2007 Annual

Meeting Sponsors

• Taylor Machine Works Inc.

• Perforex

• Timber Mart-South

• Phibro-Tech Inc.

September 28, 2007

Plenty to See and Do During 2007 Annual Meeting

SFPA’s annual meetings give members the opportunity to network and plan ways to advance the association’s mission. They also provide a chance to heed that old warning about “all work and no play.” Here are a few samples of things to see and do if you’re heading to Charleston this weekend for SFPA’s 2007 Annual Meeting.

A variety of sightseeing tours offer a quick and easy way to catch the full flavor of historic Charleston. Walking, carriage, van and boat tours are all available. Options include nature, plantation and even religious-themed tours. Charleston also has a thriving art community, so art lovers may be tempted to check out the city’s many art galleries. The truly adventurous might want to try their hand at sea kayaking. Charleston’s oldest and most respected outfitter, Coastal Expeditions Inc., offers half-day, full-day, and multi-day sea kayaking adventures for all ages and skill levels.  Of course, all of this work and play is sure to make anyone hungry, so be sure to sample one or two of Charleston’s vast selection of restaurants.

Visit www.charlestoncvb.com/visitorsfor more information about all of these activities and a list of local restaurants.

(Photo courtesy of Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, www.charlestoncvb.com, 800/868-8118.)  

Kim Drew Updates Editors on Southern Pine

Recent visits with trade publication editors in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill., helped Southern Pine Council public relations consultant Kim Drew accomplish several key goals. She updated editors on Southern Pine, identified opportunities for future stories and learned of at least one area where the forest products industry can do a better job of getting its message out.

Kim personally presented information about Southern Pine and SPC to editors of a wide range of publications read by building and design professionals, including Building Products, Custom Home, Architect, Remodeling, Replacement Contractor, Developer, Residential Architect, ProSales, Builder, Commercial Building Products, Residential Design & Build, Qualified Remodeler, Exterior Contractor, Building Design & Construction, Professional Builder, Custom Builder, Professional Remodeler, Housing GIANTS and Architectural Products. She also mailed press kits and talking points to editors of publications not represented during the visits – The Journal of Light Construction, Coastal Contractor and Professional Deck Builder.

The fact that wood is one of the greenest building materials available is an area where the industry needs to do more work. “Steel is aggressively making a very compelling argument that they’re green,” Kim said. “They visited Hanley-Wood’s editors two weeks before we did.” Hanley-Wood publishes many of the publications listed above.

Kim also found opportunities to work with editors on quite a few upcoming stories, including the cover story for a future issue of Commercial Building Products that will focus on coastal construction (she wrote the cover story for the magazine’s July/August issue on commercial construction).

“Since SPC isn’t a manufacturer with exciting new products, sometimes we have to fight the larger companies for media attention,” Kim said. “This media tour and the face-to-face time it provides give us an invaluable way to keep Southern Pine at the front of every trade editor’s mind. Each editor expressed their thanks for us taking the time to sit and talk with them on their turf. And the results get stronger each year!”

McShan Lumber Marks 100 Years in Business

Thanks to a strong dose of determination and a talent for innovation, long-time SFPA member McShan Lumber Company of McShan, Ala., will celebrate 100 years in business this weekend.

The company traces its roots to 1907 when founder Nathan McShan and his son Tyler started using the steam engine that powered their cotton gin to run a sawmill during the off season. From there the business changed and grew at a modest pace until encountering the “Great Depression.” Tyler’s son, John Tyler (J.T.) McShan, captured the company’s history on paper in 1982 in honor of the company’s 75^th anniversary. “The Depression arrived and having already bought land and timber, he (Tyler) continued to operate, until lumber prices got below the variable cost of production,” J.T. wrote. “At this point, he had a minus net worth of $30,000, which was a bunch in 1930.”  Fortunately, the business survived the Depression along with a 1939 fire that burned its uninsured sawmill to the ground, and in 1949, J.T. assumed leadership. From there, the company took off on a path of change and innovation. “We were blessed with a few experienced people, but also with a group of young, talented, energetic boys who didn’t know what couldn’t be done,” J.T. wrote. “From 1949, we never stopped changing.”

A fourth generation of the family manages the company today. Current SFPA board member and past chairman Tyler McShan started in the business part time in 1971. Though technology has brought changes, he notes that in many ways, the business remains the same. “We’re still taking round logs and making square lumber,” he said. “We’re just doing it with less manual labor and more optimization and computers. There’s less waste.”

As to what the future holds for the company, President Hunter McShan said, “We will continue to improve our manufacturing capabilities and develop our work force so that we can provide products and services that our customers find valuable and we find profitable.”

The company’s celebration will feature a shrimp boil and music by local blues musician Willie King for McShan’s 65 employees and invited guests.

SPC Promotes Southern Pine with Louisiana Architects

SFPA's Russell Richardson, director of industrial markets, represented the Southern Pine Council (SPC) at the AIA Louisiana Design Conference and Products Show September 12-15 in Lafayette, La.  In addition to exhibiting at the show, SPC sponsored a technical review workshop on “LEED for New Construction,” which drew about 60 people, mostly architects.  

“We did this to gain awareness for SPC among those seeking LEED certifications,” Russell said.  “At local levels, such as AIA Louisiana, architects are often not as aware that other programs like Green Globes offer an alternative to LEED, which fails to recognize the majority of forestry certification programs.” 

Russell reports that SPC’s sponsorship of the seminar and presence at the Products Show the next day allowed him to field numerous follow-up questions from participants. “I used this as an opportunity to promote Southern Pine, pointing out that it is a popular material for building homes, it’s environmentally friendly, and that by using Southern Pine, one can gain credits from both the LEED and Green Globes programs,” he said. 

Many attendees also requested span tables and asked architectural questions. “Raised Floor systems are huge with Louisiana architects,” Russell said. “Many attendees knew about SPC's Raised Floor Living program and said they use it every day on the job. It seems that Southern Pine is a large favorite with Louisiana architects.”

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