Photo courtesy of Emily Harris

Harris’ work will be displayed at the Carroll St. Café through the month of September. A reception will be held later this month on Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. The event is part of Atlanta Celebrates Photography, a non-profit arts organization.

Where: Carroll St. Cafe, 208 Carroll St. SE Atlanta, GA 30312
Hours: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun: 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Fri, Sat: 8 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Phone: (404) 577-2700

While continuing their trade show tour in Chicago, ECPR’s Jeff and Don made their way to the CONSTRUCT Show at McCormick Place. The two-day, commercial building event presented by Hanley Wood is geared towards architects, specifiers, engineers, facility managers, building owners, general contractors, designers, and other industry-related professionals. Exhibitors at the show are showcasing revolutionary products, services and technologies ranging from building systems, roofing, lighting, and energy products to finishes, stone / tile, stairways, elevators, concrete products, and much more.

While visiting booths on the tradeshow floor, Don and Jeff stopped to watch a demonstration at National Gypsum’s exhibit. Mundise Mortimer, LEED AP, Manager Technical Marketing, presented a demonstration of the company’s Gold Bond Brand eXP line of products. The line features several products such as the Gold Bond eXP Tile Backer; Gold Bond eXP Extended Exposure Shaftliner; Gold Bond eXP Extended Exposure Sheathing; and the Gold Bond eXP Extended Exposure Interior Extreme.

In addition to touring the tradeshow for new, ground-breaking products, Jeff and Don have been attending a selection of educational seminars. As seen in the photo above, the pair sat in on the High-Performance, Continuously- Insulated Rain Screen Wall Systems seminar presented by Dow and Knight Wall Systems.

Stay tuned for follow-up details and articles for both the CONSTRUCT show and Casual Market soon.

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ECPR’s Don and Jeff are in the Windy City for this year’s International Casual Furniture and Accessories Market. The pair have been scoping out the newest, most innovative outdoor designs and products in the temporaries and permanent showrooms. With over 250 exhibitors at the show, products range from manufacturers of outdoor accessories, hearth and heating products, outdoor lighting, shade systems, outdoor furniture collections, and more.

Jeff and Don have been exploring featured areas such as The Garden Accessories Courtyard. With 10,000 square feet of space, this courtyard features beautiful accessories such as pillows, rugs, pottery, lighting, and tabletop products for outdoor living areas. Additionally, they stopped by the New Product Gallery. The gallery is designed to present a comprehensive overview of new casual furniture and outdoor accessory trends for 2012. Here, Casual Market show-goers are viewing the latest designs, color and fabric trends, innovative accessories, and much more.

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The Garden Accessories Courtyard

Jeff Collard in the New Products Display

Our client Terra Nova Nurseries was recently featured in the September / October issue of Pennsylvania Gardener. The article entitled “Sustainability: Right Plant, Right Place,” written by Maria Zampini, educates readers on how to plant sustainable gardens. Essentially, a sustainable garden requires little or no maintenance, all the while being eco-friendly. Zampini encourages gardeners to choose native, non-invasive plants that are adaptable in a range of growing conditions and can provide a healthy habitat for wildlife.

In the article, Zampini mentions that hellebores are a favorite plant choice for sustainable gardens, specifically Terra Nova Nurseries’ Winter Jewels Series including ‘Amber Gem’ and ‘Peppermint Ice’. The Hellebore Winter Jewels Series bred by Marietta O’Byrne are double flower strains featured in individual colors rather than mixes. ‘Amber Gem’ is an apricot dream. The blooms are yellow infused and blushed with red, like a ripe apricot; perhaps the rarest of colors in hellebores. This winter plant is deer resistant and shade tolerant, making it an ideal plant for a sustainable garden. ‘Peppermint Ice’ has fluffy, light pink flowers with a rim of dark pink edging; the dark pink on the back of the tepals adds to the appeal. Like ‘Amber Gem’ this plant is deer resistant, drought tolerant and performs well in shaded areas.

To read the full article about sustainable gardening in the September / October issue of Pennsylvania Gardener, see the photos included in this blog post. To enlarge the photos, simply click on each individual photo. Media members, if you’re interested in learning more about Terra Nova Nurseries’ Hellebores Winter Jewels Series for an end of the year article, please contact us by clicking here.

They’ve been spotted on movie posters, business cards and on printed business and product collateral. Similar to Facebook URLs and websites, mobile barcodes are regularly popping up in advertisements and all manner of places where online content is desired. The widespread use of barcodes is to help satisfy consumer demand for immediate access to relevant information. No longer do consumers have to wait to get home to find specific information about products they see at retail stores. Recently, comScore, a company that measures digital marketing, found Quick Response (QR) code usage has been on the rise. In the month of June, about 14 million Americans scanned QR barcodes, which comes to a bit over 6 percent of all mobile users in the U.S.

What is a QR code?

A QR code is a 2-D barcode that can be scanned by a smart phone’s camera. Once the code is scanned, it could direct users to a website, offer a coupon from a local retailer, show a movie trailer or video and just about anything else that can be linked online. Manufacturers with a lot of product information can now produce proliferate web pages in complete harmony with their product tags. QR barcodes were invented in Japan and have been actively used there for more than a decade. They are making their way throughout North America, with many furniture stores, garden centers, hardware retailers, and other home / garden outlets catching on to the craze. The barcodes look like this:

How are mobile bar codes applied to marketing?

Mobile barcodes can be useful to businesses by connecting people with each other and to brand-related content. Because QR codes are still relatively new to the U.S., most current ads or printed collateral that contain these codes still have to explain how they work, and the steps the viewer needs to take to access the additional information. The codes can be added to print ads, posters, invites, store front displays, T-shirts, and even to the merchandise itself. The linked information can be specific to a brand or product, containing information such as product details, how-to insights, event details, contest information, customer feedback forms, and so on.

In one retail example, Pottery Barn added a QR code to its fall catalog on a page that featured the Manhattan Leather Armchair. When scanned, it directed consumers to a video that showed the history of the chair and how the designers were inspired by chairs they found in Parisian flea markets. More recently, Home Depot introduced new, interactive plant tags. Buyers can scan a QR code and get in-depth information about the plant, such as how much sun it requires, before they decide to take it home. Mobile barcodes could also be used to build communities on social media channels. For example, some businesses have generated codes that “like” the company’s Facebook page.

As with any successful campaign, a good strategy is key. QR barcodes should provide viewers with a brand experience that is dynamic, exclusive and interactive. The codes should also be easy for consumers to locate and quickly scan. And, certainly, attaining the services of an informed consultant or firm helps create a synergistic approach with all facets of a marketing plan. Let us know, what are your thoughts and questions about QR codes? Do you think they have staying power? Be sure to add your comments below.

Staying up-to-date with the latest digital innovations and trends is important to us, as it helps us better serve our clients. At ECPR we specialize in PR 2.0—as we define it—the convergence of traditional public relations and modern social media networks. To learn more about our social media services, be sure to click here.

How do lightweight concrete blocks (CMUs) differ from normal concrete blocks? Jeff Speck, VP of Sales & Marketing for Big River Industries, the nation’s largest producer of expanded clay lightweight aggregate, sheds light during an interview featured in the April / May issue of The Concrete Producer.

In the interview, Jeff Speck talks about when to use lightweight concrete blocks and when to use normal concrete blocks. Essentially, lightweight blocks can be used at any time, with the exception of very high compressive strength requirements. Lightweight CMUs that meet the requirements of ASTM C90 have all the structural properties of normal weight load-bearing units. The next interview topic includes the comparison of performance between the two, including acoustic properties. Speck talks about the two different measures of acoustic properties, Sound Transmission Class (STC) and NRC (Noise Reduction Coefficient) in relation to wall thickness and how well a wall absorbs the sound.

Additionally, the interview covers the issue of sustainability. Because Lightweight concrete (LWC) solutions offer improved energy performance, reduced volume of materials, reduced transportation requirements, improved service life, and lower life-cycle costs, the product is more sustainable and green than normal concrete solutions. The next interview topic deals with costs. Lightweight blocks are thinner and lighter, meaning a reduced volume of materials and more efficient costs. The final interview question pertains to how internal curing improves the performance of concrete and how it relates to sustainability.

To read the full Q & A article, view the photos below. Enlarge the photos by clicking on them. Also, the online version is available at http://bit.ly/p93xl5.

EcoSmart Fire works with a number of designers to create and produce environmentally friendly fireplaces for indoor spaces as well as outdoor living areas. This year the company will be showcasing the Stix fireplace designed by Hiroshi Tsunoda at Casual Market. Now based in Barcelona, Hiroshi Tsunoda graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design, one of the top design schools in the United States. His recent works have been displayed at the Salone Satellite in Milan and at the design festival, Designersblock in London. As head of Hiroshi Tsunoda Design Studio, he aims to bring practical and functional designs to everyday consumers.

The Stix fireplace provides a contemporary twist on traditional campfires. The outdoor fireplace consists of varying-sized tubular stainless-steel “sticks” that are secured around an efficient three liter burner. Stix is powered by clean-burning, environmentally friendly bioethanol. Bioethanol or simply ethanol, is a renewable energy source produced by fermenting the sugar and starch components of plant by-products. Thus, the Stix outdoor fireplace does not produce smoke, soot or ash. This stylish, elegant fireplace creates the perfect ambiance for a cool summer evening on the beach or backyard patio. The dancing flames have the ability to captivate users for up to eight hours.

The award-winning and innovative Stix outdoor fireplace is a must see at Casual Market this year. For more information about EcoSmart Fire’s bioethanol fireplaces, visit www.ecosmartfire.com.

Indoor furniture collections made for the outdoors. The new Bungalow Collection by Homecrest Outdoor Living puts a luxurious twist on outdoor living spaces. The collection features a slipcover that is applied over a custom designed and engineered aluminum frame. The seat is fitted with a foam core for durability, and then wrapped with a polyester fiber. A water-resistant ticking protects the core material.

The line includes a sofa, loveseat, chat chair, swivel rocker chat chair, and a dining Parson’s chair. The complete collection offers homeowners a stylish, sophisticated outdoor furniture seating area for everyday use or guest entertainment. Bungalow’s slipcover is offered in a large selection of washable, UV protected fabrics for carefree maintenance. Season trends and colors will come and go; with Homecrest Outdoor Living’s Bungalow Collection, homeowners simply have to change the slipcover to stay abreast of color trends!

Retailers, industry trends show dealers and customers are looking for products made in the United States. Homecrest Outdoor Living’s products are made on American soil, offering product customization, quick shipping and safety assurance. Visit the company’s booth at Casual Market to learn more about the Bungalow Collection. To view Homecrest Outdoor Living’s large selection of outdoor furniture visit www.homecrest.com.

The new Euro Bistro Table from Poly-Wood, Inc. will be making an appearance at this year’s Casual Market show. Since 1990, Poly-Wood co-founders and owners Doug Rassi and Mark Phillabaum have been developing outdoor casual furniture made from plastic lumber. Poly-Wood’s plastic lumber is made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), UV-inhibited pigment systems, foaming compounds, and selected process additives. The HDPE primary raw material is derived from bottle waste, such as milk and detergent bottles or other HDPE post industrial material. Since HHPE products are made a with a single, purified polymer they have exceptional resistance to corrosion, oils and fuels as well as insects, fungi, salt spray, and much more. Thus, Poly-Wood Inc.’s outdoor furniture collections are durable, long-lasting and ideal for all-weather environments.

The Euro Bistro Table is beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing. The table’s aluminum frame is complemented with Poly-Wood slats for a contemporary, eco-friendly design. The frame is available in three different colors while the slats are available in 13 colors. Additionally, the Euro Bistro Table comes in three heights, dining, counter or bar height. The possibilities are endless with this customizable dining set. Retailers, stop by Poly-Wood Inc.’s booth at Casual Market to learn more about the company’s eco-friendly outdoor furniture collections. Also, visit the company’s website at www.polywoodinc.com for more information.