Southern Pine Integral to Destin Boardwalk Project

The Destin Harbor Boardwalk Project

Recently Published in PileDriver Magazine

by Keith Harris

Well over 15 years in the making, the Destin Harbor dream of a unified harbor boardwalk finally came true. Phase one of the project, was completed at the end of May and opens access to over a half mile of the northern edge of the Destin Harbor to public access.

The boardwalk is part of a multi-year, $90 million capital improvement program for the 400-acre Destin Harbor District that includes a public park and plaza, roadway improvements, and land acquisition as part of the initial $15-million phase. Known as the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” Destin offers unparalleled recreational opportunities and easy access to the aqua waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Its beautiful white sand beaches, world-class fishing, and family-friendly atmosphere draw approximately 4.5 million visitors per year.

Using more than 200,000-board feet of Southern Pine and 1,080 driven wood piles, the 6 month long project is certainly impressive. Wider walkways, better lighting and the beauty of new natural wood, highlight the improvements. “All of these improvements provide for a user-friendly, relaxed atmosphere which encourages and promotes use and enjoyment by the public” Public Services Director Steve Schmidt said.

Speegle Construction Inc, the general contractor and Decks and Such Marine, was responsible for the project and driving the southern pine piling treated with CCA preservative. The 8” tip piles ranged from 20 to 40 feet in length. Early plans to reuse piling had to be changed and all new piling was driven. Special precautions had to be taken in areas where the boardwalk was in very close proximity to businesses. In these cases, instead of vibrating the piling in, which was the original plan, “they took a proposal to the CRA Board that would instead, use an auger type of system to install the piling” said David Campbell, the city’s CRA project manager.

City Planners also chose to top the substructure with real wood decking. Over 85,000 board feet of 2×6 decking was supplied by Cox Industries Inc. “While there are other options available, such as plastic-based alternatives, real wood gives builders the ‘beauty and flexibility’ they are looking for, not to mention the cost savings, as real wood can be 30 to 50 percent cheaper than its competitors”, said Haigler Bozardt of Cox . The DuraPine decking was treated with an innovative wood stabilizing solution which is free of heavy metals.  Viance Chemical produces the Ecolife preservative, a wood stabilizer system that offers the natural beauty of real wood combined with advances in dimensional stability, weathering protection, fastener performance, and environmental attributes.

“As a renewable resource, by choosing Southern Pine piles and decking, as a building material, the city of Destin definitely put their hands on a “green” product. Family-owned companies farm the Southern Pine used by Cox Industries on plantations” , said Keith Harris Cox Industries, VP of Marketing.“About 1 billion Southern Pine seedlings are planted annually,” Harris said of the trees renewability. “Typically re-planting exceeds harvest by more than 30 percent each year.” Looking at the project itself, Harris said “The harbor area is a beautiful and inviting place so it’s an honor for our team to be chosen to supply the natural wood that is being used to add to the warmth of Destin”.

Given the focus on maintaining nature and protecting the environment interwoven throughout the tapestry of Destin, it’s no surprise that real wood was chosen to complete the boardwalk project. The city’s focus on and awareness of natural-made products and their cumulative effect on the environment dovetailed perfectly with natural wood.

The project, according to Harris, would not have happened or even been possible without the great working relationship between Cox, Hodges Brothers Lumber, and the city of Destin, as well as with contractor Speegle Construction, who subcontracts to Decks and Such Marine.

The project ties together much collaboration including seven property owners and nine different properties. “We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition,” said Community Redevelopment Agency Board Chair Sandy Trammell. “This boardwalk gives us the continuity and marketability that we have always needed along our harbor, and our businesses, residents and tourists will be able to enjoy it for years to come.”

For more information visit coxwood.com

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Cox Industries Receives HUBZone Certification

We are proud to announce receipt of the U.S. Small Business Administration‘s (SBA) HUBZone (Historically Underutilized Business Zone) designation.

Established in 1997, the purpose of the HUBZone program is to provide federal contracting assistance for qualified small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones in an effort to increase employment opportunities, investment, and economic development in such areas. Qualified HUBZone small business concerns are also recognized by numerous non-governmental “supplier diversity” programs throughout the United States. The intent of these programs is to effectively expand business opportunities through outreach, purchasing exchanges and creating powerful partnerships with diverse suppliers

“We are very excited about the HUBZone designation. For three generations Cox has invested in the small communities and the employees have who have driven our success. This designation will differentiate us in the marketplace, expand our business and in turn, help us bring more jobs to our hometowns.”  Michael Johnson CEO Cox Industries.

For over two and half years, Cox has been navigating the bureaucratic hurdles associated with applying for the designation of a “HUBZone Small Business Enterprise”. HUBZones are “historically underutilized business zones”, which are designated by the U.S. Small Business Administration. These areas have, for instance, a lower average income and higher unemployment rate than the national average. The program is designed to promote business and employment in these areas. Cox has operations in several of these communities, so the designation fits nicely to push our core value of supporting our nation and local communities.

 Accomplishing this goal for Cox was a true team effort. Just to compile the thousands of pages of documentation required support from Human Resources, Accounting, Marketing, the Shareholders and the Senior Leadership team. Many employees helped with their personal residence information so we could prove Cox met the employment requirements of the program.  Often in order to respond in a timely manner,  team members were forced to drop their daily tasks and work long hours to gather the information required by the SBA.  We even lobbied our SC Congressional delegation almost monthly to keep the project moving.  The team deserves a huge THANK YOU and hearty CONGRATULATIONS!

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Real Wood Decking: Lower Environmental Impact Than Wood Plastic Composite Alternatives

Keith Harris, Cox VP Marketing

This month, AquAeTer, as part of the cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) entitled “Life Cycle Assessment Procedures and Findings for ACQ-Treated Lumber”, published their findings regarding the LCA of copper azole type C (CA-C) and micronized copper azole type C (μCA-C). These treatment technologies are produced by Arch Chemical and used by Cox Industries to produce the DuraPine brand of outdoor wood. We will get the full LCA and the “Executive Summary” up on www.coxwood.com  very soon, but below you will find some excerpts from the study.

The Wood Products industry as a whole seems to be very slow to promote the fact they have the most sustainable and renewable building material on the planet.  In fact Southern Yellow Pine Plantations replant at a rate more than 28% above their harvest on a yearly basis. More than one billion seedlings are planted annually. Southern Pine forests are more plentiful and healthier today than they were 100 years ago.

For generations wood has been prized for its workability and natural beauty, but today we are finally publicizing the positive environmental impact of using sustainable wood products. Wood is an insulator, a net carbon sink, a locally grown product and it is a natural choice that protects Earth’s finite resources.

To take the positive environmental impact of wood a step further, wood treatment technologies extend the service life of wood products in outdoor spaces. This further reduces the impact on forests and plantations. Often wood products are painted in a negative light or with the broad brush of deforestation in South America and Asia, but American forestry has always gone to great pains to make sure forests and plantations are a sustainable resource. Programs include the American Tree Farm System, the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative to name just a few.

Check out some of the data below from the LCA and visit www.southernpine.com, http://woodworks.org and www.realoutdoorliving.com before making your decisions about which building materials are truly renewable and sustainable. There are a lot of claims out there and some are purely “green washing”, but “Wood is Real”.

Lumber treated with CA-C and μCA-C preservatives for above ground, exterior exposure have, on a life cycle cradle-to-grave basis, lower environmental impact indicators than wood plastic composite (WPC) decking.

Compared to CA-C-treated lumber, WPC requires approximately 15 times more fossil fuel and 2.4 times more water, and results in emissions with potential to cause 2.9 times more GHG, five times more acid rain, 2.6 times more smog, 1.7 times more ecological toxicity, and 1.5 times more eutrophication impact, than CA-C-treated lumber. In addition, 8.8 times more total energy is required during the life of WPC compared to CA-C-treated lumber.

Compared to μCA-C-treated lumber, WPC requires approximately 17 times more fossil fuel and 2.4 times more water, and results in emissions with potential to cause three times more GHG, 6.5 times more acid rain, 2.6 times more smog, 1.7 times more ecological toxicity, and 3.3 times more eutrophication impact, than μCA-C-treated lumber. In addition, 9.3 times more total energy is required during the life of WPC compared to μCA-C-treated lumber.

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Iberdrola USA’s New Utility Pole Contract: Buy a Pole, Plant a Seedling

Innovative Arrangement by Cox Industries Will Plant More Than 40,000 Seedlings in Three Years

More Than 40,000 Trees Will Be Planted

 

For every pole Iberdrola USA subsidiaries Central Maine Power (CMP), New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) buys, Cox Industries plants a Southern Yellow Pine seedling.

In 2010, under this contract, Cox planted 10,000 seedlings in the southeastern U.S. where the poles originate. Over the course of Iberdrola USA’s three-year contract with Cox, the more than 40,000 seedlings that will be planted have the potential to remove approximately 8,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. This is the equivalent of removing 1,600 cars from our highways for a year.

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Cox Industries Teams with Furman University on Corporate Sustainability

GREENVILLE, S.C. -As companies become increasingly focused on implementing sustainable business strategies, Furman University will offer a new program this fall that will help executives manage the challenges of a socially conscious business environment.

 The intensive, five-session course, offered by Furman’s Center for Corporate and Professional Development in cooperation with the David E. Shi Center for Sustainability, will lead to a Post Graduate Diploma in Corporate Sustainability. “Corporate sustainability is being embraced across the country not only because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes business sense,” said Brad Bechtold, director of Continuing Education at Furman. “It lowers business costs, improves productivity and enhances reputation. This new program will provide the tools, techniques and strategic thinking that businesses need to build a coherent sustainability strategy.” Bechtold said the course will offer a broad overview of sustainability as well as a detailed review of major practices in sustainability. It will also identify the sustainable business strategies that offer the most effective return on investment and demonstrate how sustainability can become an ongoing strategic business practice.

 “This program is aimed at business people who are in charge of defining and implementing sustainability initiatives for their organizations,” Bechtold said. “And since there is a dearth of academic and corporate education programs that provide this kind of knowledge, we believe this program is something the business community will embrace.”The program, which begins Sept. 16 and ends Dec. 10, totals 70 contact hours and 7.0 Continuing Education Units. Each of the five sessions includes a Thursday (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and Friday (8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.) seminar at the Younts Conference Center.

 The program will be taught by John Meindl, senior associate with the Center for Corporate and Professional Development; Dr. Wade Worthen, professor of biology at Furman; Barry Breede, CEO of Sustainable Management Systems of Greenville; and Michael Johnson, CEO of Cox Industries.

 Cost for the program is $3,950 per person.

For more information, contact Furman’s Center for Corporate and Professional Development at 864-294- 3136 or visit the Furman website at www.furman.edu/cpd/.

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The Simple Answer is Sustainability…

Unfortunately the questions are a bit more complicated. What does it take to be a value to our community, our employees and our shareholders? What does it take for a company to open its’ doors and keep them open? What factor(s) weighs most heavily on the decisions we make as a company today and how do those decisions effect the next generation of associates, treatments, products and the environment?

Cox Industries has long been concerned about our impact on our communities and the environment and that concern has been seen not only in product and service innovations but in our relentless research into safer and more efficient ways to produce our products. Involvement with Green Globes, Green Guard and EPA WasteWise programs, products receiving the Good House Keeping Seal and Energy Star Ratings and our six decade long commitment to purchase wood from well managed Pine Plantations (recently documented by SFI and FSC certifications) are just the surface of our sustainability initiative.

But is it “Green”?
Let’s try to un-muddy the water a bit. First of all, “green” is a color. No more, no less. No doubt, by now, you may have heard of “green washing”. This is when a product or service is represented as something that is better for the environment than what is currently available. As of late there has been such a mass abuse of the term “green” it could be classified as pandemic. The true definition of whether something is sustainable or not is to measure equally a product’s or service’s impact on the environment, on society and on the bottom line. Our logo is “Green” our business is sustainable.

Formed in 2008, the Cox Industry’s Sustainability Advisory Panel is made up of university professors, philanthropists, conservationists and business Leaders coming together to help guide the decisions we make and lend a valuable outside perspective on the impact of those decisions on the environment, on society and on the bottom line.

For the communities that rely on us, as a responsible employer, sustainability means we are making the financial decisions that will keep us profitable for the years to come. Thus allowing us to increase our employee base, expand our product lines and make sure both remain strong contributors to the communities where our businesses operate and our employees live.

For our customers sustainability means we are supplying the most efficient and effective building materials available and we stand behind the commitments we make on service and quality. It also means we are up to date on current certifications and practices, which allows them to participate in sustainable building projects. But most importantly, sustainability means we stand with our customers to improve the products and services that will help them build their business.

For more information about the overall Cox Sustainability Initiative or any specific program, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 800-476-4401.

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Cox Receives SFI and FSC Certifications

Cox Industries’ Residential Products Division recently received certifications through the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI).
“As part the Cox continued journey towards sustainability, these certifications dove-tail with the company’s concerns for the environment, for society and for financial stability”, said Michael Johnson, CEO. Ensuring better practices in the forestry and wood products industries protects not only the well being of our forests, but all of the livings creatures that depend on it. However the certifying agencies don’t stop there, in fact The FSC looks at how workers are treated and how they are paid. Even though certified wood is a little more expensive now, Cox believes, it isn’t nearly as expensive as it could be in the future without the proper control systems in place.
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an independent, non-governmental, not-for-profit organization established to promote the responsible management of the world’s forests. Established in 1993 as a response to concerns over global deforestation, FSC is widely regarded as one of the most important initiatives of the last decade to promote responsible forest management worldwide.
FSC is a certification system that provides internationally recognized standard-setting, trademark assurance and accreditation services to companies, organizations, and communities interested in responsible forestry. Being FSC certified shows that you comply with the highest social and environmental standards on the market. As public concern about the state of the world’s forests and timber resources increases, FSC provides you with a simple solution to complex environmental and social issues. FSC certification is most widely known for its ties to the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification program for commercial construction.
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) is an independent, non-profit organization responsible for maintaining, overseeing and improving a sustainable forestry certification program that is internationally recognized and among the largest in the world. The SFI Standard is based on principles and measures that promote sustainable forest management and consider all forest values. It includes unique fiber sourcing requirements promoting responsible forest management on all suppliers’ lands.
SFI is recognized as part of the National Green Building Standard which was developed by the International Code Council (ICC) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The National Green Building Standard is coordinated with ANSI (American National Standards Institute), which has been the administrator of the U.S. voluntary standardization system for more than 90 years.
“Whether addressing environmental concerns for personal reasons or needing points qualifications as part of a “green” building program, for residential or commercial construction, the new SFI and FSC certifications have better positioned Cox to help our customers reach their goals” said Keith Harris, VP Marketing.

http://www.coxwood.com

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I’ve seen articles about treated wood failures. Is that Cox treated wood?

As a family, building Cox for future generations, we are proud to say we have not had failures, and the science behind our new treatment combined with our quality control will assure none in the future.

Since 1954, we made our preservative choice based on safety, efficacy, and AWPA approvals. Today we uphold the same standard of scrutiny. We stake our reputation on every piece of wood we treat! Historically, most wood failures have been a result of poor treatment processes and poor quality control. While some treaters accept the minimum and allow one charge in ten to fail we have always, and will continue, to ascribe to a 100% pass rate. Our results are independently verified by a third party. We are confident in our chemical supplier and the preservative systems we use, past and present.

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