Before “Green” was part of everyday eco-vernacular, John Gasparine was flying a plane down to South America to identify the players in the wood manufacturing game and the direction for his company, JG Architectural Supply. A few years later, FSC certified products, including exotic and reclaimed woods, were making their way from his warehouses to LEED certified buildings around the U.S.
Manufacturing Green Wood Locally
Instead of locally grown produce, how about buying locally harvested, FSC certified wood?
The epitome of environmentally conscious business is to manufacture and distribute a Green product that comes from one’s hometown. A few weeks ago, John Gasparine, president of JG Architectural Supply was able to do just that.
After taking inventory and opening doors in 2006 with a vast array of FSC Certified exotic flooring from South America, Gasparine just announced a new FSC Certified domestic product to be manufactured within 140 miles of Baltimore.
“This is very exciting to both our company and the local Baltimore economy,” exclaimed Gasparine.
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) gives “regional” status to materials that are extracted and manufactured in a 500 mile radius of a jobsite. JG's domestic wood flooring offers a "double-green benefit" to projects in the Baltimore-Washington D.C. metro areas. Their new products are both FSC Certified and Regional.
Traveling the World For Greener Construction
John began his search for FSC certified wood in South America and opened the doors to green builders in 2006, offering a vast array of exotic and reclaimed flooring. Gasparine’s company contributed to many projects, including the College of St. Rose in Albany, LL Bean, Nike Corporate, and Merritt Properties.
Each reclaimed wood product comes with its own documentation and the story behind its origin. A recent timber reclamation project came from the America Tobacco Campus in Durham, North Carolina.
“We continue to develop new products,” stated Gasparine, who is tightening down on an exclusive supply agreement to have FSC certified bamboo products to hit the North American market.
“Our products can last 50-100 years instead of being torn out in 5-10,” says Gasparine.
JG architectural also features a unique line of flooring adhesives. Instead of only being low-VOC adhesive, which is required by the USGBC for LEED projects, it is ZERO-VOC.
JG Practicing Green
Winner of the Baltimore Business Journal award for Green Product of the Year in 2008, JG Architectural continues to embrace the philosophy of going Green and beyond.
In addition to standard recycling, the company cannibalizes their own wooden pallets and breaks them into lumber for shelving. Individual cut-offs used as samples are consolidated into FSC and non-FSC bins, later made into handcrafted executive pens, a major hit during at the Eco-Festival during Baltimore’s Green Week.
JG Architectural is currently assembling a team of investors to take their operation to a national scale. For more information, please visit their website at http://www.jgarchitectural.com or check out their company profile on GreenConnected.com.