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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What makes the new Cox treatment different?

The new Cox treatment is dispersed copper azole type C. It is literally a blend of traditional and new technology. It combines dissolved copper amine with a new dispersed copper formulation. It is an offspring of the current CA‐C formulation that was just approved by AWPA and we expect approval of this system as well. We arrived at this treatment in response to a variety of factors. We wanted a system we were 100% confident provided full cell-wall penetration and had a better biocide than was currently available. While we are excited to see many in our industry moving away from quaternary based systems (MCQ/ACQ) towards an azole biocide, they are still a generation behind us. We now use a cobiocide system that uses two different azoles to form a synergistic protection factor. We then blend traditional dissolved copper amine back in with the dispersed solution to provide complete saturation of copper in all parts of the wood cells. As an added benefit, it answered a repeated customer request to have a distinct color difference in their treated lumber without expensive pigments. It is applied and monitored by a computer controlled system. We test every batch of chemical for proper composition and assay every charge of wood to ensure proper retention level. This system, like our service to our customers, is unique to our industry. 

Cox has long been an innovator in the industry and we will continue to introduce new treatments and products that enable our customers to differentiate their business in the marketplace. In fact, in keeping with the continued trend of changing technology, we expect the industry will see further research on new protection systems. These new systems will range from new metal‐based chemicals, to organic systems and even mechanically altered wood products. In turn, we will maintain our efforts to search the globe to analyze new technologies and keep you informed of the latest developments.

 

 

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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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I’m confused over the use of treated lumber in contact with aluminum. Is that OK?

Some companies have suggested that you can use their respective systems in direct contact with Aluminum and electro galvanized (EG) products. Cox has deferred this question to our chemical supplier, Arch Chemicals, in cooperation with the aluminum association and the International Code Council. Based on our analysis of their research, we have concluded that no current preservative system containing metals meets approval from these groups. We have never recommended direct contact with aluminum when using Cox treated wood. Cox Industries has begun our own in-house R&D work in an effort to provide more data to support aluminum and fastener recommendations. If you would like more information on fasteners please visit our web  site ://www.coxwood.com/faq for links to various hardware manufacturers and answers to other questions.

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Why are there so many different preservatives now?

In a departure from the past, all three major chemical suppliers are now positioned to offer alternative preservative systems based on proprietary formulas. This gives suppliers and their licensees the ability to differentiate themselves in the marketplace. When the move from CCA occurred, every wood treating company had to make a decision on the preservative system they felt was best for their customers. Wood preservers today are faced with even greater choices but now there are a variety of new chemical suppliers in the market, each with their own respective system.

 

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Why did manufacturers move away from CCA?

As in any industry, our products are regulated by a number of different agencies. In the case of pressure treated wood, not only does Cox reference agencies that support our products performance, but also those that regulate its uses and safety. In 2003, the primary suppliers to our industry voluntarily approached the EPA with a proposal to limit the use of preservatives containing chrome and arsenic.

The primary impact to our industry was the limitation of CCA in residential applications. In anticipation of such forthcoming regulation, the chemical manufacturers responded proactively by offering their respective substitutes that were already in use in other markets. It is important to note that CCA continues to perform as safely today as it has in the past in many industrial applications. Please visit the following link for more information.

http://www.woodpreservativescience.org/faq.shtml

 

 

 

 

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Cox Responds to Market Confusion Over Treatments

 

 From Michael Johnson, CEO Cox Industries

I am writing to you today with a two fold purpose. First, to all our long time residential business partners and friends I want to say thank you for your dedication and patience over the last two years. Along with this recognition of our long time friends, I also want to welcome the 38 dealers that have joined us over that same time and are the newest members of the Cox family. Our commitment to growing the profitability of our businesses in a sustainable partnership with you remains unchanged. It has been the Cox way since 1954. We hold this commitment first and foremost in all the decisions we make at Cox. Above all else, we expect every member of our Cox family of employees to uphold the trust you have placed in Cox.

The second purpose of this letter today is to provide you with some information, and hopefully clarity, from the people you trust. You may have seen an article in Deck Builder magazine this month on the wide variety of non‐ arsenic treatment options now available in the marketplace. For those of you who have not seen it, here is a link; http://www.deckmagazine.com/abstract/154.htm, where you can download or read the PDF. Even on this page you will see conflicting information in the advertisements displayed. We have been discussing, with you, many of the issues addressed in this article over the last two years, as we made a cautious and calculated decision to move to our new treatment system. We made sure the new system was safe. We applied new technology combined with a proven system to design a treatment that was effective and better, not just new. Finally, we sought commitments and supported an approval process with AWPA to ensure the highest standards for our industry are upheld. No other company in our industry is able to offer you a dispersed and dissolved blend like Cox has done. Others will surely follow, but by the time they catch up with us we will have found other ways to strengthen your business. We strive to reinforce the Cox way.

As a quick recap to the confusing information in the marketplace, I have provided a list of questions and answers. We have been asked by our customers to provide a straightforward way for us to talk about the unique solution provided by Cox. We have worked diligently to communicate our efforts and thoughts to you via letters, the web, Cox colleges, and face to face visits. As always, we are available at any time to support your business needs. Please call any of us with all questions you might have. We will make every effort to resolve your issue to your complete satisfaction. It is the Cox way.

Why did we move away from CCA?  

I’m confused over the use of treated lumber in contact with aluminum. Is that OK  

 

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

 

Why are there so many different preservatives now?

What makes the new Cox treatment different?

 

 

 

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