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EXPO 2009 June 11-13, 2009 in New Orleans
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January 9, 2009 SFPA Supports Movement to Revive Housing Market The Southern Forest Products Association has signed on in support of “Fix Housing First,” a coalition of home-building companies, manufacturers, associations and other related businesses working to urge Congress to enact legislation designed to turn around the housing market.
“Fixing our housing market is a major piece of the puzzle in the effort to regain economic stability in our nation and for our lumber and forestry industry,” said SFPA President Digges Morgan.
The coalition is urging Congress to increase the current $7,500 home buyer tax credit to a range of $10,000 to $22,000 and apply it to home purchases from April 9, 2008, to Dec. 31, 2009. The credit would be available at closing so it could be used as a down payment. Repayment would be required if the home were sold within three years. A similar initiative in 1975 led to two-thirds of the unsold housing inventory being purchased and was a key factor in helping lift the country out of recession.
The second component of the stimulus plan would provide qualified home buyers with 30-year fixed-rate mortgages at 2.99% until June 30, 2009, and 3.99% on closings between June 30 and Dec. 31, 2009. The coalition has also announced its support for continuing foreclosure prevention measures to keep people in their homes.
Members interested in supporting the effort are encouraged to contact their U.S. senators and representatives. Information about the movement and an easy-to-use form for contacting Congressional members are available at www.fixhousingfirst.com. |
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SPC Sites Continue to Attract Audience
Two Web sites sponsored by the Southern
Pine Council continued
to effectively represent
the Southern Pine industry despite a
steadily declining economy last year. The number of visitors to
Statistics show 282,265 unique visitors and 1,053,525 pages viewed at www.southernpine.com in 2008 compared to 312,713 unique visitors and 1,276,934 pages viewed in 2007; and 167,839 unique visitors and 554,107 pages viewed at www.raisedfloorliving.com in 2008 compared to 122,594 unique visitors and 405,947 pages viewed in 2007.
Much of the increased interest in the raised floor site can be attributed to SPC’s Raised Floor Living campaign, which expanded into the Houston area last year.
For more information about the sites, contact Georgiann Gullett, SFPA’s communications manager, at 504/443-4464, ext. 216, or ggullett@sfpa.org |
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Seminars Give Officials, Pros Information on Southern Pine Groups in two Southern states are up-to-date on the basics of working with Southern Pine lumber thanks to presentations by Richard Kleiner, SFPA’s director of treated markets. Richard spoke to architects and builders at an American Institute of Architects (AIA) chapter meeting in Marietta, Ga., and conducted a workshop in Spartanburg, S.C., for building code officials from throughout the area. The presentations covered lumber characteristics, proper storage, grade rules and more with a special emphasis on the new preservatives currently available on the market. “I was able to address many questions and myths about treated lumber,” Richard said. For more information, contact Richard at 504/443-4464, ext. 211, or by e-mail at rkleiner@sfpa.org. |
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Lumber Workshops Set for Atlanta The Lumber Quality Institute will hold two workshops in Atlanta next month. The 27th Annual Lumber Quality and Process Control Workshop, scheduled Feb. 23-24, will show Southern lumber manufacturers how to maximize board foot and grade recovery. It is designed for first-line supervisors, graders, quality control personnel, and maintenance and filing supervisors. The 22nd Annual Lumber Quality Leadership Workshop, set for Feb. 25-26, focuses on new concepts in quality control and management and is designed for managers, superintendents, quality control personnel and first-line supervisors. Both workshops will be held at Learning Tree International. For more information, visit www.lumberquality.com or call 541/231-8628. |
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