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CALENDAR
PELICE
Atlanta, GA
February 4-6, 2010
Madison, WI
March 5-7, 2010
March 29-31, 2010
Seattle, WA
Chicago, IL
April 19-22, 2010
St. Louis, MO
April 18-20, 2010
St. Louis, MO
April 20-22, 2010
Madison, WI
June 20-22, 2010 Florida Building Material Association Annual Convention September 22-24, 2010
October 11-15, 2010
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SBA Website Lives
In 2008, TECO acquired the assets of the Structural Board Association, including the SBA website with its wealth of information about OSB. TECO continues to maintain OSBGuide.com, so please use this or TECO's own website to find useful information about the application and performance of OSB.
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TECO TechTips Added, Revised
Several TECO TechTips have been added or revised, and are available at TECO's website, including:
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Interested in reviewing a previous 'Under The Roof' eNewsletter but didn't save it in your email folder?
Now you can. Follow the Archive link on our website to see past 'Under the Roof' issues.
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"The secret to a rich life is to have more beginnings than endings."
- David Weinbaum,
American businessman and writer
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Dear :
I am usually an optimistic kind of guy, and tend to see the glass as half full, not half empty (actually, the engineer in me says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be). But the length and depth of this downturn has been enough to make even the cheeriest among us weary. But all indications are that we've turned the corner, and if you're reading this I guess that means you've turned the corner too.
There are still significant challenges ahead, but I see 2010 as the start of a recovery that will be just a memorable as the slump that preceded it. If you are a TECO client or partner, we will be here for you this year, next year, and every year after that. I want to thank each of you for being part of our success, as I hope we have been part of yours. I invite you to challenge us to continue to improve and innovate.
Because of your help, we are better today than we were yesterday; and with your help, will be better tomorrow than we are today.
Thank you, and the best of luck in 2010!
Steve G. Winistorfer, PE
TECO Chairman/CEO
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Welcome to New Clients
PlyVeneer Products - specialty veneer products
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U.S. Housing Starts Projected To Rebound in 2010
When housing starts in the United States dropped below the 1 million mark in 2008, we thought we had seen the worst. Then came 2009, with a historically low 557,000 starts, barely 25 percent of the high reached in the first quarter of 2006. According to the National Association of Home Builders, starts in 2010 should be marginally better, reaching a total near 700,000. Read More >>
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TECO Expands CARB Formaldehyde Test Facility
As a recognized Third-Party Certifier by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), TECO has certified several composite wood panel mills and is in the process of certifying others. In order to meet increased demand, TECO's formaldehyde emission test facility in Eugene, Oregon, has been completely renovated and expanded. Testing capability now includes two large chambers (ASTM E1333) and several small chambers (D6007). The lab serves CARB certification clients and also conducts routine quality assurance testing for mills who find it too expensive to maintain and operate their own QA lab in their mills.
Contact Steve Verhey, PhD, TECO's Technical Manager, at (608) 837-2790 or email at steve.verhey@tecotested.com if you have questions about the CARB regulations or how TECO can help your company meet its requirements.
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TECO Repeats as PELICE Gold Sponsor
Just as in 2008, TECO returns as a Gold Sponsor of Panel World's Panel and Engineered Lumber International Conference and Expo (PELICE), at the Omni Hotel at CNN Center, Atlanta, GA, February 4-6, 2010.
There is still time to register for PELICE, an event you won't want to miss. A full agenda of experts will be providing insight into the issues affecting the entire industry. Click here to Register or to see the Full PELICE Agenda.
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PS 1 and PS 2 Committees - Update
Two separate committees have been formed for the review and revision of the two primary standards for structural panels in North America. The PS 1 Standing Committee, which includes Dick Bower and Mike Russell of TECO, met in Las Vegas in February 2009 to discuss several issues related to the PS 1-07 Structural Plywood standard. These included the California Weights & Measures vs. PS 1 panel thickness requirements, possible formaldehyde policy statement or formaldehyde testing requirement for PS 1, and some language to identify plywood as a "green" product. The proposed PS 1 revision had been published for a period of public comment, which ended recently. It is anticipated that additional editing by the Committee and a review by the US federal government might take a few more months before the revised standard is officially accepted for publication. The goal remains to identify the new standard as PS 1-09.
Greg Dupuis is representing TECO on the PS 2 (Performance Standard for Wood-Based Structural-Use Panels) Standing Committee that was formed in early 2009. Dupuis attended the first meeting in Tacoma, Washington, in April 2009. Many of the same issues being addressed by the PS 1 Standing Committee are being considered by the PS 2 Standing Committee. The goal for PS 2 is to finalize the new standard this year (i.e., PS 2-10), minimizing any confusion with PS 1-09.
For more information about these particular meetings or the issues that were discussed at each, please contact:
For OSB and PS 2
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TECO Green Verified Goes GOLD
 TECO's Green Verified branch is excited to announce its highest and first successfully completed Gold Level Certification through the National Association of Home Builders™ Green Building Program Standard. Shaw Building and Design Inc., a progressive builder from Stoughton, WI, sought and reached the second highest level of green building in December 2009. The new home, set within tall trees, dirt roads and cornfields, is a model for the future of residential building construction. December was the first full month that homeowners John and Rebecca Scheller occupied their new home, and they are already benefiting from what had been their vision and goal: high levels of environmental friendliness and a low energy bill. December's electric and heating bill was just $4.
Read the Full Press Release >>
To learn more about 'green' issues and green building standards, visit TECO's Green Verified website at www.TECOverified.com, or contact Jed Hannemann at TECO's corporate office at (608) 837-2790 or by email at jed.hannemann@tecotested.com.
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A Slice of History
Around the country, especially to older architects and designers, TECO is known as much for its TECO timber connectors as it is for wood product certification. TECO timber connectors played an important role during World War II, when the U.S. Navy built 19 blimp hangers.
Two of these hangers were built at the U.S. military airfield in Tustin, CA (the photo above shows one of these under construction in 1942). A report commemorating their 65-year anniversary was completed in 2008, and tells an interesting tale of why and how the hangers were built, and attempts to explain their legacy.
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TECO Expands Glulam Certification in Canada
TECO proudly announces the expansion of its certification capabilities by becoming accredited to certify Structural Glued-laminated Timber by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and accredited to test glulam by the International Accreditation Service (IAS). The expansion gives TECO the ability to certify glulam in accordance with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) O177-06, Qualification code for manufacturers of structural glued-laminated timber.
TECO certification is offered to manufacturers selling structural glulam in Canada. As an accredited certification body by SCC since March 2006, TECO provides assurance that the certified product conforms to applicable standards. The SCC accreditation process is based on ISO Guide 65 but does include some additional SCC requirements, while the IAS accreditation is based on ISO 17025. Both require annual on-site surveillance audits by the accreditation bodies.
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