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Jul/Aug 2014
CALENDAR

BEC/JAS Meetings
September 15-17, 2014
Seattle, WA

September 28 - October 4, 2014
Fort Lauderdale, FL

October 8-10, 2014
Boston, MA

October 15-17, 2014
Portland, OR

Wood Solutions Fair
October 23, 2014
Portland, OR

NAWLA 2014 Traders Market
November 12-14, 2014
Chicago, IL

November 12, 2014
Arlington, TX

January 20-22, 2015
Las Vegas, NV

January 27, 2015
Oakland, CA

March 4, 2015
Atlanta, GA

QUICK LINKS




 
QUOTE
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." 
  
-- Will Rogers
(1879 - 1935)
American cowboy, vaudville performer, humorist and actor

 
 

We're coming to the end of the summer and it's that time of year when kids start going back to school - some already have.  It's a busy time of year if you have kids that are school age or college age, or both.  Kids often ask why they have to go back to school every year, but soon enough they will know what we already do: to succeed you can't ever stop learning.  And with all the change taking place in the world, and the pace of that change accelerating, it really is true that if you don't continue to learn, you get left behind. 

 

We take that idea seriously, which is why we do periodic training with our staff.  For example, next month we're bringing all of TECO's plywood staff to our Wisconsin office for three days of training and togetherness.  It gives all of us a chance to interact face-to-face like we usually can't, given that we work for clients from coast to coast and across borders.  Training of this type allows us to not only improve as individuals and as a company, but also to maintain consistency of service, whoever delivers it.  

 

Today is a new day.  Will you learn something new today?   

 

Steve G. Winistorfer, PE

CEO and President
TECO


    
U.S. Housing Starts Rebound in July 
In it's August 19 press release on New Residential Construction in July 2014, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.093 million, 15.7% above the revised June estimate of 945,000 and 21.7% above the July 2013 rate of 898,000.

This surge in starts coincides with a slight increase in builder confidence, as reported in the NAHB/Wells Fargo 

Builder confidence rose two points to 55, where any number over 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good rather than poor.  


BEC/JAS Meetings on Japanese Codes & Standards 

The annual Building Experts Committee (BEC) and JAS (Japanese Agricultural Standards) Technical Committee meetings will be held on September 15-17 in Seattle, WA.  

 

TECO, as a member of the United States delegation, will participate in meetings that bring together wood product experts and manufacturers with an interest in the Japanese wood construction market and standards.  These tri-lateral trade meetings, held annually since the mid 1990's, bring together representatives from the US, Japan, and Canada. 

 

Since 1993, TECO has been recognized by the Japanese government to certify plywood, OSB, LVL, and glued laminated timber to the relevant JAS standards.

   

 
 
Back to School with Forestinfo.org 
Dovetail Partners, a Minneapolis-based environmental think-tank, encourages students, parents and teachers to utilize Forestinfo.org in preparation for the upcoming school year. Forestfino.org is Dovetail's one-stop digital resource hub for environmental education geared towards students of all ages, from Kindergarten through Adult, teachers and those with a general interest in protecting, managing, and enhancing the natural environment. It is a source for environmental information which is understandable, accurate, and available in a wide variety of formats.

 

"As students and teachers head back to school this year it's important to think about having scientifically-sound resources for enhanced environmental learning," states Kathryn Fernholz, Dovetail's Executive Director. "Forestinfo.org is a resource for finding learning materials that stimulate minds and teach about the importance of environmental issues."


  

 

See What Wood Can Do

Goliath roller coaster "Goliath," at Six Flags Great America north of Chicago, IL, broke three world records for wooden roller coasters when it opened in June.  Goliath has the tallest drop (180 feet), the steepest drop (85 degrees), and the fastest speed (72 mph), all world records for wooden roller coasters.  

 

That this roller coaster is made of wood is nothing new, since wood was the primary component of the very first roller coasters.  But its size and features make it unique in the world of wooden coasters. 

 

See construction photos of Goliath.

 

 

AWC Technical Committee Meetings
AWC

 The  American Wood Council (AWC) has a staff of engineers and code experts that, together with input and participation from its wood industry partners like TECO, "ensures the continued regulatory acceptance of wood products in the marketplace."  AWC is the only organization that advocates for all segments of the wood products industry before building code-writing bodies in the United States, and is also the authoritative ANSI-accredited standards developer of wood construction standards and design tools referenced in the codes.  The documents overseen and maintained by the AWC include the 

 

 National Design Specification® (NDS®) for Wood Construction 


 and the 

 

 Wood Frame Construction Manual (WFCM) for One- and Two-Family Dwellings. 

 

These documents and others are referenced in the 2012 family of I-codes, which includes the International Building Code and International Residential Code.  The revisions currently in process are targeted for completion before December 1, 2014. 


As a participating member of the AWC technical committee, TECO takes an active role in the continuing development and improvement of these design tools and standards.  TECO staff participated in the technical committee's annual meeting in Ashburn, VA, in July.  For more information about the topics addressed as this meeting, please contact TECO President Steve Winistorfer.