FLASH, PARTNERS LAUNCH STORMSTRUCK

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Inc. (FLASH®), Bermuda-based RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. and its U.S. affiliate WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., Simpson Strong-Tie and State Farm have announced plans for an interactive weather experience entitled StormStruck: The Tale of Two Homes™ at Innoventions at Epcot® at the Walt Disney World® Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL.

Scheduled to open in late summer 2008, StormStruck will share with visitors from around the world what it might feel like to experience severe weather such as a hurricane. After guests have experienced “the storm,” they have the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge scientific research relating to weather and the latest recommendations for protecting homes and families against those risks in a fun, interactive setting, according to a released statement.
“This groundbreaking exhibit represents a milestone in the disaster safety movement. It will save lives and homes by combining fun with education,” said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, FLASH CEO and president. “It is thrilling to see our five-year vision become reality, and it is only possible because of the commitment of our partners.”

The exhibit focus is based on consumer research conducted by FLASH where homeowners identified their need and desire for information about actionable, affordable and achievable disaster safety techniques.

“Educating homeowners about the simple steps they can take to create a safer and stronger home is what this attraction is all about, and we’re proud to be a part of an effort that can help reduce damage to homes all across America,” said Terry Kingsfather, president, Simpson Strong-Tie.

SMART VENT TO HELP WITH EXTREME MAKEOVER

Smart Vent, Inc. is among a group of builders and suppliers selected to help in the construction of a home and church destroyed by Hurricane Katrina by the television show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” Smart Vent is a manufacturer of code compliant foundation flood vents.

The home of Brad and Laura Usea, Westwego, LA, was severely damaged during hurricane Katrina. Yet they immediately took in Brad’s mother, Grace, and his brothers when Grace’s home was completely destroyed.
In February 2007, Brad and Laura’s home was struck by a tornado, causing even more damage to their home and completely destroying the FEMA trailer in the backyard.

Considered local heroes by many, Brad and his brother Chad, both volunteer firefighters, work to help rebuild their community. Three homes are being built on their existing lot to accommodate the entire extended family. In addition, Deltec Homes, Ty Pennington and the “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” team will rebuild the Noah’s Ark Missionary Baptist Church in New Orleans, LA, in the show’s season finale.

Smart Vent is providing financial assistance, product donation, engineering consultation and labor to help provide shelter and security for this family. Vice President and General Manager Michael Graham and Ronald Long, Gulf Coast certified installer and technical representative, are in New Orleans and will be on site during the entire length of the build helping with construction.

The home and church are built in a flood plain in New Orleans. The raised foundation needed openings to allow floodwater in and out and that is what Smart Vent does. The church needed ventilation along with flood vents and the home needed insulated vents due to a design calling for a green sealed crawl space. Smart Vent’s first recommendation was to raise the height of the first floor to one foot above the BFE (Base Flood Elevation), then use insulated vents in the house and automatic flood/air vents in the church.

As an added surprise, Smart Vent will pay the cost of 10 years’ worth of flood insurance for the family and for the church.

SAVAN NAMED TO HOMES FOR OUR TROOPS BOARD

Homes for Our Troops, Taunton, MA, has named Mark Savan to its board of directors. Savan, the president of Simonton Windows®, will serve on the board as a liaison between the organization and corporate donors and contractors. He will also advise in the overall development of the organization and provide insights on long-term growth strategies.

Homes for Our Troops is a non-profit organization dedicated to building homes for severely disabled service members.

Simonton Windows has been a corporate founding sponsor of Homes for Our Troops since the organization was started in 2004. Simonton was presented with the organization’s 2006 Outstanding Corporate Supporter Award last year (see HP, Summer 2007, page 8) and also was awarded the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service in June 2007 by four-star General Robert Magnus, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps (see HP, Fall 2007, page 6).

SILVER LINE WINDOWS USED TO MEET NEW NC BUILDING CODES

As of January 1, 2008, North Carolina has implemented new construction codes necessitating the installation of energy-efficient windows in all new construction applications. It also mandated the use of impact-resistant windows in specific beachfront areas, according to Stephanie Mebane, project manager at SECOF Construction. A full-service building firm servicing much of southeast North Carolina, SECOF recently met these newly implemented building codes with Silver Line’s Energy Star® qualified Weather Stopper™ Impact-Resistant Windows.
Silver Line’s Series 2000 single-hung windows as well as its Weather Stopper™ Impact-Resistant Windows were used to complete the construction of new two- and three-story multi-family homes constructed by SECOF in Carolina Beach, NC. To meet the latest state regulations, Silver Line’s products were used on the lower floor of each new home, while the company’s impact-resistant products were installed on the second and third floors.

BUILDIQ LAUNCHES BEST PRACTICES COMMUNITY PROGRAM

BuildIQ®, Pittsburgh, PA, has launched the Best Practices® Community program—Community.BuildIQ.com—to better connect homebuilders to information supplied by leading industry product manufacturers and service providers. Simpson Strong-Tie is one of a handful of companies that has signed on as a founding member.

“We realize that builders are pressed for time. They need answers quickly from a source they can trust,” says Michael Dickens, founder and CEO of BuildIQ, a leading online provider of Best Practices in Homebuilding™. “Builders need access to better knowledge, information and tools to build a higher quality home, but they typically don’t have the time and resources to assemble such a collection of best practices themselves."

"The goal of the program is to give builders a convenient place to find, share and discuss best practices for building a higher quality home," says David Ulicne, BuildIQ’s managing director.

Builders can access industry Best Practice information through:

• BuildIQ Search (www.buildiq.com). A search tool that provides builders with information that isn’t buried within thousands of results.

• BuildIQ Jobsite (jobsite.buildiq.com). Provides information to homebuilders on topics critical to their business performance and the quality of their homes.

• BuildIQ Toolbelt (toolbelt.buildiq.com). A place homebuilders go to find solutions to top warranty issues that cost them millions of dollars to fix.

• BuildIQ University (www.buildiqu.com). Online training courses in homebuilding best practices.

“Simpson Strong-Tie is proud to be a founding member of the Best Practices Community program,” said Mike Moran, vice president of builder programs for the company. “For the past several decades, Simpson Strong-Tie has committed the resources to make training builders a priority in order to help improve product installations and to reduce the cost of construction.”

SIMONTON ADDS HORIZONTAL ROLLER WINDOWS TO STORMBREAKER LINE

Simonton Windows®, Parkersburg, WV, has introduced the Horizontal Roller window to its popular line of impact-resistant Simonton StormBreaker Plus® 300VL series for coastal area applications. The single roller style window meets American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) codes for coastal areas and has received statewide approval for use in Florida through the Florida Building Code (FBC).

The vinyl-framed windows have a standard DP50 rating and can be ordered with Solar E glass as an upgrade option to make the windows Energy Star® qualified. Simonton offers the Horizontal Roller in a variety of sizes with a minimum of 25 inches wide by 19 inches high up to a maximum unit size of 73 inches wide by 62 inches high.

SOMFY ADDS BONO AS FIELD SERVICE REP

Somfy Systems, Inc. announces the addition of Greg Bono as a field service representative (FSR) for the Southeast Territory. Bono joins the company with experience in the accordion shutter business and working in the retail and risk management industries. As an FSR, his territory will cover the following states: North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

Somfy has a team of FSR’s that cover every state in the country. They are available to provide information and education to dealers about the latest advancements in Radio Technology Somfy® (RTS).

QMI NAMES MORRIS MANAGER OF SERVICE

QMI, Itasca, IL, has announced that Mitchell Morris has joined the company as manager of service. In his new role, he will lead the QMI service department to introduce process improvements and customer-focused initiatives that elevate service levels provided to QMI’s retail customer base.

Morris joins the company from Gallant Companies, a leading general contractor and facilities services company with a specialty in large retail customers, where he was director of facilities. Prior to Gallant Companies, Morris worked at Retail Project Managers Inc., a specialty services provider for the retail marketplace.

QMI manufactures security and storm rolling shutters and security product cases for commercial and residential applications throughout North America, Mexico and the Caribbean.

VALENTIN, AAMA SOUTHEAST REGION DIRECTOR, RETIRES

Effective the end of March 2008, Sigi Valentin will retire as executive director of Southeast Region of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA), according to Rich Walker, AAMA president and CEO.

Since he started as executive director of the region in July 2002, Valentin has been a tireless advocate of both AAMA national and regional member interests in the southeastern states, according to an AAMA statement. He built strong relationships with key staff and officials in the International Building Code (ICC), Florida Building Commission (FBC), as well as state and local building and energy code organizations.

Valentin helped protect Southeastern fenestration markets and paved the way for higher performing products through the development of consensus code change proposals and testimony in support of these proposals on the code floor, AAMA stated. In addition, he planned and organized AAMA Southeast Region meetings, securing key speakers that kept the membership abreast of all the latest code developments, threats and opportunities.

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