before. The Web cannotify you of every job posting that might be a fit through job boards, job search engines,and social media. According to the Bureau of Labor, in 2007 there were 1.8 persons per jobopening, compared to 4.2 today (at least better than 6.1 in 2009). The reality is that forevery prized position, there are probably 100 or more resumes to sift through. You need tobe thick-skinned, more energetic, and use great initiative to unearth opportunities.And yet we still look the same old ways, including sending the same resume to every-

one. The reality today is that you need a resume tailored to every position you apply for.Every job and every company have different needs, and with each job you need to sell yourability to fit those requirements. That’s easily achieved with your computer. No longer doyou have hundreds printed at a time. As in any business situation, you must differentiateyourself and avoid being dismissed when your resume goes through word checking—notonly for grammar and spelling, but for identifying key words that outline your skills. Donot believe that every word you write is read. You have about 10 seconds to make animpression on the typical recruiter. And watch out for your lowcredit scores and drunken stupor pictures posted on Facebook.All today are part of your picture.Lastly, your best bet for a job is using the network you

have developed through your career and socially. It can be nofun to have to call peers asking for help, but these contactscan help open doors.To that end, you are part of my network and have helped

me greatly over the years. If your company has a jobopening in management, purchasing, sales or mar-keting, I am happy to offer you a $60 credit toadvertise your position in the classified sectionour April issue. Fax to 949-852-0231 or [email protected]. This meansany help wanted ad under 40 words is free.Again, I want to see my friends back to work!

Alan Oakes, [email protected]

Building-Products.com March 2012 � The Merchant Magazine � 99

Global Programs. There are more than 90 nationalGreen Building Councils throughout the world, and LEEDprojects have been registered in 161 countries. Last year,44% of total LEED registrations were outside the U.S.

Performance Disclosure. Already popular in Europeand Australia, requirements for buildings to disclose energyuse are gaining traction in the U.S. Next month, Seattle,Wa., will require buildings of more than 10,000 sq. ft. todisclose energy usage. California will begin requiring dis-closures starting next year. Yudelson says such disclosureswill have a market impact because they allow prospectivetenants to compare energy costs of different buildings. “This is going to happen everywhere, particularly in big

cities, because it’s the easiest move to take politically,” hesays. “It doesn’t say you have to retrofit the building. It justsays you have to disclose.”

Building Management. Thanks to wireless sensors andcontrols, it’s getting increasingly easier to locate and fixmaintenance problems, and to do so remotely.“You make money if you go green,” Yudelson counsels.

“If you don’t go green, you’re at a marketplace disadvan-tage. Doing nothing is not an option.”

INDUSTRY TrendsThe Coming Year in Green

What’s ahead forgreen buildingDESPITE A SLOW economy, green building is alive and

kicking. Key areas of interest include green remodel-ing, retrofitting, and zero-net-energy homes—which pro-duce as much energy as they consume.“The big home builders are starting to put on 2- or 3-

kilowatt systems as a standard feature, and it’s just part ofthe price of the house. There’s no add-on cost, so that’s areal breakthrough,” says Jerry Yudelson, whose consultingfirm, Yudelson Associates, Tucson, Az., has specialized ingreen building and sustainability for the past 25 years. “The real trick is to make the home so efficient that it

can heat itself with internal loads such as lights and refrig-erators and natural sunlight coming through highly efficientwindows,” he says. “Different kinds of coatings can makethem more energy-efficient than even the best double-paned windows, almost as energy-efficient as walls.”Although Yudelson predicts modest growth in construc-

tion this year, he believes the emphasis will be on what hecalls frugal green. “In the past, there was a feeling that you could spend

money to add green features,” he says. “Today, the realchallenge for construction and design professionals is,‘How do I do this on the same budget?’ and I think that’sthe core trend.”Other trends to watch include:Green Retrofitting. More property owners will retrofit

to LEED for Existing Buildings: Operation & Maintenance,which is fairly painless when a building is already EnergyStar rated. Businesses want to be able to market their eco-friendliness.

Government Projects. Although funding is tight, exist-ing buildings will need to be upgraded, projects in thepipeline will move forward, and schools—which are fund-ed by bonds—will need to be built. The federal Better Buildings Initiative was passed last

year to accelerate private sector investment in energy effi-ciency and encourage commercial and industrial buildingsto become 20% more energy efficient by 2020.

Water Conservation. Rainwater-capture systems, aswell as graywater and blackwater on-site treatment capabil-ities, will become more pervasive—even in what Yudelsoncalls “water wet areas.” He predicts that “instead of toilet totap, we’re going toilet to toilet.”

1100 � The Merchant Magazine � March 2012

FEATURE StoryCedar Comparisons

RICHLY AROMATIC, highly decayresistant, and all beauties to

behold, North American cedars growfrom coast to coast. But each type hasits own strengths, making it best suitedfor certain applications and markets.

Western red cedar is the mostabundant cedar available in the U.S.and Canada. Primarily grown inBritish Columbia, it also can be foundin western Washington and Oregon.

Western red is also theclearest and most decayresistant cedar and,because it comesfrom the largesttrees, it can yield alarger variety ofdimensional lum-

a broad range of products makes itvery easy to maintain a sellable inven-tory.”WRC is perfect for clear prod-

ucts—siding, decking, paneling, fas-cia, trim, shakes and shingles, andappearance grade timbers.Due to its superior qualities and

availability, western red is the onlycedar sold by many companies,including Boston Cedar, Holbrook,Ma., and TMI Forest Products,Morton, Wa. “For the last six years,we have cut only coastal western redcedar,” said TMI’s Jeffrey Cook.“TMI has tried five alternative cedarspecies, but each proved to be lessdesirable for the finished product.”

Inland red cedar is the samebotanical species as western red cedar,but hails from the interior slopes of theRocky Mountains in Idaho, Montana,and into eastern B.C. and Alberta.Grown in drier, higher-elevationforests, IRC trees are small and theirwood lighter, more striped, and withless clarity and color variation than itscoastal-grown kin.Enyeart Cedar, Tigard, Or., sup-

plies WRC for clears and IRC fortight-knot orders. “The (IRC) treesgrow farther inland, are slower grow-ing, and develop tighter fiber. Theknots are small, tight and firm,” saidEnyeart’s Linda Elliott. “But the pri-mary difference is the color of theboard. There is less iron in the soilwhere these trees aregrown. As a result, thecolor of the board isblonder in nature—more creamycaramel withvanilla swirls.”Uses are fewer,

ber. Its sapwood is nearly white, itsheartwood fragrant reddish or pinkishbrown to dull brown.Its abundance and properties make

the species popular across the country.“Western red cedar is king in this partof the Northeast,” said Phil Payne,Vermont Wholesale BuildingProducts, Williston, Vt. “The naturalcharacteristics of the product make itvery stable, durable and weather resis-tant. WRC is twice as stable as othersoftwood species. The natural oils areresistant to insects and decay. Best ofall, it looks great. It is a great productwhen left natural. Today’s high-techcoatings, when used properly, willprovide the best looking and perform-ing exterior wood products on themarket. The good availability of such

From west to east,cedars square off

ALTHOUGH western red is the most popular and plentiful of the cedars, other varieties offer theirown strengths and applications.


including smaller dimensional lumber,siding, and split-rail fencing.

Incense cedar is native to themountains from western Oregon tosouthern California and the northernBaja Peninsula of Mexico. Its sap-wood is creamy white, its heartwood

light brown to light reddishbrown. Decay resistanceand dimensional stabili-ty are high, yetstrength, shock resis-tance, stiffness andhardness are moder-ately low.C&D Lumber

Co., Riddle, Or.,manufactures incense

cedar because of itsversatility. “It can be used

in many applications, includingdecking, pergolas, T&G paneling, andtimbers,” said Leslie Southwick.“When dried to less than 19%, it isvery stable and durable. It has excel-lent stain-holding properties and isvirtually splinter free.”Hall Forest Products, Puyallup,

Wa., distributes C&D’s kiln driedincense cedar in addition to WRC,because, according to Marty Frost,“it’s a less expensive option in avery similar quality and grade. All isreversible material, graded all foursides. Kiln drying ensures all ourdecking is stable prior to finishing orprefinishing. Performance propertiesare very similar to WRC, but it butcomes in a less expensive price point.And once it’s got a nice oil finish onit, it’s difficult to tell the differencebetween incense cedar and western redcedar. They do have a slightly differ-ent odor.”

Port Orford cedar is found in acompact zone near the Pacific coast,from southwest Oregon to northwestCalifornia. It’s oneof the easiestcedars to iden-tify, due tothe distinc-tive yellowtone of itss a p w o o dand thehints of yel-low in itsbrowning heart-wood. Decay resis-tance is high, texture fine and even.The wood is somewhat lightweightand shock resistant, and will shrinkslightly when dried.

C&D manufactures Port Orfordcedar because of its uniqueness. “Noother cedar is like Port Orford cedar,and C&D Lumber is one of the fewmanufacturers that mills it,”Southwick said. “Port Orford is thestrongest of all cedars and an excellentchoice for both interior and exterioruse. Historically, it has been the pre-ferred wood for fine boatbuildingbecause of its strength and natural oilsthat make it rot and decay resistant. Itis ideal for manufacturing laminatedbeams because of its superior strength.It is also widely used for decking thatturns the outdoors into a unique out-door living area.”

Alaskan yellow cedar, also knownas Pacific yellow cedar and Sitkacypress, grows slowly along a coastalpatch from southern Alaska to south-ern Oregon, limiting its availability.

Its rarity is unfortu-nate, consideringit is the hardestof all cedarsand boastseasy worka-bility andexceptionalresistance tow e a t h e r ,decay, disease

and insects.Popular applications

are boat building, shingles, saunaboards, trim, fascia and paneling.Although some wholesalers, like

Van Arsdale-Harris Lumber Co.,Brisbane, Ca., stock some Alaskanyellow cedar, most handle it on a spe-cial-order basis.

Eastern white cedar, also knownas Northern white cedar, grow in east-ern Canada and the North Central andeastern forests of the U.S. In partbecause most of the tallest trees wereharvested over a century ago, easternwhites are typically not as prized asthe larger cedars in the West. Yet thewood is still naturally resistant to rotand insect infestation, lightweight,and easy to work. The sapwood iswhite, tinged with yellow. Theheartwood is light brown, occa-sionally with a red hue.The wood is soft and has low

mechanical properties. More signifi-cantly, it reportedly has the lowestdensity of any commercial domesticwood, making it a natural for canoebuilding.According to Colleen Goodridge,

Goodridge Lumber, Albany, Vt., “A

tremendous amountof northern whitecedar goes into sid-ing, decking, andlog home construc-tion. It’s very dryand lightweight due toits cellular structure. Thelower density provides thebest insulating value in walls. For loghomes, cedar is the Cadillac.”She cited the wood’s limitations as

difficulty to find long lengths, wideboards, and clarity.

Atlantic cedar has similar proper-ties, though is less porous and is found

along the coastalplain of thee a s t e r nU.S. Thesapwoodis nar-row andw h i t e ,the heart-wood lightbrown with

a hint of red. App l i ca t i ons

include siding, paneling, boat planks,fencing, decking and shingles.

Southern red cedar grows alongthe East Coast, from northeast NorthCarolina to central Florida and west tosoutheast Texas. With a dull-red heart-wood, it is lightweight, softand weak, but highlydurable and works andfinishes well. In addition to

stocking WRC sid-ing, timbers andp a n e l i n g ,Wholesale WoodProducts, Dothan,Al., also makes itsown aromatic panelingfrom locally grown south-ern cedar, for use as closet lining.Wholesale Wood also marketscypress—a softwood that grows amidthe hardwood forests of the South—as“Southern cedar.”“Cedars” are also imported from

overseas, most notably Chinese cedar(a fast-growing wood popular forfencing, but structurally closer to fir)and Spanish cedar (a mahogany-likehardwood used in cigar boxes andhumidors). Both species are attractiveand highly aromatic, explaining whyexporters are happy to trade on thereputation of authentic cedar.


MARGIN BuildersBy Charles Jourdain, California Redwood Association

GREEN, GREEN, GREEN. Everywhereyou look, you see the green

building message. But how should“green” really be measured? The emerging answer appears to

be that building with sustainable,environmentally responsible materialsis the one, true “green” way to build.A truly natural, renewable resource,redwood is a material that can actual-ly reduce the greenhouse gases thatcontribute to global warming. California Redwood Association

enlisted help from the independentConsortium for Research on Renew-able Industrial Materials (CORRIM)to conduct a life cycle assessment(LCA) to better understand and com-pare redwood decking to plastic com-posite decking. CORRIM is a non-profit research consortium with mem-bers from 16 universities and researchinstitutions such as the USDA ForestProducts Laboratory. CORRIM hasbeen involved in the field of LCA forwell over a decade and is among themost respected institutions performingsuch work. Life cycle assessment has emerged

as the internationally recognized stan-dard for establishing the environmen-tal burdens associated with the manu-

When red is greenTests confirm environmental superiority of redwood

facture and use of a product from cra-dle-to-grave. LCA is a prime decision-making tool for use by specifiers andconsumers to compare the carbonfootprints of various building materi-als. It is being rapidly incorporatedinto building standards such as LEED. The table below shows relative val-

ues for important environmentalimpacts. Results of the LCA are con-clusive, showing that considerable dif-ferences exist between redwood andalternative decking products such asplastics and plastic composites. Interms of global warming potential,plastic-based decking materials are

contributors, while growing, harvest-ing and using redwood for decks donot contribute to global warming.Regarding other important envi-

ronmental impacts, plastic-baseddecking contributes anywhere fromtwice as much to 100 times as muchnegative effects as redwood. Red-wood decks store the carbon that wasoriginally absorbed as CO2 from theatmosphere while the trees weregrowing. In fact, the average redwooddeck may store over half a ton of car-bon. Once the redwood deck hasreached the end of its lifespan, it iseasily recycled or reused for otherpurposes, or reabsorbed into the earthas nutrients for new plants. On theother extreme are plastic composites,which will stack up for decades inlandfills.Detailed data was collected from

CRA member mills on such items asraw material production (harvest),manufacture (energy usage), productdistribution (transportation), productinstallation and use (lifespan), andfinal product disposal at end of life(reuse vs. landfill). According to Dean Kerstetter, v.p.

of operations for Mendocino ForestProducts, “The quantity and detail ofinformation gathered by the CORRIMteam was truly amazing. Rick Berg-man, CORRIM team member with theUSDA Forest Products Lab in Madi-son, Wi., visited our manufacturingfacilities in Ukiah, Ca., for two dayscollecting detailed data on log storageand handling, type of sawmill equip-ment, dry kilns, boiler, planer—basi-cally anything that consumed energy.”Water usage, packaging such as

strapping and lumber wrap, andbyproducts for fuel or soil amend-ments are also examples of the extentto which the LCA looks at all inputs

Environmental Impact Assessment for Decking Products Environmental ImpactGlobal Warming Potential

Ozone DepletionSmog Contribution

AcidificationWater Pollution

Respiratory EffectsFossil Fuel Use

Plastic vs. Redwood126 times more100 times more2 times more20 times more6 times more25 times more7 times more

Composite vs. Redwood90 times more70 times more2 times more30 times more12 times more30 times more9 times more


and outputs of production. Han-Sup Han, professor of forest

operations & engineering at HumboldtState University, Arcata, Ca., is theCORRIM researcher who spent daysvisiting forestlands of CRA membermills throughout the redwood region.According to Professor Han, the forestresource data collection phase of LCAintegrates site preparation, stand estab-lishment, stand management, and tim-ber harvest factors associated with for-est management into a presentation oftotal cost, fuel consumption, and car-bon footprint for various levels ofmanagement intensity.“The redwood lumber industry has

known for years that we have an out-standing environmental record and agreat green message to tell con-sumers,” said Janet Webb, president ofBig Creek Lumber Co., Davenport,Ca., and current chair of the CRA.“Operating in accordance with thestrict provisions of the CaliforniaForest Practices Act places any indus-trial or non-industrial forest landowneror timber operation at the forefront ofenvironmental responsibility. Thisnew LCA reinforces our beliefs thatredwood is a world class product interms of environmental performance.”Combine redwood’s world class

environmental performance with itslegendary beauty, stability and dura-bility, and why would anyone chooseanything other than redwood? Educateyour customers about the true environ-mental strengths of redwood. The nexttime your employees or customers askwhat is the greenest product for use indeck construction, tell them that red isgreen—redwood, that is. – Charlie Jourdain is president of the

California Redwood Association. Reachhim at [email protected] or (888)CAL-REDWOOD.

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THE CIVIL WAR was recent history when WoodfordLumber & Home was founded in Clear Lake, Ia., back

in 1869. Five generations later, it’s still flourishing in thisbump in the road (pop. 8,300) off Interstate 35. Looking back upon company achievements is intrigu-

ing, and good for bragging rights. Two years afterAlexander Graham Bell secured his patent, Woodford’sowner was pivotal in bringing telephones to town, alongwith that other radical, new amenity, electricity. Aftermaking do with horse-and-buggy deliveries, he was amongthe first to take advantage of the new railroad connection,which also brought celebrity orators like William JenningsBryant, Booker T. Washington, evangelist Billy Sunday,and prohibitionist Carrie Nation to Clear Lake’s buzzingsummertime Chautauqua circuit. But while company histo-ry fills fascinating scrapbooks, it doesn’t do much for sur-vival in 2012. “Evolve?” fifth-generation president Jan Lovell reacts

to a reporter’s question. “You have to! Every business hasto reinvent itself to meet changing customer needs. That’show we’ve survived!”In the heyday of the Seventies, this was a strong agri-

From first phoneto first phone app

COMPETITIVE IntelligenceBy Carla Waldemar

INSTALLING NEW signage was part of the recent “reinvention” ofWoodford Lumber & Home, Clear Lake, Ia.

STAND-UP GUY: President Jan Lovell looks for inspiration from thecompany’s heritage, starting with her great-grandfather Charles “C.R.”Woodford.

cultural base, so the company grew by supplying polebarns, hog houses, even building trusses. Today, Woodfordserves custom builders, remodelers and commercialaccounts. Thanks to this commitment to gazing into thefuture, the operation has newly remodeled and expandedits retail space and showroom to encourage homeowners tostop in, too. In fact, despite the economic turmoil that, yes,has hit Clear Lake’s builders as well, Jan has just hiredanother staffer—“an opportunity too good to pass up”—another woman with strong design background, bringingWoodford’s total personnel to seven.“They’re experienced, they know what they’re talking

about, and”—here’s the clincher—“they’re customer-focused. In this work environment, they see they’re appre-ciated and feel they make a difference,” Jan emphasizes.“And that carries over to the satisfaction gained from help-ing customers on what will probably be the most importantundertaking of their lives.”Thus, Woodford offers clinics for do-it-yourselfers in

skills such as painting, and steers key vendors to its con-


pany undertakes to educate its customers on the impor-tance of environmental concerns, and the mission isbecoming easier every year: “People are understanding thelow-VOC part, so the interest has really grown in the pastcouple of years. It used to take a lot more effort to pro-mote. “ (Jan continues to walk the talk; she’s designated the

store as a drop-off point for Habitat’s ReStore recyclingproject in Mason City, eight miles away and eight milestoo far for many a homeowner’s minivan to carry. She’s served as chair of Clear Lake’s Earth Day for the

past 15 years, following in the footsteps of her grandpar-ents, environmental activists who donated the island inClear Lake to the state. The company has also saved amile-long natural stretch of the lake’s heavily-developedshoreline by gaining a conservation easement to allowfolks to enjoy its natural beauty. “People need a balance intheir lives,” Jan advocates.From low-impact to high tech: Looking at the future

once again, Woodford has become adept at electronic mar-keting. It boasts a Facebook page and interactive websitethat includes a homey family history “written” by C.R.Woodford, who arrived here at age 18 in 1879 to join hisuncle’s business. (Jan admits that “in my first life” sheworked as a newspaper reporter and editor before returningto Clear Lake 25 years ago, so it’s possible that she’s theone, um, channeling C.R.)The website also features a photo gallery of projects and

salvos by their uber-satisfied owners. “Working withWoodford was an awesome experience! They went aboveand beyond the line of duty when it came to finding uniqueproducts and solutions for our new home,” attest Scott andJulie. “It was a wonderful experience working with theWoodford staff. They came to our home and helped usdesign our new deck. We couldn’t be happier!” glow Tomand Janice. Architect Randall Cram adds a professionalappraisal: “Woodford has always provided me with theexpertise, knowledge and quick service to make informeddecisions as a designer. The quality of their materials… isunsurpassed.”Attracting new business, of course, is crucial to any

company, especially one that boasts 143 years in operation.Jan uses direct mail to her pro list. Mass mailing to home-owners, however, has run its course. “Now, we’re moretargeted—more bang for the buck,” she explains. We alsoparticipate in the annual home show in Mason City as away to attract clients. And we’re training our staff to paymore attention to cross-selling”—maybe the brush anddrop cloth to go with the Benjamin Moore paints. Hey,even new kitchen cabinets or replacement windows. Or,how about a steel roof?Looking into the future of the

company, “we’re very positive,” Jandeclares. “We’ve remodeled, we’veadded staff. There’s a growing pop-ulation here. We just need to keeplistening to people’s needs, to dothings better. “Finally, I just had to ask:

generation six? “My son is19,” she says. “But we don’twant to push…”

Carla [email protected]

WOODFORD LUMBER employees Merri Matteson and Mike Ritter atthe store’s grand reopening.

tractor customers to impart savvy, too. But it gets evenmore personal: “We believe in relationships,” insists thepresident. “To strengthen those relationships with our con-tractors, we sit down with them and beg for feedback:What are we doing well? What can we do better? Welearned, for instance, about their delivery needs. We usedto promise ‘As soon as we can,’ but we’ve learned fromthem that they need us to be much more specific.” Woodford recently added a drive-through for their con-

venience. And inside the store, there’s a special contractorcorner with coffee and peanuts and conversation. “Plus, werecently upgraded the power tools selection and joined anational buying co-op. You’ve got to keep moving for-ward,” she reiterates.

“We’re also helping these builders become more pro-active in using technology to help themselves; they canemail us, and we have a Woodford app that makes it easyto contact us 24 hours a day.” To woo commercialaccounts, Jan sends out letters of introduction, then sets uppersonal meetings, involving vendors in the conversationwho can ease and speed their business, too.She keeps tapped into the pipeline on product trends to

assure that Woodford’s lines keep on evolving, too. Andwhen that meant adding more retail space, fine—even atthe expense of pride and history. “We removed my father’soffice,” she laughs—“a big step, both literal and figurative,because times are changing and we needed room to put in asignature paint store for Benjamin Moore—which is help-ing us attract new customers.”Another reason to partner with Ben Moore, Jan feels, is

because paint represents a project every homeowner canafford. “Remodeling is where the activity is, these days.Even when money is tight, everybody still wants to spruceup.”Because these “incredible pioneers,” as she deems the

outfit, offer no- and low-VOC paints is another reasonthey’re a good fit with Woodford, where going green ismore than a marketing plan, it’s a moral stance. The com-


PRODUCT SpotlightWestern Red Cedar Shakes & Shingles

AS WORKMEN PUT the finishing touches on a 14-weekrestoration of Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, west-

ern red cedar is leaving its mark at the site of the signing ofthe Declaration of Independence.The $4.9-million project included replacing damaged

brick masonry; painting window frames, doors, and allexposed wood decorative features; refurbishing copperurns; installing new clock faces, bracings, and lightningprotection system; applying borate fungicide treatment tointerior structural elements, and replacing wood shinglesand flashings.As much as possible, new materials were selected to

match the old and products were sourced locally, such asusing Horsham, Pa.-based Benjamin Obdyke’s CedarBreather ventilating roof underlayment—a product not yetinvented at the time of the last renovation in the 1980s.Roofing was provided by Bradco Supply, Malvern, Pa.,

and wood products by Capital Forest Products, Annapolis,Md. Pro-East, Essington, Pa., supplied the fasteners—domestically produced by Maze Nails, Peru, Il.For the cedar roofing, however, Bradco and Capital had

to call on British Columbia to find older-growth trees withsufficient density. “Western red cedar was chosen for itsdurability and beauty,” explained Curtis Walker, of B.C.-based Waldun Group. “The existing roof was cedar, and wehad to match it with high quality cedar roofing. The oldroof was still in great shape after 30 years, but because theextensive scaffolding was up, it made sense to re-roof.”He said, “Originally, the product for this U.S. landmark

was to be 100% American made. There was an exception

made to have Waldun product installed. This specificationwas changed because the consistency of the Waldun prod-uct is unmatched in the industry, and the product was cutfrom first growth.”Walker traveled to Philadelphia to ensure Waldun would

provide an exact match. “When we first got to the project, Iwas literally lying on the platforms 15 stories up to exam-ine the underside of the shakes to see if they had a splitback face or a resawn back face,” he recalled. “We mea-sured exposures and even met with a government official,who was overseeing the particulars, to see the archive roomand take samples from the old roof.”Waldun supplied 2,000 sq. ft. of custom-made cedar

shakes for the project. Its mill split the 18- and 24-inchshakes, while an old-world craftsman from WashingtonState hand-split the 36-inch by 3/4-inch shakes. In total,cedar shakes were installed on four of the hall’s nine levels.

UP & AWAY: Old taper split roof is assessed by Bradco Supply’s KerryMoleski (left) and Capital Forest Products’ Mark Carroll, who spearhead-ed efforts to involve the various suppliers.

WALDUN’S Curtis Walker gets a close look inside the bell tower shortlybefore new cedar shakes and shingles are installed. The first home of theLiberty Bell, the 14-story tower now houses the Centennial Bell.

Western red cedar stars inIndependence Hall makeover


DEALER Briefs

Ganahl Lumber opened its 9thlocation Feb. 6 in Pasadena, Ca.(Barrett Burt, general mgr.).

Stewart’s True ValueHardware, Spokane, Wa., is closingafter 100 years, according to MikeCzechowski, owner since 1977.

True Value Hardware, Walnut,is liquidating after 14 years, due to bigbox competition and the economy.

Alpine Lumber Co., Westmin-ster, Co., sold its shuttered location inLoveland, Co., to Luke Cos. for$865,000.

Alpine closed the 17,500-sq. ft.facility in September 2010.

Seaside Ace Hardwareopened March 5 in Seaside, Or.,according to Winfield Muffett, owner ofthe 7,725-sq. ft. store.

Ace Hardware operators Mikeand Kim Johnson submitted plans toopen a 13,300-sq. ft. store in St. Johns(Portland), Or.

Grigg’s Ace Hardwareopened its fourth store Feb. 20 inKennewick, Wa. (C.J. Grigg, mgr.).

Ace Hardware, Sammamish,Wa., is hopeful it has reached a dealwith its landlord for a one-year leaseextension and that it has found a per-manent new home to move into in 2013(see Jan., p. 15).

Orchard Supply Hardware,San Jose, Ca., has inked a multi-yeardeal to make Benjamin Moore theexclusive supplier of interior and exteri-or paints to its 87 stores. The roll-outshould be complete by August.

Parr Lumber, Hillsboro, Or., wasnamed Materials Supplier of the Yearby the Central Oregon BuildersAssociation and Supplier of the Year bythe Building Industry of Clark County.

Boise Cascade AcquiresStimsonʼs Arden MillBoise Cascade Wood Products,

Boise, Id., has acquired StimsonLumber’s sawmill in Arden, Wa., andadded the facility to its Inland Regiondivision.“Given that the mill is geographi-

cally located near our Kettle Falls(Wa.) operation and is a well-designed, highly efficient facility, it’sa nice complement to our lumberbusiness,” said Tom Insko, managerof Boise’s Inland Region. “In thelonger term, the Arden mill offers usthe flexibility to expand production asmarkets improve.” He said that Boise has hired the

majority of the 52 employees that pre-viously worked at the Arden mill,which will initially operate on a singleshift. Once the remainder of Stimson’s

cedar logs are processed, the mill willchange over to pine production forBoise. Based in Portland, Or., Stimson

Lumber operates in Oregon,Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Desert Lumberyard ClosesTehachapi Lumber, Tehachapi,

Ca., has closed after operating formore than 65 years. “There wasn’t a single cause, it

was several different issues, but by farthe biggest reason is the housingdownturn,” explained co-ownerWanda Vandeventer. “Most of ourbusiness came from contractors, andthe housing market dropped off acliff.”

Several years ago, the companyhad 35 full-time employees and wasnamed the town’s Business of theYear. At the end, Wanda and long-timer Vic Elms were running the busi-ness with help from a few part-timeemployees. “We’re not sure yet what we’ll do

in the long term,” said Vandeventer.She and her husband—who tookadvantage of the housing slump tofinish a business degree—bought thebusiness in 2005. “There will be anew direction in our lives,” she said.

Atlas Roofing AddingPolyiso Insulation Plant forPacific NorthwestIn an effort to provide polyiso

insulation products to the PacificNorthwest, Atlas Roofing Corp.,Atlanta, Ga., has opened a new manu-facturing facility in Vancouver, B.C.“Construction in western Canada is

trending upward at the moment andthe western U.S. continues steadyexpansion in commercial building,”said Tom Rowe, vice president ofcommercial sales and marketing.“Both markets require energy-effi-cient building envelopes to meetincreasing federal and local codes andstandards.” The new facility joins an existing

one in Toronto, which will enabledaily service to many distribution out-lets throughout western Canada. Atlas also has plants in the U.S., in

Phoenix, Az.; Northglenn, Co.;Diboll, Tx.; East Moline, Il.; LaGrange, Ga., and Camp Hill, Pa.


Trinity River Lumber Company

Northern Californiaʼs neweststate-of-the-art sawmill

We specialize in 4” and wane-free home center products ineither green Douglas fir or a true white fir, in lengths 8ʼ to 20ʼ.FSC will be available by request. Other products include:

• 2x4 S4S green Douglas fir • 4x4 through 4x12 timbers• Stud lengths will also be available.

We can also handle all of your rail ortrucking needs with next day deliveryin most areas in Northern California.

1375 Main St.,Weaverville, CA 96093

Sales (530) 623-5561

Sherwood Lumber, Islandia, N.Y., opened a salesoffice in Medford, Or., headed by Bill Perkins and staffedby Scott Eilefson, Larry Rogers, and inside sales rep SteveParson.

South Fork Wood Products, Cascade, Id., suf-fered a Feb. 6 fire that destroyed a storage shed for fin-ished products.

Lausmann Lumber Co., Loomis, Ca., has restart-ed its on-site prestain facility, after idling it four years ago.The completely revamped operation offers all stains andFire Kote 100 fire retardant.

Johns Manville is in talks to move its headquartersfrom downtown Denver to Greenwood Village, Co.

JM hopes to consolidate its current 166,000-sq. ft. officespace and remote R&D facility at a 306,000-sq. ft., two-building complex on 11.4 acres by January 2014.

Milgard Windows & Doors, Tacoma, Wa., isshuttering its plants in Hollister, Ca., and Phoenix, Az., buthas vowed to continue serving the areas.

Jeld-Wen, Klamath Falls, Or., is shuttering its windowand door manufacturing and distribution facility in NorthWilkesboro, N.C.

Arbec Forest Products is preparing to restart itsOSB mill in Miramichi, New Brunswick, formerly owned byWeyerhaeuser and idle since February 2007.

Roseburg Forest Products’ engineered woodproducts plant in Riddle, Or., has joined OSHA’s Safety &Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

Ainsworth Engineered, Vancouver, B.C., hasextended the no-sand warranty from 180 days to one yearfor its pointSIX Durastrand flooring.

Railing Dynamics redesigned its website atwww.rdirail.com.

CertainTeed has added blended colors to itsBufftech Galveston vinyl fencing: arctic, weathered, andarbor.

Ply Gem has added a field guide and online visualizerto its design website at www.thedesignedexterior.com.

True Value Co. honored 14 retail members with itsannual Best Hardware Store in Town award, includingB&C True Value Home Center, Grass Valley, Ca.;Lake Isabella True Value, Lake Isabella, Ca.; Hoy’sTrue Value, Sweet home, Or., and Red Lodge TrueValue, Red Lodge, Mt.

Anniversaries: Erb’s Ace Hardware, Lewiston, Id.,100th … J&W Lumber Co., Escondido, Ca., 55th …Milgard Windows & Doors, Tacoma, Wa., 50th …Seneca Jones Timber Co., Eugene, Or., 20th.

SUPPLIER BriefsNorthwest Hardwoods Closes MillNorthwest Hardwoods, Tacoma, Wa., closed its mill in

Arlington, Wa., on Feb. 2, due to a shortage of local timberand the housing slowdown. “We had conflicts on both sides, and we don’t see it

getting any better,” said Brian Narramore, v.p. of humanresources, who added that the mill could be sold.The sawmill had been operating since 1967 and was

acquired by Weyerhaeuser, former parent company ofNorthwest Hardwoods, in 1980. Last August, Northwest was sold to New York-based

American Industrial Partners. Northwest operates two other mills in Washington, in

Centralia and Longview, as well as in Oregon, Wisconsin,Pennsylvania, and Michigan. Although hours have beenreduced at those mills, they are stable, according toNarramore.

Fire Hits San Rafael LumberyardAuthorities are investigating the possibility that sparks

from a panel saw caused a 2:45 a.m. fire Feb. 10 at RafaelLumber & Building Supply, San Rafael, Ca. Investigators suspect that an electrical malfunction of a

panel saw sent sparks into nearby wood shavings, sawdustand other combustible materials.The blaze burned a large amount of construction materi-

al stored outside of the main building, then spread into anoffice and display area attached to the main building.Firefighters said that a fire sprinkler system helped quellthe flames before they could spread to the main building.Damage was estimated at $50,000 to structures and

$35,000 to inventory and contents.


what is the price of the hassle andloss of momentum? In any case, isthere a penalty? If your product isalways right the first time, force cus-tomers to answer these questions.• Make sure you are not in denial.

Just because you say you are betterdoesn’t make it so. The same goesfor quality, integrity and the rest.Make sure you are selling a valuethat truly differentiates you and,more importantly, that your cus-tomers will pay for.• Prospect. If we do not prospect,

our current accounts own us—andthey know it. If we find ourselves inthis situation, it will be difficult towin negotiations. If we alwaysupgrade our account base—the life-time activity of the seller who wins

negotiations—we will get better prices.“She only wants to communicate by email.” What do I

do?Speak to your customers by email as you would in a

conversation. • Always ask questions that demand—or ask for,

depending on your and your customer’s style—a response.• Use teasers. Give them a list of five products, listing

the price of four. For the product they need/want the mostput “Too good to put on the Internet. Call for secret price.”• Leave great phone messages. Practice and polish. Our

phone message in the age of email and texting is vital.Keep it under 10 seconds. Be bold (notloud or bombastic) and confident inyour value. “Hey, Pete, this is Bob.I’ve got some great deals on theitems we have been emailing about.Call me. I only have five left.” • Persistent and consistent.

Keep calling. There are thosewho only communicate byemail, but to really get close toan account, we will have totalk to them. Be consistent andpersistent—they will pick up.

GUY WALKS INTO the doctor’soffice. “Doc, I broke my arm

in five places, what do I do?” Thedoctor thinks for a moment andsays, “Stay out of those places.” Many salespeople come to me

asking for help on problems that areat best mitigate–able but almostnever winnable. Let’s take stepsbefore these situations happen.“I talked to my customer last

Friday. He assured me he wouldgive me the order on Monday. Now Ican’t get him on the phone.” Whatdo I do?• Sell the whole account. Many

sellers save all their charm andattention for the buyer. This is insin-cere, and the other people at theaccount know it. Make a consciouseffort to get to know everyone at the account. In this way,when we need allies—and we will—we will have them. Ifwe make the minimum of effort with the receptionists, theywill bend over backwards to help us. They live to helpthose who recognize their importance (and respect theirpower).• Create urgency in your closes. To overcome customer

procrastination, use urgency, “John, I would love to waituntil Monday, but these great salespeople I work with willhave this sold by then. Let’s just do it now.” “My biggest account continually grinds me down to the

last penny. He holds the price of our cheapest competitorsover our head at negotiation time and we always cave.”What do I do?Be precise on value. The earlier in the relationship, the

better! If you charge more money than your competition, itmay be because:• You always ship on time. Instead of telling the cus-

tomer you always ship on time, ask your customer if thereis a penalty for late shipment. If they ask why, tell thembecause you make on-time delivery seem easy, but in fact itcosts you money to ship on time every time, but you appre-ciate the erstwhile unknown ability to ship late withoutconsequence. This forces the customer to decide. Of coursethey want your level of service, quality, expertise andcharm at the same price as the cheap guy—but it is ourresponsibility to sell the difference. • Your product is always right the first time. Ask your

customer if there is a penalty for poor product. “But theyalways make it right” will be a common response. Yes, but

OLSEN On SalesBy James Olsen

James OlsenReality Sales Training

(503) [email protected]

What do I do?

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MARCH IS MY FAVORITE month.Why? Spring is in the air, at

least in some parts of the country.And baseball is just around the cor-ner. And now, some marketresearch has come out demonstrat-ing that green building is poised tolead this industry out of the dol-drums. Things aren’t back to normal, or

back to a new and different normal,not just yet. But if you’ve beenworking to bring your retail orwholesale operation into the greenbig leagues, this could be yourbreakout season. The study from McGraw Hill

reports some interesting numbersthat should inspire optimism. Theshare of new single-family homesbuilt to a LEED or equivalent stan-dard reached 17% and is expectedto become about a third of the mar-ket in five years. Builders reportthat marketing green homes is easi-er and the majority of customers arewilling to pay a little more. Amongbuilders who are doing some green projects, 39% reportthat green work is having a positive impact on their bottomline, compared to 90% of builders who are fully dedicatedto green. There were similar results for green remodelers.I want to focus on one takeaway from this. The reason

dedicated green builders and green remodelers report betterresults—and are looking forward to better prospects, too, Imight add—is because they are focused. They have theknowledge and skills, and therefore the credibility. Theyknow what they’re doing and they believe in it. These arethe companies driving green forward and these are thecompanies getting the bigger share of the projects. If you’relooking to grow your green business, these are the pros youwant on your team.Given the strength of this trend, making green building

an increasing focus of your own business is an obvious for-ward thinking strategy. Equally important is building strongrelationships with the leading green builders and remodel-ers in your market area. To build productive relationships,these four key points are worth repeating:

First, be prepared to walk your talk. No amount ofschmoozing will win customer loyalty in this arena withoutexpertise and knowledge to back it up. Don’t rely on manu-

Green spring training

GREEN RetailingBy Jay Tompt

facturers and product knowledge tosee you through. Go the extra mileand develop internal expertise inLEED or other residential greenbuilding programs.

Second, go to them. Don’texpect them to come to you. Visitthem at their office, their job site,green building association meeting,trade shows and conferences. Mostregions have a USGBC chapter orequivalent—join it.

Third, bring value to the rela-tionship, right away. If you canhelp them win a new project, intro-duce them to a talented new sub,point them to an innovative newsolution, they will come to see youas vital part of their businessecosystem. When this happens, theywill bring start bringing value toyou.

Fourth, dig deeper and findexperts: builders, remodelers,retrofitters with specialisations that

make sense for you and your region. Energy retrofitting,rainwater harvesting, green roofs, and solar are all hotareas—maybe they’re ripe for building new relationships,too. Develop the right product categories they need, hostin-store events, and develop referral programs.At the end of the day, it’s customer

relationships that sustain any busi-ness, especially during lean times.This industry is adopting greenbuilding at an accelerating pace anddemand is showing signs of pickingup. It’s the leading builders andremodelers who are winning anincreasing share of the busi-ness. By getting togetheryou can build a solid teamand make this a winningyear.

Jay TomptManaging Partner

William Verde & Associates(415) 321-0848

[email protected]


FAMILY BusinessBy James Olan Hutcheson

MOST ARTICLES AND books written toadvise family businesses have

focused on the various thorny problemsand emotional entanglements that comefrom working with family members.Less focus has been placed on theunique business challenges that stemfrom the fact that most family business-es are relatively small and do not alwayshave the best possible operating prac-tices in place.In fact, most of the operating prac-

tices a typical family business uses comefrom inherited wisdom, the school ofhard knocks, and from textbook businessprinciples that do not always take smallbusiness realities into account. Most ofthe challenges family business ownersand managers face stem from the factthat ownership is highly concentrated,and usually in the hands of the people who are running thebusiness. These leaders tend to operate in relative isolationand do not often receive independent input.However, if family business leaders could step back

from the day-to-day of running the business and lookbehind the scenes, they would see problematic businessareas that need to be addressed with a set of best practices.Family businesses that employ best practices are often theones that survive and thrive.Here are three best practices for problem areas unique to

small family businesses.1. Creating a debt management system. This impor-

tant best practice relates to a family’s attitude toward debt.Most accepted principles about debt come from the peoplewho are trying to sell money, and they may not have thebusiness’s best interests in mind. These principles focusmostly on securitization and not as much on ability torepay. But debt is one of the few things that can kill a busi-ness, and this fact needs to be acknowledged.Bottom line: A system must be set in place to ensure

debt is managed effectively.2. Managing cash. In a small business, the manner in

which cash is used is a potential lightning rod of conflict.That’s because most financial reporting systems are not for-matted to highlight what happens to cash in the course ofoperating the business. It is fairly common for family busi-ness owners to reach the end of the year and have substan-tial earnings but no cash, having lost track of the cumula-

Best practices forfamily businesses

tive effect of decisions made about cashthroughout the year.Also, some owners are insufficiently

educated on the differences betweenexpenses, cash outlays, accruals, balancesheet changes, capital expenditures,principal payments, and other aspects ofaccounting.Bottom line: Family business leaders

should place a high priority on cashmanagement and ensure a positive cashflow after all obligations are met. Theyshould take any larger-than-usual distri-butions out of the company after all thecash needs of the business and tax oblig-ations have been satisfied. No oneshould ever borrow money to pay distri-butions to family members.

3. Long-term planning. Having asmart business plan provides great bene-

fit to the family in terms of communicating direction andestablishing expectations. It is also good for the business toalign resources and provide a foundation for delegatingauthority and responsibility. The business plan does nothave to be as elaborate as one might find in larger enter-prises. It should spell out long- and short-term strategy. Itshould contain a multiyear financial forecast, including abalance sheet, a profit-and-loss statement, a capital-expen-diture plan, and a cash-flow forecast.If possible, the financial forecast should break down the

overall business into its various lines and establish a net-before-tax number for each. This puts a spotlight on aspectsof the business that are doing well vs. those that are not.Bottom line: Once developed, the plan should be com-

municated to everyone and reviewed monthly. It shouldclearly answer: Where are we going? What’s expected ofme? How does my contribution fit into the overall strategy?As noted earlier, most family business owners operate in

relative isolation and employ practices that are often basedupon information that may be irrelevant. Adapting theseoperating practices into best practices will contribute sig-nificantly to a business’s long-term business success.– James Olan Hutcheson is managing partner and founder of

ReGeneration Partners, a family business consulting firm head-quartered in Dallas, Tx. He can be reached at (800) 406-1112 orwww.regeneration-partners.com.

Reprinted with permission of ReGeneration Partners. No portion of this articlemay be reproduced without its permission.


Chris Gay, ex-BlueLinx, has rejoinedWeyerhaeuser, Sacramento, Ca., asan inside sales associate forNorthern California. RonScherber handles outside sales fordealer accounts. Glen Flores waspromoted to product management-steel products.

Lance Doalson, ex-Simpson Strong-Tie, is now a national accountsmgr. at Capital Lumber, Chino, Ca.

Guy Selleck, ex-Higgins Hardwoods,is now part of the sales team atBoise Cascade, Lathrop, Ca.

Patrick Lynch, ex-Lynco WoodConnections, is now businessdirector-plywood with RoseburgForest Products, Roseburg, Or.

Lee Guy, ex-Consolidated Coatings,has been named national productline mgr. for Duckback Products,Chico, Ca. He is based in theSeattle area.

John Gooding, ex-Jeld-Wen, is nowPortland, Or., regional sales mgr.for Rocky Mountain ForestProducts/Etimbers, Wheat Ridge,Co.

MOVERS & Shakers

Richard Dreiling, c.e.o., DollarGeneral, was elected to the boardof Lowe’s Cos., Mooresville, N.C.

Ben Battle is new to ECi SoftwareSolutions, Fort Worth, Tx., as chieftechnology officer.

Kevin Stecher, ex-US Remodelers, isnow general mgr. of WindowWorld, Los Angeles, Ca.

Alexander Toeldte, chairman/c.e.o.,Boise Inc., Boise, Id., was electedchairman of the American Forest& Paper Association, succeedingJim Hannan, c.e.o./president,Georgia-Pacific, Atlanta, Ga.Nancy Clark, ex-AmericanChemistry Council, has joinedAF&PA as director of air & cli-mate programs.

Lawrence A. Selzer, president andc.e.o., The Conservation Fund, hasbeen elected to the board of PlumCreek Timber Co., Seattle, Wa.

Barb E. Dahl is now modeling prod-ucts at trade shows for Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax,Nv., report owners Hugh Mungusand Freddy Fungus.

Brian Buck, ex-National Coatings, isnow director of sales for thePacific Northwest with Fiberon,New London, N.C.

Jessica O’Rourke, ex-El & El WoodProducts, has joined SimpsonStrong Tie, Stockton, Ca., as adealer sales rep.

Victor Amaya, ex-Budget HomeCenter, is now handling inventorycontrol for Bloedorn Lumber,Loveland, Co.

Mark A. Miller has been named v.p.and chief information officer forPlum Creek Timber Co., Seattle,Wa.

Hal Hanlon has been appointed sales& marketing mgr. at KootenayInnovative Wood Ltd., S. Slocan,B.C.

Sandy Fulton, senior v.p. and chiefoperating officer, InternationalForest Products, Vancouver, B.C.,has retired after eight years withthe company. He will continue ona consulting basis, overseeing capi-tal projects, including the currentrebuild of its Grand Forks mill.


FOUR-UNIT dealer Golden StateLumber, Petaluma, Ca., has unveiled anew logo.

PenPly Passes onBankruptcy, Prepares toAuction Off Assets Peninsula Plywood, Port Angeles,

Wa., has decided not to seek bank-ruptcy protection and its assets maybe sold at auction in June.“Filing costs money, and at the

end, there wasn’t any money,” saidPenPly’s principal partner, GrantMunro. “You file for bankruptcy toprotect your assets or because youhave a work-out plan, and there justwasn’t anything left to protect. Ifthere’s nothing to protect, why spendmoney for attorneys?”By the time the mill closed last

November, it had defaulted on itsthree loans: $1 million from the stateDepartment of Commerce and$950,000 each from two privatebanks, Enterprise Cascadia and SoundCommunity Bank. The bank loanswere backed with an 80% guaranteefrom the U.S. Department of Agri-culture’s rural development program.The loans had helped the former

KPly mill reopen under new owner-ship in March 2010, after its previousowner, Klukwan Inc., closed opera-tions in 2007 and went bankrupt.The mill also owes $1,042,102 in

unpaid bills, including $314,489 tothe city of Port Angeles for utilities,$204,443 to the Port of Port Angelesfor rent, and $523,170 to the stateDepartment of Labor & Industries forworkers’ compensation premiums. According to L&I, the company

began to fall behind in payments inApril 2010—one month after openingand a month before a fire that compa-ny officials have said severely com-promised PenPly’s financial position. “We were working with them and

they were making some payments butwere not able to catch up,” said L&Ispokesperson Hector Castro. “Itremains in collections.”


Universal has been a key supplier in Southern California for years. With the broadest lineup of lumber and specialty products in the area, it’s no wonder why dealers look to UFP as a key supply partner.

- SmartSide Siding - SmartSide Trim - TechShield - SPF Pattern & Fascia - Hardy Frames - Plywood & OSB - Vinyl Lattice - Concrete Form/PSF

Help your builders start smart, �nish strong. Choose Universal as your key building products supplier.

BlueLinx Offers Own EWP BrandBlueLinx, Atlanta, Ga., now distributes its own privately

branded line of engineered products: onCENTER. “The onCENTER brand will allow us to bring a total

engineered products solution to our customers,” said KentMarks, general manager of engineered products.Individual products include BLI joists, LVL, Glulam

3000, and rim board. All are backed by a lifetime limitedwarranty and are supported by a full-service, cross-func-tional team of engineers, technicians, software developers,inside sales, and field-based market managers. BlueLinx offers over 10,000 products from over 750

suppliers to approximately 11,500 customers nationwide,through its network of more than 50 distribution centers.

Sound Restarts Chehalis Lam PlantSound Wood Products is consolidating its production

facilities in Burlington and Sumner, Wa., at the formerlaminating plant of Cascade Structural Laminates at thePort of Chehalis, Wa. Early this month, the rebuilt mill will begin manufactur-

ing laminate wood and decking products for the construc-tion industry, stressing exports.The plant suffered a fire in 2009, forcing CSL to relo-

cate operations back to its corporate site in Eugene, Or.The port recently acquired the Chehalis Lam site and com-pleted a $400,000 infrastructure improvement project toupgrade buildings, fire protection, and electrical systems. Lessee Sound will initially employ about 15 workers,

increasing to about 30 over the coming year and expandingproduction with the construction of a new plant to fabricatemetal components for its wood decking products.

New Vinyl Window Maker UnveiledVinyl window manufacturer Crystal Pacific Window &

Door Systems, Riverside, Ca., has been launched byThomas Chen, founder of Crystal Window & DoorSystems, Flushing, N.Y.In addition to its factory and headquarters in an

111,000-sq. ft. facility on nine acres in Riverside, CrystalPacific also opened sales offices in South El Monte andSan Diego, Ca. Both offices have warehouses and willeventually add showrooms.The company currently has about 30 workers at its

Riverside factory, using approximately half of the build-ing’s space and hoping, as demand increases, to expandoperations to the entire building.

WHOLESALER BlueLinx has added its own private label engineeredwood products, onCENTER.


Southern California Hoo-Hoo #117 Presents:

The 5th Annual Don GregsonMemorial Golf Tournament

Friday, May 18th, 201212:00 Noon Check-In

1:00 pm Shotgun StartScramble Format

Greens Fees – $99.99 Sponsors Tee Signs – $99.99

San Dimas Canyon Golf Club, San Dimas, CA

Putting Contest – Closest to the Pin (all Par 3’s)Tee Prizes – After-Golf Buffet

After-Golf Raffle – Awards

For More Information Contact:Tournament Director Mike Nicholson – Email [email protected]

Phone (760) 324-0842 cell (951) 768-2134To register online go to: Hoo-Hoo.org and click Club 117

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SEPARATE RAFFLE

TICKETS FOR A

BIG SCREEN TV!

TMI Launches TUBAFORPro Brand TMI Forest Products, Morton,

Wa., has revived its former companyname—TUBAFOR—as a brand for itshigh-grade coastal western red cedarfencing manufactured for and soldspecifically to the pro market.“The TMI name has always repre-

sented reliable products; however,with our new computerized gradingsystem, we can produce the samequality TMI brand coastal WRC fenc-ing and cater to the ultra-high-endpro-installer with a separate productline,” said Todd Shipp, pro salesaccount manager. “We brought backthe TUBAFOR name for this premiumproduct category. The industry hasalways recognized ‘TUBAFOR’ as syn-onymous with high quality, so it wasthe perfect fit for this new productline.”To ensure the quality of TUBAFOR-

marked fencing, TMI installed a pro-prietary electronic grade scanner andoptimizer. Additional quality assur-ance practices were created, includingtightened manufacturing tolerances,inspection by tags in every unit, andforklift drivers signing every tagwhen trucks are loading to verify cor-rect shipments.Pro shipments will be covered with

TUBAFOR wrap, while retail shipmentswill continue in TMI-marked manilabags.

Montanaʼs Stoltze Proceedswith Biomass FacilityAfter three years of negotiations,

F. H. Stoltze Land & Lumber,Columbia Falls, Mt., has a power pur-chase agreement with FlatheadElectric Cooperative and can proceedwith plans to build a new biomass-fueled electric generation facility. “It’s a good thing for the commu-

nity, it’s a good thing for Stoltze andour employees, and it’s a good thingfor Flathead Electric,” said ChuckRoady, Stoltze’s general manager.“This is just a very positive project.”The new biomass facility will cost

about $20 and primarily use woodwaste such as bark and slash to gener-ate electricity. Under the agreement, FEC would

purchase an annual average of up to2.5 megawatts of power—enough topower 2,500 homes annually—for 20years, beginning in 2013.

TUBAFOR is back—as a brand forTMI’s coastal western red cedarfencing for the pro market.


HUFF LUMBER COMPANYSANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

800-347-4833

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Geo. M. Huff Lumber Co. hasteamed up with Forest GroveLumber to become the exclusiveSouthern California stockingdistributor of Tru-Dry Timbers.

All FGL Tru-Dry timbers aredried in “HeatWave USA’s RFV”kilns, which use clean, renewableenergy and have zero emissions.

Tru-Dry timbers are driedcompletely and evenly through-out so you won’t experience thesticky problems often encoun-tered with beams that are notdried to the core.

Combine our selection ofDouglas fir timbers along withour skilled milling staff andyou’ve got one of the bestresources in Southern California.

LLaarrggee IInnvveennttoorryy iinn SSttoocckk

Viance Fishing for BestTreated Wood DecksWood preservation chemical sup-

plier Viance LLC, Charlotte, N.C.,has launched a new deck contest topromote its Ecolife stabilized weath-er-resistant wood.The Ecolife Fish-More Deck

Challenge will award a team grandprize to the builder and homeowner ofthe winning deck—a Tracker ProTeam 175 TF boat, motor and trailerto the contractor, $2,500 in cash to thehomeowner. Monthly prizes will also be award-

with Ecolife,” said Viance director ofmarketing Christopher Kollwitz. “Weare excited to review the creativity ofdeck builders and homeowners acrossthe country.”The challenge began in February

2012, with the last day for entries onDec. 31, 2012. The winning deck pro-ject will be selected by a team ofindependent professionals from theBuilding Products Industry. EL2’s proprietary stabilizer

improves the performance of decksurfaces by sharply reducing thecracking, checking and splitting asso-ciated with weathering.

Funding Increased forTimberland RestorationThe Obama Administration has

allocated another $40 million to fundforest restoration projects in Montana,Washington state, Oregon, Idaho,California, and six southern states.“This is about jobs. It’s about

restoration and making sure forestsare in a position to preserve preciouswater resources,” said AgricultureSecretary Tom Vilsack. “We’re goingto be working to make sure that weget the best use of the forest opportu-nities we have.”The projects are part of the

Collaborative Forest LandscapeRestoration Program, which wasenacted by Congress in 2009 but hasnever before received full-time fund-ing. Over the next three years, theprojects will expand by 20% the num-ber of acres thinned and restored onnational forests, increase timber pro-duction by 25%, and maintain or gen-erate 1,550 jobs. “We want to move beyond the

conflicts in the past that slowedprogress down,” Vilsack said, pledg-ing that the Forest Service would upits timber production from 2.4 billionbd. ft. in 2011 to 3 billion bd. ft. by2014, boost bark beetle treatment, andimprove markets for wood productssuch as biomass-based fuels. Forest projects will launch in five

western states, plus Arkansas,Oklahoma, Mississippi, Missouri,Oklahoma, and North Carolina.

ed for 10 months, with $500 eachgoing to 10 pro deck builders and 10d-i-y builders. To qualify, builders and homeown-

ers first construct an Ecolife (EL2)deck project, then submit photos,materials receipt, and entry form atwww.ecolife.fish-more.com. To beeligible for the grand prize, thebuilder and homeowner must co-reg-ister.“The Fish More Deck Challenge

promotes the idea that deck buildersand homeowners alike can ‘take backtheir weekends’ by building decks


LBM Dealerʼs Floor CollapsesRotting beams caused a showroom

floor to collapse at Beyond the StudsBuilding Supply, Gorst, Wa., Feb. 2. “It’s very fortunate nobody was

injured,” said county building inspec-tor Jeff Rowe. “The beams just rottedand fell.” After an investigation, Rowe deter-

mined that untreated beams and con-struction methods—the building wasconstructed in the 1930s—were toblame for a sudden “catastrophic fail-ure” of the floor joists that caused the700-sq. ft. showroom to drop about 2ft. The entire building was closed untila structural evaluation and repairs canbe completed. Owner Rod Blake said that if he

can’t get back to work soon, he couldeasily go out of business.

Serious Shifts ProductionSerious Energy, Sunnyvale, Ca.,

will shift production of its windowsfrom a facility in Chicago, Il., to itsplants in Boulder, Co., and Vander-grift, Pa. Serious is exploring options for the

Chicago plant, including closing it orfinding a buyer.The company acquired the plant in

2009, when it purchased the assets ofKensington Windows shortly afterthen-owner Jancor filed for bankrupt-cy. Serious installed new equipmentand gradually rehired ex-Kensingtonemployees.

Insulation on the UptickResidential and commercial insula-

tion demand reached $5.6 billion in2011, split largely between fiberglass,foams and cellulose, according to anew Principia Partners study.Demand was split roughly 60% res-

idential and 40% commercial. Bothsectors are predicted to benefit from aone-two punch that includes an upturnin construction spending along withmore stringent building codes callingfor more insulation per structure.

Do it Best Upgrades OnlineMember ConnectionDo it Best Corp. has re-launched an

enhanced version of its member exclu-sive portal for up-to-the-minute com-munication, program information, andproduct knowledge, including the roll-out of a more robust online catalog. The mydotbest.com site went live

Feb. 15 after months of intensivedevelopment, beta testing, and mem-

ber feedback. Upgrades include acleaner look, smoother user interface,streamlined navigation, and enhancedfunctionality. The site also offersmembers new or enhanced servicesacross a range of store operations,including merchandising, ordering,logistics and marketing.Tapping into the popular “Made in

the USA” trend, the co-op introduceda new easy-to-use filter within itsonline catalog that makes it evenquicker for members to search for andorder any of the American-made prod-ucts they stock.

DO IT BEST’S site overhaul included numer-ous enhancements and new features for theco-op’s 4,000 retail members worldwide.


Surrey, BC • fax 888-620-3964 • [email protected] • www.crawfordcreeklumber.com

British Columbia WESTERN RED CEDAR,D Fir, Hemlock

FSC /PEFC CERTIFIEDRough, Finished & Engineered Products

ical development and our ultra-com-petitive global economy means thatno one can keep a competitive edge intheir product for very long. Develop ahot new product or service and beforeyou can take your first check to thebank, a competitor has a hotter orcheaper version. As a result, cus-tomers are more and more inclined toview your product or service as acommodity—no real differencebetween you and the next guy.This complicates life for the sales-

person. In some cases, you are sellingexactly the same thing as your com-petitor. In other cases, your productmay not be exactly the same, but thecustomer views your product as acommodity with no real differencesbetween what you sell and what yourcompetitor offers. How much real dif-ference is there between Coke andPepsi after all?Regardless of the situation in

which you find yourself, the problemfor the salesperson is the same—get-ting the business in the face of thecustomer’s perception of your “metoo” product or service.

HOW DO YOU create a perceivedvalue to differentiate yourself

from the competition when you areboth selling a commodity?

KAHLE On SalesBy Dave Kahle

Selling commoditiesThat’s a question I’m often asked

in my seminars. It uncovers a problemthat is spreading to almost everyindustry. The rapid pace of technolog-


piece of paper with the names of thosecategories. For example, the first col-umn could be headed with the word“company,” the second with the word“salesperson,” the third with “terms.”Continue in this way, identifyingevery aspect of the offering and plac-ing each of those components at thetop of a column.

2. Now, consider each column oneat a time, and list all the ways thatyour offering differs from your com-petitor’s in that column. For example,your company may be locally ownedas opposed to your competitor’s

branch of a national company. Or youmay be physically closer to the cus-tomer, or larger, smaller, newer, older,etc. After you’ve exhausted one col-umn, move on to the others, filling inthe details as you go.

3. This exercise will typicallyreveal dozens (and in some cases hun-dreds) of specific, detailed differences.Far too many than you can easily com-municate to the customer. So, yournext step is to pick out those differ-ences that are most important to your

So, what do you do? To put it sim-ply, you must detail and communicatethe important ways your offering dif-fers from your competitor’s offering. That’s easier said than done. To do

so effectively, you need to spend sometime thinking and preparing. And thatmeans that you must carefully consid-er the two most important elements ofthe sale—your offering, and your cus-tomer. Let’s focus on one part of thatequation—your offering. Granted, your product may be

exactly the same as the competition’s,but the totality of your offering maybe dramatically different. I use theword “offering” to indicate everyaspect of the purchasing decision—notjust the product. For example, the cus-tomer buys the product from a compa-ny—yours or the other guy’s. The cus-tomer buys it from a salesperson—youor the competitor. Your company andyou are part of the “offering.” In addi-tion, there may be differences in yourterms, delivery, your customer-servicecapabilities, your follow-up, yourreturn policy, your value-added ser-vices, etc. All of these are part of your“offering.”The product may be identical, but

everything else about your offeringmay be different. For example, let’ssay you are contemplating purchasinga new Taurus. You have identicalprice quotes from two dealers. Theproduct is the same, and the price isthe same. However, one dealer is closeby, the other across town. One dealerhas a reputation for great customerservice; the other has no such reputa-tion. The salesperson for the first deal-er is the brother of an old high-schoolfriend, while the salesperson for thesecond dealer is a bit cocky andpushy. The first dealer has a clean,comfortable establishment, while thesecond one is cramped, cluttered anddirty.From whom do you buy your

Taurus? Of course you buy it from thefirst dealer. Not because of any differ-ences in the product or the price, butbecause of differences in the offering.Got the idea? There is a whole lotmore to a decision to buy than just theproduct or the price.Your first job is to identify those

differences. Here are some very spe-cific steps you can take today.

1. Think about everything that isassociated with the product when acustomer purchases it. Create severalcategories, and label columns on a

(Please turn to next page)


BC CONNECT™ is the new integrated 1-stop online portal with everything you need to manage your EWP business in one place and instant access to your entire design and business management platform. It’s packed with features like perpetual inventory management, job batching and cut optimization for any dealer, and integrated real-time inventory data. Scan the QR code or click www.bc.com/bcc11 to view a short

video, or call your Boise Cascade Area Manager, or Boise Cascade EWP Software at 800-405-5969.

to manage

business in

and instant

your entire design and business management

© 2012 Boise Cascade Wood Products, L.L.C. BOISE CASCADE, the TREE-IN-A-CIRCLE symbol, BC CONNECT and “Great products are only the beginning” are trademarks of Boise Cascade, L.L.C. or its affi liates.

customer. Keep in mind that oftenwhat you see as important may not beviewed that way by your customers.At one point in my career, I worked

for a company that celebrated its100th year anniversary. That wasunusual. No other competitors hadbeen in business nearly that long. Thecompany decided to make a big dealabout it. A history of the company waswritten, brochures printed, evenmurals depicting significant momentsin the company’s history were paintedon the walls of the corporate office.We all thought it was important. Our customers, however, didn’t

care. After respectfully listening to ourboasting, their response was someform of “So what?” In other words,our 100 years didn’t mean anything tothem. In no way did it make their jobseasier, simplify their lives, or makethem more important to their compa-nies. What we thought was importantturned out to be irrelevant from ourcustomers’ perspective.Don’t make the mistake we made.

Instead, take the time to critically ana-lyze your list and eliminate those

items that are not important to yourcustomer, that don’t impact their jobsor make a difference to them. Youshould be left with a handful of items.

4. One more step to the prepara-tion. Translate each of those items intostatements of benefit to the customer.For example, your company may belocal, while your competitor shipsfrom 50 miles away. So what? Whatdoes that mean to your customer? Youcould translate that item of differenceinto a benefit by saying something likethis: “As opposed to some other sup-pliers, we’re just 15 minutes fromyour plant. This means that you canget quick delivery of emergency ship-ments, as well as rapid response to anyproblem that might develop. So, you’llhave potentially less downtime in theplant, and of course, less stress andpressure on you.”Now that you’ve professionally

prepared, you are ready to communi-cate those differences to your cus-tomer. You need to point them out inan organized and persuasive presenta-tion.Prepare a sell sheet with each of the

differences noted as a bullet. Next toeach bullet, have a few comments that

Selling Commodities(Continued from previous page)


THUNDERBOLT WOOD TREATING“We Treat Wood Right”……QQuuaalliittyy WWoooodd TTrreeaattiinngg SSeerrvviicceess SSiinnccee 11997777

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Bob Palacioz, sales/marketing mgr. • [email protected](916) 402-3248 • Fax (916) 339-2477

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capsulize the benefit statements youprepared. Then, meet with your cus-tomer, lay the sheet down in front ofhim/her, and talk down through it,explaining each point as you go.Treat it like you would any other

well-done presentation. Be sensitiveto your customer’s reaction, and askfor feedback as you work downthrough the list. Say, “How does thatsound?” or “Does that make sense toyou?” and emphasize those things thatseem to be more important to yourcustomer. Then, leave that sheet withyour customer.I’m always amazed at the number

of salespeople who are confoundedover the customer’s perception thattheir product is just like the otherguy’s, when those salespeople havedone nothing to show the customerhow it is different. As always, if you have done a

good job of analyzing, preparing, andcommunicating, your customer’s per-ception should be altered and you

gain the business.If you haven’t done well at this,

then your customer will continue tosee no difference between buyingfrom you and buying from the nextguy. And, if you haven’t shownhim/her sufficient reason to buy itfrom you, then he shouldn’t.From the customer’s point of view,

if your offering is just like the com-petitor’s, then the customer isabsolutely correct in buying from thecheaper source. However, if there isany difference between your offeringand your competitors’, then theresponsibility is totally yours to showthe customer that difference. Followthe process described here, and you’llhave far fewer customers treating youlike a commodity.– Dave Kahle is a leading sales educa-

tor and author of nine books, including hislatest, How to Sell Anything to AnyoneAnytime. He can be reached at (800) 331-1287 or via www.davekahle.com.

IN Memoriam Donald Robert Moreland, 75,retired president and partner at LaneStanton Vance Lumber, City ofIndustry, Ca., died Feb. 19 inPasadena, Ca.After graduating from the

University of Washington, he beganhis lumber career with Weyerhaeuser.He then became a partner in LaneStanton, retiring in 2000 when thecompany was sold to HamptonAffiliates, Or.

John J. Stephens, 83, retired pres-ident and c.e.o. of Roseburg ForestProducts, Roseburg, Or., died Feb. 6in Bronxville, N.Y.After serving with the Army, he

earned degrees at the University of

Kentucky and Youngstown StateUniversity. After serving as a group v.p. for

International Paper, he headedRoseburg from 1982 to 1991.

James Brandon Sweeney, 73,owner of Alki Lumber, Seattle, Wa.,died of cardiac arrest Feb. 5 inSeattle. He attended the University of

Washington, but left after two yearsin 1959 to take over the family busi-ness after his father had a heart attack.

Gary R. Leeper, 67, former man-ager for Timber Products, Springfield,Or., died of cancer Jan. 26 inSpringfield. After graduating from the Univer-

sity of Oregon, he spent 30 years withTimber Products, including opening astarting and managing a branch inMexico. He retired in 2001.

Andrew Stephen “Andy” Artzer,87, longtime Northern California lum-ber grader, died Feb. 15 in Tuolumne,Ca.A seaman first class in the U.S.

Navy from 1943 to 1946, he workedas a certified lumber grader at WestSide Lumber Co., Tuolumne, andPickering Lumber Mill, Standard, Ca.,from 1946 until his retirement in1986.

Willard Curtis, 91, retired log-ging engineer, died Feb. 19 inSpringfield, Or.Mr. Curtis served with the U.S.

Army during World War II, as a tech-nical sergeant with the 247th combatengineers. He worked for Booth-Kelly

Lumber and Georgia Pacific for 35years, as chief logging engineer in theSpringfield-Eugene division.

John Morrison Headley, 77, for-mer owner of Yardbirds, Santa Rosa,Ca., died Feb. 17 in Santa Rosa. In 1961, he opened Home Center

Store in Seattle, Wa. After a mergerwith Pay N’ Pak Stores, he becamepresident of the 67-store chain. Heresigned in 1975 and moved toNorthern California to establishYardbirds, which he would expand to10 Bay Area locations.In 2005, he sold the chain to Home

Depot, which closed several locationsand remodeled others into co-brand-ed, small-format stores. Four yearslater, Depot closed the five remainingYardbird locations.


Cal Coast Wholesale Lumber, Inc.Pressure Treated Forest Products

Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ)Custom Treating

Selected Inventory Available

P.O. Box 673 • 3150 Taylor Drive • Ukiah, Ca. 95482Phone 707-468-0141 • Fax 707-468-0660

[email protected]

Sales for Coast Wood Preserving

Respecting the forest, honoringthe past, building the future.

A nation’s pride you can build on.

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Contact

Yakama Forest Products3191 Wesley Rd., White Swan, WA 98952

Fax 509-874-1162www.yakama-forest.com

Sheldon Howell(509) 874-1163

Bob Bretz(805) 995-0700

TALK BackWe welcome your letters to the editor. Send comments

to Fax 949-852-0231, [email protected], orThe Merchant Magazine, 4500 Campus Dr. #480, NewportBeach, Ca. 92660.

HITTING HOMEI thought Alan Oakes’ article (“Here’s Hoping”)

in the January issue of The Merchant Magazine wasone of the best articles I have read in a long time.Arrow Lumber & Hardware operates six locations

in western Washington, and every topic you dis-cussed in your article hit home. I made copies of thearticle and sent it to all our managers. Also, I gavesome of our suppliers a copy. Our suppliers, many ofwhom we have been partners with for 35 years, havereally worked with our company.I am very close with our 66 personnel and work

from the philosophy of “positive affirmation.” I sendeach one a birthday card on their birthday with ahand-written message and usually call them on theirbirthday, as well.We have a customer appreciation day for each

store with a huge response from our dedicated andloyal customers.Arrow Lumber & Hardware turned a profit last

year, and in this economic environment, was a testa-ment to the points you stressed in your article.Again, very fine article.

Barney WagnerFounder and c.e.o.Arrow Lumber & Hardware, [email protected]

Tribal Branded Wood ProposedConsumers looking for environmentally friendly wood

products may soon encounter a new brand: SpiritWood. The brand is one of several under consideration by the

Inter-Tribal Timber Council, Portland, Or., which wasestablished in 1976 to improve management of naturalresources belonging to Native American communities. Such brands would help “differentiate tribal products in

the marketplace” and generate “higher revenues critical to(continuing ecologically superior) management practices,”according to Tina Hagedorn, a consultant who worked withITC on a year-long marketing study.Hagedorn says, “A compelling element of the Spirit-

Wood marketing strategy is that tribes are the only groupin America that can sell substantial, sustained volumes of

tribal forest products from permanent land bases. Thebrand would allow tribes to jointly supply timber productsto the marketplace.”More than 200 reservations in the continental U.S. are

forested, containing more than 7.7 million acres of timber-land and another 10.2 million acres of woodlands. In addi-tion, there are 44 million acres of Alaska native lands. Ofthese, just four tribes—located in Hoopa Valley, Ca.;Menominee, Wi., and Coquille and Warm Springs, Or.—have earned FSC certification.


With Cascadia decking, the unsurpassed nat-ural beauty of Western Red Cedar is matchedwith Terminal Forest Products’ renownedmanufacturing quality. This creates a productthat is beautiful, functional, and eco-friendly.

Cascadia decking is made from a 100%renewable and sustainable North Americanresource unlike PVC and composite decking,which is largely made from non-renewablepetroleum products. Third-party life cycleanalysis clearly shows WRC decking as thebest environmental choice for decking: WRCsignificantly outperforms sustitute products inevery environmental measure.

P.O. Box 1802, Medford, OR 97501 • Fax 541-535-3288 • ((554411)) 553355--33446655 • www.normandist.com

Superior Service, Products & Support

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Redwood PlantersThe California Redwood

Company now offers artisan-designed planter boxes construct-ed of premium redwood. Measuring 23-3/4”x20-3/8”x

20-3/8”, the planters can be cus-tomized with 6”x6” decorativecopper panels. A removable GeoPot mini-

mizes contact between soil, waterand the wood, while increasingairflow for better plant health. � CALIFORNIARED-

WOODCO.COM(866) 797-7474

Bonded Composite EverGrain Envision bonded

composite decking is TAMKO’slatest offering. The new bonded outer layer is

formulated for a low-sheenappearance with a deep wood-grain texture, in four multi-shad-ed colors (grey wood, rustic wal-nut, shaded auburn, spiced teak).� TAMKO.COM(800) 641-4691

NEW Products

Protective ShinglesAtlas Roofing’s Pristine roof-

ing shingles are Scotchgard pro-tected to eliminate black stainsand streaks caused by algae. The treated shingles come in

13 colors, with a limited lifetimewarranty against algae damageand wind damage up to 130 mph. � ATLASROOFING.COM(800) 388-6134

Pro OSB FlooringT-GRADE PRO professional-

grade OSB flooring from TolkoIndustries is designed to meet thechallenges of extended construc-tion delays and exposure to wetweather.Each panel is fully sanded on

both sides for a uniform appear-ance and a tighter thickness toler-ance. A tongue-and-groove paneledge ensures a smooth surfacefor floor coverings.� TOLKO.COM(250) 545-4411


Framing FastenersNew framing fasteners from Simpson Strong-Tie

simplify installation of framing products. The LRU rafter hanger is designed for rafter-to-

ridge connections and can accommodate solid-sawnrafters 2x6 to 2x12 in size. A single-screw solution for truss and rafter uplift

and lateral loads is the SDWC truss and rafter screw.It requires no pre-drilling, so it can be installed beforeor after exterior sheathing is applied. SDWS and SDWH structural wood screws are

high-strength alternatives to through-bolting and tradi-tional lags screws for various fastening applications.� STRONGTIE.COM(800) 999-5099

Dazzling TrimboardsClaymark’s Solid Gold radiata pine trimboards

from New Zealand are treated for both interior andexterior use.Free of fingerjoints, the solid boards are protected

by the Tru Core process against decay, rot, and ter-mites and certified to Forest Stewardship Councilstandards. � CLAYMARK.COM(877) 287-4406


3564 Hwy. 1, Davenport, CA 95017(831) 457-5024 • Fax 831-423-2800

www.big-creek.com • [email protected]

For highly experienced and personalized service contactFrank “Lud” McCrary, Janet McCrary Webb or Jim Busick

Big Creek Lumber Co. has a long history of practicingsuperior forest stewardship — growing, selectively harvesting and milling high quality California redwood.During our 63 years in the redwood business,

Big Creek has developed a reputation for being a reliable supplier of high quality lumber. We produce a wide range of grades and dimensions, custom cut timbers, pattern stock and fencing. Order full, mixed or partial truckloads.

Perennially Beautiful DeckingEastman Chemical’s TruLast Technology protects

Perennial Wood decking against rot, decay, shrinking,swelling, cracking, cupping, and warping. Deck boards, rails, balusters, posts, stair treads, and

fascia are factory-finished in a choice of four colors. � PERENNIALWOOD.COM(800) 530-7495

Colorful Cedar ShinglesBardobec’s B-Chroma cedar shingles are Olympic

pre-stained in opaque or semi-transparent colors. Naturally durable, their acoustic and insulating

properties keep buildings comfortable and quiet.� B-CHROMA.COM(514) 273-2221


Curvy Column CoverFulcrum Composites’ curved

column covers are a durable,lightweight way to cover poles.The covers can be installed

like conventional drywall, withdepth-set screws, taping, andmudding. Each half has taperededges to hide the taped joint. Standard lengths are 8’ and

10’, with 12”, 15”, and 20” diam-eters—plus custom sizes.� FULCRUMCOMPOS

ITES.COM(989) 636-1025

Zippy Door Covering Made of 4-mil plastic sheet-

ing, heavy-duty, glued-in zippers,and double-sided tape, ZipWallquickly covers door openings tocreate a complete dust barrier.Fire retardant, it fits doors up

to 4’x8’.� ZIPWALL.COM(800) 718-2255

Cordless NailerThe Paslode CF325Li nailer is

cordless for easier installation ofdrywall.Its lithium-ion battery drives

up to 6,000 nails per charge,while a depth-of-drive functionallows easy adjustments.Included are a rugged carryingcase, charger and safety glasses.� PASLODE.COM(800) 222-6990

End-Cut ProtectionTimberTech has developed a

latex-based paint to cover end-cuts of its decking boards.Each 8-oz. can covers approx-

imately 250 end cuts whenapplied with foam or bristlebrushes. Colors include cedar,grey, rosewood, teak and walnut. � TIMBERTECH.COM(800) 307-7780


Clubby Decking & RailingClubhouse decking and railing from Deceuninck

North America is formulated to be up to 25% lighterthan most wood and composites.

Constructed of 100% PVC, the products feature anatural wood appearance with deep grain embossing.SunShield protective capstock resists fading, cracking,brittleness, and surface degradation.

The Hardwood line offers four variegated grains,while EarthTone offers four solid colors.

Also offered are Clubhouse Elite and ClubhousePlus vinyl railing products. � DECEUNUNCK-AMERICAS.COM

(877) 563-4251

Non-Combustible InsulationsWinco International has developed two new non-

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Not All Suppliers Are Created EqualBuy your Western Red Cedar from these quality producers.

WRCLA MEMBERSDownie Timber/Selkirk SpecialtyEnyeart Cedar ProductsGilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd.Haida Forest Products Ltd.Idaho Forest GroupInterforMary's River Lumber Co.Mid Valley Lumber SpecialtiesNorth Enderby Timber Ltd.OrePac Building ProductsPower Wood Corp.Quadra Wood ProductsSawarne Lumber Company Ltd. ShakertownSkana Forest Products Ltd.Twin Rivers CedarWest Bay Forest ProductsWestern Forest Products, Inc. AFFILIATE MANUFACTURERSBW Creative Wood IndustriesCedarshed IndustriesOutdoor Living TodaySynergy Pacific/Quattro Timber

1.866.778.9096

www.realcedar.org

1.866.778.9096

www.realcedar.org

Beautiful, sustainable

Western Red Cedar

GUARDIAN BUILDING PRODUCTS hostedits annual spring show Jan. 29-31 at Caesars

Palace, Las Vegas, Nv. [1] David Ell is,Anthony DiSanto. [2] David Emanuel, RogerProbasco, Ron Welch. [3] Bill Spencer, GaryDean, Scott Jennings. [4] Sheri Schon, JayJohnson. [5] Rick & Lori Hullinger. [6] TimMcDermott, Dan Summers, Ron Knudsen. [7]Michael Hock, Phillip Bryson, Gary Price. [8]Sarah Dix, Darryl Little. [9] Scott Nowatzki,Rod Dennison, Larry Crossley, Jon Booth. [10]Don Adams. [11]Warren White, Chris Brown.

(More photos on next page)

GUARDIAN SPRING MARKET Photos by The Merchant


Not All Suppliers Are Created EqualBuy your Western Red Cedar from these quality producers.

WRCLA MEMBERSDownie Timber/Selkirk SpecialtyEnyeart Cedar ProductsGilbert Smith Forest Products Ltd.Haida Forest Products Ltd.Idaho Forest GroupInterforMary's River Lumber Co.Mid Valley Lumber SpecialtiesNorth Enderby Timber Ltd.OrePac Building ProductsPower Wood Corp.Quadra Wood ProductsSawarne Lumber Company Ltd. ShakertownSkana Forest Products Ltd.Twin Rivers CedarWest Bay Forest ProductsWestern Forest Products, Inc. AFFILIATE MANUFACTURERSBW Creative Wood IndustriesCedarshed IndustriesOutdoor Living TodaySynergy Pacific/Quattro Timber

1.866.778.9096

www.realcedar.org

1.866.778.9096

www.realcedar.org

Beautiful, sustainable

Western Red Cedar

GUARDIAN (continued): [1] Sara Eller, SusanFaulkner. [2] Jay Levy, Matthew Schindler. [3]Joan & Randy Oscarson. [4] Chuck Croskey,Hal Musler. [5] Rob Everson, Ken Elliott. [6] UliWalther, Julie Rathjen. [7] Mark Headlee,Joseph Headlee, Joseph Headlee. [8] Alex

Hines, Chris Hammack. [9] Richard Schmith,Ben Sachs, Tim Hoffman. [10] Yvonne & ReneSaulnier. [11] Scott Enter, Bonnie & Ron Enter.[12] Brian Basham, Troy Basham. [13] BillDean, Rick Greenwell. [14] Audie Farquahar,Chris Thompson. [15]William Bazzle.


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INTERNATIONAL BUILDERS Show attracted a big crowdFeb. 8-11 at Orange County Convention Center, Orlando,Fl. [1] Len & Tina Kasperski. [2] Jim O’Neill, Dan Gibson.[3] Kyle Loveland, Kim Pohl, David Pool. [4] Doug Reid,Chris Shope. [5] Roger Farnand, Dale Robley, MarionBailey. [6] Rick Sanders, Craig Young, Dan Beaty, ChuckRigoni. [7] Megan Garrity, Carol Kelly. [8] Chris Kollwitz,Dan Danka, Brian Delbrueck. [9] Shaylene Adam, MaureenMurray, Troy Sinks, Michael Gori. [10] Phil Jackson,Deborah Baum Crain, Jim Flickinger. [11] Barry Lyons,Carol Lyn Groce. [12] John Niedzwiecki. [13] Sharon Loitus,Pam Corn, Camille Sciullo. [14] Brian May, Bill Naumann, Rick Kapres, JoshPace. [15] Steve Kearns, Tony DiRienzo, David Kenworthy. [16] Jon Nesbit.[17] Jon Bailey, Wayne Hilton. [18] Audrey Ordenes, Randy Engh, Jeanine

Jerkovic. [19] Bill Langmaid, Scott McGill, Paul Colliton, Scott Babbitt. [20]Ken Keranen, Erik Killunen. [21] Steve Killgore, Alan Oakes. [22] SteveKrystosik, Tim Willoughby. (More photos on next page)


IBS (continued): [1] Pete Izzo, Hallie Currigan, Justin George. [2] CareyGreenway, Richard Hicks. [3] Peter Krihak, Brent Gwatney. [4] Rex Scott,Mac MacDonald. [5] Clark Allen, Rick Oblak, Bryan Rychlik, Ryan Kaelin. [6]Tracy Wilson, Patrick Hanulak. [7] Barbara Stewart, Leda Johnson. [8] GuyPalumbo, Leon Desrocher, Bob Flute. [9] Phil Lail, Brian Orchard. [10]Brandy Lowery. [11] Dan Kukol, Brad Finck. [12] Steve Kelly, Scott vonGonten, Shawn Herrington. [13] Jeff Sturdivan, Mike Moran, Sean Seymour.[14] Courtney Watkins. [15] Chuck Casey, Kevin Guthard. [16] MelissaMorinelli, Joel Adamson, Tom Hall, Garnett Douglass. [17] Michael Griffiths,Tony Saad, Dave Varallo, Jean-Marc Dubois. [18] Tom Davis, Dave Nixon,Bert Falcone, Uli Walther, Chris Johnson, Kurt Hogard. [19] Colin McCown.[20] Jack Delaney, Lance Humphrey. [21] Jonathan Santiago, Dan Ivancic.[22] Brett McCutcheon, Christian Beck. [23] Joel Cone.

IBS 2012

Photos by The Merchant M

agazine


DEMAND FOR CYPRESSs remains stable, even as the lum-ber industry as a whole continues to struggle. Part of

this demand can be credited to the increased use of cypresssiding in institutional and commercial projects.

“Building professionals are looking for resource- andenergy-efficient materials,” says Ernie Pyle, OntarioHardwoods, Keysville, Va., and president-elect of theSouthern Cypress Manufacturers Association. “However,they also are looking for locally sourced and competitivelypriced materials, and cypress addresses all their needs.”

On the outskirts of Dallas, horizontal tongue-and-groovecypress was used to clad part of the 22,000-sq. ft. TrinityRiver Audubon Center. Brown Reynolds WatfordArchitects’ Gary DeVries said, “Cypress was selected forits beautiful appearance as well as its natural rot resistanceand longevity.” Because the cypress was sourced fromwithin 500 miles, it contributed points to the project’sLEED Silver certification.

“Design professionals who are looking for a naturalalternative to cedar and redwood, with superior qualities ata competitive price, are turning to cypress,” Pyle explains.“Cypress products add warmth and beauty to any project,and their popularity is spreading across the country.

The durability of cypress was a requirement for JacksonHole Airport in Jackson, Wy. Situated between the Teton

mountain range to the east and the Gros Ventre range to thewest, the facility required exterior siding materials thatwere durable enough for Wyoming’s drastic winter weath-er—dry and often reaching minus 30°—while adding beau-ty and aesthetic warmth to the project.

The design team wanted to utilize wood’s natural attrib-utes on the building’s exterior and interior. “We originallyspecified Douglas fir, but we substituted it with cypress,which is considered more rot-resistant,” explains BrentMather, design director and senior associate of Gensler’sDenver office. “The extreme weather exposure of the exte-rior was the major driver behind the change.”

The project was Mather’s first experience working withcypress, but it left a positive impression. “It stacks up toother wood for value, price, and quality,” he notes. “Itlooks great, and the owner and the design team are verypleased.”

Chuck Harris, Wholesale Wood Products, Dothan, Al.,says he has seen a number of inquiries for cypress comeacross his desk in the last 60 days. “We recently receivedan order for cypress to be used on a new school,” Harrisadds. “A large portion of the exterior is select grade cypresssiding, and they are using cypress timbers as well. I metwith the architects on this job to help them with the specsand learned they had two more commercial jobs they want-ed to use cypress on.”

Nancy Tuck, Gates Custom Milling, Gatesville, N.C.,says she is supplying select grade cypress in a special pro-file to clad a 50,000-sq. ft. facility for the University ofNorth Carolina Coastal Studies Institute on Roanoke Island.“Cypress is capitalizing on the lack of cedar logs and lum-ber available in the marketplace,” she says. “Cypress isbecoming a much bigger piece of what we do.”

– To learn more about building with cypress, visit SCMA’swebsite at www.cypressinfo.org and download its updatedbrochure, “Cypress Siding Installation Guidelines.”

CYPRESS SIDING in T&G format clad part of a new 22,000-sq. ft. naturecenter near Dallas, Tx.

Photo by Michael Lyon Photography

NEW AIRPORT required exterior siding that could withstand harsh condi-tions in Jackson Hole, Wy.

Photo by Matthew Millman

Cypress has commercialbuildingscovered

PRODUCT SpotlightSouthern Cypress


Western Building Material Asso-ciation honored Bruce Abel, DonAbel Building Supply, Juneau, Ak., asits 2011 Distinguished Dealer of theYear during its recent convention.

Indiana Lumbermens MutualInsurance, Indianapolis, In., wasnamed Associate Member of the Year.

Bill Mackie, Madison Lumber &Hardware, Ketchikan, Ak., isWBMA’s new president. Other newofficers are 1st v.p. Randy Stemper,Astoria Builders Supply, Astoria, Or.;2nd v.p. Mike Werner, BuildersAlliance, Bellingham, Wa., andYoung Westerners Club presidentTom Rider, Plywood Supply,Kenmore, Wa.

On March 21-22, executive directorCasey Voorhees will lead a blueprintreading and material takeoff class atWBMA’s Kincaid Learning Center,Olympia, Wa.

Mountain States Lumber &Building Material Dealers Associa-tion installed Dennis Gardner,ProBuild, Midvale, Ut., as its newpresident, succeeding Dena Cordova,Foxworth-Galbraith Lumber Co.,Colorado Springs, Co.

Other new officers are president-elect Dan Lowe, Alpine Lumber,Parker, Co.; treasurer Cordova; secre-tary Paula Ervin, Randall Lumber &Hardware, Taos, N.M.; national direc-tor Scott Yates, Denver Lumber,Denver, Co., and national alternateWalter Foxworth, Foxworth-GalbraithLumber, Dallas, Tx.

Kimberly Kent has returned to theassociation as a part-time administra-tive assistant.

During MSLBMDA’s ColoradoCouncil year-end party at the Mile

ASSOCIATION Update

High Stadium Club at Invesco Field,Dena Cordova was honored as 2011Lumberman of the Year. OutstandingSales Awards went to A.J. Kolarsickand Mickey Jones, Allweather Wood,Loveland, Co.; Terry Frank, SnavelyForest Products, Denver, Co.; BrendaLong, Taryn Taylor, Emily Bonilla,and Wade Paff, Boise Cascade,Denver; Tom Chase, Dan Nuttal, andMike Tristan, Capital, Phoenix, Az.;Kate Wyeth, BlueLinx, Denver;Bobby Reid, Reid & Wright,Broomfield, Co.; Tim Gleason, R/WSpecialties, Henderson, Co., andMonty Trumbull.

Lumber Association of Califor-nia & Nevada hits the links June 7 forits annual associates/dealers golf tour-nament at Rancho Solano Golf Club,Fairfield, Ca.

Moulding & Millwork ProducersAssociation has changed the locationof its March 19-24 winter meeting toLoews Santa Monica Beach Hotel,Santa Monica, Ca.

Western Wood Preservers Insti-tute has moved its June 24-26 summermeeting to Ritz-Carlton BachelorGulch, Avon, Co.

North American Retail Hard-ware Association will host its annualconvention May 1-3 at Bellagio Hotel,Las Vegas, Nv.

Western States Roofing Con-tractors Association’s annual con-vention and expo is June 24-27 atParis Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nv.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumber-man’s Club will host its annualLadies Night May 10 at Orange HillRestaurant, Orange, Ca.

TREATERS WITH INTEGRITY, TAKING CARE OF TOMORROW’S NEEDS TODAY

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Fax 909-350-9623 • email – [email protected]

CUED UP: Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman’s Club held its annual pool tournament Feb. 9 atDanny K’s, Orange, Ca. (Front row, l-r) Jim Gaffney, Walt Maas; (2nd row) Charley Bohnhoff,Christa Bohnhoff, Alan Arbiso, Mike Bohnhoff, Jack Skinner; (3rd row) Dale Bohannon, RichardPhillips, Dan Bohannon, Jim Demach, Charley Fiala; (back) Nathan Osborne, Jim Gaither, CharleyJames, Bill Burns, Bill Fitzgerald. Photo by Walter Ralston


CLASSIFIED Marketplace

Rates: $1.20 per word (25 word min.). Phone number counts as 1 word, address as 6. Centeredcopy or headline, $9 per line. Border, $9. Private box, $15. Column inch rate: $55 if art furnished“camera-ready” (advertiser sets the type), $65 if we set type. Send ad to Fax 949-852-0231 ordkoenig@ building-products.com. For more info, call (949) 852-1990. Make checks payable toCutler Publishing. Deadline: 18th of previous month.

HELP WANTED

FOR SALE

INDUSTRIAL SALES REPRESENTATIVEGANAHL LUMBER, CORONA, CA.Ganahl Lumber in Corona has an opening

for an industrial sales rep. We are looking forsomeone with a proven track record to get us thefollowing results:

• Work closely with both Operations andPurchasing to offer our full line of products tobusinesses delivering sales to Industrialaccounts of $250K a month within 24 months.

• Consistently search for new businessopportunities within the Industrial segment bycold calling and offering new products to exist-ing customers. Target growth of 20% in newbusiness year over year.

• Proficient with a computer. As the primarycontact with our customers, we are looking forsomeone that can utilize all forms of technologyto communicate professionally both within ourorganization, and with our customers.

• You must be able to assemble and presenta professional and effective product presentationto both existing and potential customers for thefull line of products we offer. An effective pre-sentation will utilize all the resources available.

This position is compensated based on per-formance. The right results will produce anincome over $100,000.

If you have a proven track record in accom-plishing the above, and you can clearly commu-nicate how you can accomplish the results out-lined above, please apply [email protected].

Let’s get the lumber industry back to work!If your company has a job opening in management, purchasing, sales or marketing,

The Merchant is offering a $60 credit to advertise your position in next month’s April issue. Fax your copy to 949-852-0231 or email [email protected].

This means any Help Wanted ad under 40 words is FFRREEEE (ads longer than 40 words will bebilled $1.20 for each additional word). Ads MUST be received by March 20, 2012,

to meet our print deadline and qualify for this offer.

FREE HELP WANTED ADS

POSITION WANTEDMANAGEMENT POSITION WANTED:General manager with over 25 years of experi-ence in the building supply industry seeking achallenging career position. Successful workhistory in business development, management,and analysis with a background increasing prof-its and setting sales records. Building industryexperience includes sales, marketing, purchas-ing, advertising, estimating, budgeting, andaccounting. Motivated, professional candidatewith superior leadership skills willing to relo-cate or travel for the right opportunity. ContactMike at [email protected].

LLaatteessttBBrreeaakkiinngg

IInndduussttrryy NNeewwssfor Dealers,Wholesalers &Manufacturers—Updated Daily

CARPENTER PENCILS7,000 at 16¢ eachNAIL APRONS

1,000 at 89¢ eachPRINTED WITH YOUR LOGO

L.I.INDUSTRIES800-526-6465

FAX [email protected]

www.apronsupply.com

JOB SITE SIGNS

CONTRACTOR PLANNERS

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISINGOrder Blank

– Fax to 949-852-0231or email to [email protected] –

Name ______________________ Phone ( ) ______________Address ______________________________________________City ______________________ State ____ Zip _______-_____COPY __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


DATE BookListings are often submitted months in advance. Always verify

dates and locations with sponsor before making plans to attend.

Western Wood Products Association – March 12, annual meet-ing, Embassy Suites Downtown, Portland, Or.; (503) 224-3930;www.wwpa.org.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – March 12-15,Wood Management Course, Mississippi State University,Starksville, Ms.; (800) 527-8258; www.lumber.org.

WoodWorks – March 13, Wood Solutions Fairs, Oregon ConventionCenter, Portland, Or.; March 15, Washington State ConferenceCenter, Seattle, Wa.; (866) 966-3448; www.woodworks.org.

Redwood Region Logging Conference – March 15-17, RedwoodEmpire Fairgrounds, Ukiah, Ca.; (707) 443-4091; www.rrlc.net.

Remodeling & Decorating Show – March 17-18, Orange CountyFair & Event Center, Costa Mesa, Ca.; (818) 557-2950;www.thehomeshow.com.

Moulding & Millwork Producers Association – March 19-24, win-ter meeting, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Santa Monica,Ca.; (800) 550-7889; www.wmmpa.com.

Epicor Software – March 22-23, LBM customer training conference,Denver Marriott City Center, Denver, Co.; (888) 463-4700; www.epicor.com.

Seattle Remodeling Expo – March 23-25, Washington StateConvention Center, Seattle, Wa.; (800) 374-6463;www.homeshowcenter.com.

Remodeling & Decorating Show – March 24-25, PechangaCasino, Temecula, Ca.; (818) 557-2950; thehomeshow.com.

International Wood Products Association – March 28-30, annualconvention, Miramonte Resort & Spa, Indian Wells, Ca.; (703)820-6696; www.iwpawood.org.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – March 29,regional meeting, Embassy Suites, Portland, Or.; (800) 527-8258; www.lumber.org.

American Institute of Timber Construction – April 2-3, annualmeeting, Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, Naples, Fl.; (303) 792-9559; www.aitc-glulam.org.

American Architectural Manufacturers Association – April 10-11,spring meeting, Embassy Suites Portland Airport, Portland, Or.;(847) 303-5664; www.aamanet.org.

Structural Insulated Panel Association –April 10-12, annualmeeting & conference, Embassy Suites, San Antonio, Tx.; (253)858-7472.; www.sips.org.

National Wood Flooring Association – April 10-13, conference &wood flooring expo, Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center,Orlando, Fl.; (800) 422-4556; www.woodfloors.org.

International Wood Composites Symposium – April 11-13, RedLion, Seattle, Wa.; (509) 335-2262; woodsymposium.wsu.edu.

Lumber Association of California & Nevada – April 12, associ-ates/dealers golf tournament, Black Gold Golf Club, Yorba Linda,Ca.; (800) 266-4344; www.lumberassociation.org.

North American Wholesale Lumber Association – April 12,regional meeting, Vancouver Club, Vancouver, B.C.; (800) 527-8258; www.lumber.org.

Southern California Hoo-Hoo Club – April 18, dinner & meeting,Anaheim Hills Golf Course, Anaheim, Ca.; (760) 324-0842;www.hoohoo117.org.

Olympic Logging Conference – April 18-20, Fairmont Empress,Victoria, B.C.; (360) 452-9357; olympicloggingconference.com.

Remodeling & Decorating Show – April 21-22, Civic Center, SantaMonica, Ca.; (818) 557-2950; www.thehomeshow.com.

Transload Distribution Association – April 23-25, conference,Doubletree, Memphis, Tn.; (503) 656-4282; www.transload.org.


ADVERTISERS IndexFor more information on advertisers, call them

directly or visit their websites [in brackets].

Opening its doors to hundreds of Cub Scoutsbrought increased sales and community goodwill to OldTown Ace Hardware in Alexandria, Va., a historic areajust outside our nation’s capital.

Rich Heilman bought the business, housed in a9,000-sq. ft., two-story brick building, in 2008. The fol-lowing January, faced with a winter slowdown, helooked around for a way to increase business.

Heilman didn’t have to look long or far. When thelocal Boy Scout group asked for help with its yearlyPinewood Derby, he went into action. He was familiarwith the events—in which scouts build and race wood-en cars—through his own sons.

To supervise the action and prevent injuries to younghands, he secured the expertise of an expert: carpenterJesse Cathell, who brought all needed equipment, set upa temporary workshop at the back of the store, andrough-cut designs that each scout traced on a smallblock of wood. When rough-cutting was complete,scouts moved to another table and sanded their cre-ations under the watchful eye of their parents and olderscouts who volunteered their help.

The first event, held on just two weekends, was areal success: scouts and their parents waited up to anhour and a half in the snow to get inside the store. Lastyear, about 300 scouts attended the event over threeweekends. This year’s event was held over four week-ends, with nearly 400 scouts.

Besides contributing space for the workshop andpopcorn for snacking, Heilman donated 5% of sales forall related products—wood kits, spray paint, sandpa-per—to offset the cost of operating the local PinewoodDerby. Participating families who attended the work-shops were asked to donate $1 per cut. Together, about$1,000 was raised, of which half went to the Children’sMiracle Network—a charity favored by Ace Corp.

Heilman says that parents, who often drive miles toattend the workshop, mention how grateful they are forthe help. Many return to shop at the store and becomeregular customers, as do residents who read about theevent in local newspapers.

IDEA FileLittle Cars Have Big Impact

CUSTOMER Damon Wright and scouts (l-r) William Keough, NathanKeough, and Dillon Wright sand their racecars at Old Town AceHardware, Alexandria, Va.

Advantage Trim & Lumber [www.advantagelumber.com]....34

Allweather Wood Treaters [www.allweatherwood.com] .........5

Bear Forest Products [www.bearfp.com] ...............................41

Big Creek Lumber [www.big-creek.com]................................39

Boise Cascade [www.bcewp.com] .........................................34

Cal Coast Wholesale Lumber ..................................................36

California Redwood Association [www.calredwood.org] .....26

California Redwood Co. [californiaredwoodco.com] ...Cover II

California Timberline [www.caltimberline.com].......................4

Canfor [www.canfor.com] ........................................................21

Capital [www.capital-lumber.com]..................................Cover I

Crawford Creek Lumber [crawfordcreeklumber.com]...........32

Fontana Wholesale Lumber [fontanawholesalelumber.com] ..47

GRK Fasteners [www.grkfasteners.com] ...............................19

Hoover Treated Wood Products [www.frtw.com] ..................49

Huff Lumber ..............................................................................30

Humboldt Redwood [www.getredwood.com] ..........................5

Idaho Forest Group [www.idahoforestgroup.com]..................3

Keller Lumber............................................................................17

Mary’s River Lumber [www.marysriverlumber.com].............33

Master Mark Plastics [www.armadillodeck.com]...................40

Maze Nails [www.mazenails.com] .............................................8

Norman Distribution [www.normandist.com] ........................37

Pacific Wood Preserving Cos. [www.pacificwood.com].......38

Redwood Empire [www.redwoodemp.com]...........................23

Roseburg Forest Products [www.rfpco.com] ........................13

Screw Products [www.screw-products.com].........................39

Simpson Strong-Tie [www.strongtie.com]...................Cover III

Siskiyou Forest Products [siskiyouforestproducts.com].....27

Southern California Hoo-Hoo Club [www.hoohoo117.org]...29

Sunbelt [www.sunbeltracks.com] ...........................................32

Swanson Group Sales [www.swansongroupinc.com]..........25

Terminal Forest Products [www.terminalforest.com] ...........31

Thunderbolt Wood Treating [thunderboltwoodtreating.com]..35

TMI Forest Products [www.tubafor.com] .................................7

Trinity River Lumber.................................................................18

Universal Forest Products [www.ufpi.com] ...........................28

Viance [www.treatedwood.com] ...................................Cover IV

Western Red Cedar Lumber Assn. [www.wrcla.org]........42-43

Yakama Forest Products [www.yakama-forest.com] ............36

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The Merchant Magazine - March 2012

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Transcript of The Merchant Magazine - March 2012