Dealers Collect Lists of Postwar Building Prospects

More than 3,000 retail lumber.dealers are now gathering lists of families that want to build homes immediately after the war. They are using a simple method developed by Henry W. Collins, vice-president in charge of merchandising of The Celotex Corporation of Chicago, which puts them directly in touch with prospects who are saving money so that they can build at the earliest opportunity.

The method is built around an attractive and durable container for keeping war bonds. This container is being furnished by Celotex to its dealers for distribution to prospects. Some 200,000 containers, imprinted with dealers' names, have been already supplied to 3,000 dealers, and another 100,000 containers are now being printed.

Celotex is pushing the distribution of these containers in its national advertising in major magazines such as the Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, Better Homes and Gardens, American Home, House Beautiful, Ilouse and Garden and Parents'. Readers are urged to go to their local dealers for the containers. Names of 75,000 persons who have requested the containers direct from the 'company are also being turned over to dealers.

"We believe that anyone taking.the time to go to a dealer's office to ask for one of these containers is genuinely interested in building a home," says Mr. Collins. "When the prospect calls, the dealer also has an opportunity to talk to him for a few minutes, find out what his plans are and jot down his name and address on a card for filing.

"A file of. 25, 50 or 500 such names, depending on the size of the dealer's community, provides the best kind of a prospect list. The day that the ban on home building is lifted, the dealer can reach down in the drawer where the cards are filed, pull them out and get to work.

"Many dealers are not waiting for the end of the war to follow up these prospects. They are keeping in touch with them, from time to time, by sending them interesting pieces of home building literature. For this purpose many dealers are beginning to use our new portfolio of postwar homes, plans for which have been drawn for us by nationally known architects.' These portfolios contain illustrations of several houses as well as descriptions written by the architects who designed them.

"When the war ends, dealers with well-filled postwar prospect files will not have to wait for buyers to come to them or depend on hurried last-minute selling plans. And their ability to get under way in a hurry will be very important immediately after the war, not only for them, but for the entire building industry and our whole national economy.

"It will be important for the dealer because, no matter holv much demand there may be for homes after the war, teh cream of the business will go to those who go pfter it the fastest and most aggressively.

"Quick action is equally important to the building industry in general. The forecasts that say there will be a need for building 1,500,000 homes annually after the war should not lead us to believe that any such number will be built unless sound merchandising methods are used to turn this need into active demand. All of us need many things that we never buy because there are other things we want so much more. It is up to the building industry to make those who need horrles also want them enough to put up the necessary money.

"The success of the industry in promoting a large volume of private home construction immediately after the u'ar will have an important bearing on our entire national economy. The building industry is being counted on to play a major part in solving one of our biggest postwar problems-unemployment. Jobs will have to be provided for millions of returning soldiers and former war industry workers, and our industry is expected to be in a preferred position to carry a large part of the load. Its return to a peacetime basis, unlike that of most other major industries, will not be delayed by the need for re-establishing production lines. It should be able to swing into action on short notice.

"That the industry has the spirit and the will to make the most of its obligations and opportunities, is certainly evidenced by the fact that 3,000 dealers are looking ahead and planning for the future at a time when they also are beset by the many difficulties of operating under adverse wartime conditions." '

E. A. Brown \fith Evans Products Co.

Edgar A. Brown has joined the staff of Evans Products Company as sales engineer, and will make his headquarters in Portland. His activities will be in connection with sales, research and development in the Douglas Fir plywood field and his special attention will be given to prefabrication and manufacture of plywood products.

Mr. Brown has been engaged for the past 15 years in promotion, research and sales work for various species of Pacific Coast softwood lumber.

CHARLES WHITE IN NAVY

Charles B. White of White Brothers, wholesale hardwood distributors, San Francisco, has been commissioned a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, in the Navy. He left July 13 for Tucson, Aiz., for training.

He is a son of C. H. White, vice-president and general manager of White Brothers, and has been succeeded as purchasing agent by Keith Mclellan, city salesman, who has been in charge of the priority department for some time.

TAKING NAVY V.12 COURSE

Durell Le Breton, l7-year-old. son of D. H. Le Breton, salesman for Coos Bay Lumber Co., San Francisco, who was selected to take the Navy V-12 course, is now enrolled at Carroll College, Helena, Montana.

CHUCK FLANAGIN IN NAVAL AIR FORCE

C. M. (Chuck) Flanagin, who is employed by the King Lumber Company at Delano, Calif., has been commissioned a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, in the Naval Air Force Reserve, and will be assigned as an instructor in the physical training program. He will leave during this month for Chapel Hill, N. c.

BACK FROM OREGON

Willard La Franchi, manager of the Fresno distributing yard of Hill & Morton, fnc., has returned from a business trip to Oregon. He was accompanied by his wife.

DON BIRD zND LIEUT. IN MARINES

Don Bird, son of Chas. G. Bird, Stockton Lumber Co., Stockton, has completed his training and has been commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marines.