A plant tour, a simple offer of specification sheets, some quick action by associates and National Gypsum products are in the master specs of a large architectural and construction company in Tampa, FL.

The Beck Group, headquartered in Dallas, TX, has offices in Florida, California, and Arizona. It provides a full range of services, including architectural, construction, and project development. Beck’s Tampa office is helping the city’s Chamber of Commerce conduct its Environmental Day event today. One of the activities is touring National Gypsum’s Apollo Beach plant.

In making preparations for the tour, Quality Manager Pat Macary spoke with Mark House, managing director of Beck. Macary explained his plant’s green manufacturing process and what the Chamber group would see on its tour. He also sent House a copy of the recycled content in each NGC plant’s products. Sales Representative Ty Robertson gave House more specific product information. The head of Beck operations wrote to Macary: “Thank you for the specs on the drywall produced from your plant. We are incorporating them into our specifications for the building that we are starting now, and we will put them into any specs for buildings we design and build in the Bay area.”

In addition to the Apollo Beach tour, the Chamber group of about 50 people will tour the first “green” building in Tampa; talk with a panel of environmental agencies; and tour a community events center featuring several recycled products used in the stage and picnic tables.

Before arriving at Apollo Beach this afternoon, the group will tour Tampa Electric’s Big Bend plant which supplies byproduct gypsum for Apollo Beach. The wallboard plant tour will include the concrete dome where byproduct gypsum is stored, the mill, the wet end, and cutting operations at the dry end.

To take advantage of opportunities in the green building market, National Gypsum products need to be top of mind with architects, according to Mundise Mortimer, manager of technical marketing. Today’s efforts will put the company’s products front and center.       2/25/2009