Please Join Greenblock at the Annual ICFA Meeting in Portland Oregon.

To: Greenblock Distributors, Dealers and Builder Partners
From: Jeff Alexander
Subject: ICFA Annual Meeting

The annual Insulating Concrete Form Association’s (ICFA) annual meeting/conference is being held in Portland, OR Sep 29 – Oct 1. On behalf of Greenblock, we would very much enjoy seeing you there. This industry event travels around to different regions each year making this a fantastic opportunity for those located in the Pacific Northwest.

If you are already members of the ICFA, we hope you plan to attend. However, membership is not required, although I believe that it should be a consideration for all those affiliated with our industry. You’ll note there’s an impressive list of guest speakers, discussion topics, networking events and exhibit hours to interest anyone. In fact, listed below are some non-member specials involved with attending this year’s event:

1. Introduction Registration fee of $25 allows you to visit the trade show on Monday 9/29/08

2. The ICFA is also offering a special membership rate: First time Contractor or Distributor registrations for the full conference at the non-member rate can receive a complimentary membership through 6/30/09 (9 months) or, if you elect to join and pay your dues in full by 10/31/08 your membership would run through 12/31/08 (15 months)

Below are links to the Conference flyer as well as Intro and Expo registration Forms.

Thanks again for your consideration to attend this informative ICF industry event; we hope to see you there.

Jeff Alexander
President
www.greenblock.com

At a time when many companies are downsizing, Greenblock is pleased to announce the addition of four new Territory Managers to our team:

Paul DeNigris: Arizona (602) 740-9370

Dan Smith: Pacific Northwest: (360) 909-4498

Eric Williams: South Central U.S. (405) 200-4137

Herb Murphy: Gulf Coast: (251) 367-2909

These four individuals bring a wealth of construction knowledge and experience to Greenblock, and we’re excited about the potential for ICF construction within these regions.

In light of the construction slowdown, we weren’t quite sure what to expect at this year’s PCBC and SEBC builder shows held in San Francisco and Orlando. We had been advised in advance that attendance would be down…and it was. However, the majority of builders that visited our booth were there to explore ways to build green. They wanted to position themselves to take advantage of the movement away from conventional construction and toward energy efficient, sustainable building methods.

Our SEBC booth drew the most attention as we decided to try something different and build our entire booth out of Greenblock product. This allowed visitors the opportunity to see first hand how to build with ICF. From running electrical and plumbing, to window and door placement to ledger board attachments, our booth had it all…we even built a safe room.

Another first for us was our decision to partner with “Builder 2 Builder Green Education” to do a live, hands-on demonstration of building with Insulated Concrete Forms. The one hour demos titled “Sustainable Walls and Durable Exteriors”, were held on the expo floor six times during the show. These demos drew large crowds and proved to be an excellent way to create even more interest and enthusiasm for ICF construction.

Greenblock is excited to announce the addition of its latest manufacturing facility in Orlando FL. “With its central Florida location, Orlando is in an ideal position to service the state,” said John Riddle, Greenblock’s Orlando-based Territory Manager.

As the only Florida-based ICF company, Greenblock is dedicated to informing and educating the Florida professional building community about the features, advantages and benefits of constructing with insulated concrete forms. “Florida is the perfect fit for our products and services,” said Jeff Alexander, Greenblock CEO. ”Our goal is to offer a superior building envelope solution that provides occupants with protection from severe weather as well as relief from high energy bills. The addition of the Orlando production facility will allow for even greater cost savings through lower freight costs and service efficiencies.”

Greenblock will continue to add additional manufacturing facilities in strategic markets throughout North America to meet the ever-growing demand for green, sustainable homes and buildings.

Sustainable or ‘green building’ design and construction is a broad based term that refers to the practice of utilizing our resources more efficiently while creating healthier and more energy-efficient homes. Although there is no absolute definition of a green building our ultimate goal is to leave a lighter footprint on the environment through conservation of resources, while at the same time balancing energy-efficient, cost-effective, low-maintenance products for our construction needs.

Greenblock Insulated Concrete Forms can play a major role in any green building project by creating a high performance building envelope that significantly reduces energy consumption while providing occupants a healthy indoor environment. To learn more about ICFs and their role in Green Building go to the greenbuilders section of our web site.

WASHINGTON, -- Testifying on behalf of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) before a House Small Business Committee hearing on "The Role of Green Technologies in Spurring Economic Growth," Cincinnati builder Andrea Lucke urged Congress to extend the New Energy Efficient Home Credit, which was enacted in 2005 and expires at the end of the year.

"The nation's home builders have the ability to profoundly affect sustainability and conserve precious natural resources and our environment," Lucke said. NAHB members build about 80 percent of the new housing units in the United States.

Lucke, president of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati and vice president of Robert Lucke Homes, also updated hearing participants on the progress of the NAHB National Green Building Program and the new National Green Building Standard.

The tax credit "is a key market incentive that shifts builders towards significant energy savings in new home construction," she said. "The program allows a $2,000 tax credit to a home builder who constructs a qualified new energy-efficient home, certified to achieve a 50 percent reduction in energy usage, thereby adding a highly efficient home that will likely remain part of the nation's housing stock for 60 years or more."

To encourage more builders to construct more energy-efficient housing, Lucke also urged members of Congress to increase the amount of the tax credit to pay for a bigger percentage of the higher building costs that are incurred when making a home 50 percent more energy-efficient

“California on Friday became the first state in the nation to adopt a statewide code for green construction practices. Members of the California Building Standards Commission voted 10 to 0 in favor of new provisions mandating reductions in building energy use, conservation of potable water, job-site erosion control, recycling of construction waste, and a range of steps to improve indoor air quality.

Introduced during Green Day at the 2008 International Builders’ Show, the NAHB National Green Building Program is continuing to gain strength as it enters its sixth month of operation.

Since the program was launched, homes have been certified in Florida, Indiana, Illinois, Delaware and Virginia. Significantly, the Delaware and Virginia homes are among the first projects completed in subdivisions where the builder plans to certify the balance of the development.

Scheduled inspections by NAHB Research Center-accredited verifiers are scheduled for another 27 homes. Two inspections are required for the homes to be certified one before the drywall is installed and another when the home is finished.

A whopping 2,644 users have created passwords to access the scoring tool at www.nahbgreen.org. There are 2,618 projects in some stage of development on the scoring tool but it’s difficult to determine how many of these projects were entered so the builder could practice using the design and scoring tool and how many will ultimately be certified.

Almost 200 NAHB state and local home builders associations have established green building committees, councils and working groups, representing a 400% increase from one year ago. Some associations are continuing to certify homes to local or existing green building programs, while others plan to add on the National Green Building Certification or make it the sole certification. All will continue to concentrate on networking and educational initiatives for their members.

“NAHB Green is going like gangbusters,” said Green Building Subcommittee Chairman Ray Tonjes, a custom builder and remodeler in Austin, Texas. “Builders and home buyers are ready to go green, and this voluntary program with third-party certification will be the way to go for them.”

For more information, e-mail Calli Schmidt at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8252.