Put Some Warmth and Personality Into Your Business Letters

Dttr\. Dy JatcK utonne

The crvercrge business letter of the cver<rge business man is cs cold crs the mcrble slab in the tomb oI Phcrcroh.

' And it shouldn't be. Even though it IS iust q business letter, it is still c messcrge lrom q humcrn being to crnother humcrn being, crnd a definite effort should be mcde to put some wcrrmth, some human personclity into it. Every timel Not iust when writing to some close lriendl

Do YOU write human letters to humcrn beings? Do you strive to let some wqrmih, interest, kindlinegs, genicrlity creep into your business correspondence? II NOT, you qre overlooking ct grcrnd business opportunity. Stop cnd thinkl Don't you know certcrin men oI whom you olten scry: "He writes iust like he tcrlks"? You don't think thcrt is simply cm crccident, do you? Certcinly nott He writes like he tclks, beccuse he mcrkes it his delinite and delibercte business to write thcrt way.

The lcrct is that the business mqn should mcke it his FIRST AIM in every leiter he writes, regcrrdless of how trivicl or importcrnt it might be, to put some color, some leeling into it. There is nothing better he cqn possibly do lor his business thcrn invest some BRAINS in his letter writing.

There is noihing thcrt gives q new lriend, or tr new prospect, or ct new customer cr worse impression of q mqn than to receive <r letter thct reqds cs though it were written in monosyllcbles by someone sitting on q ccke ol ice.

The next time you write c business letter, try thoughffully to see how good, how humcn" you cqn mcrke it. Tcke the unilorm, orthodox slarchiness out oI its construction. Limber it up. Color it. Chcnge ii cround lrom your regulcr lorm letter. Talk to the lellow who is going to get it cs though you hqd met him on the corner, cnd were griruring ct him and shaking his hcnd.

No !oolin'! A wcrm, Iriendly, honest smile,'c wqnn, lriendty, honest hcrnd-clcsp,. qnd cr wqnn, lriendly' honest letter-these cre three oI the finest investments a business mcrn cqn mcrke in his own businesg.

The business mcn who writes cold-storcrge letters needs a little shcking up in his lhinking depcrtnent.

Three bcnd ripscws welcome the Shop Sugcr Pine into.the mill. One of the nation's great woodworking plantsSeven and one-half acres under roofA wealth of modern, efficient machinery and equipmentA crew in which every man is a specialistRaw materials the finest-Sugar Pine mostlyA highly coordinated organization throughoutGenerous warehouses and dependable stocksBut-let's not get ahead of the story.

Fifteen years ago the Pacific Door & Sash Company, of Los Angeles, which had then been in business more than 25 years, decided to build a millwork plant extraordinary. They went out to the then very new industrial district along the San Fernando Road, and just where the Los Angeles and Glendale city limitis meet on that highway and Tyburn Street, they bought 25 acres of land splendidly situated for their purpose. And they immediately started construction of what they believed to be-and they were qualified specialists in their line-the finest plant of its character in the entire United States. Nothing was spared to complete that ambition. First they constructed a tremendous concrete pla{form and base, and over this they built,the mighty mill, coverinC 7% acres, so ingeniously construtted. that every nook and corner was usefully employed by the various departments, and lighted by the sun itself.

In this great mill they installed a perfect forest of the latest and finest type of woodworking machinery that ingenuity had at that time devised for turning lumber into doors, windows, and millwork. There was ample room for the proper laying out of every department in harmony, and everything was done on a generous scale. When they had finished they had left nothing undone, and when the plant started in March, 1924, people came from far and near to see it in operation.

Misfortune overtook the Pacific Door & Sash Company, and in J:uly, 1934, the Pacific Wood Products Corporation, which had been created for that purpose, bought the entire business and assets of the older concern, the great mill on Tyburn Street being chiefest of the properties. The new owners found the plant to be in wonderful condition' and proceeded to operate it.

The officers of the Pacific Wood Products Corporation arei George A. J. Howard, president; John D. Connell, vice-president; Frank Curran, vice-president; A' A. Tomlinson, secretary and treasurer. They made Mr. Tomlin-