Why Is Community Resilience Important?

Community resilience is the concept that we can design and build better to reduce susceptibility to disasters. The idea of building for resilience is in the DNA of Simpson Strong-Tie and is why we’re considered a leader in structural systems research, testing and innovation. That commitment to building for resilience is why we partner with other leaders in the field like the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society. 

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Give Back: Building Benches for Humanity

When your company is in the business of building safer, stronger structures, you’re sure to have more than a few employees who are handy with a hammer (and a screwdriver and drill). This winter, our Pleasanton engineering department decided to put those design and carpentry skills to the test for the greater good. 

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It’s not a bus stop, it’s a career

My career with Simpson Strong-Tie has been an exciting journey of personal growth, giving back to the community, and risk-taking innovation. As I look forward toward retirement I’ve begun reflecting on how the lessons learned on that journey can help others as they navigate careers. I’d like to share some of the rich experiences I’ve had. Therefore, if you’re reading this and wondering how to experience more in your life or career, perhaps you’ll find value in my story.

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Simplified, Efficient, and Predictable: How Montana’s 2016 Builder of the Year Adopted a Scalable BIM Solution

Founded by Jim McCall in 1993, McCall Homes has always been focused on providing quality homes in neighborhoods across Billings, Montana. As McCall’s three children (Brad, Carolee, and Greg) joined the company over the years, that concept of quality has evolved into an even more meaningful vision: to create communities where homeowners can connect with their neighbors and live in a place “where life really happens.”

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Dream, Design, Win: The Deck Planner Software™ Design Your Dream Deck Contest

We want to help you make the deck of your dreams a reality. This week we’re launching the Deck Planner Software™ Design Your Dream Deck contest. 

Open to everyone, from homeowners to pros, the Simpson Strong-Tie® Deck Planner Software Design Your Dream Deck contest is easy to enter. Entrants just need to design a deck using our free, web-based Deck Planner Software. The winner will receive up to $500 of Simpson Strong-Tie products, as specified in the winning design, to build their dream deck during the 2020 deck season.  

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He Shoots, He Scores! See the Winning Projects from Our Outdoor Accents DIY Contest

This summer we asked you to participate in our second annual “Give Us Your Best Shot” contest. If you were building a project with our Outdoor Accents® line of decorative hardware, we wanted to see it. More than 40 customers sent in photos of pergolas, hammocks, arbors and other outdoor living projects. Of those projects we had the enjoyable challenge of selecting two winners, one for a large project and one for a smaller project.

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Great ShakeOut 2019: Reddit Asks Us Anything About Earthquakes

Each year, Simpson Strong-Tie teams up with the West Coast’s top earthquake scientists and preparedness experts to take questions from Redditors about earthquakes and tsunamis. The Reddit AMA is part of the Great ShakeOut, the world’s largest earthquake drill, where 55 million people drop, cover and hold on. The next Great ShakeOut is scheduled to take place at 10:17 a.m. on October 17, 2019, and your organization still has time to get involved. 

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Drop, Cover, and Hold On: International ShakeOut Day is October 17

Each year, an earthquake preparedness event known as the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill takes place around the world. The coordinated earthquake drill provides an opportunity for schools, businesses, homeowners and others to practice what to do once the ground starts shaking or swaying.
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DIY: Building a Covered Patio with The Awesome Orange

Did you spend the summer sitting in the backyard dreaming about adding a covered patio or a pergola? Assuming you’re handy, maybe you even spent time thinking about bypassing a local contractor and doing it yourself (well, yourself and your BFFs, who’ll work for burgers). Naturally, as the summer crept along and your dream turned into an itch, you probably found yourself looking at do-it-yourself websites to see if you could, in fact, do it yourself.

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Building Our Company’s Future

“Company culture” has become a catch-all term to express the essence of what makes an organization good (or, in some cases, not so good) to work for. As a human resources leader, it’s my honor to work with teams dedicated to acting as positive influencers in the culture of our company. When we set out to create new processes to protect and grow the unique culture of Simpson Strong-Tie, we had outstanding direction from our founder, whose values are as relevant today  as they were more than 60 years ago when he first opened the doors.

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