August 2016
In This Issue
Stochlia Joins PFS TECO
EPA Formaldehyde Ruling
Uncertainty of US Economy
AWC and CWC Tech Meetings
Meet Our Staff
   Calendar of Events
August 22-25, 2016
Vienna, Austria

September 7-9, 2016
Austin, TX

September 14, 2016
October 13, 2016
Philadelphia, PA

October 25-26, 2016
St. Simons Island, GA

October 26-28, 2016
Las Vegas, NV 

November 2, 2016
Orlando, FL

January 10-12, 2017
Orlando, FL
Our Website(s)
The new PFS TECO website is under development but the opening page--which contains links to our current websites--can be found here:
 

Engineered
Thoughts
"There are 10 kinds of people in the world. Those who understand binary and those who don't." 
-- Unknown
It's a Small World
The world comes together this month for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. I look forward to international competitions like this because they remind me that, even though athletes and spectators come from all over the world, we are more alike than different. Like it or not, the world has become a smaller place.  

With all the turmoil in the world, it would be easy to conclude that people from different countries, different continents, are too different to find common ground on any issue. It's true that our work at PFS TECO doesn't make national news, but we work across borders every day. We have long and lasting relationships with clients in more than a dozen countries, and our joint ability to cooperate and work together speaks to our shared values, regardless of the distance between us.  

So join me in cheering on athletes from all nations as the Rio Games get underway. I will cheer loudest for those from the USA, but I will also cheer for athletes from host Brazil and from every other country, including those on the Refugee Olympic Team. The Games will be a reminder that in many ways, it's a small, small world. 

Steve Winistorfer, PE
Senior Vice President
Stochlia to Work with PFS TECO
Kurt Stochlia of KSPE
Kurt Stochlia, PE, owner and Principal Consultant at KSPE, a California-based engineering consulting firm, has signed up to work with PFS TECO on its new Research Report code approval service.  
 
Stochlia was at ICC-ES for 37 years (the last 30 as a Vice President) assisting companies gain approval for their products. He is still a member of the following technical committees:  ISO TC89 on Wood-Based Panels and TC165 on Timber Structures; ASTM D07 (earning the L.J. Markwardt Award in 2003); and with the Canadian Standards Association and Department of Commerce. Stochlia now focuses his consulting practice on the code compliance of building products, most notably structural engineered wood products.  
 
Because the certification, testing, and code compliance of these same products are a core of PFS TECO's business, adding Stochlia as a consultant brings unquestioned expertise and experience to PFS TECO clients interested in obtaining a code-approved Research Report for their manufactured products.  
EPA Issues Final Formaldehyde Rule
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to reduce exposure to formaldehyde vapors from certain wood products produced domestically or imported into the United States. In a July 27 press release, the agency worked with the California Air Resources Board to help ensure the final national rule is consistent with California requirements for composite wood products.

The Formaldehyde Emission Standards for Composite Wood Products Act of 2010 established emission standards for formaldehyde from composite wood products and directed EPA to finalize a rule on implementing and enforcing a number of provisions covering composite wood products.

One year after the rule is published, composite wood products that are sold, supplied, offered for sale, manufactured, or imported in the United States will need to be labeled as TSCA Title VI compliant. These products include: hardwood plywood, medium-density fiberboard, particleboard as well as household and other finished goods containing these products. 
Uncertainty Casts Shadow Over Economy
In a July 19 Press Release from Fannie Mae, the Economic & Strategic Research Group's outlook for economic growth in the second half of 2016 is unchanged from the previous forecast of about 2.0 percent.  There is a shadow of uncertainty hanging over the US economy, driven by a combination of factors, including the Brexit vote in the UK and the US presidential election in November.

Government spending and residential investment should be positive contributors to economic growth this year, while nonresidential and inventory investment and net exports are expected to drag on growth. Although job creation picked up at the end of the second quarter, the hiring trend has slowed considerably from the start of the year.

"We still expect moderate housing expansion for 2016. While new home sales have pulled back from their expansion-best, existing home sales rose to the highest level in more than nine years amid the largest year-over-year drop in for-sale inventory since October of 2015," said Fannie Mae Chief Economist Doug Duncan.
PFS TECO Staff Participate in Technical Committee Meetings
AWC
On July 19-21, PFS TECO staff participated in the American Wood Council's Technical Committee meetings in Ashburn, VA. The AWC maintains the National Design Specification for Wood Construction (NDSŪ) and several other standards, design guides and aids, and is heavily involved in monitoring legislation at the state and national level that impacts the use and application of structural wood products.    

As a new member of the Canadian Wood Council (CWC), PFS TECO staff also participated in the CWC Annual General Meeting held in Toronto on June 15-16.  The CWC is a collection of lumber and non-lumber associations, including organizations like PFS TECO, that each represent their members/clients interests in technical and marketing issues. The WoodWORKS! educational and promotional program is one of the cornerstones of the CWC education effort. WoodWORKS staff from each region provided an update of regional and national activities at the meeting.  

For more information on either of these activities, contact:
Steve Winistorfer, PE
Senior Vice President, Panel Products and EWP
(608) 839-1071
Meet Our Staff
Brian Thompson
Brian Thompson
Eugene Lab Supervisor

As Supervisor of PFS TECO's Eugene, Oregon, laboratory, Brian Thompson is involved with all lab testing conducted at the facility. The Eugene lab is involved in panel certification testing, adhesive testing, testing of formaldehyde emissions, and many other types of product testing. Brian has been with TECO -- and now PFS TECO -- since early 2005. Before coming to TECO, Brian worked in the paint and construction industries for 15 years. Besides running the Eugene lab, he also conducts inspections and works closely with PFS TECO plywood clients and auditors in the US, Canada and Chile. 
 
Brian was born and raised in the Eugene/Springfield (OR) area, and has been married for almost 23 years. He and his wife have a daughter starting her second year in college and a son who will be a high school senior this fall. The Thompson's are an avid outdoor family who spend most of their free time camping, hunting and fishing. They live just east of the Eugene area in their mountain retreat. A typical weekend morning is spent enjoying the sunrise with a cup of coffee and whichever critter is passing through -- deer, elk, bear, and the occasional cougar. Brian wouldn't have it any other way.