EXPO 2009

June 11-13, 2009

in New Orleans

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January 16, 2009

Southern Pine Pavilion Debuts at IBS

Homebuilders convene in Las Vegas next week for the annual International Builders’ Show sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders. Some 1,600 exhibitors will fill the city’s convention center, and the Southern Pine Council will be well represented.  SFPA staff and SPC public relations consultant Kim Drew are taking steps to make sure Southern Pine gets plenty of attention. A newly redesigned display covering 660 square feet will showcase structural lumber, treated and specialty products. Towering barrel arch trusses will mark the spot for builders to find the latest product information. Raised floor foundation details and green messaging are presented using twin 8x10-foot display panels. Samples of a dozen specialty patterns are featured, forming the front and side panels of four display counters. Over the course of the four-day event, builders and members of the media will tour the exhibit and collect an assortment of SPC publications for future reference.

As in previous years, SPC will cosponsor a media breakfast for the hundreds of print, online and broadcast editors and producers attending the show, providing personal contact opportunities for the staff.

By sponsoring their own 10x10-foot display spaces, three SFPA member companies will also be represented in the 22x30-foot Southern Pine Pavilion (#N1042). They are Anthony Forest Products, Lampe & Malphrus Lumber and Trout River Lumber Company. “Members were able to use the advantage of SFPA’s seniority at the show to have their displays in a prime location,” said Richard Wallace, SFPA’s vice president of communications. Wall sections framed with finger-jointed studs and borate-treated lumber separate the member display areas. Another area within the exhibit is arranged to receive international visitors to the show.

Register for free four-day exhibits-only passes to IBS at www.BuildersShow.com/SouthernPineCouncil.

Animated Sequence Shows Why Raised Floors Are Better

Explaining how raised floor foundations help reduce risk for homeowners and their neighbors in flood-prone areas just got a lot easier thanks to a new animated sequence on www.raisedfloorliving.com.

Click here to view the short demonstration, which with the help of a narrator illustrates how building a raised home does not alter the floodplain, thereby reducing damage to neighboring properties.

“We encourage all of our members to use this tool whenever they want to show customers or others why we advocate using raised floor systems to elevate homes in flood-prone areas versus bringing in mounds of fill,” said Cathy Kaake, SFPA’s director of engineered and framing markets and a certified floodplain manager.

Calls to Wood Products Help Desk Down Slightly

The Wood Products Help Desk fielded 1,286 inquiries about Southern Pine last year, down somewhat from 1,443 inquiries in 2007. Product support specialist Merritt Kline reported the most interest was in roof and floor systems (28.7% of all inquiries), followed by outdoor decks and landscaping (20.8%), and raised floor systems and porches (9.7%). Next highest were permanent wood foundations and interior flooring and patterns. Dealers (16.4%), DIYers (15.6%) and homeowners (12.4%) made the most inquiries followed by builders, engineers and architects.  The Help Desk is a cooperative activity supported by the Southern Pine Council, APA and the Structural Insulated Panel Association. The service is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Central Time.  To reach the desk, dial 253/620-7400, e-mail help@southernpine.com or call 504/443-4464 (ext. 2).

Southern Pine in the News

The new year is starting well for Southern Pine when it comes to getting good press. A story titled “Southern Pine Weathers Tough Markets” and two related sidebars – all contributed by SFPA – provide the opening feature in the January issue of Building Products Digest. The magazine goes to building product retailers and distributors in 37 states. Meanwhile, a story about Project Home Again in a weekly home and garden tabloid published by The Times-Picayune in New Orleans doesn’t mention Southern Pine by name, but does provide a plug for treated wood. “The houses are framed with borate-treated wood to prevent termite damage, and all the rooms have wood floors, which can cut down on potential toxins and particulates,” the story reports.

Click here to read the BPD article. The sidebars are not yet available online. One is about efforts by SFPA and the Southern Pine Council to steer customers to local lumber dealers, and the other reports the interest developers are starting to show in using the raised-floor concept throughout their residential developments.

The Times-Picayune story is available here.

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