JOHN PAYTON, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATIO...

JOHN PAYTON, DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHnology at Edward Hines Lumber Co in Buffalo wood Ill., doesn't mince words when he talks about by what mode few builders use e-commerce classifications to communicate with suppliers through the whole extent of the Internet.

"The Web is not a totally revolutionary force in our industry--it's more like adding a fax machine," Payton says. "The reality is that the basic make contented of the information hasn't changed. the community in our industry are still ordering material from a lumberyard. We've just added another way to communicate."

And that's from a manager who believes in Internet purchasing.