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• This issue of SBC includes articles about grassroots activities around the industry. 
• Features include the education efforts of the Iowa Truss Manufacturers Association and the Mid Atlantic chapter. 
• Component manufacturers in Florida are helping an organization called Give Kids The World. 
• Find out how the WTCA Board of Directors provides invaluable direction and strategic counsel to the staff of WTCA.

• The Give Kids The World Village is the destination that many kids with life-threatening illnesses dream of. 
• In 1998, component manufacturers from all over Florida donated 21 sets of roof trusses for an expansion. 
• The Village will be undergoing another expansion, and members of the WFTA (WTCA’s West Florida Chapter) and FBMA are joining forces to help with the expansion by donating products and materials.

• The SBCRI will have the capacity to hold a 30 foot x 40 foot two-story structure for testing purposes. 
• The maximum size structure we can test is 30 feet wide x 32 feet high x 90 feet long. 
• A survey on testing topics yielded 464 member responses that provided very important feedback. 
• The Truss Plate Institute entered a joint venture with WTCA that will yield TPI/WTCA test plans, data and a testing budget of $500,000 for 2007.

• Perfecto Truss learned the hard way that customer contracts play a big role in the risks by component manufacturers selling turnkey. 
• Perfecto did not protect itself from performance risk or sufficiently define its scope of work in the subcontract with the general contractor. 
• This one contract with a large multi-family project caused Perfecto to lose millions in company equity.

• Steven Spradlin of Capital Structures helped develop a Truss Technology Workshop entitled “Today’s Wood Framing Systems—Problems and Solutions.”
• He presented the TTW to a group of building inspectors from the Code Officials of Arkansas in June.
• Spradlin believes building inspectors would catch more framing problems if they had a plan of structural information for all residential inspections.

• Becoming certified under a green building standard is a growing national trend for public schools and other government buildings.
• Under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED, using CFS trusses can earn one or two points for a project under credits 4.1 and 4.2.
• Verifying that CFS supplied for a job qualifies for LEED points is not tedious for CMs.

• Balloon wall framing applications are considered an archaic building method. 
• CMs can build tall walls by laying out extra long studs on a table and placing truss plates on the joints. Then roll the gantry over them to secure the plates. 
• If you are building balloon or “tall” walls, we want to hear from you! Email editor@sbcmag.info.

• SBCA’s Cold-Formed Steel BCSI booklet recommends using material that is a minimum of 33 mil for permanent restraint/bracing applications. 
• Framers should verify that they are getting structural grade hat channel (150F125-33) to be in conformance with the industry governing documents. 
• If the preference is to use non-structural hat channel, the truss design engineer should evaluate the structural capabilities of the material.

• WTCA President Bob Becht emphasizes bracing and long-span truss installation education.
• There was a time when short member temporary lateral restraint was not installed safely.
• BCSI and the B-Series documents have helped to provide direction and a consistent message on bracing and installation issues.
• Given the current state of housing, we need tools like BCSI to raise the level of professionalism in construction.

• A new provision was introduced to the wood truss section (i.e., R810.2) of the 2006 edition of the IRC that permits the use of roof snow load computed using 0.7p_g. 
• Engineered design, through ASCE 7, is required in instances where the limitations on which the IRC is based are exceeded. 
• ASCE 7 snow load design provisions require the evaluation of other conditions that may produce load surcharges in addition to the balanced uniform loads of p_f or p_s.

• Some builders may choose to conventionally frame a valley (i.e., over-frame) instead of using valley set truss frames. 
• Requirements in the IRC and the ANSI/AF&PA WFCM-2001 indicate it is not acceptable to bear the ends of valley rafters on top of roof sheathing without structural framing below. 
• Valley rafters must be adequately connected at their supports to resist lateral and uplift forces caused by gravity and wind loads.

SBCA President Jess Lohse and his wife, Elizabeth, recently welcomed a new addition to the family. Judge David Lohse was born at 6:04 pm on March 21 and weighed in at 7 pounds 5 ounces. 

• Sending a Jobsite Package with each truss delivery is a good way to share safe installation and bracing recommendations with framers.
• In the near future, SBCA is committed using SBCRI testing to optimize BCSI guidelines.
• We hope to change bracing design by combining temporary and permanent bracing into one step.
• Information about installation tolerances can be found in the B1 Summary Sheet.