Penherthy's Prerision Piled IVholesale Yard

During the last year Paul Penberthy's dream of a rvhole_ sale lumber yard came true. He had been rvorking on it for many years. fn fact, away back in the days when paul was a "lumber shover" himself and spent much time pick- ing splinters out of his hands, he had it in the back of his mind that some day he rvas going to have a lumber yard of his own that would be just as near perfect as his brains and ingenuity could make it. Today he has it. So far as he is concerned,. this is the 'i,ery last word in a wholesale lumber yard, both as to the lay-out of the yard, the buildings, the equipment, the arrangements, the appearance, and the mechanics. If he could think of anything that would improve his newly finished plant, he would get it, and fast. So here we have a lumberman who, though still -in the prime of his business life, has seen his dream of a model lumber yard come true in all particulars.

Let's take a short peek at his background in this industry. When a kid in Northern Michigan he spent his vacations working in lumber n.rills, and got the smell of sawdust and the feel of a plank very early. He went to the University of Michigan, and when he left he came straight West and got a lumber job. His education hacl not spoiled him for rvork, and he shoved lumber in the yard of the Chas. R. McCormick Lumber Company for a couple of years, and learned about Western lumber. He farmed in the Imperial Valley for four years, and then went to war in World War One. Returning, he went to shoving lumber. again, this time for the W. E. CooDer Lumber Company, in Los Angeles. -They promoted him. to salesman and then to Sales Manager, and he stayed ten years with Cooper.

In 1931 his ambi.tions urged him to take a chance, and he started in business for himself in a wee small yard ou 59th street. It was a two-person enterprise, the other person being his wife, a business woman ol impressive ability and fersonality. She ran the little office and he bought and sold lumber. It was a wholesale yard from the beginning, but operated with very small stocks. In about a year the Penberthy Lumber Company took growing pains. They bought the old Brown-Derry lumber plant on East 51st Street, where they had a much bigger yard, and excellent ofifice facilities. They stayed there twelve years. Their slogan of "Hardwoods for everything," was worked out in practice. Still Mr. Penberthy ran the lumber end and Mrs. Penberthy kept her capable hands on the business end of the company.

The war brought a great bulge to the Penberthy business. They took a try at aircraft lumber, stocking, remanufacturing, and distributing their stocks nationally. To carry on this great nerv business they leased nsu' propbrties in various paits of Los Angeler, "r-rd before the rvar ended were operating five yirds, totalling more than tu,elve acres of ground. When the war ended Penberthy rvas the largest remanufacturer of aircraft Spruce in America, according to their own conservative figures. Furnishing aircraft lumber for the war effort furnished them the opportunity for using all their talents and ingenuitv, and the results were.tremendously successful.

When the war ended they consolidated all their holdings at their present location at 5800 South Boyle Avenue. With his long-time dream to guide him, Padl Penberthy went all the \,l'ay in perfecting and carrying out his plans. They secured the services of the most experienced and competent construction engineer they knew of, and turned him loose to draw the plans for their ambitious building program. With regard to every item and unit of their beautiful lay-out they can truthfully say "we planned it this way."

The entrance and the gater.r'ay is original and impressive. The great sign on a high pile of timbers, all precision piled, is certainly most unusual. All Paul Penberthy's own ideas. Precision piling is a fetish with him. Every pile of lumber in the yard is done in precision fashion. All pcis- sible care is taken in sticking and piling, the sides and ends are exactly even, every sticker is directly above the other. The lumber ends are painted to prevent checking. The alleys and cross alleys in the yard are all straight and at right-angles to each other, and all lumber is piled in the same direction to simplify ease of handling and movement.

The sheds are all built uniformly, the design arcnl- tecturally attractive, with projecting roofs, faced and painted. The entire yarci is paved with concrete. The buildings were all erected especially to permit the handling of the lumber by lift and straddle trucks, of which they have a battery. An overhead crane is used for truck loading. There are many devices, some of them original, for the handling of lumber. One for unloading cars cut their unloading expenses in half. This unit permits them to unload two cars at once, the lumber coming from two directions to the foot of the sorting table chains. The whole yard is clean, well painted, attractive to look at.

The mill is of the same type of architecture as the sheds the machinery and equipment is all new and of the latest

All the stocks look like ihis, precision piled on concrete design, and the lay-out was also designed for carrier and li.ft truck operations.

That here is as modern, as attractive, and as efficient a wholesale lumber yard as there is anywhere, is the opinion in which all visitors join Mr. Penberthy. The yard has naturally become.a show place, since every part is so easy on the eyes.

All the sheds are high, well lighted, .rvell painted, and are of sufficient capacity for any possible needs. There are several unique portable rigs on the plant for special uses that can be moved in and out on a moment's notice to perform specific jobs.

The office fits in perfectly rvith the rest of the plant. It is Jarge, well lighted and ventilated, attractive to the eye, and affords ample room for all departments. Here again Mr. Penberthy has gone far to make his place unique. The offrce is a decidedly hospitable one, where the caller gets prompt and smiling service.

The business of The Penberthy Lumber Company is buying, handling, and selling hardrvoods, both domestic and foreign. Through long acquaintance with manufacturers and suppliers of hardwood lumber both at home and abroad, they are able to furnish the lumber buying and using trade with all their needs possible of procurement. Northern, Eastern, and Southern hardwoods they bring to Los An- geles and prepare for market. Foreign hard.woods they bring in and prepare for use, and sell all over the country. They have brought in as much as half a million feet of Central American cabinet woods at a time, during the past few months.

The Penberthy yard, and the Penberthy business are direct results of vigorous and intelligent effort and fair dealing. It is a business built on sound foundations by a gentleman of high character and outstanding ability. In one way and one only has the Penberthy business deteriorated in recent times. Mrs. Penberthy, the powerful partner in that original partnership, is no longer active, but devotes all her time to her domestic affairs.

From Rcry Cox

"I wish to congratulate you on the fine achievement you and your associates have made of California's Own Lumber Journal. We cover this territory with our sales organization and find one accord-that THE CALIFORNIA LUMBER MERCHANT is read consistently. We wish you many more years of continued success." Ray B. Cox, President, Peerless Built-In Fixture Co., Berkeley.

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