Builders Show Exhibit a Hit

More than 100,000 builders, remodelers, architects, engineers and others swarmed the halls of the Orange Country Convention Center in Orlando last week to learn about the latest construction techniques and new material innovations. This year, the Southern Pine Council partnered with the APA-The Engineered Wood Association in a cooperative 22x25-foot display. Towering barrel-arch trusses reached a height of over 20 feet above the show floor, attracted more than 2,500 attendees to tour the peninsula exhibit. Like last year, the focus continued to be raised floor construction. The booth incorporated a full-scale mockup of two different raised floor systems, plus a giant photomural showing a treated Southern Pine raised floor under construction. Visitors also had the opportunity to closely inspect sections of radius edge decking and Southern Pine finish flooring just in front of the raised floor exhibit. Samples of Southern Pine siding and paneling were mounted along one side of the booth. SPC member Anthony Forest Products provided Southern Pine glulam beams that supported the perimeter walls and signage. More than 1,000 of SPC’s Lumber Library CDs were distributed during and after the show. Typical of this event, span tables and the pocket-size span card remained the most-requested items. Some 450 electronic imprints were collected for additional information.

SFPA’s involvement with NAHB’s annual show for more than 50 years has earned priority status to select prime exhibit space. SFPA President Digges Morgan and other staff members greeted visitors arriving from every direction. "Builders and other construction professionals from across the country were keenly interested in receiving the latest information about Southern Pine lumber and learning about raised floor construction. Sharing the space with APA was very beneficial for both organizations," noted SFPA marketing VP Steve Bean. Cathy Kaake was on hand to field structural inquiries about the performance of Southern Pine products.

Opportunities to meet the media were not overlooked. "This show provides a unique environment to meet with editors face-to-face", noted Kim Drew, SPC’s public relations consultant. "SPC hosted a dinner for six Hanley-Wood editors prior to the show’s opening, plus more media visited our booth than ever before," she added. SPC also cosponsored a media breakfast in the NAHB Press Lounge, hosting more than 160 key editors from trade, consumer, print, and broadcast outlets nationwide." Attendance at our media breakfast increased substantially over last year. We walked away with a tremendous number of opportunities to increase awareness of Southern Pine throughout 2007". Media visiting the SPC booth as well as the breakfast included editors from Builder, Shelter, Building Products, ProSales, Custom Home, Remodeling, LBM Journal, Remodeling News, The Chicago Tribune, and many more. SFPA’s Richard Wallace completed a television interview with the cable network Telemundo.

A registration form is now available for attending the SFPA Midyear Meeting, set for June 19-20 in Atlanta. The meeting will be held at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center preceding EXPO 2007. A PDF copy of the meeting registration form and the agenda are now available online at www.sfpa.org/meetings.

SFPA members can follow the links and also register to attend EXPO 2007. The Southern Pine Council meeting begins at 1PM on Tuesday, June 19 and concludes with a morning session the next day. The SFPA Board of Directors will meet Wednesday afternoon. Evening receptions are scheduled both days. May 31 is the hotel cutoff date for SFPA’s block of rooms at the Omni Hotel. Phone reservations can be made by calling 800/243-1588; refer to meeting code: SFPA Meeting Block. For more information, please contact Dianne Breaux, dbreaux@sfpa.org or call 504/443-4464 ext 225.

Trade Adjustment Assistance

The Economic Development Administration has launched a new program providing financial assistance to import-impacted manufacturers. Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is a proven, easy-to-use program managed by business professionals who understand manufacturing. TAA offers 50/50 cost sharing of projects designed to improve a manufacturer’s competitive position. Matching TAA funds, up to $75,000, can be applied toward the cost of consultants or engineers, for improvement projects in manufacturing, marketing, IT and quality. For complete information, contact: info@taacenters.org.

The SFPA office will be closed on Tuesday, February 20 for the citywide observance of Mardi Gras.