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January 25, 2008

New Look for Raised Floor Living

A new look has arrived for the logo used in the Southern Pine Council’s campaign to persuade homeowners, builders, designers and others on the merits of raised floor living. The new logo is designed to communicate a lifestyle and attract a key audience – women.

“We hope this new design will help convey the warmth, charm and hospitality of a raised floor home, qualities we feel will appeal to women,” said SPFA Director of Treated Markets Richard Kleiner, who coordinated the redesign project. 

It should prove to be a good move. Marti Barletta, author of Marketing to Women, How to Understand, Reach, and Increase Your Share of the Largest Market Segment, notes that women make the purchasing decision on 91 percent of homes.

“As we developed the second phase of the consumer promotion, we started asking ourselves exactly who calls the shots when it’s time to buy or build a home,” Richard said.  “After some informal research, it was clear the key decision maker is the woman, so the logo facelift was a no-brainer.”

The logo will appear on all raised floor advertising, publications, signage and the Raised Floor Living Web site. For more information, contact Richard at 504/443-4464, ext. 211, or by e-mail at rkleiner@sfpa.org. 

Dealers Get Info on Raised Floors

Building Products Digest recently released its annual “Southern Pine” edition, which includes a three-page feature spotlighting the Southern Pine Council’s progress in promoting raised floor construction along the Gulf Coast. The magazine goes to 17,600 readers, primarily lumber dealers.  

An article in the January issue by Richard Wallace, SFPA’s vice president of communications, explains to dealers that a third more lumber is typically needed in the framing package of a new raised floor home when compared to a slab home. Readers are also reminded of the system’s other selling points – reduced flood risk, lower insurance rates and enhanced curb appeal. The article points out the online resources available to dealers, including a pair of Web sites, a wood products help desk and detailed construction guides. Value-added uses of treated lumber, plus specialty patterns indoors for flooring and paneling, are mentioned, and the environmental advantages of building with wood are also explained. A related sidebar by SPC public relations consultant Kim Drew outlines SPC’s work to provide information to dealers through trade media and the efforts of the Southern Pine Awareness Network (SPAN) to drive customers to lumber dealers via broadcast and print media. Dealers are also encouraged to sign up for SPC’s online Product Locator, linking their locations with more buyers.

Click here to see an online version of the main article and here for Kim’s sidebar. For more information, contact Richard at 504/443-4464, ext. 236, or by e-mail at rwalllace@sfpa.org.

Welcoming a New Member

SFPA welcomes Shamrock Trading as a new Associate member this week. Shamrock Trading is part of Shamrock Building Materials, which is headquartered in Eugene, Ore. Offices for Shamrock Trading are in Santa Rosa, Calif. Shamrock is a global trading company and represents mills in the United States, Brazil, Chile and New Zealand. For more information about the company and the materials it handles, visit www.shamrockbm.com. David Twitchell will represent Shamrock with SFPA. Contact David at dtwitchell@shamrockbm.com or by phone at 707/525-3880.  

SFPA to Sponsor Teacher

SFPA will sponsor a teacher and EXPO will sponsor a breakfast for the 2008 South Central Teacher Forestry Tour in Starkville, Miss., June 3-6. “It’s important that we support this project because school teachers influence the minds of so many children,” said Eric Gee, SFPA’s director of EXPO and forest resources. “The Forestry Tour immerses teachers in every aspect of the forest products industry, giving them a new perspective on forestry that is shared with their students, families and friends for a lifetime.” 

The Temperate Forest Foundation, a nonprofit organization, created the tours in 1989 to provide teachers credible information about forestry and the forest products industry. The Foundation still needs sponsors for the Starkville tour. For $700 per teacher, sponsors help cover the cost of the teacher’s registration fee (including hotel, meals and other tour expenses) and round-trip travel.

For more information or to sign up, contact Lisa Leonard, the foundation’s forestry education manager, at 503-579-6762 or by e-mail at lleonard@forestinfo.org.

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