POCAHONTAS LUMBER LAUNCHES `NEW AGE OF ACE'

Pocahontas Lumber Company in Jackson is inviting everyone to the Grand Opening of their "New Age of Ace" store. The celebration is planned for Oct. 11-14. Daily door prizes will be given away for all who register, with a special char-broil gas grill the the grand prize.

It was in October 1994 that the strategic "The New Age of Ace" plan was introduced by Ace to Ace dealers at the Superdome in New Orleans.

Since then, a complete renovation of the store has been completed. This included working with the Store Planning Department at Ace for a new floor plan for store fixtures and aisles. With the professional help from visual merchandisers all the departments were established and decisions were made where merchandise was to be located.

In January, the work of setting new fixtures and moving all the merchandise began. The months following brought a tremendous change in the overall appearance of the interior and exterior of the existing building.

With the completion of the project, Pocahontas received a Ph.D. rating from Ace Hardware Corp.

Pocahontas Lumber and Hardware Inc., had an interesting beginning. Originally in Pocahontas, Clarence Saupe bought the Pocahontas Lumber Company from R.C. Landgraf in 1949. Saupe's son, Earl, started working with the company while he was still in school.

This early experience primed Earl Saupe to take over the business when his father died.

In 1958, they bought the Morton-Hall Lumber Company in uptown Jackson and operated both businesses. In 1962 Orville Fluegge, Clarence Saupe's son-in-law, joined the firm. Land was purchased from J.C. Crites on Route D across from the present Jackson City Park and a new lumber company was built in 1965.

The company is on a five and half acres of ground on which 20,000 square feet was used for storage of building materials, 6,000 square feet was under roof for storage and 7,000 square feet was devoted to office and showroom.

The company became affiliated with Ace Hardware in 1974. In 1985, the Company expanded their store adding 7,600 square feet of display and selling space to the present store.

Pocahontas Lumber and Hardware now employs 28 people; 24 full-time and four part-time.

Pocahontas Lumber is a family-owned business. Earl Saupe serves as president; Orville Fluegge, vice president; Loretta Fluegge, secretary; Marlene Saupe, treasurer; Rick Saupe and Ken Fluegge, second vice presidents. All are very active in the business.