Pioneer in 514 leaves lasting mark

ALoNc-rlME MEMBER of the lumla,ber industry, Al Lucksted. died in October. Most recently he headed sales and purchasing at Midwest Timber in Edwardsburg, Mi., but his prime legacy may be his role in the introduction of 5/4 radius edge decking.

Five-quarter RED is now a common profile for treated southern pine, cedar, ip6 and even composite decking. This was not true in the late 1970s. At that time, following the emergence of backyard building but before the appearance of big box stores, Wickes Lumber was a major retailer, operating stores around the country although most prominently in the East, South and Midwest.

Lucksted, product manager for specialty lumber at Wickes, and his supervisor, George Finkenstaedt, were looking for products that might distinguish Wickes from competitors. Finkenstaedt remembers a field trip to check competitive offerings. "Al and I traveled to the tidewater area of Virginia with a valued supplier, Bob Hawes of Tolleson Lumber. At Moore's stores, we saw a squareedged decking product that was thinner than 2" lumber. It seemed to be something with potential."

Hawes and the innovative owner of Tolleson Lumber, Mell Tolleson, set out to create a product that could help their customer and also benefit Tolleson's sawmill and treating operations. After investigating several variations, they came up with 5/4" radius edge decking. It looked good, much better than the dimension lumber then commonly being used for decking. The quarter-inch radius minimized wane on edges, and was strong enough to allow a reasonable span.

Current Tolleson c.e.o. Rusty Wood managed a Tolleson sawmill and recalls visiting Wickes headquarters with Hawes to show Lucksted and Finkenstaedt a prototype sample. "Wickes jumped on the idea from the start, working out expected sales and profits on a calculator before we fin-

Ished

the meeting."

The group figured out that, compared to 2" lumber, the proposed decking could provide a higher retum to mills on a board foot basis and still be offered to contractors and homeowners at a lower price on a lineal foot basis.

Lucksted and Finkenstaedt convinced their upper management that Wickes should stock this untried product. Lucksted next had to excite the store managers and promote the decking to customers. He and Hawes designed and built display decks for the front of all Wickes Lumber retail locations. They wrote truckload orders for presumed sales at more than 100 stores, even though there was no history for the product and no assurance that it would sell in large volumes. It did. It sold so well that Wickes quickly became concerned that Tolleson could not keep up with demand. The Tolleson team had to recruit other sawmills to join the 514 program, going so far as to provide reluctant mills with planer knives and guaranteeing their sales in order to get their participation.

Although several mills produced the lumber, until the widespread acceptance of this decking all pressure-treating was done at Tolleson using CCA preservative. (Note: Perry, Ga.-based Tolleson Lumber still produces lumber, but no longer treats wood.)

Meantime, to protect against inferior knock-offs. Mell Tolleson drafted a grading standard for 514 RED. Mell served on the board of the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau and valued grademarks. Grading rules for RED were adopted in 1983 and are believed to be the first rules based on appearance criteria rather than strength characteristics. The original rules defined the radius, knot size, and three grades -Premium, Standard and No. 3-for 4",5", and 6" widths. The rules have been modified since then. Finkenstaedt. who now consults on mergers and acquisitions of building material operations, notes, "Our stocking of 5/4 decking gave Wickes a two- or three-year headstart over our competitors. It was an unqualified success for many years and underscores the importance of collaboration among all participants in the supply chain. It would not have been possible without the forward-looking and enthusiastic support of Rusty Wood at the mill level, Mell and Bob at the treating level, and, of course, Al Lucksted at the distribution and retail level. They all made it fun as well as very profitable for all participants."

Rusty Wood agrees: "Five-quarter decking proved very successful for Wickes, Tolleson, sawmills, treating plants, lumber dealers, and the consumer. It remains a leading choice, three decades after its launch."

Richard Dannenberg, former marketing director at Tolleson, singles out the contribution of Lucksted, who also introduced V-groove lumber and pre-assembled deck accessories during his career at Wickes. "If Al had not been willing to take a risk on the product, 5/4 decking would not have entered the market."

- Huck DeVenzio retired from Lonza Wood Protection, Atlanta, Ga., as manager of marketing communications in 2013 after 40 years of promoting treated wood. He says he qualifies as an industry historian by his age, iJ nothing else.

By Carla Waldemar