Builders and developers have faced many challenges since 2008 when the housing industry was hit hard due to the recession. Many homeowners were forced to foreclose, which created widespread homeownership losses. As the economy is slowly but surely continuing to recover, builders and developers will be faced with new yet exciting challenges. One of these challenges being the drastic change in consumer housing preferences.

These changes can be welcomed in many ways, as they present opportunities for new forms of revenue and industry expansion.

The concern for childhood obesity has increased tenfold over the last few years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents during the past 30 years. And, the risks of childhood obesity can result in long-term cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes. In addition, an overweight or obese child can feel the effects from a social standpoint, opening them up to ridicule and bullying from classmates.

In an effort the help prevent childhood obesity from continually growing, the USDA is seeking to rid school vending machines of junk food such as chips and candy bars in exchange for more healthy options like fruits and vegetables. The proposed rule, Smart Snacks, requires schools to uphold nutritional standards consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans. If passed, the law would go into effect at least a full school year after final approval, allowing schools to acclimate to the new changes.

Under the proposed rule, food sold in schools must:

Designers and architects, are you wondering what new kitchen appliances are being introduced this year, to ensure your clients have the latest technology? Wonder no more, because ECPR set out on a mission to find some of the newest and most innovative kitchen appliances on the market. Scroll down the page to view three new products our team found most intriguing!

La Cornue’s CornuFé 1908 

The newest range in the La Cornue family, the CornuFé 1908 has a sleek, old-world look and features a patented gas vault oven and a 5-burner cooktop. This new oven range is made from enameled steel and measures 36” in width. In addition, it has a large, soft-close drawer that enables ample storage for racks, trays and other over accessories. The CornuFé 1908 is available in seven colors and three trim combinations. For more information about the CornuFé 1908, or to view other products from La Cornue, visit www.lacornueusa.com.

Photo Credit: La Cornue

Photo Credit: Kohler

LG Electronics’ HDTV Refrigerator 

LG Electronics; HDTV Refrigerator gives a whole new perspective on innovation. The side-by-side model incorporates LG’s fifth-generation digital television tuner to deliver digital broadcast to a 15-inch screen. It also includes remote-control operation, cable and DVD connection, and FM radio. On the left door is a 4-inch weather-center LCD display above the ice and water dispenser. For more information about the HDTV Refrigerator, visit www.lg.com.

Photo Credit: LG Electronics

These new designs are just three among many inventive products being introduced to consumers in 2013. New technologies are being designed everyday, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds. Friends and fans of ECPR, which of these new products will you be incorporating in your next project?

Better Homes and Gardens  recently featured on its website, a slideshow of must-grow new perennials for 2013. The brand new varieties offer exciting colors and more flowers that will make any perennial garden the best yet. The slideshow includes a large array of varieties such as hibiscus, echinacea, sedum, and coreopsis as well as many other eye-catching varieties. Echinacea ‘Supreme Cantaloupe’ from our client, Terra Nova Nurseries, was one of the many echinaceas mentioned.

Echinacea ‘Supreme Cantaloupe’ Photo Credit: Terra Nova Nurseries

Echinacea ‘Supreme Cantaloupe’ is part of the Supreme™ Series, which includes two other varieties, Echinacea ‘Supreme Elegance’ and Echinacea ‘Supreme Flamingo’. Terra Nova Nurseries teamed up with Blooms of Bressingham to create these heavy bloomers with strong saturation in its large, but proportionate flowers. Retailers, learn more about these beauties here. 

For those reading our blog who are garden center retailers, you do not want to miss out on purchasing these varieties to have in your garden center for 2013. Consumers will see these lovely new plants on Better Homes and Gardens’ website and you will not want to miss out on stocking these trending perennials for spring gardens. No matter what type of retail you might be working in, it is important to stay abreast of consumer trends and demands in your related industry. This will help you keep up with competitors as well as reach your company’s sales goals.

A note for our landscape designer blog readers, many of the plants featured by our editor friends with Better Homes & Gardens magazine are popular trend-setters. So, keep them in mind as you begin to plan your clients’ landscape designs for spring. – For everyone else, these plants just might add some living color to your own lawns and gardens in 2013. 

Be sure to check out several of our top picks from Better Homes and Gardens’ selections below. Also, if you want to view the whole slideshow visit its website.

Belamcanda ‘Gone with the Wind’ Photo Credit: Plant Delights

Hibiscus ‘Heartthrob’ Photo Credit: Perennial Resource

Lavender ‘Phenomenal’ Photo Credit: Garden Plants

With a new year ahead of us, it means many new and exciting opportunities to look forward to here at Eberly & Collard Public Relations. One that we are thrilled about is the addition of our most recent client, Kimberly Grigg of Knotting Hill Interiors. Many of you who read our blog and keep up with our social media sites might recognize her name from the Southern Vernacular Architecture and Southern Interior Design Panel our team hosted at the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC) in October.

Kimberly Grigg is the talented and much sought-after lead designer of her firm called Knotting Hill Interiors. She also owns a retail store in Myrtle Beach, SC, of the same name. Kimberley believes her design mission is to create living spaces that are genteel, welcoming, comfortable, and authentically expressive of those living in them. One of the many traits we admire about Kimberly is the fact she forms a relationship with every client and brings fresh and inspired ideas that are responsive to each client’s needs and visions. Whether working on an entire home renovation project or planning the interior design of a new room or guesthouse, she has earned a reputation of delivering on all of her promises along with a dash of flair and fun.

To learn more about Kimberly Grigg and Knotting Hill Interiors, please visit her website or check out her blog. Also, be on the look-out for more posts about projects and events featuring Knotting Hill Interiors as we kick-off publicity and speaking engagement planning for Kimberly during 2013.

The anticipation is over, buyers and exhibitors are finally traveling south this week for The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market® at AmericasMart®Atlanta . This year’s attendees will have the chance to view 2,500 exhibiting companies across 34 product categories for AmericasMart’s most expansive collection to date. The International Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market kicked off on Wednesday, Jan. 9 and goes through Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013.

In preparation for this year’s market, AmericasMart and parent company AMC, Inc., partnered with Verizon Wireless to create a fully functional wireless communications environment, allowing attendees to easily access the Internet on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices.

President and chief operating officer of AMC Jeffrey Portman spoke with the editors at Home Furnishings News to share his excitement for the advancement, and that more will be done to adapt to the opportunities technological innovations provide in the business environment.

“We are working on several opportunities to enhance the AmericasMart market experience, plus other new advancements to come, all resulting from this strategic technology investment,” said Portman.

More news to be excited about this week are new product lines and first time exhibitors! One first-time exhibitor at AmericasMart is Pelican Reef, Panama Jack’s outdoor manufacturer, who will be showcasing its 2013 line. Celebrating a return to AmericasMart is C. Jeré by Artisan House, who will introduce 30 pieces of artwork for walls, floors and tabletops.

Check out the complete directory of exhibitors attending The Atlanta International Gift & Home Furnishings Market here. 

As we steam roll into 2013, many of us map out personal New Year’s resolutions to improve quality of life and happiness. Whether your goal is to travel to a worldly destination or learn a new craft, New Year’s resolutions are made to be accomplished. The same can be true for businesses that set realistic resolutions to achieve during the fiscal year.

At ECPR, we too have strategically brainstormed company goals and objectives for 2013. One of which is to establish and enhance relationships with our traditional advertising, marketing, public relations, and branding counterparts. During 2013, we also plan to connect with and learn more about various trade and consumer publications and editors on deeper levels, in addition to staying abreast of the latest online media resources.

Our client, Big River Industries, specializes in manufacturing expanded clay lightweight aggregate, called Riverlite. The aggregate is used in a variety of applications, including Masonry, Concrete, Geotechnical, Asphalt, Horticulture, and Storm Water Management. The company recently teamed up with Archer-Western Contractors of Atlanta to help solve an engineering problem for its Corridor X project, a major interchange being constructed just north of Birmingham, Ala.

The problem: Portions of the new roadway will travel over an existing 2,500 foot concrete drainage system that is approximately twenty feet underground. Thus, the project’s engineers and Alabama Department of Transportation were worried too much pressure on the roadway above the pipe would cause cracks and leaks.

The Solution: Big River Industries’ Riverlite aggregate. This type of aggregate helps reduce the load on the drainage pipe culvert by more than half compared to normal weight material because of its very low density and very high angle of internal friction.

To learn more about how Big River Industries’ Riverlite aggregate provided a solution for the unique engineering challenge, watch the video below. And, for more information about Riverlite and its various applications, visit www.riverlite.com.

Drum roll please! Every year Pantone, a world-renowned authority on color and provider of color systems, announces its Color of the Year. In 2012, Pantone chose Tangerine Tango as the Color of Year; now on the opposite side of the color spectrum, the 2013 Color of the Year is Emerald.

This beautiful shade of green is fresh, luminous and energizing. It can me mixed and matched with neutral color schemes to create a striking focal point, or can be paired with bold color palettes for a dramatic effect. Designers, we guarantee your clients will want to include Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year in their next interior design project!

Below our team has sourced two great examples on how to decorate with Emerald.

Use Emerald as a wall color in living, dining, bedroom and bathroom spaces. This creates a striking contrast when complemented with unique home furnishing pieces. (Photo Credit: Antweak)

Home furnishings and accessories in Emerald green are perfect for drawing eyes up and across a room. (Photo Credit: Tobi Fairley Interior Design blog)

Which use of Emerald caught your attention?

We have a wonderful opportunity for you to get a first-hand look at brand new plant varieties from our client Terra Nova Nurseries, which in turn, you could perhaps share with your plant- and garden-loving readers. In addition, our team has concepted some great story ideas and topics that include possible byline articles and / or expert quotes from Dan Heims, president of Terra Nova Nurseries and a repeat guest on “The Martha Stewart Show” as one of Martha’s foremost national horticulturists.

For 2013, Terra Nova Nurseries’ will be introducing a wide selection of brand new, retail-ready varieties for home gardeners to enjoy. These new introductions are just a few of Dan’s team’s 700 new plants that have been introduced to the consumer marketplace. And, they are among the most beautiful yet. The new varieties include a wide range of genera with unique characteristics and superior breeding, from vibrant echinaceas and hardy sedums to grassy kniphofias and heucheras with ruffled foliage.

And, with our help, you can share stunning high-resolution photos of the company’s new cultivars which will give your readers inspiration for their own lawns and gardens for the next spring and summer seasons.

To learn more about Terra Nova Nurseries’ 2013 consumer ready plants and access photos for publishing, please contact our team here at ECPR by emailing Dominique de Bruin at ddebruin@eberlycollardpr.com.

Also, our team has creatively conceived some great article ideas featuring the company’s new 2013 varieties as well as available editorial resources, gardening tips and advice from Dan Heims who is Terra Nova Nurseries’ resident plant guru.

Leucanthemum ‘Goldfinch’

• Miniature plants are one of the fastest-growing trends among home gardeners, and those who know little about gardening, too. The company’s Heuchera Little Cuties™ Series is making waves in the horticulture industry, and we think your readers will instantly fall for these sweet new mini-plants. The series features seven new miniature heucheras, which can be used in a grouping for small space and fairy gardens. As outdoor spaces are growing tighter, the need for small house plants and gardens are becoming more popular; Dan can be interviewed on the topic or assist with writing upon request.

Heuchera ‘Spellbound’

In addition, Dan Heims is also available for writing byline articles. He is wildly popular among horticulturalists and is considered to be one of the most influential professionals in the industry. Below are some prospective article topics Dan could provide along with professional photos. 

Dan’s Select Byline Article Topics:

• Hot Heuchera and their Uses: This article will be an overview of how heuchera and heucherella are used around the world. These types of plants offer homeowners the ability to maintain color in the garden all year long, even during cold winters. From vibrant red and orange foliage to deep purples and black, readers will see how these multi-use plants can be used in containers and landscape settings throughout the different seasons. 

• Container Crazy: This article will share with homeowners the key to creating beautiful container combinations for front and backyard areas as well as for small spaces. Including tips on using different plant textures such as ruffled and grassy foliage mixed with silky flowers and spiky seed heads. In this article, Dan will also provide home gardeners with ideas on how to create containers with similar and contrasting color palettes to draw attention. 

• Garden Gems: In this article, Dan could discuss the latest and most exciting perennials, tropicals and woodies in today’s market and practical tips for home gardeners they can use to beautify their outdoor spaces with bright garden gems, showcasing colorful foliage, flowers, texture, and more. 

• Other concepts available upon request. 

Editors and garden writers, if you are interested in pursuing any of our article ideas or byline articles from Dan Heims, please contact the ECPR team.