SCORE


Unparalleled Protection
for Your Business


Jobsite Bracing and Safety


SBC Magazine




BCMC Show

Mid Atlantic Structural Building Components Association (MASBCA)

Mid Atlantic Structural Building Components Association (MASBCA)
c/o Keith Myers, Chapter President
Woodhaven Lumber
PO Box 870 • Lakewood, NJ 08701
732-901-0030 • 732-886-5088 fax
Email Keith

For more information on the chapter, please view our MASBCA membership brochure (971 KB).

To learn about the benefits of chapter membership and to join, please see our membership application (403 KB).

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS APPEARING IN STRUCTURAL BUILDING COMPONENTS MAGAZINE:

SBC Industry News for February 26, 2010
For the second year in a row, the Mid Atlantic SBCA Chapter has made a $3,000 donation to the SBC Research Institute (SBCRI).

Board member Keith Myers had this to say about his chapter's commitment. "In addition to providing our industry with quality products and support services, SBCA also conducts research and testing for the betterment of our industry. Our chapter members support these efforts 100% and we are fortunate to again contribute this year. Especially when times are tough, chapters that have the resources to help should pitch in and contribute to industry projects."

In their letter of thanks, SBCA President Steven Spradlin and SBCRI President Kendall Hoyd conveyed their appreciation for the donation. "Once again, the chapter's support goes toward helping advance the body of knowledge we have about structural building components. The goal of the institute is to improve the structural integrity and cost efficiency of buildings, and ultimately increase the presence of structural building components in the marketplace. Advancements in the industry are possible because of generous and supportive members and chapters."

For more information on industry testing projects, visit the SBCRI website.

August 2009
The chapter’s busy educational schedule was high on the agenda at the spring Mid Atlantic meeting in Trenton, NJ. They delivered a presentation for the PA Housing Research Center (PHRC)’s Annual Housing & Land Development Conference in February, were working with the PA Association of Code Officials (PACO) on scheduling presentations, and were fielding requests from a few local fire departments for tours. Mailing the chapter’s educational brochure to engineers in PA, NJ and DE was promoted, and the members also discussed reaching out to home builders associations to provide more information on our industry. In addition, a member of the green council from a PA home builders association provided an update on the ins and outs of green building and how to comply.

At the meeting, the chapter officers were elected: Ken Slotter, President; Keith Myers, Vice President; Kent Terry, Treasurer; and Erin Barker, Secretary. The chapter’s next meeting will be held on November 12 in Adamstown, PA.

March 2008
For its fall meeting in Pennsylvania, the Mid Atlantic Chapter was pleased to welcome fellow member Joe Hikel of Shelter Systems Limited in Westminster, MD as guest speaker. A featured speaker at the WTCA Annual Workshop & Conference, Joe’s presentation was on truss shop costing. Especially in light of current economic conditions, members were reminded of the importance of understanding their costs. Chapter members were encouraged to share their ideas on costing as well during the roundtable discussion.

Also on the agenda was an update on the chapter’s educational programs. In the fall, the chapter continued its outreach efforts and provided seminars for the PA Building Officials Conference (PennBOC) and NJ Department of Community Affairs (DCA)/Rutgers University. These presentations also generated several requests for more seminars and truss plant tours, including: a truss plant tour for Superior Walls of America, which has 23 factories producing precast concrete basement walls for homes; a full day tour and seminar at the next PennBOC conference at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, PA; and a request from a code official in West Lampeter Township, PA to provide training and tours.

At the chapter’s Board teleconference in February, plans would be made for the next general membership meeting to be held on May 8 in New Jersey.

January/February 2008
The Mid Atlantic Wood Truss Council (MAWTC) is a chapter that is serious about education and they have the results to prove it! Focusing on education this year, chapter members spent quite a bit of time scheduling, planning, manning booths and organizing seminars and plant tours in their area. In particular, the chapter sponsored three notable events this fall.

First up was the 38th Annual Pennsylvania Building Officials Conference (PennBOC) in Harrisburg, PA. In addition to a seminar taught by Ken Watters, P.E. of KW Engineering, the chapter manned a booth where members handed out flyers on Carbeck, TTWs, Truss Plant Tours, SBC and chapter rosters. This is the second year in a row that MAWTC has sponsored a seminar with PennBOC and it certainly won’t be the last—PennBOC has already asked them to return next year! For 2008, the chapter plans to host a truss plant tour for the group.

Following PennBOC, the chapter provided two seminars contracted through Rutgers University in New Jersey on “Wood Trusses and Fire Performance” for building and fire officials. On the program evaluations: 100 percent said the presentation was “Excellent” or “Very Good” overall, and 100 percent said the presentation was “Excellent” or “Very Good” at meeting their personal expectations. R. Wojcik from Fire Prevention in Atlantic City wrote: “Ken is a top notch instructor. His easy soft spoken style was a refreshing change from other instructors.” The chapter also provided an impressive handout package for each attendee that included the BCSI booklet and several other publications.

Great job to Ken Watters for teaching such worthwhile sessions—and great job to MAWTC for jumping in and educating the building officials and fire officials in their area. This chapter is serious about education—100% of the time!

August 2007
The Mid Atlantic Chapter held its spring meeting at Katmandu in Trenton, NJ. The guest speaker was John Terry of the Codes and Standards Division of the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA). New Jersey adopted the 2006 IBC/IRC with NJ amendments on February 20 with a 6-month grace period ending August 19. The NJ code will be a free download online at e-codes and will be available in print May 30.

New Jersey deleted the truss placement diagram exemption in Section 2303.4.1.3: “Exception: When a truss placement diagram is prepared under the direct supervision of a registered design professional, it is required to be signed and sealed.” The rationale for this deletion is that the text of 2303.4.1.3 makes it clear that the truss placement diagram does not require a seal, “...Truss placement diagrams shall not be required to bear the seal or signature of the truss designer.”

The truss bottom chord identification labeling information was added to both the IRC and IBC as: “R502.11.5 Truss Identification – Each truss shall be labeled or otherwise indelibly marked at the factory with the individual truss number as assigned in the truss layout plan. The indelible marking or label shall be located on the bottom chord of the truss, inside the bearing points. When indelible markings are used, each digit shall not be less than one inch high. When labels are used, the label shall be a minimum of five inches by three inches and shall be affixed to the truss by a truss plate. Labels shall remain affixed to the truss.”

The addition of this labeling information was especially welcome news since the chapter had worked with the DCA on the placement, size and wording of this truss marking. Mr. Terry also discussed some of the proposed 2009 changes and mentioned that if sprinkler requirements in residential construction were adopted by the IRC, then NJ would not amend it and it would be a requirement.

On the educational front, the members were given an update on the chapter’s seminar at the Atlantic Builders Convention in April. For the third year in a row, the chapter’s presentation on structural building components was one of the most well-attended seminars at the convention. Next up, the chapter is planning a return to the Pennsylvania Building Officials Conference in October as well as reaching out to code administrator groups in that state. It is also working with the NJ DCA to get back onto Rutgers University’s fall educational schedule. Several truss plant tours are in the works, too.

Alternating with the New Jersey location, the next chapter meeting will be held on Thursday, November 8 at Williamson in Horsham, PA.

January/February 2007
Once again, the Mid Atlantic Chapter held its fall meeting at Williamson in Horsham, PA. The guest speaker was WTCA Legal Counsel Kent Pagel, who delivered his final presentation of the year on successfully negotiating an acceptable customer contract. The attendees appreciated the valuable presentation content and expressed their thanks to Kent.

Education remains a top priority of the Mid Atlantic Chapter. With a solid track record of supporting courses for code officials through Rutgers University in New Jersey as well as presentations for local associations, the chapter was pleased to add participation at the 38th Annual Pennsylvania Building Officials Conference (PennBOC) in October. The chapter has also taken on the charge of the WTCA Board Resolution requesting each chapter designate a local relationship-building chair to facilitate at least two truss plant tours and other educational efforts each year for building and fire officials, architects and engineers, legislators and students. Rich Phalines will head up this effort, which has already begun with a request from the Deputy Chief of the Winslow Township Fire Department and a tour planned for a builders trade school.

August 2006
The Mid Atlantic Chapter conducted several activities this spring. In April, it returned to the annual Atlantic Builders Convention in Atlantic City, NJ. With a seminar entitled, “All About Trusses,” Dawn Korbelak of K. Hov-nanian and Scott McConnell, P.E., of Schoor Depalma conducted the seminar. Russ Ger-vasi of US Components and Jerel Phalines of Concord Truss Company also spoke about issues that directly affect component manufacturers and they participated in the question and answer period. All attendees received a copy of the BCSI booklet provided by the chapter.

In May, the chapter held its spring membership meeting featuring guest speakers and several updates on code issues and chapter projects. The guest speaker from Pennsylvania was James A. Matthews, III of Fox Rothschild LLP. With expertise in labor law, his presentation focused on union organizing. George Spais from the New Jersey Builders Association presented an update on the NJ Uniform Construction Code. It is currently based on the 2000 I-codes but work is underway to adopt the 2006 IRC/IBC. An update was given on the New Jersey truss identification law, the language of which the chapter worked on with the NJ Department of Community Affairs. Taking effect May 21: “Each truss shall be labeled or otherwise indelibly marked at the factory with the individual truss number as assigned in the truss layout plan. The indelible marking or label shall be located on the bottom chord of the truss, inside the bearing points. When indelible markings are used, each digit shall be not less than one inch high. When labels are used, the label shall be a minimum of five inches by three inches and shall be affixed to the truss by a truss plate. Labels shall remain affixed to the truss.” (Uniform Construction Code new section 802.10.5). Most component manufacturers are placing these marks two feet from the end of the truss universally. Also effective May 21, NJ modified the BCLL issue of the 2000 IRC/IBC and reverted back to the BOCA language.

Then on May 31, chapter members Russ Gervasi of US Components and John Gligor of Concord Truss Company delivered a presentation for the Tri County Construction Code Association. Once again, the chapter sponsored the handouts for the event, including a BCSI booklet, the new WTCA Tech Note on “Bracing Trusses with Dissimilar Webs” and a chapter membership pamphlet. This presentation for code officials definitely established an open line of communication be-tween the Mid Atlantic Chapter and the Tri County Construction Code Association.

Next up, the chapter is looking forward to providing an 8-hour presentation in October for the Pennsylvania Building Officials Con-ference (PennBOC). Though it is PennBOC’s 32nd annual conference, this is the first year that the Mid Atlantic Chapter has been invited to deliver a presentation. PennBOC is a state chapter of the ICC and the annual conference is the center piece of its education and training for its six hundred plus members comprised of code officials, builders and design professionals.

January 2006
Once again, the Mid Atlantic Chapter held its fall meeting in Pennsylvania at Williamson Restaurant in Horsham. At the board meeting preceding the membership meeting, much chapter business was covered. Membership recruitment efforts will continue and the chapter will urge the larger companies in the area to become more involved. Some architects are still referencing HIB-91 instead of BCSI 1-03, so the chapter will compile a list and mail a letter to them explaining why they must now call for BCSI instead. Even though turnout at this year’s Atlantic Builders Show was lower than the chapter desired, it will return in 2006 and ask for an better time on the schedule for its presentation. The chapter’s presentation in December for the Pennsylvania Housing Research Center was discussed too. The board members also reviewed the recent laws in a few small Pennsylvania towns on labeling buildings with truss construction and will continue to monitor these developments. The next board meeting will be held via teleconference on February 9.

The main topic for the membership meeting was the facts on fire performance. The myths surrounding the fire performance of metal plate connected wood trusses continue to spread, so individually and as a chapter we must continue to voice the true facts. These myths are behind the movements to restrict the use of trusses and structural building components. The chapter has begun offering educational seminars to building and fire officials, but there is still more work to be done to get the word out. The chapter’s WTCA staff representative Ryan Dexter delivered a short presentation that explored what people are saying and how members can respond to each “argument.” He also gave an update on the latest educational work being done by the Carbeck Structural Components Institute.

January/February 2005
The Mid Atlantic Chapter held its fall meeting on November 9 at Williamson Restaurant in Horsham, PA. With the topic of Building Codes and Design Responsibilities, the chapter welcomed several guests: John Terry, Codes & Standards Div., NJ Dept of Consumer Affairs; Roland Hall from the International Code Council; John Mann, P.E., a NJ Consulting Engineer; Scott Miller, P.E., MiTek Industries; and Dave Brakeman, P.E., S.E., Alpine Engineered Products. The open forum discussion provided an excellent opportunity for everyone to address the variety of building code and design responsibility issues that affect how companies are able to transact business. The outstanding member turnout contributed to a very successful meeting. The next meeting is being planned for May 12 at KatManDu in Trenton, NJ.

August 2004
At its spring meeting, the Mid Atlantic Chapter welcomed two guest speakers, Mr. John Terry, Codes & Standards Division, New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (NJ DCA) and Mr. Lou Maraw, Director of Regulatory Affairs. The chapter’s Code Committee has been working with the NJ DCA to resolve building code issues. In particular, the speakers addressed: requirements of wind speed, exposure and snow load, statewide uniformity of code application, and truss and bracing inspections. As professionals in the truss industry, we realize it is critical to keep the lines of communication open with building officials. This meeting was a great opportunity for members to hear how officials respond to the truss industry and what we can do to assist them in their jobs. The chapter thanks Mr. Terry and Mr. Maraw for their information and insight. Also on the agenda was a supplier member up-date, Building Component Safety Information (BCSI) 1-03, electronic seals and signatures in New Jersey, annual permits in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and tradeshow attendance and marketing efforts.

January/February 2004
In November, the Mid Atlantic Chapter sponsored a very successful Risk Management and Liability Avoidance Seminar. Held at Williamson’s Restaurant outside of Philadelphia and conducted by WTCA Legal Counsel Kent Pagel, the seminar drew participants from neighboring chapters as well. Following the daylong seminar, Mr. Pagel was the featured speaker at the chapter’s general membership meeting. His evening presentation provided chapter members with an overview of the state of litigation in the industry. In addition, chapter members had several items of business to discuss including: gable end bracing and the New Jersey DCA; electronic seals and signatures in New Jersey; annual permits in Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and tradeshow attendance and marketing efforts. The chapter Board of Directors and Committees will continue to address these issues and expand the chapter’s educational efforts this winter. Also at the November meeting, the chapter introduced a new forum for updates from associate members. Supplier members of the chapter were invited to give short updates on new products or news from their companies. This is expected to increase the value of chapter membership for manufacturers and suppliers.

August 2003
Will Your State Pay for You to Use WTCA’s Truss Knowledge Online? A Lesson from the Mid Atlantic Chapter
Does your state have a program that will reimburse you for training costs? Chances are, it might. Under the heading of workforce education, many states have programs that pay you to train your employees. A perfect example is Pennsylvania.

The Workforce and Economic Development Network of Pennsylvania (WEDnetPA) is committed to making companies across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania more competitive by updating and improving the skills of their employees to meet specific company needs. Its progressive Guaranteed Free Training Program provides qualified companies with money for training in a wide range of basic and high-tech topics.

How www.WEDnetPA.com could work for you in PA:

It could be that easy in your state too. With a little time and research, you could be educating your employees courtesy of your state.

The Mid Atlantic Chapter held its semi-annual membership meeting on May 15 in Bala Cynwyd, PA just outside of Philadelphia. The featured speaker was Stan Sias of WTCA staff, and the program delivered an abundance of updates and information from WTCA. To begin, the subject of electronic seals and signatures was addressed. As WTCA continues its work with TPI to implement regulations for electronic seals and signatures across the country, they have been using New Jersey as a test case. Chapter members were able to hear the latest on the plan to present a case to the Board of Professional Engineers in New Jersey to make electronic seals and signatures a reality in the mid-Atlantic region. Following that, chapter members discussed the latest Truss Technology in Building documents on mold available from WTCA as well as the “letter to builders and contractors” on mold that chapters have been customizing for use in their marketplaces. Furthermore, the subject of ANSI/TPI 1-2002 was addressed during the meeting. Since the national implementation date for the new design standard was May 1, chapter members took into consideration some of the compliance issues that were bound to arise. With assistance from Carl Schoening, WTCA's Membership Committee Chair, discussion then turned to membership recruitment. Several ways to foster membership development within the chapter area were mentioned as well as ways to increase involvement by existing manufacturer and supplier members. Last but not least, the chapter held elections. Elected to office were: Dave Walstad as President, Ken Slotter as Vice President, Tom Wurster as Secretary (second term), and Barry Hoffman as Treasurer (second term). Elected to their first terms on the Board of Directors were Jack Stolze and Scott Fletcher.

In addition, chapter members discussed many other business items on the agenda including: PennDOT over-width permits update; sealed layouts update; water ban in South Jersey halting three township permits for new homes; Coatesville, PA building labeling; and building inspector training.

December 2002
Victory on the Roads—Mid Atlantic Wood Truss Council & Trailer Permits in PA
This year the Mid Atlantic Chapter confronted, and won, a pivotal permit situation in Pennsylvania. By coming together quickly and working in concert, chapter members achieved this important victory.

April 13: Chapter members contacted WTCA-National to get the word out about the growing problem. The following was dispatched through a news update via email and fax to companies in the area:

As everyone conducting business in Pennsylvania is finding out, the state has changed its transportation permit rules. Specifically, all yearly permits are in the process of being revoked unless the trailer has been designed only for roof trusses.

The Mid Atlantic Chapter is taking on this problem and would like your help! Chapter members are in contact with the DOT, but more support could be generated to address this if more state representatives became aware of and involved in this issue.

May 8: MAWTC Chapter President Greg Shelly arranged a meeting with PennDOT and asked WTCA staff to send a notice to chapter members to join him at this meeting. The best possible problem resulted—more chapter members were willing to make the trip to the state capital than were necessary. As stated by one chapter member who had not been affected yet,

“When you’re not having trouble you don’t necessarily want to put your name out there, but if I were the one having trouble I would want some other companies to stand up with me. That’s why I offered to go.”

May 14: Representatives of the Mid Atlantic Chapter met with PennDOT, and the chapter’s voice was heard. It was agreed that the code would be revised during the next legislative session.

July 24: The success of the chapter was trumpeted in another email and fax update, the pertinent sections of which are below.

The Mid Atlantic Chapter has succeeded in changing the wording of Pennsylvania Senate Bill 238. As we reported this spring, it will be possible to carry related materials on an approved trailer that is hauling trusses operating under an annual permit. Thanks to the hard work of our chapter representatives, we expect a complete resolution of this problem.

Below is the text as written. The bracketed items are being deleted. The underlined items are the text we supported.

Section 4977. Permit for movement of wooden structures.

An annual permit may be issued for the movement on highways of certain wooden structures which exceed the maximum length, width and height specified in Subchapter B (relating to width, height and length), subject to the following conditions:

(1) The overall width, including all appurtenances and overhangs, may not exceed 13 feet.
(2) The overall length may not exceed 90 feet.
(2.1) The overall height may not exceed 13 feet 10 inches.
(3) The wooden structure or structures must be transported on a trailer [designed solely for] of a type approved by the department to accommodate the transportation of [such] structures [and not used for the transportation of any other type of load] which do not exceed the width, length or height specified in this section.
(4) Movement under this section is limited to roof trusses, wooden utility sheds, gazebos, garages and play equipment. Other components that do not exceed width, length or height specified in this section may be carried in conjunction with movements under this permit.

October 18: The final update on the permit situation was sent to companies in the Mid Atlantic area.

Thanks to the hard work of our chapter representatives, we have achieved a victory! The Mid Atlantic Chapter succeeded in changing the wording of Pennsylvania Senate Bill 238. The Governor signed the revised bill on October 4. It will take effect in 60 days.

January/February
Turnout was high at the fall meeting of the Mid Atlantic Chapter. The guest speaker was WTCA Executive Director Kirk Grundahl and the topic was bracing. This presentation was in response to the growing need for more bracing information in the mid-Atlantic states. In particular, the State of New Jersey issued a directive to building inspectors to practice increased scrutiny of bracing. The MAWTC’s response was two-fold. On the one hand, they are working to provide all members with the latest information and materials on bracing from WTCA. On the other hand, they are in the process of arranging meetings with inspectors in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A subcommittee was set up by the chapter to monitor developments in this area and make sure that information is getting to the right people.

November 2001
The fall meeting of the Mid Atlantic Chapter will be on November 15 in the Philadelphia area. WTCA Executive Director Kirk Grundahl will be the guest speaker. In addition to a review of recent publications from WTCA-National, the meeting will feature a presentation on bracing. This presentation is in response to the growing need for more bracing information in the mid-Atlantic states. In particular, the State of New Jersey has issued a directive to building inspectors to practice increased scrutiny of bracing. The MAWTC’s response is two-fold. On one hand, they are working to provide all members with the latest information and materials on bracing from WTCA. On the other hand, they are in the process of arranging meetings with inspectors in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. A subcommittee has been set up by the chapter to monitor developments in this area and make sure that information is getting to the right people. In addition, a second subcommittee was formed to monitor the status of electronic seals in New Jersey. As with bracing, MAWTC intends to approach the sealed drawing issue in a unified manner. By working together, chapter members will be able to develop a group response that will be conveyed to engineers and building officials.

CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS APPEARING IN WOODWORDS MAGAZINE:

April 2001
Due to the snow storm, MAWTC’s March 6 meeting was regrettably postponed. This meeting has been rescheduled for April 11 at Williamson’s Restaurant in Horsham, PA. There are many topics on the agenda including: Truss Technology Workshops, a possible Risk Management Seminar, and the customization of Professional’s Guide to the Structural Component Industry binders for distribution by the chapter.

March 2001
On March 6, the Mid Atlantic Chapter is holding its first general membership meeting at Williamson’s Restaurant in Horsham, PA. The agenda includes discussion of WTCA’s Truss Technology Workshop CD-ROM. One of the educational programs from the CD-ROM will be presented. The chapter officers for 2001 are: Greg Shelly of Shelly Enterprises as President, Bill Darden of US Components as Vice President, Thomas Wurster of H. M. Stauffer & Sons as Secretary and Barry Hoffman of Universal Forest Products as Treasurer.

January/February 2001
Congratulations go out to the newest official chapter of WTCA, the Mid Atlantic Wood Truss Council. Including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, northern Maryland and northern Delaware, the Chapter completed its incorporation in the fall of 2000.

June/July 2000
The Mid Atlantic Chapter Formation Task Group held their first meeting May 16th. For more information about future meetings or other questions you may have, please contact the Mid Atlantic Chapter Formation Task Group. The Task Group consists of Ken Slotter of Shelly Enterprises, Inc.; Bill Darden of Porter Building Products; Chris Dudek of Shelter Systems Corporation; and Dave Nickle of Alpine Engineered Products.

May 2000
A letter was sent to potential members of the newly organized Mid Atlantic Chapter in mid-March. The Mid Atlantic Chapter consists of the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, northern Maryland and northern Delaware. The letter emphasized the benefits of being a member of the local chapter as well as WTCA-National. A survey was sent with the letter to find out the level of interest about the formation of such an organization.

April 2000
A group of WTCA members have been organizing the development of the Mid Atlantic Chapter. A mailing was sent to companies in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and metropolitan New York to announce the formation of the local Chapter and also to survey an interest level.