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January 4, 2008

Farewell to 2007: A Message from the President

From a business standpoint, many of us probably couldn’t be happier to close the book on this past year. The collapse of the housing market – and the impact on our industry – was tougher than any of us probably anticipated when we ushered in 2007. At the same time, it’s important to remember that despite a historic downturn, our association can look back with a sense of achievement on several fronts.

Through trade show exhibits and seminars, our staff continued to educate design/build professionals, floodplain managers, building inspectors and other public officials on the practicality of using raised floor foundations to help protect homeowners in flood-prone areas. EXPO 2007 experienced positive results despite the depressed market. We continued the Southern Pine Council’s Raised Floor Living campaign and received a $1 million grant to take our efforts even further in 2008. And last, but certainly not least, Lynda Anthony of Anthony Forest Products became SFPA’s first-ever female chair.

And we look forward to 2008 with hope of even greater things to come. We’re undertaking new initiatives with APA-The Engineered Wood Association to give the Raised Floor Living campaign even more punch. The home page of SPC’s award-winning Web site – www.southernpine.com – is being redesigned and will soon present a more dynamic look. And our staff will continue to hit the roads and airways in their mission to make sure our Southern Pine and Raised Floor messages are heard.

So let’s ring out the old year, but not lose sight of what we accomplished and what’s possible to achieve in the coming year. The staff and I extend our wishes for a better year for all SFPA members and our allied associations in 2008.

Interest in Southern Pine Holds Strong

Despite a bleak year in the residential construction arena, interest in two Web sites sponsored by the Southern Pine Council remained strong in 2007. Almost 21% more unique visitors logged on at www.raisedfloorliving.com in 2007 compared to 2006 while www.southernpine.com posted a 3% increase in unique visitors.  

The two sites offer builders, designers and consumers a wealth of information ranging from free downloadable technical guides to answers to frequently asked questions. Visitors to www.southernpine.com can also find a handy “Product Locator,” while www.raisedfloorliving.com provides consumers a tool for locating professionals qualified to build raised floor homes.

“It is encouraging that even with last year’s market circumstances, interest in Southern Pine lumber and raised floor foundation systems remained high,” said SFPA Vice President of Communications Richard Wallace. “The impressive increase in traffic to www.raisedfloorliving.com also leads us to believe that our second year of Raised Floor Living advertising has succeeded in building awareness of raised floor systems among consumers and builders.”

Statistics show 312,713 unique visitors and 1,276,934 pages viewed at www.southernpine.com in 2007 compared to 302,616 unique visitors and 1,214,664 pages viewed in 2006; and 122,594 unique visitors and 405,947 pages viewed at www.raisedfloorliving.com in 2007 compared to 101,446 unique visitors and 367,862 pages viewed in 2006.

For more information, contact Richard at 504/443-4464, ext. 236, or rwallace@sfpa.org.

New EXPO Web Site Launched

A newly launched Web site offers exhibitors and attendees everything they need to start planning for EXPO 2009. One new feature – EXPO 365 – makes it easy to see which companies are exhibiting, where their booths are located, and how to get in touch with them. All of the information can be searched, sorted and printed as needed.

“EXPO 365 creates added value for our exhibitors by providing them visibility from now until long after the show ends,” said EXPO Director Eric Gee. “Attendees benefit by being able to find the information they want anytime they’re ready.”

EXPO is slated for June 11-13, 2009, at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. For more information, visit www.sfpaexpo.com or contact Eric at 504/443-4464, ext. 214, or egee@sfpa.org.

Annual Meeting Dates Announced

Meeting dates and a hotel for SFPA’s 2008 Annual Meeting have been chosen. The meeting will be held Sept. 26-30 at the Omni La Mansión del Rio in San Antonio, Texas. The Omni La Mansión del Rio was originally built as a school by four brothers of the Society of Mary in 1852. The historic site opened its doors as a luxury hotel when San Antonio hosted the World’s Fair in 1968. Located on San Antonio’s famous Riverwalk, the hotel offers a perfect location for SFPA’s business sessions and for enjoying the sights and sounds of downtown San Antonio after the day’s work is done. We’ll provide our meeting agenda and information about making room reservations later. Meanwhile, please save these meeting dates and plan to join us in San Antonio in September.

Dire Predictions Don’t Always Come True

While we often rely on economists and other analysts to shed some light on what the future might hold, it’s important to remember that even the most well-thought-out forecasts don’t always prove true. For example, a New York Times article published in 1920 predicted that in just 10 years, the South would only have “enough timber left in its forests to supply its home needs.” Click here for a PDF copy of the entire article. It’s interesting to read this early prediction now that we know how the story actually played out.

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