The Association

In December of 1923, at a meeting of the San Francisco Hardwood Club in San Francisco, Bayard Byrne, of the Western Hardwood Lumber Company of Los Angeles was in attendance. Among the subjects which were discussed was the progress which had taken place in the two cities in the hardwood lumber business. This discussion brought out very clearly the point that any success attained by either group was due entirely to the cooperation, which in turn was possible through the local luncheons and meetings; and the feeling of competitive animosity formerly existing, had changed to warm friendship and confidence. There were a good many problems which existed and which were of too broad a scope to be handled by the local groups. Because of the success that these local groups had solving problems, an association composed of all the hardwood dealers of the Pacific Coast was envisioned, which could then collectively handle such matters. This was the first conception of the Pacific Coast Association. To consider the advisability of forming such an association, the San Francisco hardwood Club called a meeting at Del Monte Hotel for January 18th & 19th, 1924 and invited twenty five firms to participate in the discussion. Of these twenty-five firms, twenty were represented by twenty seven delegates. The charter members and those in attendance were as follows:

Los Angeles:

The American Hardwood Company, E.E. Taenzer & C.R. Taenzer
C.W. Bohnhoff Lumber Company, Charles W. Bohnhoff & Clarence C.
California Panel & Veneer, no representative
W.E. Cooper Lumber Co., W.E. Cooper & C.M. Cooper
E.J. Stanton & Son, Roy Stanton & Henry Swafford
Western Hardwood Lumber Company, E.J. Cahill & B.W. Byrne

San Francisco:

Cadwallader-Gibson Lumber Company, R.E. Ford & K.C. Hopey
Davis Hardwood Company, no representative
Dieckmann Hardwood Company, Gus Dieckmann
Forsyth Lumber Company, S.L. Forsyth
J.E. Higgins Lumber Company, J.E. Higgins, Jr.
E.A. Howard & Co., E.A. Howard
Kirschmann Hardwood Company, Henry Kirschmann, Jr.
Homer B. Maris, Homer B. Maris
E.F. Niehaus, Otto Wallafeldt
Richards Hardwood Lumber Company, Felix Richards
White Brothers, C.H. White

San Diego:

Frost Hardwood Lumber Company, no representative
Sullivan Hardwood Lumber Company, Jerry Sullivan, Jr.

Portland:

Emerson Hardwood Company, E.J. Ahern
Nicholai-Neppach Company, E.E. Hall

Oakland:

Strable Hardwood Company, George H. Brown

Seattle:

Ehrlich-Harrison & Co., no representative
E.A. Johnson & Son, no representative

Vancouver:

J. Fyfe Smith & Co. Ltd., J.Fyfe Smith

The first meeting was called at 2:30 o’clock in the afternoon of Friday, January 18, 1924, with Harry White presiding and Felix Richards as secretary; being the president and secretary respectively of the San Francisco Hardwood Club.

The first resolution was enthusiastically passed declaring that a permanent association of the hardwood dealers of the Pacific Coast be formed and steps were immediately taken to draft a plan of organization and by-laws; to draft a Code of Ethics; to place the names for permanent officers to nomination; and to discuss various aspects of the business of the Pacific Coast. Talks were made by Ed Taenzer and Hank Swafford and Sam Forsyth during the rest of the day and the evening. On Saturday morning, January 19th, the Constitution was adopted.