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VOLUME 2 NUMBER 6 JULY, 1964
Soulé News
The Fresno Story
*by Jo Davis* *Associate Editor, Fresno*
Last September 9 Bob Gebauer opened the new Fresno district office and took control of the reinforcing operation as our new district manager. One month later, the first load of rebar arrived.
The establishment of a permanent Soulé office in Fresno was as inevitable as California's position in the state population ranks. According to the Standard Rate and Data Service, Fresno has moved up to 66th place in the nation's list of major metropolitan market areas and it is among the very top when it comes to retail spending per household.
Located in the heart of the world's richest agricultural area, close to Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, and mid-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Fresno has everything going for it. It is even becoming a top center for regional and statewide conventions.
In the years immediately following World War II Soulé had a San Francisco salesman in Fresno three days a week working from the Builder's Exchange.
Bob joined Soulé's estimating department in Los Angeles in 1953 and later became a salesman out of L. A.
His 16 years of experience in the reinforcing industry, combined with the rest of the office staff, totals more than 40 years. Bill Lucas, district supervisor in the Engineering and Estimating Departments, has 15 years under his belt. Detailer Norm Wegley and detailer trainee Steve LaFerrera have 9 years between them.
Other Soulé folks at Fresno include
Photo: *Left to Right: Front Row, Steve La Ferrera—Detailer Trainee; Jo Davis—Secretary; Bob Gebauer—Manager. Back Row: Norm Wegley—Detailer Estimator; Bill Lucas—Supervisor-Engineering & Estimating.*
foreman Jim Kirk, field superintendent George Hatmaker and Al Parret and Don Robinson in the shop.
Joe Ginot is our dealer-erector for the Steel Structures Division in the Fresno area. By the way, Joe installed the concrete and crane rails for the shop. Also I would like to note that George Hatmaker set up our outdoor shop equipment.
Sales of Soulé products other than rebar and steel structures are handled by salesmen who visit the area regularly.
Photo: *Hatmaker*
Photo: *Kirk, Parret and Robinson*
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From the President
1964 Campaign
This is a year of campaigns. One of them is of great importance to you, the company, and our country—the 1964 Payroll Savings Campaign. The Campaign's goal is to encourage at least one million new persons to invest in U. S. Savings Bonds.
The payment of federal and state income taxes is deferred on E Bonds until the Bonds are redeemed or reach final maturity, which may be at a future time when you would be able to pay the taxes more easily, or it may be at a time in later years when you are in retirement.
The savings we all experienced by the recent federal tax cut could be used to begin or increase our future savings through U. S. Savings Bonds.
The savings plan is convenient and safe. Your saving is done for you each payday when you put aside money toward the purchase of a Bond. The regularity of this system leads to large savings and generally one never misses the money he never sees. The Government guarantees the safety of your every penny. I feel that by offering this plan to you, the company is helping you help yourselves.
President Johnson says, "The Savings Bonds program has long been a symbol of popular participation in our Nation's affairs . . ." This form of savings helps every employee become a shareholder in his country's future and gives himself and his family a better chance to enjoy that future. I strongly recommend your taking the time to consider this program and hope that you will give it your wholehearted support.
Edward Lee Soulé, Jr.
*Edward Lee Soulé, Jr.*
Helping Ourselves By Serving Our Industry
This is the third in a series designed to acquaint you with the associations to which the company belongs.
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association serves the metal building industry throughout the United States. The company has had a Soulé man on the M.B.M.A. board of directors for many years. Presently that man is Charlie Alvord, General Manager of the Steel Structures Division.
Paul O'Brien, Manager of Product Development in Steel Structures, serves as a technical advisor in the association's Technical Committee. This group prepares and keeps up to date a manual on recommended design practices. Thousands of copies are distributed to building officials, employees of member companies and users of metal buildings throughout the country.
Helping Paul and the committee prepare this manual and a Recommended Guide Specification are Superintendent of Standards Bob Morris and Development Engineer John Kaskavalcijan.
Others in the Steel Structures Division who lend valuable assistance are Operations Manager Lee Elmberg, Chief Engineer Dale Wipson and Assistant Chief Engineer Gene Fuller.
Field Meeting
A get-together for Northern California reinforcing steel field foremen was held June 19 in the form of a Field Dinner Meeting in San Francisco.
Two men were honored for 25 years of service as Soulé field employees—Charlie Dennison and Frank Walloch.
R. T. Bugg, General Field Superintendent, Reinforcing Division, Central District, was on hand as Edward L. Soulé, Sr., presented Charlie and Frank with 25-year gold medallions.
People in the News
Edd Kapp has been named Supervisor, Architectural Metal Finishing Department in San Francisco. This appointment coincides with the initiation of our new aluminum coloring facilities and is a new supervisory position.
*Photo: O'Brien*
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association also puts out a newsletter "Metal Building Facts," and has several working committees on insurance matters, traffic statistics, and architectural relationships.
We are happy to belong to the M.B. M.A. and proud of Charlie, Bob and the other fellows in Steel Structures for their active participation.
*Photo: Bugg, Dennison and Soulé*
*Photo: Edd Kapp*
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Big Fresno Golf Meet a Tie
Golfing history was made April 18th at the Fig Garden Country Club near Fresno when Soulé golfers from San Francisco and Fresno battled the worthies from Los Angeles and San Diego.
After numerous verbal outbursts, bent clubs, lost balls and a full afternoon of braggadocio, a tie was called because each side had won eight matches (or lost eight matches, depending on your point of view).
Top gladiators were Leonard Bologna with a low gross of 84 and Ian Miller with a low net of 64. Bill Evans had high gross of 154 and Howard Crom came through with a birdie despite his 30 handicap.
While the big fellows were out shedding pounds in the Fresno sun, the ladies were putting them on at a Smorgasbord arranged by Barbara Gebauer and Dot Lucas.
After the dust had settled, an awards banquet was held at the Hacienda Motel. Frank and Mary Kleman served as master and mistress of ceremonies.
George Mattos sounded like a professional on the saxaphone. Scotty Stewart, Howard Crom, Bill Tedford and Frank Kleman broke two drinking glasses and a window as they raised their voices in song.
An unusual operation in silhouette featured Bill Evans as the doctor and Eugene Springer as the reluctant patient.
The band to end all bands was made up of Frank Bowman, George Von Arx and the Klemans on the dog chain, pie pan, horn, guitar, and wooden sticks. If you missed that act you can catch it soon at Harrah's.
As for business of trophies, it was decided that the team trophy will rest in Los Angeles for six months and in San Francisco for six months.
*Photo: Garcia*
Golf Club 7 Years Old
The Soulé Golf Club is actually four clubs with members in San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and Fresno. The San Francisco and Los Angeles clubs have scheduled matches which are usually held about twice a month at various public golf courses.
The annual L. A. vs. S. F. tournament includes players from San Diego and Fresno.
Competition is keen and annual trophies are awarded on a point basis for individual play in each club. At the end of each year, through the point system, standards are set for eligibility of players to participate in the annual over-all club championship tournament.
Some of the top golfers in San Francisco are former club champ Byron Dickson, present champ Jack Soto, charter members George Mattos and Hans Muhleman as well as Don Malech, Mike Carnevale and T. O. Carroll.
Bill Tedford is low-handicap man in Los Angeles with Eugene Springer and Scotty Stewart close behind. John Kerby is high handicap man.
The big four in Fresno are Bob Gebauer, Bill Lucas, Norm Wegley, and Al Parret. Some big names in the San Diego line-up are George Halgedahl, Ben Cairo, Bryan and Earl Kops, Joe Hoedebeck and Jim, Bud and Hulen Coker.
*Photo: "Don't criticize, buddy . . . you're up next."*
L. A. Blood Bank
The employees of the Los Angeles plant and offices have established their own blood bank with the American Red Cross. This means that all the Soulé Los Angeles folks are "covered" if they need blood in the coming year.
The first donations were received June 15. Deducting for absentees, rejections and those scheduled to donate at a later date, 32 pints were received.
Don Garner, Personnel Manager in Los Angeles, sends along his thanks and congratulations to all those employees who participated. He reports some of them approached the Red Cross tables with trepidation but found there was nothing to it.
*Photo: At left: Aylene Taylor, Richard Bryant and Judy Hott are checked by the good ladies in white before donating.*
Soulé News
Published monthly by the Soulé Steel Co.
Howard Soulé, Editor
Associate Editors
Andree George — Salt Lake
Esther Longnecker — San Diego
Sally Kelsay — San Francisco
Mike Mickel — San Francisco
Dee Henderson — Seattle
Frank Kleman — Dominguez
Jo Davis — Fresno
Don Garner — Los Angeles
Rod Newton — Phoenix
Dolores Bedgood — Portland
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State Uses New Sunscreens
The new $650,000 Highway Department Materials and Research Branch Laboratory in Pasadena is one of the first projects to use Soulé's expanded sunscreens.
The latest addition to our expanded metal line is a decorative item which affords infinite variety of visual and textural effects. In addition, it controls sunlight, minimizes the build-up of dead air, reduces air conditioning costs and permits partial visibility from inside and outdoors.
Ordinarily this type of material is anodized in a natural aluminum color or color anodized into other tones of dark grey, black or brown. Because the architect wanted to achieve a blue effect the sunscreens were porcelainized into a charcoal blue color.
George Von Arx of San Francisco sold and supervised the project. He was assisted by Ray Harding of San Francisco and Lew Howell of L. A. The general contractor was William C. Crowell, Inc., of Pasadena.
The project was featured as the cover story in the March issue of the District VII Highway News Bulletin.
Just Call Him Lucky
Roger Benton qualified as the luckiest man in Seattle as a result of winning a free trip for two for a full week at the New York World's Fair.
Roger, a Steel Structures salesman, and his wife, Lorraine, will leave in early August on the dream trip which includes free jet plane transportation, lodging at the Sheraton Hotel in the heart of New York City, daily free tickets to the fair, tickets for two to the top Broadway show, "Hello, Dolly," and $100.00 spending money.
And what did he do to win? He simply dropped his name in a box at the P. X. Sooper Market in Bellevue, Washington.
Appropriately, the P. X. Sooper Market was a Soulé project.
Citizen of the Month
Soulé's July "Citizen of the Month" is Norman M. Wegley, an estimator-detailer in Fresno.
Norm devotes about 15 hours a week to coaching in the Fresno Babe Ruth League for boys 13 to 15 years of age. In the past four seasons his team has placed first two times and second the other two years. Last year his boys were city champions.
His interest in the little league stems mainly from the 1956-1959 period when he played in the Fresno City League.
The youngsters' leagues could not function without the guidance by men like Norm. For giving so generously of his time we take pleasure in saluting him this month.
*Photo: Wegley*
SAFETY SCOREBOARD
(Through May 1964)
PLANT STANDINGS
| | Doctor Cases Last Month | Doctor Cases To Date | Lost Time Cases Last Month | Lost Time Cases To Date | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1st San Diego | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2nd Seattle | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | | 3rd L. A. Plant | 0 | 29 | 0 | 2 | | 4th L. A. Mill | 4 | 62 | 0 | 5 | | 5th Phoenix | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | | 6th San Francisco | 10 | 53 | 2 | 13 | | 7th Fresno | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | | 8th L. A. Rebar | 7 | 61 | 0 | 4 | | 9th Portland | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
FIELD STANDINGS
| | Doctor Cases Last Month | Doctor Cases To Date | Lost Time Cases Last Month | Lost Time Cases To Date | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1st Phoenix | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | | 2nd Seattle | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | | 3rd No. Calif. | 7 | 43 | 1 | 14 | | 4th Portland | 1 | 9 | 0 | 7 | | 5th So. Calif. | 24 | 138 | 6 | 24 |
HOW TO LIFT
*by Mike Mickel, Safety Editor*
You have heard many times that the way to lift is to bend the knees and keep the back straight and nearly vertical.
This keeps the pressure going down through your spine and back muscles, which is easiest on your body. When you bend over and lift with your back horizontal, more pressure is exerted on the lower back muscles than they were designed to carry. Your center of balance is way off and the position unnatural.
Bending the knees does not mean going into a full squat. You have minimum lifting power from that position. It means starting from a crouch so that you can use the full power of the leg muscles.
The most important basic rules to remember for safe lifting are these:
1) Wear gloves when handling rough equipment or materials.
2) Be sure your grip and footing are solid.
3) Keep the load close to your body.
4) Make sure your fingers and toes are in the clear.
5) Use your leg muscles by bending your knees.
6) Don't twist your body when lifting.
7) Don't try to lift or carry a load that is beyond your physical capacity. Get help.