Goodwin Heart Pine

Un-Shopping, reCommerce & Building a Business on Buying Less envnewsbits.wordpress.com2/2/12 At the GreenBiz Forum in New York City this week, we took a close look at the current state of consumption. The topic is a fitting one for the venue, as some people might consider New York a hub of economic activity and consumption. As a self-proclaimed gadget junkie and former Silicon Valley transplant, my focus is consumer electronics. At Gazelle, we give new life to consumer electronic gadgets that have value and responsibly recycle the ones that don’t. We’re a Boston-based consumer electronics trade-in and recycling service, and our business is all about rewarding people for smart consumption. We coined the term “reCommerce” for our business model, which rewards consumers for selling and recycling used gadgets they no longer use to get cash.

We have begin posting on google plus and invite all our friends to join our circle! Find us on google plus here
http://gplus.to/heartpine/

Goodwin Heart Pine on Google Plus

Enjoy this 3-part informative series of videos explaining the Goodwin Heart Pine antique wood recovery process.

A note from Jo-Anne Peck, Suzanne Prieur and Steve Quillian
A belated thank you for your participation in November’s Historic Homes Workshop. Due to your enthusiasm and hard work, we had a nice turnout and a successful event. We are very impressed with you folks in St. Pete! Your neighborhood activism and your historic preservation advocacy are models for historic cities across the U.S.

Please visit http://oldhouseworkshop.com/ to view photos of this event and our earlier workshop in Tampa.

We are proud to have had the opportunity to have worked with you and look forward to together, helping preserve Tampa Bay’s historic fabric.

Please let us know of any suggestions that you might have to improve future workshops.

(Reprinted with permission from Floor Covering Weekly, The Green Issue, Novermber 21/28, 2011, Reclaimed wood: Forever green, Page 17, Author, Aaron Weitzman
More than 100 years ago, harvested trees were shipped to mills via local rivers. Today, a number of companies have taken on the task of recovering those river logs and turning them into flooring. Goodwin Heart Pine Company is located in Micanopy, Florida, where the company was founded in 1976 and is a pioneer in reclaiming wood from rivers. “Goodwin owns the federally registered trademark for the term River Recovered and we have pulled wood off southern and river bottoms for over 35 years,” said Carol Goodman, co-owner. Goodman noted that the company also produced the first engineered wood flooring product from reclaimed wood. Terry Metz, co-owner of Old-Growth Riverwood, a Wilmington, N C based company, said that recycled lumber is preferred by most contractors for a number of reasons.

“It is highly durable, attractive, low maintenance, and of course, is advantageous for the environment,” said Metz.

Eric Haglund, owner and founder of Columbia Riverwood, a Portland, Oregon based company that also recovers river wood, was founded three years ago and started out as a flooring company, but has since expanded its business, “we moved into custom furniture, countertops, etc.,” said Haglund.

Goodwin Heart Pine separates the river recovered wood by grain and color. It also teaches educational courses. “We give them terminology, grading guidelines to help differentiate different grades. Reclaimed wood, in general, is a confusing niche industry where there are no standards,” said Goodwin.

There are many different ways to identify and recover the wood underneath the water, one of which is to use divers. “Our divers are not Goodwin employees, they go into the water to feel and inspect the wood, to make sure it is worth taking out and recovering,” said Goodwin.

Metz said that Old-Growth Riverwood relies on research and sonar, which helps pinpoint the exact spot to go under the water. “We harvest the wood locally from the Cape Fear River and reclaim wood from old barns and buildings locally, regionally, and nationally. All of our wood is recycled right here in Wilmington and we even recycle the wood shavings,” said Metz.

But rivers are not the only place that companies are looking to recover wood. “Whether it is removed from an old mansion, public building or even an old industrial facility, there is a story to it that adds an unexpected value to the wood when it’s reclaimed,” said Ron Sauer, founder and president of Kingston, New York-based Excelsior Wood Products.

Excelsior doesn’t mass-produce its lumber and each floorboard is individually hand-picked and milled to the customers’ specifications. “Achieving that quality and flexibility requires a lot of specialized equipment,” said Sauer. Excelsior not only has that equipment, but has also had equipment custom built to suit his operation.

In addition to its obvious sustainable qualities, reclaimed wood is easy to take care of, according to these manufacturers. Many customers, they said, simply have the wood oiled, so it is actually much easier to maintain than other exposed flooring, which may require frequent cleaning and refinishing.

While reclaimed wood is priced higher than typical wood, manufacturers said that the benefits outweigh the cost difference. “The cost difference probably isn’t as much as many people would imagine. In some cases it’s 30% higher than everyday wood, but our customers believe it’s very much worth it. Not only do they feel that the flooring or paneling has a monetary as well as vintage quality that will quite possibly appreciate in value, but it’s an investment they can enjoy every day, that also tells a pretty good story,” Sauer said.

Meet us at Hardwood Specialists, 3111 22nd Avenue North, St Petersburg, FL, January 19th, 2012 at 11:30 – 1:30pm, please not time change from former announcement of 4 PM. RSVP for hors d’oeuvres and a tour of a beautiful artistic wood floor showroom.

Learning objectives include: forest history, reclaimed wood grading, installation and finishing for the longterm and case studies on how to avoid problems with architectural and design uses of reclaimed wood. Course satisfied 2 learning credits for AIA, IDCEC, AIBD and State of Florida for Architects, Designers and Contractors.

Happy New Year from Goodwin Heart Pine, we are sharing our video collection with our blog readers, you can also visit the Goodwin Heart Pine YouTube Channel

• Learn the history of America’s first forests and evaluate variations in grades and know what to anticipate when specifying reclaimed and antique woods.
• Compare characteristics of reclaimed and antique woods with more available standing timber and know the terminology to specify the grade they want.
• Analyze manufacturing variations to insure that specs simplify installation; e.g., know when engineered wood products are well-made to avoid problems
• Understand installation and finish specifics for various uses to ensure long term success of the wood products

The annual Christmas party for the US Green Building Council, Heart of Florida Chapter, held on Sunday December 4 at Goodwin Heart Pine Company was fun for all, and some important business was attended to. The USGBC, Heart of Florida Chapter, announced the new officers for 2012, as follows:

• Vice President – Tom Files
• Green Schools Chair – Theresa Spurling-Wood
• Marion County Branch Treasurer -Karrie Feldman
• Programs Chair – Carol Goodwin
• Advocacy & Government Education Chair – Don Davis
• Emerging Professionals Chair – Dana Falstad
• Treasurer – Eric Falstad
• Past President and Current Membership and Communication Chair – Scott Monroe
• President – Jennifer Langford (not in photo)

Officers and Board members - US Green Building Council, Heart of Florida Chapter

More Fun

Santa at the USGBC Christmas Party held at Goodwin Heart Pine Company

Santa was there of course, and the kids had a chance to play tic tac toe with games made from recycled school materials.

Lets Plant Some Trees

Everyone got an awesome Christmas present too, a baby longleaf pine tree to plant. In 200 years there will be more Antique Heart Pine to reclaim! Merry Christmas everyone and Best wishes for 2012.

Happy Holidays from USGBC-Heart of Florida Chapter and Goodwin Heart Pine

We Love Green Halloween, thanks to all the generous participants!

Green Halloween at Santa Fe College