the merchant magazine june 2010

HI-TECH APPS FOR LBM � GUIDE TO HOUSEWRAPS � SIDING FORECAST

JJUUNNEE 22001100

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

When you partner with The California Redwood Company, you’re not just getting a unique and beautiful wood product, you’re getting the experience and innovation only a company that’s been around for 120 years can bring.

This year, we’re continuing with our spirit of constant improvement with the addition of two newly designed wood products, along with enhancements to our current products. We’re also launching a new marketing campaign, including a completely new website, a new identity and collateral system, and a robust in-store training program. The campaign, entitled “Build history” tells the rich story of The California Redwood Company and inspires homeowners to build something truly special — all of which translates to new and higher margin opportunities for you.

We hope you’ll call us at 1-800-637-7077 or visit californiaredwoodco.com to learn more about what a partnership with The California Redwood Company can mean. And fi nd out if together, we can build history.

There’s no wood quite like redwood.

There’s no company quite like The California Redwood Company.

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44 � The Merchant Magazine � June 2010 Building-Products.com

June 2010Volume 88 �� Number 12

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Special Features9 INDUSTRY TRENDS

EXTERIOR SIDING FORECAST

10 INDUSTRY TRENDSIPHONE APPS FOR THE LBM BUSINESS

12 FEATURE STORYCOMPLYING WITH THE LACEY ACT

16 PRODUCT SPOTLIGHTHOUSEWRAPS & RAINSCREENS

18 MANAGEMENT TIPSSECURE THE RIGHT DOMAIN NAME

20 COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCEN.Y. DEALER PATIENTLY EXPANDS

40 MANAGEMENT TIPSPUT THE BRAKES ON “DWT”

42 FEATURE STORYREAL OUTDOOR LIVING: BIRD’S-EYEVIEW OF MARKETING SUCCESS STORY

TheMERCHANTMagazine

California Timberline, Inc.Sugar and Ponderosa Pine,Douglas Fir, Redwood,

Western Red and California Incense CedarHardwood Lumber & Plywood

Chino, CA 91710 • (909) 591-4811 • FAX (909) 591-4818

The Mark of Responsible ForestrySCS-COC-001973

®1996 Forest Stewardship Council A.C.

In Every Issue6 TOTALLY RANDOM

22 OLSEN ON SALES

24 GREEN RETAILING

32 MOVERS & SHAKERS

38 FAMILY BUSINESS

44 KAHLE ON SALES

45 IN MEMORIAM

46 NEW PRODUCTS

51 ASSOCIATION UPDATE

52 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE

53 DATE BOOK

54 IDEA FILE

54 ADVERTISERS INDEX

CHANGE OF ADDRESS Send address label from recent issue ifpossible, new address and 9-digit zip to address below. POSTMASTER Send address changes to The MerchantMagazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca.92660-1872.The Merchant Magazine (USPS 796-560) is published monthlyat 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660-1872 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Periodicals Postage paid atNewport Beach, Ca., and additional post offices. It is an indepen-dently-owned publication for the retail, wholesale and distributionlevels of the lumber and building products markets in 13 westernstates. Copyright®2010 by Cutler Publishing, Inc. Cover andentire contents are fully protected and must not be reproduced inany manner without written permission. All Rights Reserved. Itreserves the right to accept or reject any editorial or advertisingmatter, and assumes no liability for materials furnished to it.

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TOTALLY RandomBy Alan Oakes

Are you another Toyota?

EVEN IF YOU WERE NOT LINING UP at your auto dealership to get your gas accel-erator or your braking system fixed, you have certainly heard of the issues

Toyota has gone through these past few months. What was most surprising wasthat, whether or not we drove a Toyota, most of us shared the view that it was agreat company that produced superior cars. So how was it possible that such an iconic brand failed to deal with obvious

problems, got chewed up in the jaws of the press, and seemed to go into hiding?They showed that not only may their cars not have been what they were posi-tioned to be (considering around 8 million of them were recalled), but also that asa company they had no clue how to handle a crisis. Maybe egos were too large.Perhaps, while lives were at stake, Toyota’s top brass was in denial. Similar prob-lems can crop up at any company, in any industry. Nobody escapes untarnishedthese days—nor, if they’re guilty, should they.In the world of LBM, we have faced our own maulings, either as individual

companies or as part of our industry sector. Whether it was clear-cutting, leadpaint, CCA, mold, defective decking, and any number of other issues, we learnedthat in an age when you cannot control information or its speed of flow, you can-not bury your head in the sand and hope crises evaporate. They don’t. In somecases there may not be a shred of truth in the accusations, but as with CCA, thecharges get completely overblown, facts get distorted, and those who shout theloudest create the perceived truth in people’s minds, even if completely wrong. Today you have to recognize the truth, and then fess up and tell the absolute

truth—the whole truth and nothing but. You cannot allow others to fill in theblanks on parts of the issue you feel uncomfortable with. You have to give a com-plete account of what went wrong, why, and how you will fix it.Too many companies lack leaders who are willing to listen to the truth and a

culture that allows the truth to percolate up. Employees may be fearful of bringingup bad news. Do you shoot the messenger? Are your meetings conducted in a waywhere issues can be presented, or does bad news never get past the water cooler?You also need to get ahead of the issue. So many companies bury problems

until they are exposed from the outside. They are then reactive instead of beingproactive. Damage control is much more difficult and expensive when someoneelse breaks the bad news. It costs more to rebuild a brand than to build it in thefirst place. Your message must be clear, precise, and consistent for all audiences,including your own staff. Filtered, watered-down, wishy-washy responses do notwork. One message for your board, another for the staff, and another for outsideears and Wall Street puts out a confusing message. In fact, you are left trying toexplain over and over again, completely destroying the credibility you are tryingto rebuild. Tripping over your own tongue is not what you want to be seen doing.The media can break you fast. But it can also be a

great tool. The Web can be used for offense as well asdefense. Rumors can be dispelled and your positiveactions can be announced quickly and accurately—not allowing for others to twist your words. Be activein the story you want put out. The more evasive youare, the more bad press will come your way. And, inthe end you will be found out and pay an expo-nentially higher price.When the media are banging on your

door, don’t run. Engage them, answerfully to the best of the known facts, andstart protecting yourself. And, if you seeme banging on your door, a few cook-ies might just work!

Alan Oakes, [email protected]

MS ad - Merchant Mag - 8.25x10.875.indd 1 4/14/2010 8:57:17 AM

Building-Products.com June 2010 � The Merchant Magazine � 99

INDUSTRY Trends

RISING DEMAND FOR fiber cementshould allow the material to over-

take wood as the second-most populartype of siding in the U.S., behind onlyvinyl, according to a new forecast bythe Freedonia Group.The research company anticipates

overall demand for siding will climb6.5% annually through 2014 to 101.5million squares worth $11.3 billion.Advances will be driven by an

expected rebound in housing comple-tions from the depressed levels in2009 that reflected the sharp declinesin housing completions between 2007and 2009. Although housing comple-

tions will remain below the levelreached at their cyclical peak in 2006,the recovery will fuel above-averagegains in the residential siding marketthrough 2014. Brick and fiber cement siding are

forecast to see the most rapid demandadvances through 2014. Demand forbrick siding (rising 14.9% annually tothe equivalent of 10.4 million squaresby 2014) will be spurred by the rapidrise in housing completions in theSouth, the region of the U.S. wherebrick is most commonly used.Homeowners continue to desire bricksiding due to its aesthetic properties,durability and fire resistance. Fiber cement siding demand, jump-

ing 9.5% per year to 11.8 millionsquares by 2014, will be promoted byits durability and ability to be madeinto siding that resembles more expen-sive materials, such as wood or brick.Advances will also be derived fromthe material’s popularity in the Southand West regions of the U.S., whichare forecast to see above-averagegrowth in population and housingactivity through 2014. However, thematerial’s market penetration willdecelerate, as use of fiber cement inthe Midwest and Northeast remainscomparatively low.Vinyl siding, which accounted for

the largest share of the market in areaterms in 2009, is projected to remainthe market leader through 2014,increasing 6.3% to 40 million squares.Demand will be supported by thematerial’s low cost, ease of installa-tion, and durability. Efforts by manu-facturers to broaden the range of avail-able colors and textures will also pro-mote gains. However, more rapidadvances will be checked by risingcompetition from fiber cement and

stucco siding, which can offerenhanced long-term durability andfewer maintenance requirements.Stucco, EIFS, concrete and other

siding accounted for the second-largest share of siding demand in2009. Through 2014, annual demandfor these materials is forecast toadvance 9.3% to 10.6 million squares,as rising population growth and con-struction activity in the South andWest regions—where stucco is mostcommonly used—drive gains. Advances will also be derived from

increased use of EIFS systems due totheir ease of installation and insulationproperties.Wood siding is expected to lose

market share through 2014 as con-sumers select materials that last longerand require less annual upkeep. Woodis predicted to inch up 2% per year to10.4 million squares, dropping it to atie for fourth most popular sidingchoice, from its current spot at second.All other siding types combined

will rise 3.2% annually to 18.3 millionsquares. Most significantly, polypro-pylene siding is expected to seeabove-average gains. Consumers willopt for the material due to its resem-blance to natural wood siding whilebeing far less susceptible to rottingand degradation.The residential improvement and

repair market was the largest marketfor siding in 2009, reflecting the lowlevel of new housing activity in thatyear. Demand for siding in residentialimprovement and repair applicationswill rise modestly through 2014.Homeowners will be less likely to takeout home equity loans, the most com-mon method of financing such pro-jects as siding replacement, if financ-ing is more difficult to obtain.

Siding forecastFiber cement expectsto overtake wood

AFTER 25 YEARS of steady gains, fibercement is poised to become the second mostpopular material for siding.

Photo by James Hardie


INDUSTRY TrendsLBM iPhone Apps

Get AppyiPhone meets the LBM industryPACKED WITH CAPABILITIES well

beyond mere communications,iPhones are fast becoming powerfultools to help LBM dealers and manu-facturers work with, market to, andbetter serve their customers andprospects. Using specialized applica-tions (or “apps”), iPhones can calcu-late job lists and lumber dimensions,hold digital product samples, and evenlocate and provide directions to thenearest home center—thanks to the$0.99 Home Improvement StoreFinder app. Bear Creek Lumber, Winthrop,

Wa., equipped its entire sales forcewith iPhones, so reps can respond tocustomer inquiries more quickly andbe constantly connected via email andthe Internet. To encourage customersto work with them via iPhone, BearCreek also developed two of its ownapps:• LumberCalc ($0.99) permits

board foot calculations, paneling cov-erage conversion to board feet (forpatterns such as log cabin, tongue-and-groove, shiplap), and flooring cal-culation. • Board Feet Calculator (free)

helps builders, architects and home-owners with calculating board footageand prices from known lumber dimen-sions. Enter the price per thousandboard feet and they’ll get board footprice and linear foot price for that par-ticular dimension. (Another companyoffers a similar app, with the samename, for $0.99.)Rick’s Custom Fencing & Decking,

Hillsboro, Or., devised The RickʼsFence Material Calculator (free),to help customers figure out the mate-rials they’ll need for a particular fenc-ing project. They input their preferredfence style, materials and length, andreceive a comprehensive list ofrequired materials. Then the list can beforwarded to their local Rick’s loca-tion for a quick quote.Other apps provide digital “product

samples,” before directing consumersto the nearest retail showroom to maketheir purchase. With Marvin Windows& Doors’ Window Shopping (free),homeowners snap a photo of an interi-or exterior space that could use anupgrade, then arrange new Marvinwindows and doors over the photo. “Once a homeowner creates and

saves a design idea, a Marvin dealercan bring the design to life by helpingpersonalize windows or doors with thedesired hardware, wood choices, col-ors, energy-efficiency ratings, and soMARVIN’S Window Shopping app allows homeowners to view what their own home would look like

with new windows and doors.


on,” said Marvin’s John Kirchner. “A dealer-locator tool isbuilt into the app, which makes it easy to turn a homeown-er’s design dream into a reality.”Likewise, Lumber Liquidators’ Floor Finder (free)

contains nearly 200 flooring samples. “Lumber Liquidatorswanted to provide another way to make their products easi-ly accessible to their customers,” said Marco Pescara.“With the new app, the floor searching and buying processis very convenient and user friendly. By allowing users toaccess flooring samples right on their handheld screen,there is no need for bulky samples that end up being thrownaway, making it also very eco-friendly.”Using Sherwin-Williams’ Color-Snap or Benjamin

Moore’s Color Capture (both free), iPhone users cansnap a picture of any color inspiration and instantly matchit to the closest hue among the manufacturers’ paint offer-ings.

Palettes Lite (free) and the upgraded Palettes ($9.99)can also be used to visualize color schemes for an entirehome, inside and out. Also for designers, I.D. Wood ($2.99) contains over 50

raw cut and unfinished wood samples with species, botani-cal and colloquial names, origins, descriptions, commonuses, and properties for durability, sustainability and wood-working. Associations are also getting into the act to promote

their members’ products. Western Wood Products Associ-ation’s new Lumber DesignEasy Joist/Rafter Spansapplication ($0.99) allows architects, engineers, buildingcode officials, and other design professionals to quicklycalculate simple joist and rafter spans for western lumberstructural grades. Users select the size and loading conditions and generate

a table of spans for the structural grades in six differentwestern species groups. Adjustments can be made for loadduration, deflection, and incising for pressure treated wood.Comparing spans for different western species can be

done with just a few touches. The app remembers the sizeand loading conditions selected, so users can choose a newspecies and then immediately create an updated table ofspans.Similarly, Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Associ-

ation recently included several of its top references andmarketing tools in NeLMA To Go (free). The app includes“Standard Grading Rules for Northeastern Lumber,”“Standard Patterns for Eastern White Pine,” the white pineseries of Architectural Monographs, and eastern white pinegrade and end-use photos.“Our goal is to continually look for unique ways to

make it easy for potential customers to design, specify, andbuild with Northeastern softwood products,” noted NeLMApresident Jeff Easterling.iPhone in the Tool BeltOnce homeowners and contractors decide what products

they want, another group of applications can help them fig-ure out how many. Handy-Man Sidekick ($1.99) andHome Improvement Calculator ($4.99) calculate theamount of material needed for a range of projects, includ-ing paint, wallpaper, tile, decking, fencing, concrete, grav-el, mulch, brick, and flooring.

Drywall Calculator ($0.99) calculates the squarefootage of any room to determine how many sheets of dry-wall will be needed.

ConcreteCalc Pro ($0.99) analyzes how many cubicyards of concrete are required for a project.

Advanced construction-math calculators includeBuildCalc Pro ($19.99), Carpenterʼs Helper Pro($9.99), Carpenterʼs Helper Lite (free).

BalusterPro ($2.99) calculates baluster spacing, whileBuilderʼs Formulator ($9.99) contains over 200 formu-las from electrical, carpentry, plumbing, concrete andfinancial formulations.

FIS Dimensional Calculator ($9.99) calculates LBMdimensions in feet, inches, and fractions of an inch.Applications are so versatile that some have replaced

actual tools on contractors’ tool belts. A-Level, DualLevel, Quad Level ($0.99 each), and iHandy Level(free) turn an iPhone into a level. Quad Level, in fact, canbe used horizontally, vertically or diaganolly—and reportsexactly how far out of level something is.

iRuler and Ruler ($0.99 each) convert an iPhone’sscreen to tick marks, for precise measurements in inches orcentimeters.

Flashlight and myLite (both free) change the iPhone’sscreen to bright white, in effect allowing the phone to beused as a flashlight.

iHandy Carpenter ($1.99) features a level, plumbbob, ruler, and protractor.Apple’s iTunes App Store now offers more than 100,000

different apps for download to iPhones, iPod Touches, andiPads. And it’s only the beginning. Every day should bringsomething new.

WWPA’S new app calculates and compares spans for six different west-ern lumber species.


WHAT DO MERANTI PLYWOOD, ipédecking, sapelli lumber, bam-

boo flooring, and a guitar’s wenge fin-gerboard have in common? They areall covered by the Lacey Act, and dis-tributors and dealers who trade inthese products and others face civiland criminal penalties if they fail tocomply with the Act’s requirements.If you trade in wood products,

regardless of their source or your ownposition in the market, you shouldknow your responsibilities under thelaw. You must not only documentyour own direct imports, but also con-duct “due diligence” on the importedproducts you are purchasing domesti-cally. Even if you trade only indomestic species and production, youhave obligations and liability underLacey.

Complying with theLacey Act—or else

FEATURE StoryBy Elizabeth Baldwin, Compliance Specialists

What is Lacey?The Lacey Act consists of three

basic provisions:(1) It is a United States federal

offense to trade in illegal or “tainted”plants and plant-based products; andthe action that made the product ille-gal (“tainted” the product) does nothave to occurred within the U.S.Included in the long list of ways to“taint” a product are actions such asharvesting it illegally, trading it with-out proper duties or other fees beingpaid, or smuggling/stealing it. (2) Importers need to declare both

what species they are bringing in andwhere it came from.(3) Don’t lie to the government!

(While this seems like common sense,the government has to specificallystate that it’s wrong so they can prose-

cute you if you do it.)The Lacey Act applies to everyone

in the U.S., from the individuals andcompanies doing business in wood tothe final retail consumer—the lawdoes not exclude anyone. Violationsof the new law will be met with steeppenalties if the government is able toprove that an individual or a corpora-tion has knowingly traded in illegalmaterial or has misreported an import-ed product. Ten years of imprisonmentis a possible penalty, and corporatefines can go as high as $500,000.

The Documentary Burdenfor Importers

The initial focus by most compa-nies is on the documentary burden.Lacey affects everything containingplant-based materials—even the woodburl veneer on a car’s dashboard mustbe documented. The total number ofitems affected is expected to exceed90,000.Every importer must file a detailed

declaration for incoming agriculturalproducts specifying species and coun-try of origin no matter where the finalproduct is produced. This includesmaterial from Canada and Mexico—NAFTA doesn’t eliminate any Lacey-related compliance requirements. The international wood products

trade often has a very complicatedsupply chain. An engineered floormight be made in China, but contain ameranti plywood core made inMalaysia and a top veneer of red oakoriginally from the U.S. The declara-tion requires that the importer knowthe source countries and exact scientif-ic species for each component, includ-ing material originating from the U.S. While difficult enough for a com-

pany importing a single type of soliddecking, this will be a significant chal-

NEW PROVISIONS of the Lacey Act just came into effect April 1, 2010, to ensure wood productsdidn’t originate in illegally logged forests. Everyone—from manufacturer through distributor and deal-er to end-user—is responsible.


lenge to companies that import mixedspecies production, such as furnitureor kitchen cabinet companies. Wood istraded under a commercial or tradename, but is rarely purely a singlespecies of tree. A meranti plywoodcore might require a declaration ofover 50 species (out of over 250 possi-ble). The top veneer might come fromseveral countries and include dozensof species within the one genus.Developing a system to document andtrack the species is one of the chal-lenges Lacey puts on companies.In many cases, a freight forwarder

or broker will file the declaration, butthe company must provide the infor-mation for them. U.S. Customs is try-ing to accept information electronical-ly, but is still receiving the majority ofdeclarations on paper. They havedeveloped a rolling implementationschedule, requiring declarations fordifferent HS Codes to start on differ-ent dates. An updated listing of itemssubject to declaration (listed by HScode) is on the USDA Animal & PlantHealth Inspection Service website atwww.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health/lacey_act/index.shtml.

The Legality Burdenfor absolutely EveryoneThe potential for legal liability falls

on everyone in the chain. On anabsolute level, Lacey allows for theconfiscation of goods from anyone—even to the point of allowing the gov-ernment to enter a home to pull up aliving room floor, rip out the kitchen

Hardwood DeckingBuyers, Beware

“What everyone fails to mention is theimportance of being Lacey Act safe.Everyone who buys ipé needs to be com-fortable asking their suppliers about thelegality of the fiber.

“With the market f luctuations andemerging imports from other countries,especially Indonesia and places other thanBrazil with cheaper labor costs, it hasbecome attractive to look to those placesfrom a cost standpoint for alternatives.What many don’t realize is that a goodmajority of this fiber will not pass the litmustest for Lacey compliance. A lot ofimporters do not have direct ties to the pro-duction and many don’t care. It’s the guywith the inventory at the end who gets thefine. We ensure that all our wood is Laceysafe because we want to and have to.”

– Sean Burch, Redwood Empire,Morgan Hill, Ca.

cabinets, or seize Johnny’s new bunkbed. Now, in the real world, that’s justnot going to happen, but that’s thepotential extent of liability. Anyone inthe chain, from the importer to theretailer to the homeowner, and eventhe trucking companies, technicallyshare the risk for the legality of theirwood in the product.Most people define Lacey’s start

date as when their specific import dec-larations are required. This focus canbe dangerous since the legalityrequirement is already in effect—as ofMay 22, 2008, it is against U.S. law to

trade in any illegally harvested agri-cultural product. Every one of us iscurrently Lacey liable.While the greatest burdens and

risks will be on the actual importers,distributors and retailers should alsobe asking some questions of their sup-pliers, if only to be able to respond totheir customers’ questions. In somemarkets, domestic producers are usingLacey as a scare tactic in their market-ing to try to pull customers away fromimported products.It’s important to note that Lacey

does not specifically require importers

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Geo. M. Huff Lumber Company is now offering Hand HewnDistressed Timbers in a variety of sizes, shapes and lengths.

All our distressed beams are WCLIB grade stamped and will meetstructural and architectural applica-tions. All are hand tooled and can beordered with custom stains and OldWorld finishes.

We can supply timbers to any spec-ification, whether it is Dense, Free ofHeart Center, #1/Btr, SelectStructural, Green or RFV Kiln Dried.

When a plan calls for exposed posts and timbers, count on us toprovide you with a product that willlast a lifetime.

Combine our selection of Douglasfir timbers along with our skilledmilling staff and you’ve got one ofthe best resources in SouthernCalifornia.

HUFF LUMBER COMPANYSANTA FE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA

800-347-4833

1144 � The Merchant Magazine � June 2010

For more on compliance…A bit of due diligence on your part

can reduce or mitigate potential penal-ties as well as significantly diminish youroverall risk of being the target of aninvestigation.

Revised this spring, Complying withthe Lacey Act: A Real World Guide pro-vides practical instructions to help youorganize and manage your species infor-mation and legality documentation, andcoordinate your internal and externalcommunications.

The printed guide—complete withsample databases and documentation—will assist you in preparing for the importdeclarations, learning how to documentproduct legality, and educating yourself,staff, suppliers and customers regardingthe potential impact of the Lacey Act.

Also included is a CD-ROM contain-ing assorted templates and documenta-tion with recommendations for use withdomestic customers and internationalpartners, and a reference file linking toonline resources. Sample purchaseorder text has also been provided in mul-tiple languages common to many keysupplying regions.

Visit www.laceyactresources.com.

Finally, it should be noted that for-eign companies and individuals canalso be prosecuted under Lacey and inpast cases (for fish and wildlife, notwood), foreign nationals have beenarrested during a visit to the U.S. andsubsequently tried and jailed.

Lacey & U.S. WoodsTrade in U.S. woods is also cov-

ered by Lacey. For example, if thegovernment can prove that a log wastaken from the wrong side of a proper-ty line, that would be a Lacey viola-tion and the U.S. company would beliable for any applicable penalties.Furthermore, all American domesticwoods need to be declared upon theirre-entry into the U.S. If a foreign com-pany utilizes American red oak orwalnut for a floor, pecan for a kitchencabinet, or SPF for plywood, thosespecies will be subject to Lacey decla-ration requirements when the finalproduct is imported into the U.S. Sowhile much less likely to be targetedfor investigation, a certain level of duediligence should be done regarding theAmerican supply chain as well. Many American manufacturers are

anticipating an increase in theirdomestic market share as both down-stream producers and retail customersshift from imported species to the“safer” domestic hardwoods. Certainlythere is likely to be a change in thatarea, but U.S. companies should notneglect their opportunity to utilize theLacey Act to increase their exportopportunities as well.U.S. companies should be offering

their overseas customers who intend toexport a finished product back to theU.S. documentation to show that theirproduction has an extremely low riskof being considered tainted. Such doc-umentation can include the FSC’s ownassessment of American hardwoods as“low risk,” or copies of reports by theAmerican Hardwood Export Council,Appalachian Hardwood Manufactur-ers, and other industry organizations.Local universities often have studies(Purdue has an excellent one onIndiana timber) that can be quoted.Companies with good documentationpackages should become preferredsuppliers to nervous overseas buyers.

The Future of Laceyaround the World

Lacey’s goal is to protect theworld’s forests by encouraging moredetailed questioning of supply chainsand by providing a means of enforce-

ment against egregious offenders. Sowhether you choose to take actionbecause it’s the right thing to do orbecause you are afraid of potentialprosecution, you will be following thespirit of the law, perhaps even more sothan the letter. Finally, the international demand

for legality documentation is here tostay, and it’s not just for the U.S.Japan began requiring some forms oflegality statements more than fiveyears ago, and the United Kingdom isdebating the issue. The EuropeanUnion is currently developing legisla-tion similar to Lacey that will coverinternational trade with all of thecountries in the Euro-zone. (It isrumored that this legislation mayrequire the submission of legality doc-umentation at the point of entry, whichLacey currently does not require). So the work you do today may help

you far beyond just complying withthe Lacey Act. The documentary con-ditions created by Lacey may wellbecome the default condition for theinternational trade of wood products.– Elizabeth Baldwin is president of

Compliance Specialists, Eugene, Or., andauthor of Complying with the Lacey Act: AReal World Guide. Reach her at (541) 484-0983 or [email protected].

to document the legality of their mate-rial at time of entry and there is nospecific burden of documentation orlabeling for anyone further down thechain of custody. So, technically, thereis no immediate legal obligation tocompel a company to ensure the legal-ity of their supply chain. However,forcing companies to trace a product’schain of legality is most definitely theintent and the expectation of the gov-ernment, and the government canprosecute based on a failure to do so ifthey determine that you’ve traded in“tainted” material. Furthermore, ignorance will not be

considered a sufficient defense. Evenif a company or an individual had noidea that a product was tainted, theycan still face fines or confiscation ifthe government believes that theyshould have reasonably known. The good news is that the U.S. gov-

ernment bears the burden of proof.For criminal charges, they mustdemonstrate beyond a reasonabledoubt that you knowingly committedthe crime or knowingly traded in taint-ed material. To assess civil penalties,they must show, again beyond a rea-sonable doubt, that you failed in yourprofessional due diligence and trulyshould have known that a product wastainted.The greatest challenge is that under

Lacey, material can become taintedeven if the law being broken is not anAmerican one. The illegal action canoccur at any point in the chain. Fromthat point further, the wood is consid-ered tainted, thereby becoming a vio-lation of Lacey to import or sell itwithin the U.S. So, importers mustensure not only that their immediatepurchase is legal but also attempt totrace the origin of the material back toit’s original point of harvest, confirm-ing that each step along the way wasmade in accordance with local andinternational laws. Many people assume that FSC cer-

tification protects them. It does not.While being certified or carrying/ pur-chasing a certified product (be it byFSC, SFI, PEFC, MTCC or by anyother internationally recognized pro-gram) does not specifically protectcompanies from prosecution underLacey, it does help show that a com-pany is doing its due diligence.Although it will certainly be consid-ered a sign of good faith, the U.S. gov-ernment does not accept any thirdparty verification regarding the legali-ty (or illegality) of material.


MOISTURE MANAGEMENTt sys-tems—such as water resistive

barriers, housewraps, and rainscreensystems—can be a potent weaponagainst mold and mildew buildupbehind exterior walls. Persuading cus-tomers to invest in such protectionrequires a thorough understanding ofthe performance characteristics ofeach product type—and the climate inwhich it will be used. Increasingly, building professionals

are viewing moisture managementsolutions not as “nice to have” extras,but as essential elements of exteriorwall assemblies. These products aredesigned to protect against the poten-tial effects of mold damage, especiallyin areas that experience heavy, wind-driven rain, or high temperatures andhumidity.Even in drier climates, profession-

als looking to preserve the life of exte-rior cladding are turning to moisturemanagement systems as added insur-ance against expensive call backs,remediation, and/or litigation. Building professionals are often

confused by the array of moisturemanagement systems available and

unsure as to when and where to useeach solution. To compound the prob-lem, the building industry uses termslike rainscreen and housewrap inter-changeably, when in fact they playdistinctly different roles. In addition,housewraps and building papers areavailable in dozens of varieties. At present, there are few standards-

based methods to help professionalsevaluate these products. The Interna-tional Residential Code and Interna-tional Building Code require a meansof draining water that enters theassembly to the exterior but does notdescribe how to achieve drainage. InCanada, on the other hand, theNational Building Code requires theuse of “a drained and vented air spacenot less than 10mm deep behind thecladding over the full height of thewall” in areas that exceed a certainannual rainfall threshold. A study commissioned by Benja-

min Obdyke indicates that a building’slocation and the choice of exteriorcladding are central to the decision ofwhich building envelope solution touse. Here is a basic primer for to selectthe right system for each job:

Water Resistive Barriers Water resistive barriers are the part

of an exterior wall system designed toprevent air and water from enteringthe stud wall cavity from the outside.In effect, they perform like a shell forbuildings: liquid water that has pene-trated the exterior finish does not passthrough, yet water vapor from the inte-rior can escape so that the framing andwall cavity can dry, reducing thethreat of mold and rot. There are threebasic types:

Building Papers and Felt: Apaper sheet or felt material coated orimpregnated with asphalt to increaseits strength and water resistance; pri-marily used as a drainage barrier.

Housewraps: Engineered plasticsheet membranes wrapped around ahouse or other low-rise construction,designed to resist the movement ofwater in the liquid state while allow-ing the movement of water in thevapor state. Housewraps are notdesigned to channel the direction ofwater movement. While helpful whenallowing moisture vapor from theinside of the structure to exit, it canalso allow moisture vapor to be driven

Photos by Benjamin Obdycke Inc.Selecting the

right moisturemanagement system

PRODUCT SpotlightBy Michael CoultonBenjamin Obdyke


into the wall.Enhanced Housewraps: Also

engineered synthetic membranes,these products offer the features ofhousewraps or building papers butalso include a drainage space to pro-mote bulk water drainage throughchannels engineered into the sheet.

Rainscreens The laws of physics state that mois-

ture will always seek a drier plane.Thus, even with a drainable house-wrap, water may still seep throughcrevices in exterior cladding into inte-rior assemblies, especially in regionsprone to heavy rainfall, high tempera-tures, and high humidity—and some-times even in climates that receive lowor average rain. This, in turn, can leadto mold and mildew buildup. When a more effective water man-

agement solution is called for, a rain-screen system should be considered.This system works by creating a pres-sure-equalized air space immediatelybehind cladding, in conjunction with awater resistive barrier. The air spacehelps neutralize the forces that drawwater into the assembly. Any waterthat does enter the wall is managed byallowing it to enter and exit through anopening at the bottom of the wall.Rainscreens provide the additionalbenefit of providing ventilation dryingof any residual moisture from the backside of the cladding. There are two ways to construct a

rainscreen system airspace. The first isnailing wood furring strips over wallstuds after applying a building paperor housewrap. The second is using“void space” products that use a three-dimensional plastic matrix to create avented continuous rainscreen.Building professionals can choosefrom a plastic matrix that can beapplied directly over a water resistivebarrier or bonded, one-step installationproducts that combine the plasticmatrix with a water resistive barrier.

Selecting the Right ProductProduct performance, however, is

only one variable in selecting the rightmoisture management system.According to building experts, rainfallis the single most important factor toconsider when designing for walldurability. The main rule of thumb inchoosing such a product is to firstdetermine the amount of rain controlneeded.For extremely wet and/or humid

climates, such as coastal areas and

hilltop exposures receiving high (40”to 60” annually) or extreme (60” ormore annually) rainfall, a rainscreenassembly is generally the best solu-tion. It is also advised for areas thatexperience high winds in addition torain, as wind-driven rain frequentlymanages to penetrate small openingsin cladding. In climates that experience moder-

ate rainfall (20” to 40” annually), pro-tection against rain penetration shouldinclude an enhanced housewrap. Andin areas of low rainfall (less than 20”annually), a housewrap or buildingpaper should offer sufficient waterresistance.

Cladding Choice a Factor, TooIn selecting a moisture manage-

ment solution, cladding choice mustbe considered. Some claddings aremore moisture absorbent than others,and therefore could benefit fromenhanced housewraps or rainscreensystems.Wood Cladding: All woods are

highly susceptible to moisture penetra-tion and absorption, and require airspace protection. The best option is arainscreen system. Stucco or Stone Masonry: The

porous nature of stucco and stoneabsorbs water and therefore benefitsfrom air space protection. Drainablehousewrap may suffice in certain dryclimates, but not all enhanced house-wraps optimize drying. Over time,small cracks will appear in stucco,

RAINSCREEN SYSTEM is constructed with “void space” products with a three-dimensional plasticmatrix to create a continuous rainscreen.

requiring water drainage behindcladding. A rainscreen or enhancedhousewrap is the best choice.Fiber Cement: This material is

less susceptible to moisture infiltrationand absorption than wood, but it cantrap water like stucco. A rainscreensystem or enhanced housewrap willprovide optimum protection.Vinyl Siding: This product is non-

absorbent, does not trap water, and hasa low potential for rot. Good-perform-ing building paper or housewrap isrecommended to optimize long-termperformance. Brick: The nature of brick con-

struction practice creates sufficientmoisture protection and air movementwith 1” and 2” air space. However,clear drainage at weep areas must bemaintained. Use a “knuckle” spaceand mortar deflection product.

As the state of building sciencecontinues to progress, more standardswill be developed to assist buildingprofessionals in the decision-makingprocess. But in the meantime, armedwith the knowledge of the roles andperformance characteristics of rain-screen systems and the distinct typesof water resistive barriers, buildingprofessionals are in a better position tomake the right choice.

– Michael Coulton is director of prod-uct development for Benjamin Obdyke,Horsham, Pa. (www.benjaminobdyke.com),and president of the Building EnclosureMoisture Management Institute.


IN LAUNCHNG AN ONLINE business—whether for your company’s initial

foray on the Internet or to expand intoa new niche—a foremost considera-tion is your choice of domain name.Few decisions have more impact onthe success of convincing customersand prospects to visit your site.Consultant Gemma Darcy offers

five tips:

1. Short vs. Long According to Darcy, the main con-

sideration when choosing a domainname for your Internet business is howlong or short it should be. The nameneeds to bear as much resemblance toyour website as possible. Althoughyou can register a domain name of upto about 65 characters, you need toremember that people need to be ableto easily find you. Why make it hardfor them? Occasionally, a long domain name

is better than a short one. For example,closeoutbuildingmaterialsforless.comwill be easier to remember than cobm-fl.com. Choosing the shortest, mosteasily recognizable name is alwaysbest, particularly if it matches thebrand name you want for your onlinebusiness.

2. Do’s & Don’ts Select a name that is going to be

easy to remember. Avoid using hyphenated names like

“how-to-install-windows-like-a-pro.”It can often be difficult when advisingsomebody over the telephone of yourwebsite name, if they ask, “Is that ahyphen or a dash or a slash?”However, if the non-hyphenated nameis no longer available, you can still getnear the name you want. Avoid having the same letters next

to each other, such as is in“mouldingSSpecialoffer.com.” People

will often spell the name with one “s”instead of the two.

3. .Com or Not .Com Often, your best option for a

domain name is obvious—placing a.com at the end of your companyname. Other times, you can come upwith a snazzy, memorable name thatdescribes what you do or sell (in theway that Superior Hardwoods &Millwork, Missoula, Mt., registered itsonline presence as www.reclaimed-lumber.com). Yet, now 15+ years afterthe Internet has gone mainstream, wellover 100 million domain names havebeen registered, meaning there’s agood chance that your ideal name hasalready been snatched up. An easy solution is to use an alter-

nate suffix, such as .net, .biz, or .us. Ifyou do settle for a non-.com name,make sure you always advertise thefull name of your site. Even then, acertain percentage of customers andprospects will inevitably end up at the.com site, so make sure it’s not adirect competitor.Other companies tweak spelling or

use abbreviations. Just make sure thealterations aren’t so random that theyconfuse potential visitors. Awww.smithlmbercmpny.com wouldnever become a highly trafficked site.

4. Register Now“Domain names are being picked

up quicker than candy on Halloweennight,” Darcy notes. She advises thatif you search and find a name that youreally want, sign up for it straightaway as it may not be available onceyou’ve gone to all the effort of actual-ly building the site. In fact, registering a domain is so

inexpensive (most services charge lessthan $10), it may not be a bad idea toregister multiple names, which can all

direct potential customers to the samewebsite. Georgia-Pacific’s www.gp.com, for example, can also beaccessed via www.georgiapacific.comor www.georgia-pacific.com. Remem-ber, if you don’t use it, your competi-tors might!

5. Don’t Overpay Because securing a domain name is

so affordable, countless marketable-sounding Web addresses have beenbought up by companies precisely toresell them to the highest bidder. Soit’s possible to spend thousands ofdollars for a name if such a companyhas beaten you to it. So don’t. Darcyadvises shopping around for some-thing an equally effective name. “Your domain name is the center of

creating your own website,” Darcysays. “It will represent you on theWeb.”

Choosing a masterfuldomain name

A QUICK SEARCH on www.whois.com will letyou know if your domain name is still available.

MANAGEMENT TipsNaming Your Website


AND HOW DID YOU spend your hon-eymoon, Kevin? Visiting a lum-

beryard that was for sale.True love. That was back in 1985

when Kevin Kilbourne, a young 20-something, got the call. Growing upin Whalen, a tiny town in rural,upstate New York, he’d spent summervacations working on roofing and sid-ing crews and had gotten to know theyard’s owner. “It was a good, old-time busi-

ness—lots of room and a very loyalfollowing,” Kevin recalls. “So I toldhim, ‘Whenever you’re ready to sell,give me a call, no matter where Iam’”—honeymoon included. Be still,my heart.Nothing tops falling in love with

this crazy business. The owner ofWhalen’s Rogers & Tenbrook hadjust died and his son, of retirementage himself, who wanted out, picked

Love at first site

UPSTATE NEW YORK dealer waited patientlyfor years to acquire a second site.

up the phone. Kevin, with a degree inmechanical engineering and close toan MBA, was already on the execu-tive-development track at MobilChemical when he got, um, distracted.“Okay, I’ll be there tomorrow,” hesaid. Upon meeting, the owner offered

to hold onto the mortgage for the realestate if Kevin could come up withthe cash to cover the inventory. So heturned his graduation assignment—assembling an imaginary, 50-page,minutely detailed business plan—intoa real-life proposal to take to thebank. “Never saw anything like thisbefore,” they gee-whizzed. “Howmuch do you want?” The kid walkedout with $275,000. And on April 1,1985—no fooling—the business washis—all 400 sq. ft. of retail space, pot-bellied stove included. By 1987, he’d expanded the place

to 4,000 sq. ft., built up the SKUs,joined Do it Best, and business wasdoing fine, as predicted. Then he gotanother call. A yard in nearby Danville was for

sale—“a larger town, where it wasdoing a fair amount of business. Itwas an important market for us, so,although at 31 I was not too excitedabout the further debt, I bought it.You’ve gotta expand,” he realized.“And you’ve gotta protect yourflank.” Along with the store, he purchased

a boom truck, because shingles repre-sented an important product niche andsheetrock had become a strong naturaloutgrowth, along with landscapingblocks. “You’ve got to provide a littlemore service,” he figured. By 1992, having tripled his

employee base to 18, he added anoth-er 3,600 sq. ft. onto the 1990 renova-

tion and bought a couple more booms.On a roll, by the mid-2000s, Kevinbegan thinking about building a storein Danville, where he’d been leasingthe property—“not ideal. It was dirtyand didn’t protect the products. Not agood situation,” he knew. But just then Home Depot

announced plans to move into town,so Kevin decided to wait and see.Four years later, the Depot decree hadcome to nothing, so Kevin decided tomake his move. He bought a derelictnursery—“a nice space in a goodlocation”—and kept the sheds, buttore down the office to erect a newretail store, which opened in June2009, in the pit of the worst recessionhe can remember—only to be fol-lowed by one walloping winter snow-storm after another. But, as he explains, “The decision

had been made earlier. Plus, one littleadvantage of being in a rural commu-nity is, you do many things, sell lotsof different products—plumbing,roofing, insulation, drywall, lumber,hardware—so because we’d diversi-fied, we had a pretty good selection tooffer our customers and were notdependent on new-home construc-tion—rather, maintenance of realestate, remodeling, and agriculturalneeds.” “Sure, it’s more challenging

today,” he’s honest to admit, “to keepadditional product lines up to date andcompetitive. It’s more labor-intensive,but it also better serves the communi-ty. I tell people, ‘Northern New YorkState went into recession 20 yearsago; you people are just catching up!”(It was back then that Rochester, a 20-mile workers’ commute away, lostKodak and Xerox overnight.)“Compared with metro areas, we

COMPETITIVE IntelligenceBy Carla Waldemar


don’t experience deep downturns. But this time around,”he adds, “it’s been pretty heavy on us.” Kevin keeps his customer mix at 60% retail and 40%

contractor business—“and even that is a blend, becausepeople buy their lumber themselves and then call on a con-tractor to do the work. We do hold contractor events, andboth yards have separate contractor salesmen who expe-dite, give quotes, and speak the language. Plus, those con-tractors like that we itemize each of their jobs separately,not just one big bill.“We still do accounts manually, not with a POS,” Kevin

declares. “I have to have a reason to spend money—suchas, to improve service—and I’m just old enough that Idon’t scream, ‘We’ve got to have technology!’ But we douse our computer system to enter Accounts Receivable andPayable. Now that the [POS] system capabilities have beenimproved, the prices have dropped and they do a lot morethings than they did at first, like scanning, I’m probablyready,” he allows.“But, physical projects first”—like the brand-new

Danville store, filled with old-time eye candy like tongue-in-groove wood ceiling and a high 16-ft. peak, plus a great-ly expanded kitchen and bath showroom, which servesWhalen’s customers, too. “Also, now everything’s undercover in the yard, with drive-through facilities. Weexpanded most lines and added a housewares department;we’re still learning that. It’s still all evolving, but it’s builtfor future capacity. With more space, we’re adding whatwe hear customers want. For instance, for the first time, wehad a Christmas section, and we learned a lot. One step at atime. We also added Sunday hours, after comments we’dheard from customers.“We want to fill the needs of the area and keep business

local, not send them to Lowe’s 20 miles away.” Plus, whatthis owner calls “other strong local, well-run, very similarindependents” are raising the bar. Together, these dealershave joined a local co-op to increase buying clout. Yet, thiswinter has been particularly challenging because the sea-son’s mainstay—drywall work—has dried up: no newhouses. None of Rogers & Ten-brook’s 28 employees havebeen laid off, however, thanks to participation in a work-share program offered by New York State, which giveseveryone four days at regular salary, then a fifth at reducedwage.Launching the new store was distinctly the right move,

Kevin is convinced—and, more important—so are his fel-low townsmen. “It’s important to a small community tohave small businesses, and once one is lost, there’s no cap-ital to bring it back. And people are beginning to realizethat if it’s lost, it’s gone forever, so they’re consciouslydeciding to spend locally. Indirectly,” hepoints out,” they’re helping them-selves. When people come into thenew Danville store and say, ‘Gee,thanks for investing in the commu-nity,’ it makes me remember why Ienjoy this business. It’s very reward-ing. You get a sense of accom-plishment when, after 25 yearshere, they say, ‘We’re lucky tohave you!’ It makes my day.”

Carla [email protected]


James OlsenReality Sales

Training(503) 544-3572james@reality-

salestraining.com

Customer: “I’m okay right now.”Instead consider:Seller: “What do you think of the

market on 2x4?”Buyer: “Not great.”Seller: “How long will your cur-

rent inventory last?”Buyer: “About two weeks.” (It

often takes a couple of questions toget our answer, so be prepared to askmore than once.)Seller: “What kind of ship times

are you hearing on 2x4?”Buyer: “Two to three weeks.”Seller: “If the ship times are out

two weeks, don’t you think we’ll needto put some on to get it to you ontime?”Buyer: “I might look at one for

two weeks out.”Bringing customers to the “moment

of close” with questions will help easethe friction of the sales process.

The Turn AroundThe person asking the questions

controls the conversation. Strugglingsalespeople answer, answer, andanswer some more. Use the “turnaround” to gain control.Example #1:Customer: “What are the colors,

sizes, ship times?”Seller: “We have many colors.

Which do you prefer?”Example #2:Customer: “What price do you

have on 2x4?”Seller: “We’ve got great

prices. How many do youneed?”Questions are the light

saber of the master seller.Questions allow us tolearn, lead andclose.

MASTER SELLERS ARE great lis-teners. They are also great

questioners. Let’s talk about somespecific question/sales situations.

The Introductory CallMany of us talk too much on the

introductory call. Too many sellersspend the time of first contact withcustomers talking about themselvesand their company. We already knowabout ourselves and our company;what we don’t know about is ourcustomer and their company. Our introduction time with cus-

tomers is short (three to five minutes).If we spend this time talking aboutourselves and our company, we will:• Bore the customer. Great prod-

ucts, great service, great value…they’ve heard it all before. Want tostand out? Ask questions!• Force ourselves to re-prospect the

customer. Because we talked thewhole time, we found out nothingabout the customer’s specific needs.We must have specific details to sell.• Lose the opportunity to meet with

the customer again. Prospecting canbe difficult, but not as difficult as get-ting a hold of a customer who we havebored to death on our first call.What we say about ourselves in

introductory calls should be brief andinformative. Give just enough infor-mation to pique the customers’ interestand demonstrate that they are talkingto the right person. But not more thanthat. After we make our introduction,we begin to interview (read qualify)the customer. We know we can helpcustomers; what we don’t know is ifthis particular customer fits our needs. Asking questions will:• Qualify the customer. One of our

biggest time-wasters is working forcustomers who are too small or don’tfit our company profile. Sellers whoare afraid or unprepared to ask ques-tions waste time on non-customers.• Give us confidence. It will give us

a sense of power/control to interviewthe customer.• Inspire confidence. Qualifying the

customer instead of qualifying our-

selves inspires confidence. Customerswill feel they are meeting our criteriainstead of the other way around.

No Free QuestionsQuestions from customers are buy

signs. Whenever a customer asks us aquestion, we follow up with a questionof our own. We are not informationdispensers! After we answer, andsometimes before we answer, we ask aquestion in return.Customer: “What’s your price on

2x10?”Seller (Information Dispenser):

“We’re $350 on 2x10.”Customer: “Thanks.”The dispenser then either leaves it

there or offers a different product.Try this:Customer: “What’s your price on

2x10?”Seller: “We’ve got a great price on

2x10. How much do you need, and forwhen?”The first example is dispensed

information, the second leads to salesconversations (information exchange).

Leading with QuestionsWhen someone tells me where to

go, I bristle. When someone asks mewhere I want to go, I gladly tell them.The same can be said of our cus-tomers. We know where we want totake our customers. Questions will getthem to that place more easily thantelling them to go there.Seller: “I’ve got a great deal on

2x4; the market is racing, etc.…”

Questions lead to sales

OLSEN On SalesBy James Olsen

Jay TomptManaging Partner

Wm. Verde & Associates(415) 321-0848

[email protected]

ULTIMATELY, THE WAYS IN which homes are designedand built influence the kinds of products and solutions

that make their way into the “shelter supply chain.” Thegreen building movement has blossomed over the last tenyears, and the thinking at its core has, too. References to“systems thinking” occur more frequently in conversationsconcerning all aspects of building science and practice.Buckminster Fuller would be happy. But it’s early days and there is much more progress to be

made. The carbon footprint of the building industry is stilltwo or three times above where it will need to be in order tomeet whatever carbon reduction target eventually becomesnational policy. The next waves of innovation are pushing forward more

holistic solutions, creating new opportunities for the longterm. Savvy dealers and distributors could do well to beginmaking moves into green roofs and modular shelters.A green roof is exactly what it sounds like—plants

growing on the roof. The idea is old, but current approach-es are based on the latest systems thinking. A good greenroof system takes in the entire building ecology and water-shed. Storm runoff is managed; perhaps rainwater is har-vested and reused within the building. The plants effective-ly filter rainwater, provide habitat, and maybe even foodfor inhabitants. The building’s energy requirements forheating and cooling are reduced, as are heat island effects.Organic wastes are composted, loops are closed. The over-all CO2 footprint is reduced. A green roof provides manyservices for the building, its occupants, and its neighbors,what a permaculture practitioner would call “stacking func-tions.” The number of green roof installations is growing and

there could soon be tax credits to keep it growing. Savvydealers would do well to start learning about green roofs,

visit local projects, and scout products. New product inno-vations are coming to market that are contributing to bettersystems with greener materials, built faster with easiermaintenance, etc. Consider the whole system and how youmight innovate within your own organization to grow thisaspect of your business next year. Learn more at GreenRoofs for Healthy Cities (www.greenroofs.org), an industryassociation. Most importantly, build relationships withlocal green roof designers and builders. The other wave of opportunity is with modular shelters,

a perfect example of holistic design that contributes to sus-tainability and self-reliance. This may not seem obvious,but at bottom, we are really in the business of providingshelter. Rather, the shelter is the continuing service thatcustomers are getting from their building system, the com-ponents of which are sourced from various places andassembled by various workers. Why not provide sheltermore holistically?There has been growing interest in green prefabs and

modular building for use on homesteads, backyards, andeven roofs. New designs incorporate the greenest materials,are solar powered, collect rainwater, and even come with agreen roof. (For an example, see Tensen Eco Buildings atwww.tensenbuildings.co.uk).It’s not hard to see the appeal. These products are much

less expensive and more feasible than buying a biggerhouse or financing a room addition. Building permits maynot even be necessary. As more people seek to becomeself-sufficient, growing their food, and simplifying theirlives, these cool little shelters are even becoming preferredways to live. A hundred years ago, this

supply chain sold goods to peo-ple with sod roofs and even soldhomes. Thinking of your owndealer or distribution business asa member of the “shelter supplychain” will help position itfor the inevitable low-car-bon future to come.

GREEN RetailingBy Jay Tompt

Get up on green roofs


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DEALER BriefsOso Lumber, Arlington, Wa., has

completed the sale of its six PugetSound locations to ProBuild ,Denver, Co.

Kent Cohee, owner of ShadyCove Hardware, Shady Cove, Or.,applied to build Eagle Point Hard-ware & Rental, Eagle Point, Or.

The 11,996-sq. ft. hardware storewould include a rental and landscapeproduct areas.

Ace Hardware, Missoula, Mt.,will expand into the vacant 14,000-sq.ft. space next door.

Lowe’s has broken ground onnew home centers in Sonora andVallejo, Ca., both expected to open bythe end of the year.

The chain also is seeking approvalto add new locations in Poway,Petaluma and Fairfield, Ca.

Home Depot has no more newstore openings planned for 2010. Itsonly addition so far this year was April29 in Bethesda, Md.

Washington Yard Cuts BackKingston Lumber Millwork &

Supply, Kingston, Wa., has consoli-dated its retail store and lumberyard ina single location.The retail space had occupied the

same downtown location since the1940s, but worsening traffic had madethe trip between store and yard moredifficult. “It gives us an opportunity tobe more efficient with our customers,”said Tom Waggoner, who bought thebusiness in 1968. Waggoner said that the move had

been planned for years, but a suitablebuilding near the yard only recentlybecame available. As for the now-vacant downtown building, severalparties are interested in the space. “Itwill give the downtown part ofKingston a chance to grow,” he said.

Ganahl Returns to PasadenaGanahl Lumber paid close to $10

million for a closed Chevrolet dealer-ship in Pasadena, Ca., and hopes toopen its 10th lumberyard there nextspring. “We love Pasadena,” said president

Peter Ganahl. “The San GabrielValley is an important place for thebusiness to be, and Pasadena is the

ideal spot.”The new store will mark the com-

pany’s return to Pasadena after 100years. Now based in Anaheim, Ca.,the company opened in Los Angelesin 1884 and ran a yard in what is nowdowntown Pasadena from about 1900to 1910. Ganahl said he had to convince

Pasadena officials that the new storewould generate nearly as much salestax as a car dealership. A successfuldealership can generate substantialsales taxes, but many have gone out ofbusiness and finding new uses for oldcar lots has become a challenge. “It’s almost a perfect square, with a

huge amount of frontage on EastColorado, and it’s at a signalized cor-ner across the street from a Target,”said broker Bill Ukropina, who repre-sented the seller.

Former Boise Mill Restarts Emerald Forest Products has

opened on the site of Boise Cascade’sold mill in Emmett, Id.“This is a real sweet spot because

the nearest mill is 120 miles away,”said Richard Vinson, who also owns amill in Trout Creek, Mt. “Our goal anddirection is to use the whole tree, from

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stump to store, doing it right.”The new mill will produce boards

for Home Depot, as well as the BoiseCascade beam plant located next tothe sawmill. Small wood pieces willbe turned into bagged shavings forhorse bedding. Logging debris willpower the mill, and any excess will besold to Idaho Power.Vinson said that he and two other

investors became interested in the millin 2002, but he stopped work twoyears ago when their money ran out.He said that $4 million in federal stim-ulus money allowed him to resumebuilding last year. “We need new jobs and highly

skilled workers,” said Betty Munis,director of Idaho’s Forest ProductsCommission, who noted that this is thefirst new mill in the state since 2006.“The forest industry has been a histor-ical part of our state, and we need tolook to the future.”

SPI Restarts Quincy MillSierra Pacific Industries resumed

production at its small-log sawmill inQuincy, Ca., in mid-May with a singleshift. A second shift was added a weeklater. Production at an adjacent large-log mill was recently reduced to a sin-

gle shift. “We are encouraged to get people

back to work and sincerely appreciateall the support from Quincy and thesurrounding Plumas County communi-ties,” said spokesperson MarkLathrop. SPI ceased small-log production in

Quincy in May 2009. At that time, thecompany said the closure was beingconsidered permanent, but the plant’sequipment would be kept in place andoperational in case conditionschanged.

Stock Sells Commercial UnitStock Building Supply has sold its

commercial door and hardware divi-sion to five-unit Cook & BoardmanGroup, Charlotte, N.C., to focus on theresidential market.The division, SBS Commercial

Door & Hardware, has 13 locations,including Martin ArchitecturalProducts, Cary, N.C.; Hollow MetalSpecialists, Sarasota, Fl.; ArchitecturalBuilding Supply, Salt Lake City, Ut.,and Idaho Falls, Id., and PrecisionDoor & Hardware, Washington, D.C.Stock retained its fully integrated

commercial door and hardware opera-tions in New Mexico and California.

SUPPLIER Briefs

Forest Grove Lumber ,McMinnville, Or., closed at the end ofMay after 53 years.

International Forest Pro-ducts, Foxborough, Ma., has pur-chased the wood products divisionbased in Yuba City, Ca., fromSealaska Corp., Juneau, Ak., andhired its staff, including director of inter-national trade & development JimHaas, sales mgr. Buzz Nielsen, andsales & marketing coordinator ChristinaHaas.

Hampton Affiliates, Portland,Or., is looking for a buyer for its shut-tered 120-acre milling site in Pack-wood, Wa.

The property is valued at roughly $3million.

Peninsula Plywood , PortAngeles, Wa., was back in operationwithin days with a portable boiler aftera May 15 fire destroyed its boiler con-trol room. Damage was estimated at$500,000.

WEATHER OR NOT,

REVOLUTIONIZES FLOORING.

WEATHER OR NOT,


Get ready for a whole new approach to dealing with edge swell: pointSIX™ from Ainsworth, an engineered subfloor solution designed to accommodate whatever

wet stuff the weather serves up. It does so thanks to a patented tapered-edge technology that actually

offsets the effects of prolonged moisture exposure. The result: floors that go down flat and stay

that way—no sanding required.

PointSIX takes its name from research results indicating a minimum .6mm taper depth to be most effective

in reducing edge swell.

DEALER BriefsSamson True Value Hard-

ware, Fairbanks, Ak., held a grandreopening to show off its new location.

The 104-year-old business wasclosed for nearly a year before co-own-ers Jeanne Stearns and JenniferTowler found a new storefront to housea similar product mix, enlarged lawnand garden section, and some of theold store’s antique furnishings.

Miner’s Ace Hardwareopened store #7 in the former PacificHome Improvement Center inSan Luis Obispo, Ca.

Ace Hardware Corp. , OakBrook, Il., launched its Helpful Handscampaign, a nationwide contest thatwill award a $2,000 paint makeover toone high school in each of the 50states.

Anniversaries: Parr Lumber,Hillsboro, Or., 80th … HonsadorLumber, Kapolei, Hi., 75th … Par-son Lumber & Hardware, BoyesHot Springs, Ca., 60th … McGuckinHardware, Boulder, Co., 55th.

HD Supply Adding in L.A.HD Supply Repair & Remodel,

Sacramento, Ca., is opening a newwarehouse store with indoor drive-thru lumberyard in San Fernando, Ca.Previously known as Contractors’

Warehouse, the HD Supply divisionoperates 11 locations throughoutCalifornia.

Roseburg Partners With EPARoseburg, Roseburg, Or., has been

accepted as a shipper/transport partnerin the Environmental ProtectionAgency’s SmartWay TransportPartnership, which seeks to increaseenergy efficiency and reduce carbonfootprints. “Our participation demonstrates

our commitment to better managementof our resources and reducing ourimpact on the environment,” saidc.e.o. Chuck Ulik, “Our decision toparticipate in SmartWay is simplygood business for us, our suppliers,and our customers.”

Participants are required to evalu-ate their environmental impact andcarbon footprint, which is affected bywhether a shipper uses SmartWay cer-tified carriers, the extent of rail andintermodal usage, and equipment prac-

tices within the shipper’s own facili-ties. Roseburg’s score was well abovethe requirement to become aSmartway partner.

“Roseburg has achieved hugemilestones in reducing its carbon foot-print,” said Jeff Brandt, the company’sdirector of transportation. “We plan tocontinue our efforts to further reducecarbon emissions.”

L.A. Area Independent ClosesMerkow Hardware & Paint, the last

small hardware store in Pacoima, Ca.,is holding a going-out-of-business saleand will close by the end of June—dueto market conditions and competitionfrom a nearby Lowe’s.

“I feel sad because I worked at thisto make a living to support my fami-ly,” said owner Kwang Lew, a 62-year-old native of South Korea whobought the hardware business and thebuilding from the Merkow family in1987. “It was a stable business and wecould live off it, but we didn’t make alot of money.”Lew already has a tenant for the

building, an entrepreneur who plans toopen a phone and clothing store. Asfor Lew, “I’m going to try to find apart-time job,” he said.

WEATHER OR NOT,


WEATHER OR NOT,


Get ready for a whole new approach to dealing with edge swell: pointSIX™ from Ainsworth, an engineered subfloor solution designed to accommodate whatever

wet stuff the weather serves up. It does so thanks to a patented tapered-edge technology that actually

offsets the effects of prolonged moisture exposure. The result: floors that go down flat and stay

that way—no sanding required.

PointSIX takes its name from research results indicating a minimum .6mm taper depth to be most effective

in reducing edge swell.

Roseburg, Roseburg, Or., received exempt status by theCalifornia Air Resources board for its hardwood plywood pan-els, because they are bonded by an ultra-low-emittingformaldehyde (ULEF) resin.

J.H. Baxter & Co., San Mateo, Ca., is now offeringTimberWood architecturally designed lighting poles built from“100% pure” FSC-certified wood.

Canfor Corp., Vancouver, B.C., restarted its sawmill inQuesnel, B.C., which will produce softwood lumber for China.

Nu-Ray Metal Products, Auburn, Wa., has is addinga 15,000-sq. ft. metal roofing/siding plant with showroom inAirway Heights, Wa.

Calvert Co. Inc., Vancouver, Wa., has been producingand distributing EcoBlu 3000F glulam beams treated withBluWood moisture repellant and FRC fire retardant coatingsfrom EcoBlu Products Inc., Vista, Ca.

BlueLinx Corp. is exclusive distributor of AERT-man-ufactured ChoiceDek decking and accessories to Lowe’sstores throughout North America.

KOMA Trim Products, Huntsville, Al., now protects allits PVC products with Klean Edge, which smoothes and sealsedges so they remain cleaner during storage, handling, andafter installation.

SUPPLIER BriefsPortland Area Retailer Hangs It UpDecorum Hardware, which operated for 30 years in the

Old Port area of Portland, Or., closed May 22.“We’re seeing things turn around, but it’s not enough,”

said owner Nick Harding, who blamed the recession,Internet shopping, and limited parking for the store’sdemise. “It all kind of took its toll on us. Besides, I need abreak.”One portion of the business, Nostalgia Lighting, will

continue if Harding can find a suitable site in the Portlandarea with low rent and plenty of parking. “Eighty to 90%of our business is special order,” he said. “We don’t needto be in the Old Port.”He also hopes to reopen Decorum at another location in

a few months, possibly with a smaller showroom but withmore off-street parking.

Marvin Expands to Siding Marvin Windows & Doors, Warroad, Mn., is expanding

into exterior siding, incorporating the same material it usesin its fiberglass windows.Marvin will produce the new Apex Siding System at its

Tecton Products subsidiary in Fargo, N.D., which Marvinco-founded in 1990 to supply fiberglass components to itswindow plants in Fargo and Roanoke, Va. Hanson Building Products, Ramsey, Mn., was selected

as the first Apex distributor and will market the product toarea builders, remodelers, and architects. The siding will be marketed as an alternative to wood or

vinyl siding, reportedly with a finish four times thickerthan paint and offering resistance to rot, mold, fading andwarping.

FORECAST: PEACE OF MIND.

The tapered-edge treatment on pointSIX™ Flooring is small, but the difference it makes in dealing with edge swell is

huge. What’s more, Ainsworth offers unprecedented delamination guarantees, warranting pointSIX Flooring for 25 years and pointSIX Durastrand Flooring … for life.

Learn more and download your free white paper by visiting www.pointsixflooring.com

Look for standard pointSIX Flooring (turquoise edge) to deliver solid performance when costs count, and premium pointSIX Durastrand Flooring (purple edge) for projects that demand the “best of the best.”

Cost more? No. Work better? Yes. End of story.

Withers Brings Yard Back to MolallaWithers Lumber added its fourth location May 10, in

Molalla, Or.“Our formula is the exact opposite of everyone else,”

said Trent Withers, who runs the 82-year-old chain withhis father, Bob. “Everyone else plops down a 10-acre yardand fans people out 50 miles. Our idea is to put small yardsinto small communities with local people and become partof the town. We are never going to be a big, mega-opera-tion. My grandfather didn’t want that, my father didn’twant that, and I don’t want that.”

The new location is managed by Ryan Brock, who man-aged the local Keith Brown Building Materials until itclosed in 2008. Soon after, Brock contacted Withers.

“He called and said Molalla had always supported alumberyard, and he told me, ‘If you open one here, we cando well,” Trent recalled. Similarly, years earlier, Brock’sfather, Ken, called Withers with the same pitch forSilverton, Or. Soon after, Withers opened a yard there andhired Ken as manager.

Withers also has yards in Brooks and Woodburn, Or.

Colorado Sawmill Shuts DownIntermountain Resources LLC, Montrose, Co., ceased

operations in late May due to lack of capital after fallinginto receivership—six months after receiving $500,000 infederal stimulus money. According to spokesperson Nancy Fishering, the com-

pany is “recapitalizing and restructuring,” but has no inten-tion of closing permanently.Sandy Head, executive director of the Montrose

Economic Development Corp., said that the $500,000 allo-

cation was a “Band-Aid.” She believes the companyshould receive more assistance to keep workers employedand help harvest more than a half-million acres of beetle-infested trees. “What they need is money,” she said, “and we all know

there is a shortage of that.”Last year, Intermountain bought equipment from other

sawmills and invested in new technology that increased itscapacity to 42 million bd. ft. from 12 million bd. ft.

Car Plows Into Ace StorefrontEven a car crashing through the front of the store could

not stop business at Cook’s Ace Hardware, Sacramento,Ca.The morning of May 25, a car ran over a tree out front

and through the store’s glass front. Owner Cindy Duartesaid she has feared such an accident since the street park-ing in front of the store was changed. No one in the store was hurt, although the condition of

the driver and the cause of the accident are not known.

Home Depot Killer Awaits FateJason Russell Richardson, 39, who killed manager Tom

Egan, 40, during a 2007 robbery of a Home Depot inTustin, Ca., has been convicted of first-degree murder.However, the jury was dismissed when it could not reach aunanimous decision on whether the killer deserves thedeath penalty. “They voted their conscience—they did what they were

supposed to do,” said deputy district attorney CameronTalley, who will continue to push for the death penaltybecause nine of the 12 jurors favored capital punishment

FORECAST: PEACE OF MIND.

The tapered-edge treatment on pointSIX™ Flooring is small, but the difference it makes in dealing with edge swell is

huge. What’s more, Ainsworth offers unprecedented delamination guarantees, warranting pointSIX Flooring for 25 years and pointSIX Durastrand Flooring … for life.

Learn more and download your free white paper by visiting www.pointsixflooring.com

Look for standard pointSIX Flooring (turquoise edge) to deliver solid performance when costs count, and premium pointSIX Durastrand Flooring (purple edge) for projects that demand the “best of the best.”

Cost more? No. Work better? Yes. End of story.

Action Wood Products, Turner, Or., suffered a late-night May 27 fire. The cause is under investigation, and theowner vows to get the mill back in operation.

Arch Wood Protection’s Wolmanized Outdoor woodhas been listed as a Green Approved product by the NAHBResearch Center.

Osmose’s Advance Guard and Hi-Bor borate preserva-tives have been awarded GreenGuard Children & SchoolsCertification from the GreenGuard Environmental Institute.

iLevel’s Shear Brace reportedly is the first pre-fabricatedshear panel to receive ICC-ES 2009 IBC/IRC code complianceverification.

Ply Gem has had its Kroy rail products Green Approvedby the NAHB Research Center.

National Gypsum introduced Green Product Score, anonline resource to create customized sustainable materialsdata sheets for use with green building rating systems.

Auto-Stak, Westwood, N.J., has redesigned its websiteat www. autostak.com.

BW Creative Wood has expanded its railing website atwww.stairsimple.com.

The Hardwood Council has redesigned its website atwww.hardwoodcouncil.com.

SUPPLIER Briefsfor Richardson. “He’s been earning this more severe punishment for 20

years,” Talley said during closing arguments in the trial.“He went in (to Home Depot) ready to kill.”

Richardson—who wore a full-body painter’s coveralls,sunglasses, dust mask, and gloves to disguise himself inthe robbery—was caught because he left behind a sock thatwas used for DNA identification. He got away withapproximately $500. Egan left behind a wife and twin 3-1/2-year-old daugh-

ters. A June 18 hearing will discuss when to scheduleanother penalty-phase trial for Richardson.

Timber Plantation in Nevada DesertECO2 Forests, which started in Australia last year and

is now headquartered in Sacramento, Ca., has establishedits first tree plantation in the U.S. Some 450,000 paulownia trees were planted on 2,000

acres in the high desert between Reno and Susanville, Nv.Over the next five to seven years, the company intends toplant up to 3 million of these trees on 14,000 acres inWashoe County, Nv., and in parts of California. “From the time we plant the tree into the ground, in 90

days it’s over 6 ft. tall and has leaves the size of an ele-phant’s ear,” said c.e.o. Collie Christensen. “Within thefirst year, it will grow over 20 ft. tall.”The company hopes to generate revenue by selling both

carbon credits and timber. Christensen said the companywill be able to sell carbon credits—for about $20 each onthe open market—within six months of planting. The firsttimber sales would take place in four years, when the treesare thinned to decrease competition for sunlight and soil.


Jim Alexander, Precision LumberCo., The Dalles, Or., has retiredafter 34 years in the industry. DanCallan succeeds him as sales mgr.

Matt Beswick, ex-Poulin Lumber, hasjoined Huttig Building Products,Phoenix, Az., in outside sales, cov-ering northern and westernArizona.

Brian Johnson, ex-Idaho Timber, hasjoined the lumber sales team atClearwater Paper Corp., Lewiston,Id. Allen Gaylord, ex-Potlatch, isnow responsible for cedar productssales. Paula Hasfurther, ex-Potlatch, is new to the customerservice staff.

Dave Messenger, ex-Ochoco Interna-tional, has joined the sales staff atBuckeye Pacific, Portland, Or.

Marc Mizorski has been named chieffinancial officer of Hayward Lum-ber Co., Monterey, Ca. Hayward’sRaul Rodriquez was namedAssociate of the Year by The HomeBuilders Association of San LuisObispo and Santa BarbaraCounties, Ca.

MOVERS & Shakers

Dave Jory will stay on as generalmgr. of Peninsula Truss, Bremer-ton, Wa., after he and partnerParker Lumber sold the business toKingston Lumber Millwork &Supply, Kingston, Wa. Peninsula’sTim Lundberg and CurtisPerrault have also joinedKingston, in outside sales.

Jim Scharnhorst, v.p.-market devel-opment, Idaho Forest Group, Coeurd’Alene, Id., will retire June 30,after 36 years in the industry.

Gary McKinnon has been promotedto mgr. of Parsons Lumber &Hardware, Boyes Hot Springs, Ca.

Scott Hamilton, ex-American Inter-national Forest Products, is new tosales at Talon Forest Group,Portland, Or.

Yvette Wendt has been promoted toassistant showroom mgr. atHealdsburg Lumber Co.’s HudsonStreet Design, Healdsburg, Ca.

Dalena Larson has been named direc-tor of sales & marketing for RAMCO(Recycled Aggregate MaterialsCo.), Simi Valley, Ca.

Tom Reynolds is now in sales atBridgewell Resources’ industrialdivision in Portland, Or.

Myrna Hower, ex-Timberline ForestProducts, now handles logistics atthe Portland, Or., office of SilvarisCorp., Bellevue, Wa. SharonKoller, ex-Allied Plywood &Lumber, now handles logistics atthe Port Arthur, Tx., office.

Peter Gordon, ex-Fraser Papers, hasjoined the board of AinsworthLumber Co., Vancouver, B.C., aschairman, succeeding JayGurandiano, who has resigned.Pierre McNeil has replacedJonathan Mishkin on the board.

Paul Harder, ex-Taiga BuildingProducts, is now with DakerynIndustries, N. Vancouver, B.C.

Art Steinhafel, ex-Atrium Windows,has joined Ply Gem Windows,Roanoke, Va., as senior v.p.-sales,overseeing the group’s new com-bined national sales organization.

Rich Gutermuth, ex-Spruce Compu-ter, has formed LBM EmployerServices (www.lbmpayroll.com),offering Web-based payroll and HRservices to dealers.

Phillip Kleiss is now millwork salesmgr. at Arauco USA, Atlanta, Ga.

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LUMBERSERVICE

At Reel Lumber Service, we supplydomestic and foreign hardwoods.Our products and services include:• Hardwood Lumber & Pine• Hardwood Plywood & Veneers• Melamine Plywood• Hardwood Moulding (alder, cherry,mahogany, MDF, maple, red oak, paint grade,

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• Milling (moulding profiles, S2S, SLR1E,SLR2E, & resawn lumber)

• Woodworking Accessories (appliques,ornaments, butcher blocks, corbels, etc.)

• Woodworking Supplies (deft finishes,color putty, adhesives, etc.)

Our products are widely used in interior finish carpentry, furniture, cabinetry and hundreds of industrial andmanufacturing applications. We stock acomplete line of complementary productsto complete virtually any woodworking or millwork project.

WholesaleIndustrial Lumber

A new tree-tracking system willallow investors to track the growthof hardwood seedlings planted on a2,700-acre site on the HamakuaCoast in Hawaii. “This high-tech program will

give a level of comfort to forestryinvestors that has never been avail-able before now,” said JeffDunster, c.e.o. of Hawaiian LegacyHardwoods. “We fully expect therest of the industry to follow suitwithin the next 10 years.” HLH hopes to grow 1.3 million

rare tropical hardwood trees, pri-marily koa, whichare indigenous toHawaii. The planti-ng site was the per-sonal property ofKing KamehamehaI and once support-ed a koa forest,which was nearlydestroyed by clear-cut harvesting andcattle grazing. “We are reduc-

ing global warming through carbonsequestration, while providing ourinvestors the opportunity for sub-stantial profits,” said Dunster. Each tree in the sustainable

forestry project will receive a com-puter signature that will allowtracking of ownership, growth,maintenance, lumber-yield, andpedigree. Once the program is fullyimplemented, investors will be ableto use programs such as GoogleEarth to pinpoint their own trees. “Seeing the rows-upon-rows of

growing koa seedlings is incrediblyrewarding,” saidc.o.o. Darrell Fox.“I’ve been hands-on with this projectevery step of theway—from seedcollection to finalplanting—and it’sreally gratifying tosee all of the hardwork and planningcome to fruition.”

New Program Tracks Hawaiian Hardwoods


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So quick, customers keep running back for more.

Robert “Bob” Ritchie, ex-JohnsManville, was appointed seniorv.p. and chief technology officer atMasonite. He takes over globalR&D leadership for Henry Cogh-lan, now v.p.-special projects.

Shane Short, ex-James HardieBuilding Products, has been namedgeneral mgr. of Royal Mouldings.

Janet M. Saura was appointed seniorv.p. and deputy general counsel atLowe’s Cos., Mooresville, N.C.

Jeff Gooding has been named direc-tor of consumer marketing for AceHardware Corp., Oak Brook, Il.Bob Moschorak has joined the co-op as president and general mgr. ofAce International.

Mark Rossolo has resigned as GreenBuilding Initiative v.p.-operationsto serve as director of publicaffairs for the GreenguardEnvironmental Institute.

Dan Bohannon and Dave Bohannon,Bohannon Lumber Co., Orange,Ca., have been ranked #1 for dou-bles in the 60-year-olds division bythe U.S. Tennis Association.

Corey Ander is spicing up theemployee cafeteria at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax,Nv., according to co-owners HughMungus and Freddy Fungus.


PROSPECTS FOR SAWMILL profitability have increased sig-nificantly in 2010, leading curtailed and closed

sawmills to reopen, according to Forest2Market, whichprovides pricing and benchmarking services for the Southand Pacific Northwest.For example, according to its lumber price database,

Mill2Market, southern yellow pine prices have risen 25%from an average of $247 per thousand bd. ft. (MBF) in 4thquarter 2009 to $308/MBF in 1st quarter 2010. The pricethat mills receive for their residuals—the sawdust and shav-ings created as a by-product of the lumber millingprocess—also increased, by 3% quarter over quarter.“While we’ve seen a 28% increase in revenue at the

mill, input prices have been rising much more slowly,” saidForest2Market’s Daniel Stuber.Sawtimber prices, which make up approximately 75% of

a mill’s operating costs, have increased nearly $2 per tonfrom 4th quarter 2009 to 1st quarter 2010. Though this is anincrease of just 5%, the total impact on a mill is higher—representing an increase of roughly 7.5%—because saw-timber costs are such a high percentage of overall costs.“When you compare a total increase in revenue of 28%

next to an increase of 7.5% in raw material costs, the posi-

tion of sawmills in the market looks significantly betterthan it did last quarter,” said Stuber. “Assuming manufac-turing costs remain the same (and increased productiongenerally leads to a decrease in per unit costs), profitabilityhas improved by more than 20% this quarter. And whilethis increase sounds considerable, we have to rememberthat mills were pretty much running at breakeven levels (orat slight losses) in the 4th quarter of 2009.”

Sawmills restart asprofitability jumps

MAGICAL EVENING: Los Angeles Hard-wood Lumberman's Club celebrated LadiesNight May 13 at the world famous MagicCastle in Hollywood, Ca. Attendees included(l-r) Randy Porter, Loralee Swaner, GarySwaner, Marty Porter, Candice Pendergast,Cassia Korn, Paul Pendergast, DianeJohnston, Mike Bohnhoff, Steve Ondich,Nathan Osborne, Christa Bohnhoff, BrookeBohnhoff, Heidi Ondich, Dennis Johnston,Lisa Trager, Doug Trager, Kathy Fitzgerald,Sergio Korn, Bil l Fitzgerald, CharlesBohnhoff.


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— Corrections —Piedmont Lumber’s yard in Oak-

land, Ca., was purchased by EconomyLumber, Oakland, Ca., not EconomyLumber, Campbell, Ca. (June, p. 28).

Pacific Cedar Supply, BuenaPark, Ca., is only testing BluWood and iscurrently not producing or distributingproducts with the treatment (May, p. 30).


HESS LUMBER & Home Center, Malad City, Id., has lotsto celebrate: 75 years of business and the grand open-

ing of a new, larger location. “The biggest thing is seeing lots of new faces,” said

Doug Crowther, who owns the store with his parents, Jaredand Ronda Crowther, and his wife, Stephanie. “After weopened April 5, business went up 17% in just one month.”

Although Malad City has just 5,000 residents, the storedraws from the surrounding area—and the nearest competi-tor is 45 miles away. “We have looked forward to this for a long time,” said

Jared, who has managed the store since 1980. “GrandpaJody Hess started out in 1935 with approximately 700 sq.ft. of retail space. Floor space more than doubled when they

Patience pays off for4th generation business


OWNERS are Jared and Ronda Crowthers and their son, Doug.

moved the store downtown to its present location. Our newbuilding has 9,000 sq. ft., with 7,000 sq. ft. for the retailend of the business.”The latest chapter in the family business began in 1992,

when Jared and Ronda bought out other family membersand brought Doug into the business. They joined Do it Bestthe next year, and in 1999, Jared requested that a DIBarchitect/designer draw plans for a larger building. And that’s where it stopped—for about seven years. The

Crowthers had mixed emotions about moving ahead withthe project. In the meantime, the old yard needed remodel-ing, so they decided to invest what they could, on theirown. They built two new covered lumber storage areas anda new perimeter fence, removed an old storage barn, andpurchased nearby land for the expansion. The Crowthers poured the foundation for the new build-

ing in the fall of 2007, but actual construction didn’t begin

PREVIOUS STORE dated to 1968, when the business moved to its pre-sent location downtown.

for another two years. By the spring of 2009, however,financing had been arranged through U.S. Bank and theEastern Idaho Development Corp.—and the family’s dreamwas finally becoming reality. Doug said that customers are pleased with the many

improvements and additions: wider aisles, more than10,000 SKUs, an expanded paint department, and 800 sq.ft. of kitchen and bath products. Outside, customers canpark in a new lot, instead of on the street. “The new store was designed to appeal to women,” said

Doug. “They just put the kids in the new shopping carts andbrowse the wide aisles.”Inside, Ronda has decorated one wall of the store with

family photos. “It’s one way we can remember our past andhonor their good name,” she said. “I’m very excited that weare a four-generation-owned store.”


ONE OF THE MOST challenging poli-cy areas for families in business

together is compensation. As withmany issues, approaches tend to bedivided into two camps. Opinions andemotions can run quite high on bothsides.The “Market Camp” says that a

market-based approach to compensa-tion is the only acceptable and profes-sional alternative. Family membersshould be paid what anyone else intheir positions would be paid, andperquisites for family members are tobe avoided. According to this view,any other practice is uncompetitive, isunsustainable, and jeopardizes thesuccess of the business.The “Family Camp” insists that

special considerations in family com-pensation are legitimate and appropri-ate. The family may decide to payfamily members approximately thesame salaries no matter what their

FAMILY BusinessBy Amy Schuman

Family vs. businessconsiderations in compensation

positions, in order to preserve familyharmony. Alternatively, family members

may be paid a premium wage orreceive special perquisites such aspaid memberships to a country club,extra vacation time, or the use ofcompany cars or other resources.Special rewards recognize the extraburden of ownership borne by familymembers, who often put in many

extra hours of work during eveningand weekend events.Wise and experienced families find

it impossible to embrace one of thesetwo approaches to the exclusion of theother. They seek to operate in a waythat balances the wisdom found inboth approaches. For example, market-based com-

pensation approaches contribute tostronger, less confused family rela-tionships. At the same time, monetaryrecognition and reward for the longhours invested by family members insupport of their business can fostertheir support for a data-based com-pensation philosophy in the business.Let’s provide a hypothetical but

realistic example: Joseph Construc-tion Company is entering its thirdgeneration of family ownership andmanagement. Several years ago, whenthe siblings entered the business, itembraced a market-based compensa-

prefer? Are you emphasizing one approach

to the exclusion of the other? If so, perhaps this article has

offered you some ideas that can helpyou strike the most productive bal-ance for your unique situation.– Amy M. Schuman is a principal of

the Family Business Consulting Group,Marietta, Ga.; (800) 551-0633. Reach herat [email protected]. Reprinted with permission from The Family

Business Advisor, a copyrighted publication ofFamily Enterprise Publishers. No portion ofthis article may be reproduced without permis-sion of Family Enterprise Publishers.


tion approach. The human resourcesstaff regularly adjusts family and non-family compensation based on region-al and national salary surveys.Performance appraisals are conductedregularly and form the basis of salarydecisions at all levels. The family sees this professional

approach to compensation as a cor-nerstone of the company’s continuedgrowth and success, as well as itsability to attract and retain top non-family talent.However, over the years, the sib-

lings have come to see the value ofincorporating several family-basedelements into their total compensationapproach. For example, performancereviews are standard practice through-out the company and provide anobjective basis for salary increases atall levels. However, family salaryincreases are not tied to annual perfor-mance reviews, because the siblingshave never really received perfor-mance appraisals.Also, family member pay is slight-

ly above market rates for their jobs.This is in recognition of the extra timeand effort put forth by family mem-bers. They are all active in the com-munity and spend many evenings andweekends representing the family andbusiness at charitable events. They have also taken on the role of

organizing family meetings andpreparing the next generation for theirresponsibilities, much of which takesplace outside usual business hours.These activities are critical in creatingconditions for sustainable success.Family and non-family executivesknow about this “family pay premi-um” and recognize its value.Although the company has a vaca-

tion and time-off policy that is strictlyenforced for non-family employees,the siblings’ vacations and time offare not monitored or tracked. Whilenone of the siblings abuse this privi-lege, none of them limit themselves tothe company standard of two weeksof vacation per year. In fact, whentheir children are young, family mem-bers frequently leave work in order toattend their children’s events and tendto their needs—a privilege that is notextended to non-family employees. Finally, all four siblings attend an

annual family business seminar (oftenin exotic, luxury locations) paid forby the business, and this time off isnot counted as part of their vacationtime.However, all these family-based

compensation elements take placealongside a professional, rigorous,market-based salary and bonus systemthroughout the company. This hypo-thetical family illustrates a realisticand positive approach to consideringboth family and market-based consid-erations in total compensation of fam-ily members.Every successful family business

finds its own unique compensationapproach. As you seek to establishyour approach, be aware of the impor-tance of balancing these two impor-tant forces. Which approach do you

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HAVE YOU HEARD THE LATEST acronyms being used todescribe our driving—“DWD” and “DWT”?

Someday the terms “driving while distracted” and “dri-ving while texting” may become as socially unacceptableas “DWI” (driving while intoxicated) and “DUI” (drivingunder the influence). The reason—a distracted driver is asdangerous on the road as a driver with a blood alcohol levelof .08—and a texting driver is even more dangerous!Have any of these scenarios ever happened to you or to

one of your company’s employees?• Has a passenger in your vehicle reacted to something

you did—or did not do—while you were behind the wheel?

• Have you slammed on your brakes because you did notsee the car in front of you stop?• Have you ever missed an exit you intended to take?• Have you ever had no recollection of driving from one

place to another?• Have you unintentionally run a stop sign?If the answer is “yes,” you’re not alone. You were likely

driving while distracted. Federated Mutual Insurance Co.data for the past three years (2007-2009) shows distracteddriving is a contributing factor in more than half of drivinglosses reported by our clients.Text messaging has exploded! Statistics show it doubled

from December 2007 (48 billion text messages sent) toDecember 2008 (110 billion text messages sent).The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute have report-ed that nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashesinvolved some form of driver inattention within three sec-onds before the crash. With statistics like these, it’s not sur-prising that the federal and state governments are taking acloser look at this issue.

Regulatory FrontOn January 13, 2009, the National Safety Council issued

a press release that called on motorists to stop using cellphones and messaging devices while driving. The releaseurged businesses to adopt policies prohibiting cell phoneuse and called on governors and legislators in all 50 statesand the District of Columbia to pass laws banning the

“DWD” and “DWT”–Your business can’t afford them

MANAGEMENT TipsBy Anne Peterson, Federated Insurance Companies


behavior. From Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 2009, U.S.

Department of Transportation Secre-tary Ray LaHood held a DistractedDriving Summit in Washington, DC.The DOT has a website dedicated toinformation on distracted driving atwww.distraction.gov.On Oct. 1, 2009, the Obama

Administration announced an execu-tive order banning all federal workersfrom texting while driving on govern-ment business, driving governmentvehicles, or using government equip-ment. Later in October, the Chairmanof the Governors’ Highway SafetyAssociation testified at a hearingbefore the House Transportation andInfrastructure Committee supporting atexting ban for all drivers.AAA also announced last fall that it

will push to pass laws banning drivertext messaging in all 50 states by2013. According to the AAA Founda-tion, a ban implemented by the Stateof California a year ago has reducedon-the-road text messages by 70%.To say that the year 2009 was an

active one at the federal and state lev-els in regard to distracted drivingwould be an understatement. In 2008,23 states considered some form of leg-

islation to restrict the use of cellphones or wireless devices. In 2009,more than 200 distracted driving billswere considered in 43 states! To seean up-to-date listing of current statecell phone and text messaging laws,go to www.iihs.org.

What Can I Do?When you think about it, your vehi-

cle is fast becoming the ultimatemobile device. Perhaps you equip itwith a smartphone—a mobile phonethat doubles as a computer and allowsyou to plug in anywhere. Smartphonesare setting a new standard for informa-tion access and exchange. There are250 million cell phone subscribers inthe U.S.—most of whom operate vehi-cles on our nation’s roadways. You realize your employees are

crucial to the success of your business.Educate your staff about the dangersof “DWD” and “DWT”—the twonewest acronyms your company needsto avoid.– Anne Peterson is senior marketing

communications specialist for FederatedInsurance Companies, Owatonna, Mn.(www.federatedinsurance.com). She canbe reached at [email protected] or(507) 455-5340.


WOOD HAS HELD THE NO. 1 spot asthe building material of choice

in various building applications fordecades. Among these is the outdoor deck-

ing/project market, in which pressuretreated wood has retained the lion’sshare over the years. As the industryhas fluctuated, several wood associa-tions have launched and maintainedsolid, successful wood marketing pro-grams for their species. Recognizing the need for a strate-

gic, consistent consumer promotionfor southern pine, the SoutheasternLumber Manufacturers Associationlaunched SPAN (the Southern PineAwareness Network) in 2005. Withthe goal of educating consumers as tothe merits of choosing southern pinefor all indoor and outdoor projects, theSPAN program found early successthrough a comprehensive programconsisting of targeted advertising andsignificant earned media. In 2008 the Real Outdoor Living

(ROL) campaign was launched, withthe goal of educating consumers anddealers about the strengths of pressuretreated wood. With a winning combi-nation of targeted advertising, keysponsorships, public relations, retailoutreach, and marketing, the ROL pro-gram is off to a strong start.

Program Elements“With several key audiences in

front of us, it was very important totarget and streamline all of our activi-ties from day one in order to maximizeopportunities and return on invest-ment,” says SLMA president DebbieBurns. “Before we committed to anyproject sponsorship, any product dona-tion, or any program, we asked our-

Real Outdoor LivingA bird’s-eye view of a successful

wood marketing programWood PartnershipsIncrease Strength

of OutreachIt started with wood education

videos and continued into trade showmedia events: the successful partner-ship between SLMA’s Real OutdoorLiving Program, the Western RedCedar Lumber Association marketingprogram, and Mendocino ForestProducts, Windsor, Ca., has madegreat strides in educating key audi-ences about the benefits of choosingwood over alternative products.

“We’re stronger together than weare apart,” says Debbie Burns, presi-dent of SLMA. “SLMA continues torepresent the interests of southernpine producers in the Southeast—thisremains our primary goal. With theincreased attention brought to theproduct via the Real Outdoor Livingprogram, we realized that the threemain decking species in the U.S.—pressure treated wood, cedar and red-wood—all have the same end goal: tosell more wood for decking.”

Representatives from the threespecies first met by phone in late-sum-mer 2009. Continued communicationled to the development of shared keymessages, as seen throughout bothsets of wood education videos pro-duced by the group.

An educational media event held atthe 2010 International Builders’ Showbuilt on their success, carrying keywood messages even deeper into theindustry.

Plans are in the works for additionalshared activities within the comingyear.

selves if this choice would help us sellmore pressure treated lumber. If it did-n’t pass the test, we passed on it.” Five years of solid success within

the SPAN program meant a shortlearning curve for the ROL team.They knew their markets and theyknew the product. A strategic long-term plan was developed, incorporat-ing elements needed for strong results.

The Marketing MixThe marketing part of ROL kicked

off with consumer research to deter-mine what homeowners knew, wherethey gleaned their information, andwhat influences affected their purchas-ing decisions. Results were sobering:steady misinformation about pressure-treated wood was everywhere. Following the research phase, a

creative segment kicked in with thedevelopment of a look and feel for theROL program. Key messages weredrafted (based on research results) andwww.realoutdoorliving.com waslaunched. Banner ads on key d-i-y-related sites drove traffic to the newsite, as did a $10,000 backyard make-over contest.Public relations goals were accom-

plished through the use of varied tac-tics designed to spread the pressure-treated wood word across all informa-tional mediums. Homeowners werereached through traditional PR, mat


affected behavior, whether we movedthe needle,” says Burns. “It’s easy toget information into the marketplace—it’s like throwing spaghetti against awall. The success comes with targeted,well-researched information, deliveredin precisely the way your audiencetells you they’d like to receive it.That’s when you see a change.”

Measures of SuccessWhile the final program numbers

won’t be tallied until July, here are afew high points of the ROL program:

• One ROL-partnering dealer had a30% sales increase following a specificmarketing element deployment.

• The $10K Backyard Oasis Make-over contest received over 100,000online entries—more than three timesthe amount expected.

• A regional show home featuring atreated wood deck was deemed themost successful in the sponsor’s histo-ry and stayed open three extra months,resulting in tens of thousands of addeddirect consumer hits for the product.

• A radio media tour focusing onspring project ideas garnered tens ofmillions of listeners—the most in fiveyears of the SPAN program.

Exclusive Northern California distributor of New

Scientifically Enhanced Performance Lumber

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Specialists in lumber products for Elegant Outdoor Living

Also Northern California distributor of WindsorOnePlus FJ sidings & trim • 30-year warranty • Proprietary priming process • SCS air quality standards, indoors & out

And carrying complete lines of Redwood • Double Primed, Clear Redwood FJ trim & siding. All sidings VG.

• High-end Green & Dry solid lumber.

• UL certified Class A fire rating.(Actually received a Class“0” rating—the same as concrete.)• Produced from sustainable forests• Highly water resistant• Highly insect resistant• Rot resistant• Will not deteriorate• Carries 20-year warranty • Can be handled like lumber • 5/4"x6" decking will span 24"• Colors: Sequoia (redwood) andCapeCod (gray)

service articles, radio media tours, anda satellite media tour. Product dona-tions resulted in additional earnedmedia on television and in key home-owner magazines. Partnerships withregional magazines included participa-tion in show homes—a fantastic wayto show off the beauty, strength anddurability of treated wood decking. Retail OutreachEarlier research revealed that retail

employees were a big source of build-ing product information for homeown-ers. To reach this key demographicwhere they shop, partnerships weredeveloped with big-box retailers andindependent dealers nationwide. Several informational elements

were created, each designed to edu-cate. Among them: wood educationvideos, sell sheets, in-store tear pads,magazine inserts, and employee infor-mational pocket guides. Did It Work?Evaluation and analysis is integral

to any successful marketing program.While Real Outdoor Living’s first yearis not yet completed, many results arein—and all of them indicate success. “Success to us isn’t just impres-

sions—it’s looking at whether we

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ARE YOU WASTING your customers’time? In this pressurized, multi-

tasking world, where your customersare expected to produce more in lesstime, they may be growing less eagerto meet with you than they were just ayear ago. Time is more precious todaythan ever before, and your customersare feeling the pressure.In order for your customers to reli-

ably make time to see you, they needto expect that they will gain somevalue for the time spent with you.That means that, if you are going tobe successful in the world of B2Bsales, you’ll need to create a reputa-tion that time spent with you is worththe investment. If, over time, you can create that

idea in the minds of your customers,you’ll find them generally willing tomeet with you when you call. And inan economy where “too much to doand not enough time to do it” is theprevalent mind set, that reputation is avaluable asset.As is always the case, it starts with

thoughtfulness and preparation. Aswe prepare for a sales call, we sooften we think about what we want toaccomplish and what we want to gainout of the sales call. Very few sales-people ever give any thought to whatthe customer gets out of it. That’s thestarting point.Here’s a little mental trick to help

you. Before every sales call, whenyou are thinking about what you wantto do, and what tools and materialsyou’ll need, take a moment and ask,“What is the customer going to gainout of this time he spends with me?”

Here’s a list of some possibleanswers:1. Some good ideas to help him in

his business or his job.2. Some ways to help him gain

more business.3. Some ways to distinguish him-

self from others.4. Some ideas about how to reduce

his costs.5. Some good things to think

about.6. You helped him resolve some

conflict.7. You helped him simplify things.8. You helped him solve some

problem.9. You helped him move closer to

some objective.10. You made him feel better

about himself or his business.11. He got to spend time with your

charming and entertaining personali-ty.The answer probably lies some-

where within the top 10 items on thatlist. If you can’t name anything thatthe customer will gain, then you cansafely assume that the time the cus-tomer spends with you in that salescall will be a waste of his time. Yourrelationship may be able to withstandone or two of those, but in the long-term, wasted time will destroy a busi-ness relationship.If you are going to bring value to

every customer, every time, then

ON SalesBy Dave Kahle

Adding valueto every sales call

you’ll need to spend more timepreparing to do so. That brings us totwo simple rules to add value to everysales call:1. Present something, every time.2. Ask something, every time.Present something, every time,

means exactly that. You should, inevery sales call with every customerand prospect, have something to talkabout, to educate him on, which maybe of value to him.You can, for example, have an idea

that you share. Maybe an idea thatwill help him…• cut costs• increase revenues• save time• do something better or easier• make him more valuable• make his job easier.You may have a story you can tell


IN Memoriam

Michel August “Mike” PierreSr., owner of O’Connor LumberCo., Vallejo, Ca., died May 21 inSanta Rosa, Ca.In 1961, he and his father,

August, bought O’Connor, whichis now run by Mike’s sons, MikeJr. and Joe. He later opened a sec-ond store with his sons, MissionAce Hardware, Santa Rosa.

Lyle A. Pearson, 85, formerowner of Coburg Building Supply,Coburg, Or., died May 20 inEugene, Or.During World War II, Mr.

Pearson served with the Navy inthe South Pacific. He managedCone Lumber, Eugene, for 17years and owned Coburg BuildingSupply for 15 years. He thenworked as a lumber broker for 20years and retired in his early 70s.

Hardie Curt Setzer, 90, retiredpartner in Setzer Forest ProductsInc., Sacramento, Ca., died May 15in Carmichael, Ca.In 1940, he left the University

that provides an example of howsomeone gained a benefit, or solved aproblem.You could present a new product, a

new product line, or a new applicationfor an existing product of which hemay not be aware.You could present a service that

your company offers in which he maybe interested.And, finally, you could present a

proposal to buy something from you.The important thing here is that youprepare to present something to everycustomer and every prospect on everysales call. And not just anything, butrather something that this particularcustomer may find of value to him.Don’t forget rule number two: Ask

something, on every sales call, withevery customer and every prospect.And I don’t mean a question like,“What do you think of the weathertoday?” Ask a question that causes theprospect/customer to…• think about his job or his busi-

ness in some different way, • consider something that he has

probably not thought of before,

• clarify some values, goals, objec-tives or strategies.The ultimate power of a good

question is that it causes the other per-son to think. The thinking process thatresults is the value that a customermay receive from the time spent withyou. The purpose of the question isnot for you to gain information;rather, it is to direct the customer tothink about some things in differentways, so that the customer receivessome value.If you take the time to individually

prepare something to present andsomething to ask for each sales call,you will, more times than not, be per-ceived as bringing some value to thecustomer. Over time, he’ll be moreand more willing to meet with you.And that reputation will be one ofyour greatest strengths in the market-place. – Dave Kahle, “The Growth Coach,”

is a sales consultant, trainer and author ofa free monthly “Thinking About Sales”ezine and six books—including QuestionYour Way to Sales Success. Reach him at(800) 331-1287; www.davekahle.com.

of Oregon to join the Army AirCorps and was a fighter pilotinstructor in Arizona. He and his brother, Cal, grew

the company, which was foundedby their father in 1927. He shared the family fortune as

c.e.o. of the Setzer Foundation,which gave money to build a wingat the Crocker Art Museum,expand the Sutter Medical Center,renovate the Stanford Mansion,and found the Aerospace Museumof California.

Edward Lee Habel Sr., 85,former sales manager of BoiseCascade, Great Falls, Mt., diedMay 14 in Great Fall.During World War II, he served

as a Marine Corps machine guncrewman in the Asiatic PacificTheater. He learned the trade of glazing

while working part-time atMonarch Lumber Co., Great Falls,during high school. He later joinedBoise Cascade, then became ownerof TC Glass, retiring in 1987.


NEW Products

Precast-Look Fiber CementNichiha EmpireBlock is a lightweight siding option

with the look of precast concrete.The fiber cement panels are 10 ft. long, 18” wide,

and 5/8” thick. Each is shiplapped on two long edges for a tight fit.

� NICHIHA.COM(866) 424-4421

Lightweight Soffit SheetThe new Wain-Sof PVC sheet from KOMA Trim

Products was designed for ease of handling and job-site flexibility in panel and soffit applications.The 3/8” sheets weigh less than 20 lbs. each and

are available in two lengths (3’ and 4’). Factory packaging on over-sized pallets further

protects critical edges. � KOMATRIMBOARDS.COM(800) 330-2239

Rainscreen for MasonryHome Slicker rainscreen from Bejamin Obdyke is

designed to alleviate moisture problems in stone, stuc-co, and masonry applications.The product’s vertically channeled matrix forms

the air space, while a breathable fabric blocks mortarfrom seeping into the newly formed cavity and allow-ing moisture to pass through. Each roll weighs 15 lbs., covers 200 sq. ft., and has

an UV exposure of 30 days maximum.� BENJAMINOBDYKE.COM(800) 346-7655

Larger Siding PanelsQuest vinyl siding from Mastic Home Exteriors is

now offered in a long-length, 25’6” panel to reduce oreliminate seams.Available in 22 colors, the siding also comes in 12’

and 15’ panels that never need painting or staining. �WWW.PLYGEM.COM(800) 962-6973


Stainless SteelFastnersSimpson Strong-Tie’s new

line of premium stainless steelfasteners are designed for out-door applications.The nails and screws can be

used for decking, siding, roofing,framing, and finish work. They reportedly provide supe-

rior corrosion resistance, strengthand durability.� STRONGTIE.COM(800) 999-5099

CertifiedParticleboardFreeForm particleboard from

The Collins Cos. now meetsmoisture-resistant specificationsfor ANSI MR-10.Made from 100% recycled

post-industrial fibers, the productis FSC-certified and LEED-com-pliant. It is also certified underCalifornia Air Resources BoardCARB Phase 2. � COLLINSWOOD.COM(800) 547-1793

Deck InstallationMade EasierFasco America’s new Invisi-

Deck Hidden Scrail fastener sys-tem reportedly delivers cleandeck surfaces without visiblescrew heads. The system was designed to

install hidden clips three to fivetimes faster than conventionalapplications. Included are Scrail fasteners,

InvisiDeck installation tool, andI-CLP clips for use with bothcomposite and hardwood decks. � FASCOAMERICA.COM(800) 239-8665


Cedar ShakeLookalikesIndividual Shakes are the lat-

est addition to CertainTeed’sWeatherBoards fiber cement sid-ing, offering the beauty of cedarwithout the upkeep of wood.Shakes are primed with Fiber-

Tect sealant, in widths of 6-1/4”,8-1/4” and 12”, for installationwith a straight or staggered edge.� CERTAINTEED.COM(800) 233-8990

Revolutionary GatesThe Revolution Gate from

Ultra Aluminum has hiddenworkings—motor, actuator, andall connections—for a clean lookand easier operation. It attaches to the gate with a

one-piece extrusion and a specialset of hinges on top and bottom. � ULTRAFENCE.COM(800) 656-4420

Decorative InsertsLumicor decorative acrylic

panels can be specified in placeof glass in select interior Frenchdoors made by Simpson Door.Design choices include natur-

al, textile or industrial materials. Customers can also create

their own panels with a combina-tion of items to achieve their ownlook and privacy rating.� SIMPSONDOOR.COM(800) 746-7766

Cal Coast Wholesale Lumber, Inc.Pressure Treated Forest Products

Alkaline Copper Quat (ACQ) and BoratesCustom Treating

Selected Inventory Available

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

Gene Pietila

Sales for Coast Wood Preserving


Screens With a ViewPhifer’s BetterVue insect screening now has built-

in anti-microbial protection to inhibit stain-causingbacteria, mold and mildew.The flame-retardant screen was designed to

enhance the view, improve airflow, and provide pro-tection against small insects. It is available in 50- and 100-ft. rolls, in widths up

to 108”.� PHIFER.COM(205) 345-2120

Wood BricksRustix Woodbrix, an interlocking wall covering

made from real wood, is new from Kark Lumber.The brick-sized pieces measure 1”x4” and are

packed 96 to a box, to cover 16 sq. ft. � KARKLUMBER.COM(607) 648-9339

Dimension LumberTreated ProductsDomestic

TimbersGreen & K.D.

Export

Manke Lumber Company is family-owned and has been serving the needsof the lumber industry since 1953. Wetake pride in milling and stocking quali-ty lumber in a full range of commoditysizes and larger dimension timbers. Wealso answer your market needs for awide variety of treated lumber products. Our forest products are milled fromcarefully harvested Northwest treesready for distribution to you—on timeand at the right price.Located in the Port of Tacoma, wehave ready access to deep water ship-ping, rail heads or trucking terminals forlonger haul loads. Manke operates itsown fleet of trucks and is at your ser-vice for straight or mixed loads bytruck, rail or sea.We manufacture primarily Douglas firand western hemlock, including• 2x4 thru 2x12, Lengths 8-20’• 3x4 thru 3x12, Lengths 8-26’• 4x4 and wider, Lengths 8-26’• 6x6 and wider, Lengths 8-26’• 8x8 and wider, Lengths 8-26’• Timber sizes up to 12x12

Manke Lumber CompanyCall 1-800-426-8488

1717 Marine View Dr., Tacoma, WA 98422Phone 253- 572-6252 Fax 253-383-2489

www.mankelumber.com

WHAT YOU WANT.WHEN YOU NEED IT.


Steel Stud SystemThe Edge drywall steel-fram-

ing system from Super StudBuilding Products reportedly hasfewer sharp edges than tradition-al metal framing.Constructed from 40KSI steel,

it is approved for use in one- tofour-hour wall assemblies. � EDGESTEELFRAMING.COM(800) 477-7883

Not as DustyA new ready-mixed joint

compound from National Gyp-sum reportedly reduces airbornedust by more than 60%.ProForm with Dust-Tech is

GreenGuard certified and ispackaged in 4.5-, 3.5-, or 1-gal-lon containers. � NATIONALGYPSUM.COM(704) 365-7300

The Slate ShowLamarite Slate composite

shingles from TAMKO nowcome in variegated colors for amore natural stone look.Listed for UL Class A fire

resistance and Class 4 impactresistance, they come 5”, 7” and12” wide, in five colors—mottledpewter, patina, copper stone, var-iegated plum, and rustic stone. � TAMKO.COM(800) 641-4691

Tightly ScreenedScreen Tight added an ultra-

low profile to its line of extrudedaluminum porch screening. MINItrack’s hidden fasteners

allow a seamless look and unob-structed views. The powder-coat-ed aluminum channels are avail-able in 8-, 10-, or 12-ft. lengths,in either white or bronze. � SCREENTIGHT.COM(800) 768-7325


July 15-16 at Hotel Solamar, SanDiego, Ca.The event will start at the

Coronado Municipal Golf Course.The opening reception and dinner willfeature Jeffrey Hansler, who will offertips on building better communicationskills.On the second day, Ed Murphy,

manager of resources inventory sys-tems at Sierra Pacific Industries, willoffer a forestry update. The event willend with dinner and a San DiegoPadres baseball game at Petco Park.

Portland Wholesale LumberAssociation’s next meeting is Aug. 5at the Newport Seafood Grill, Tigard,Or.

West Coast Lumber InspectionBureau elected Terri Adair, SenecaSawmill Co., Eugene, Or., as its2010-1012 president. New vice president is Ted Stock,

Western Cascade Industries, Toledo,Or., and secretary/treasurer is

ASSOCIATION Update

Western Building MaterialAssociation will combine its annualconvention, previously held in thefall, with its 40th annual YoungWesterners Conference.The 107th annual convention is set

for Feb. 9-11 at the Tulalip Resort,Tulalip, Wa.Featured are the table-top exhibit

showcase, educational programs, all-industry reception, President’s dinner,and silent and live auctions.

Mountain States Lumber &Building Material Dealers Associa-tion stages its WOOD Council golftournament July 20 at the Ranch Golf& Country Club, Westminster, Co.A webinar on tools & machinery

safety is scheduled for June 17. July 6and 15 the topic will be blood-bornepathogens. Personal protection equip-ment will be covered Aug. 10 and 26.

Lumber Association of Califor-nia & Nevada has booked its annual2nd Growth summer conference for

VAN ARSDALE-HARRIS LUMBER CO.595 Tunnel Ave., San Francisco, CA 94134 • 415-467-8711 • Fax 415-467-8144

www.vanarsdaleharris.comSpecialists in upper grades of clear, dry softwoods

Douglas Fir C & Better V/G & F/G Kiln Dried Full Sawn Rough • 1", 5/4", 2", 3", 4", 6" & 8x8 • 3x6 DF Select Dex Double T&G DeckingSugar Pine • 4/4 -16/4 C & Btr. • 5/4 & 8/4 D Select • 6/4 & 8/4 Mldg. • 5/4 #1 Shop • 5/4 x 12 #2 Common • 4x4 #2 CommonPonderosa Pine • 4/4 Clears, Moulding, #3 Clear, Commons • 2x4, 2x6, 2x12 Std. & Btr. DimensionWestern Red Cedar Clear V/G & F/G Full Sawn Rough • 1", 5/4", 2" Kiln Dried • 3", 4", 6" Air Dried TimbersAlaskan Yellow Cedar C & Btr. Kiln Dried Rough • 4/4, 8/4 Poplar, FAS • 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 12/4Sitka Spruce B & Btr. V/G Kiln Dried Rough • 4/4, 8/4 Honduras Mahogany, FAS Pattern Grade • 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 10/4, 12/4, 16/4

Since 1888

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

wwwwww..tthhuunnddeerrbboollttwwooooddttrreeaattiinngg..ccoommCCeennttrraall CCaalliiffoorrnniiaa LLooccaattiioonn

3400 Patterson Rd., Riverbank, Ca. 95367SSaaccrraammeennttoo,, CCAA

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

MMaarriinnee && IInndduussttrriiaall SSaalleessMiguel Gutierrez • [email protected]

(209) 747-7773 • Fax (209) 367-1917

Treating Services Only (TSO)

AACCQQ •• CCCCAA •• BBOORRAATTEESSDD--BBLLAAZZEE® •• AACCZZAA ((CCHHEEMMOONNIITTEE®))Heat Treating • Drying Services (KD, KDAT)

Marine Piling • Staining Service • Rail Siding (BNSF)

CCooaattiinngg SSeerrvviiccee:: MFI-SLO8 Marine GradeSpray Polyurea Coating

Clement Frank, Frank Lumber, MillCity, Or.

Western Wood Products Associ-ation is staging its 2010 LumberPioneers annual meeting Sept. 17 atthe Monarch Hotel, Clackamas, Or.

Montana Wood Products Associ-ation will hold its annual conventionin conjunction with the ForestResource Association’s western meet-ing Sept. 21-23 in Whitefish, Mt.

AMSO (American Softwoods), theinternational marketing brand ofAPA-The Engineered WoodAssociation, Softwood ExportCouncil, and Southern Pine Council,has opened an office in China. AmSo contracted with WG

Consulting, a firm composed of for-mer AF&PA China office employees,to represent the U.S. softwood indus-try, providing support for tradeshows, missions, seminars, and tech-nical work.


CLASSIFIED Marketplace

Rates: $1.20 per word (25 word min.). Phone number counts as 1 word,address as 6. Centered copy or headline, $9 per line. Border, $9. Private box,$15. Column inch rate: $55 if art furnished “camera-ready” (advertiser sets thetype), $65 if we set the type.

Send ad to Fax 949-852-0231 or dkoenig@ building-products.com. For moreinfo, call (949) 852-1990. Make checks payable to Cutler Publishing. Deadline:

18th of previous month. To reply to ads with private box numbers, send correspondence to box

number shown, c/o The Merchant Magazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste. 480,Newport Beach, Ca. 92660, or [email protected]. Names of adver-tisers using a box number cannot be released.

HELP WANTEDMANUFACTURERS REPRESENTATIVE:Well established West Coast forest productscompany seeks sales & marketing professionalfor Midwestern territory. The successful candi-date will have a solid customer base with exten-sive experience marketing western red cedarlumber, siding, timbers, shakes and shingles.Knowledge of whitewood lumber an asset.Please send resume to Box 716, c/o TheMerchant Magazine, 4500 Campus Dr., Ste.480, Newport Beach, Ca. 92660 or by email [email protected].

LUMBER TRADERWe are a wholesale lumber company looking

for an experienced trader. Any species. Norestrictions on mills or customers. No reloca-tion. 60% split for trader. Call John at LakesideLumber at (623) 566-7100 or [email protected].

OFFICE & WAREHOUSE FOR LEASE:Northern California Sacramento region.Approximately 2,000-sq. ft. office attached to30,000-sq. ft. warehouse. Warehouse clear spanheight 20 ft. Office & restrooms ADA accessi-ble. Warehouse includes three-man doors withlarge 20-ft. roll-up door. 220V power available.Fire sprinkler system throughout. Truck shopfacilities provided, including minor repairwork, oil changes, steam cleaning, etc., atfavorable rates. Ample truck parking space inback of facility. If additional space is needed,an option on additional 30,000-sq. ft. ware-house will be available soon. Office & 30,000-sq. ft. front warehouse available at .29¢ per sq.ft. Option for rear warehouse .25 per sq. ft. Ifinterested, please call Tom Williams, (530)742-2168, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

FACILITIES FOR LEASE FOR SALE

CUSTOMLUMBER COVERSROLLS • SEALED BAGSAvailable for Delivery

Rolls 10 x 300ʼPlywood Bags 4 x 4 x 8ʼ

L. I. INDUSTRIES800-526-6465FAX [email protected]

www.lumbercoversprotect.com

Letus

quote

Traderʼs Preview.Special supplement in OctoberMerchant and BPD for NAWLATraders Market. Circulation ofover 21,000 lumber buyers.Discounted advertising rates.

Deluxe Industry Calendar ofEvents. 12-month, wall-hang-ing calendar with hundreds ofindustry events and one spon-sor per month for exclusive,extended exposure.

Building-Products.com. Features digitized editions ofour magazines, event phones,and news updated daily tokeep industry professionalsconstantly returning.

Building Products Digest. 28-year-old sister magazinereaches dealers & wholesalersEast of the Rockies. Controlledcirculation saturates theSouth, Midwest and Northeast.

The Merchant Magazine.88-year-old magazine reachesLBM dealers & wholesalersWest of the Rockies.Circulation is primarily paid,ensuring high readership.

Seeing is

believing buying

Imagine showing a prospective customer a picture of their dream deck—and not just a drawing or

sketch, but a full-color, 3D image they can look at from any angle. DeckTools Software®, a sales,

design and estimating software program for decks, makes it easy for deck builders and suppliers to create

one-of-kind deck designs right from their laptops. Customize nearly every detail, from the deck shape and

railings to materials, connectors and fasteners, while quickly generating plans, proposals and material lists.

Learn to turn your proposals into sales with Simpson Strong-Tie® DeckTools Software®.

Visit www.strongtie.com/decktools or call (800) 999-5099.

DeckTools version 3.0 is available now. See website or call for details.

©2009 Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. DT09

Come see us at IBS booths C755 and C955

FOCUS ON WESTERN WOODS � VIRTUAL MEETINGS � LUMBERYARD AUCTIONS

JJAANNUUAARRYY 22001100

The MERCHANTMagazine

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

Seeing is believing buying

Imagine showing a prospective customer a picture of their dream deck—and not just a drawing or

sketch, but a full-color, 3D image they can look at from any angle. DeckTools Software®, a sales,

design and estimating software program for decks, makes it easy for deck builders and suppliers to create

one-of-kind deck designs right from their laptops. Customize nearly every detail, from the deck shape and

railings to materials, connectors and fasteners, while quickly generating plans, proposals and material lists.

Learn to turn your proposals into sales with Simpson Strong-Tie® DeckTools Software®.

Visit www.strongtie.com/decktools or call (800) 999-5099.

DeckTools version 3.0 is available now. See website or call for details.

©2009 Simpson Strong-Tie Company Inc. DT09Come see us at IBS booths C755 and C955

FOCUS ON SOUTHERN PINE � WESTERN WOODS � LUMBERYARD AUCTIONS

JANUARY 2010

INDUSTRY NEWS & MONEY-MAKING STRATEGIES FOR LUMBER & BUILDING MATERIAL DEALERS & DISTRIBUTORSBPD BuildingProducts Digest

For rates and more information, contact Alan Oakes or Chuck Casey at (949) [email protected] • [email protected]

PRESENT

TRADERS’ PREVIEW2009

PLANNING GUIDE FOR THE

NAWLA TRADERS MARKET®

SSppoonnssoorreedd bbyy tthhee NNoorrtthh AAmmeerriiccaann WWhhoolleessaallee LLuummbbeerr AAssssoocciiaattiioonnNNoovveemmbbeerr 55--77 •• HHyyaatttt RReeggeennccyy HHootteell,, CChhiiccaaggoo,, IIll..

BUILDING PRODUCTS DIGEST

AND

Show dates are subject to change. Contact the sponsor for more information. Please see pages 2-3 for phone numbers.

March 16 – Advertising & Editorial Deadline for

Building Products Digest & The Merchant Magzineʼs “Pressure Treated Wood” Special Issue

The Merchant Magazine 2010BPD–Building Products Digest

March

66-7 HDW Inc., spring market,Jackson, Mi.6-7 Long-Lewis Hardware, market,

Montgomery, Al.

55-7 Home Shows, Springfield, Il.; Dallas,

Tx.

33-4 National Retail Federation, retail

innovation & marketing conference,San Francisco, Ca.3-6 Lumbermens Merchandising Corp.,

annual meeting, Salt Lake City, Ut.

211-2 Greenprints, Atlanta, Ga.1-2 Western Wood Preservers Institute,

winter meeting, Portland, Or.

44-5 Northwestern Lumber Association,

Iowa lumber convention, Coralville, Ia.

1312

12-14 Home & Remodeling Shows,Dubuque, Ia.; Portland, Or.; Reading,Pa.; Tacoma, Wa.

1111-12 ENAP Inc., annual meeting & show,

Louisville, Ky.11-12 Mountain States Lumber &Building Material DealersAssociation, expo, Denver, Co.

1010-11 Northwestern LumberAssociation, Nebraska lumber

convention, La Vista, Ne.10-12 Hardwood ManufacturersAssociation, conference & expo,

Tampa, Fl.

99-11 Wood Technology Show, Portland,

Or.

88-9 American Institute of TimberConstruction, annual meeting, Ft.

Lauderdale, Fl.8-9 Western Wood ProductsAssociation, annual meeting,Portland, Or.

77-11 North American WholesaleLumber Association, University of

Industrial Distribution, Indianapolis,In.

2020-21 Home & Design Shows,Costa Mesa, Ca.; Maplewood,

Mn.

1919-20 Blish-Mize Co., spring market,

Overland Park, Ks.19-21 Home Shows, Mankato, Mn.; FortWorth, Tx.19-21 True Value Co., spring market,

Chicago, Il.

1818-19 Capitol Industrial Woodworking

Expo, Fredricksburg, Va.

17St. Patrickʼs Day

161515-17 National Lumber & BuildingMaterial Dealers Assn., legislative

conference & green building forum,Washington, D.C.15-18 Window & Door Manufacturers

Association, legislative conference,Washington, D.C.

1414-16 International Home & Housewares

Show, Chicago, Il.Daylight Savings Time Begins

2726

26-27 Amarillo Hardware, market,Amarillo, Tx.26-28 Home & Builders Shows,LaGrange, Il.; LaCrosse, Mn.

2525-27 Redwood Region LoggingConference, Ukiah, Ca.25-28 Ace Hardware Corp., spring

market, New Orleans, La.

2424-26 Kentucky Forest Industries Assn.,

annual meeting, Bowling Green, Ky.24-26 North American WholesaleLumber Association, regional

conference, New Orleans, La.24-27 JLC Live Show, Providence, R.I.

2323-24 American ArchitecturalManufacturers Assn., southeast

region spring meeting, San Antonio, Tx.

23-27 Moulding & Millwork ProducersAssociation, annual meeting,Monterey, Ca.

2222-25 National Wood FlooringAssociation, conference & expo,

Washington, D.C.

21

28Palm Sunday

2929-31 International Wood Composites

Symposium & Technical Workshop,Seattle, Wa.

30Passover Begins

31

SundayMonday

TuesdayWednesday

Thursday

Saturday

Friday

10 Southern CypressManufacturersAssociation, annualmeeting, Tampa, Fl.

3-4 Michigan Lumber &Building MaterialsAssociation, show, Mt.Pleasant, Mi.

11 Los Angeles HardwoodLumbermanʼs Club, golftournament, Chino, Ca.

AprilS M T W T F S1 2 34 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 1718 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

FebruaryS M T W T F S1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 12 1314 15 16 17 18 19 2021 22 23 24 25 26 2728

For the latest industry news and todownload free event photos, visitwww.building-products.com

55ways to increase your profile among customers & prospects.Select the best advertising vehicle for your company to target-market a particular region or market segment—or choose multiple publications to reach the entire industry, nationwide.


Listings are often submitted months in advance. Always verifydates and locations with sponsor before making plans to attend.

PCBC – June 9-11, Moscone Center, San Francisco, Ca.; (916)443-7933; www.pcbc.com.

Los Angeles Hardwood Lumberman’s Club – June 10, electionnight, Beckham Grill, Pasadena, Ca.; (626) 445-8556.

Seattle Hoo-Hoo Club – June 11, golf tournament, Mt. Si GolfCourse, Snoqualamie, Wa.; (425) 883-2777.

Western Wood Preservers Institute – June 13-15, summer meet-ing, Zermatt, Midway, Ut.; (800) 729-9663; www.wwpinstitute.org.

National Retail Federation – June 14-16, loss prevention confer-ence & expo, Atlanta, Ga.; (202) 783-7971; www.nrf.com.

National Lawn & Garden Show – June 15-17, Renaissance Colo-rado Springs Hotel, Spa & Conference Center, Colorado Springs,Co.; (888) 316-0226; www.nlgshow.com.

Tuolumne Lumber Jubilee – June 17-19, Tuolumne, Ca.; (800)266-6436; www.tuolumnelumberjubilee.com.

Western Building Material Association – June 18, Young West-erners Club board meeting, Northern Quest Resort, Spokane,Wa.; (360) 943-3054; www.wbma.org.

Forest Products Society –June 20-22, convention, Madison, Wi.;(608) 231-1361; www.forestprod.org.

Western States Roofing Contractors Association – June 20-23,convention & expo, Paris Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, Nv.; (800)725-0333; www.wsrca.com.

Portland Hoo-Hoo – June 25, golf tournament, Forest Hills GolfCourse, Forest Grove, Or.; (503) 675-0040.

Remodeling & Decorating Show – June 26-27, Los AngelesConvention Center, Los Angeles, Ca.; (818) 557-2950.

Annual Old Time Lumbermen’s BBQ – July 10, Davenport, Ca.;(831) 457-5024.

Temperate Forest Foundation – July 13-16, Pacific Northwestteachers tour, Corvallis, Or.; (503) 445-9472; www.forestinfo.org.

Western Building Material Association – July 14-16, mid-yearboard meeting, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, Wa.; (360) 943-3054; www.wbma.org.

Lumber Association of California & Nevada – July 15-16, 2ndGrowth annual summer conference, Hotel Solamar, San Diego,Ca.; (800) 266-4344; www.lumberassociation.org.

North American Retail Hardware Association – July 19-20, annu-al convention & conference, Savannah, Ga.; (317) 290-0338;www.nrha.org.

Mountain States Lumber & Building Material Dealers Assn. –July 20, WOOD Council golf tournament, Ranch Golf & CountryClub, Westminster, Co.; (800) 365-0919; www.mslbmda.org.

Rogue Valley Hoo-Hoo Club – July 29-30, dinner & golf, RogueValley Country Club, Medford, Or.; (800) 633-5554.

Humboldt Hoo-Hoo Club – Aug. 6, golf tournament, Baywood Golf& Country Club, Arcata, Ca.; (707) 268-3082.

Orgill Inc. – Aug. 12-14, fall dealer market, McCormick Place,Chicago, Il.; (901) 754-8850; www.orgill.com.

Southern California Hoo-Hoo Club – Aug. 18, dinner & meeting,Pomona Valley Mining Co., Pomona, Ca.; (760) 324-0842.

International Woodworking Fair – Aug. 25-28, Atlanta, Ga.; (770)246-0608; www.iwfatlanta.com.

Black Bart Hoo-Hoo Club – Aug. 27, trap shoot & BBQ, Black PointSports Club, Petaluma, Ca.; (707) 621-4852.

Remodeling & Decorating Shows – Aug. 27-29, South Town ExpoCenter, Sandy, Ut.; Aug. 28-29, Pasadena Conference Center,Pasadena, Ca.; (818) 557-2950.

DATE Book

WHERE QUALITY IS AGELESS

Anfinson Lumber is the clear choice for Quality Redwood and Western

Red Cedar Dimension,Boards, Patterns and Timbers

CALL SALES AT(800) 400-8383 • (951) 681-4707

Rick Anfinson

Outside Sales Darin Curran (949) 412-1894

Eddie Howdershelt (909) 993-2701

Visit our website: www.anfinson.comFontana, CA Office and Mill:

13041 Union Avenue, Fontana, CA 92337Fax: (951) 681-3566

E-mail: [email protected]

WHOLESALE ONLY • MILL DIRECT & LCL

Celebrating 43 years of fine hardwoodmanufacture and distributionFor the finest service in the industry,

call on Swaner for a steady, reliable source ofquality hardwood products at competitive prices.

• Hardwood Lumber / S4S• Hardwood Plywood• Custom Hardwood Moulding• Custom Hardwood Flooring

5 West Magnolia Blvd., Burbank, Ca. 91502Fax 818-846-3662

(800) 368-1108


ADVERTISERS IndexFor more info on advertisers, call themdirectly or visit their websites [in brackets].

Advantage Trim & Lumber [www.advantagelumber.com] .......................41

AERT [www.aertinc.com]...............................................................................8

Ainsworth [www.ainsworth.ca]..............................................................26-31

Anfinson Lumber Sales [www.anfinson.com] ...........................................53

Austin Hardwoods & Hardware...................................................................54

Auto-Stak Systems [www.autostak.com]...................................................36

Cabot [www.cabotfactoryfinish.com]...........................................................5

Cal Coast Wholesale Lumber......................................................................48

California Redwood Co., The [www.californiaredwoodco.com] ................3

California Timberline......................................................................................4

C&E Lumber Co. [www.lodgepolepine.com] .............................................48

Capital [www.capital-lumber.com]........................Cover II, 41, 45, Cover IV

Collins Companies [www.collinswood.com] ...............................................7

Compass Lumber Products Inc. [www.compasslumber.com] ................43

Fletcher Wood Solutions [www.tenonusa.com]........................................39

Fontana Wholesale Lumber [www.fontanawholesalelumber.com] .........50

Huff Lumber Co. ...........................................................................................13

Keller Lumber Co. ........................................................................................50

Lausmann Lumber [www.lausmanlumber.com]. ......................................43

Manke Lumber Co. [www.mankelumber.com]...........................................49

Norman Distribution Inc. [www.normandist.com].....................................35

Pennsylvania Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Co. [www.plmins.com]...37

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

Reel Lumber Service [www.reellumber.com] ............................................32

Reliable Wholesale Lumber Inc. [www.rwli.com] ......................................34

RISI [www.risiinfo.com/crows]....................................................................38

Roseburg Forest Products [www.rfpco.com]............................................19

Royal Pacific Industries...............................................................................21

RoyOMartin [www.royomartin.com].................................................Cover III

Simpson Strong-Tie [www.strongtie.com]...........................................33, 47

Snider Industries [www.sniderindustries.com].........................................40

Swaner Hardwood Co. [www.swanerhardwood.com] ..............................53

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

Thunderbolt Wood Treating [www.thunderboltwoodtreating.com].........51

Van Arsdale-Harris Lumber Co. [www.vanarsdaleharris.net] ..................51

Viance [www.treatedwood.com] .................................................................15

Western Woods Inc. [www.westernwoodsinc.com] .........................Cover I

Woodtone [www.woodtone.com]................................................................35

Serving the Woodworking Professional Since 1981

Southern Californiaʼs LargestSelection of Domestic and

Exotic Hardwoods IncludingPlywoods, Sheet Goods,Mouldings and Veneers

Santa Ana (714) 953-4000 • San Diego (858) 536-1800

IDEA FileMore Than Just Chicken Feed

A lumber dealer in UpstateNew York knows it takes more thanbuilding materials to attract new cus-tomers in a rural area. That’s why Ward Lumber, Jay,

N.Y., recently hosted Poultry Nightwith complimentary pizza, a lecture byan animal nutrition expert, and the chance tonetwork with other poultry aficionados.“We started selling feed a while ago, when I realized

how big a need there was in the area,” said presidentSidney “Jay” Ward III, who organized the event. “Itwas mostly from talking to people around town.”Ward provides free delivery of poultry feed and

recently began selling all species of poultry, includingchickens for meat and eggs, ducks, turkeys, and gamesbirds such as grouse and pheasant. Special prices wereoffered on orders of at least 25 birds during “ChickDays” through April 1.“We do it through a hatchery in Ohio,” said Ward.

“We haven’t yet gotten a huge response and we’re newat this, but we’re hoping for a good reaction.” Guest speaker Terry Cushing, an animal nutrition

specialist for Vermont-based Poulin Grain Feed Co.,spoke about how to care for poultry in a healthy andcost effective way. He assured the audience that raisingpoultry isn’t very hard, and stressed the importance ofbeing self-sufficient. “Who knows what will happen in years to come,” he

said. “It may be pretty viable to be able to raise yourown food.”Ward also operates another store in Monroe, N.Y., as

well as an eastern white pine mill and planing mill inJay, pre-fabricated home package and components sup-plier Ward Lumber Homes, and manages over 6,000acres of timberland.

TheMERCHANTMagazine

the merchant magazine june 2010

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