From Science Lab to Construction Site: One Woman’s Career Journey at Simpson Strong-Tie

Tina Haro, Senior National Builder Manager at Simpson Strong-Tie, initially didn’t anticipate a career in sales but recognized the value of building relationships within her role. Her duties involve connecting Simpson Strong-Tie with builders, offering builders solutions and representing the company at industry events. As a recent recipient of the 2023 Top Women in Hardware & Building Supply Rising Stars Award, she is enthusiastic about her impact within the industry. 

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From Our CEO: Simpson Strong-Tie — A Strong Culture

Mike Olosky is the Chief Executive Officer at Simpson Strong-Tie as of January 1, 2023. Before that, Mike served for two years as the company’s Chief Operating Officer. In what follows, he discusses some of the characteristics that define the  Simpson Strong-Tie culture and make it stand out.

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Hands-On Learning: How an All-Female Engineering Class Built a Rest Station for Those Who Grow and Harvest Our Food

Katie Hickey, a graduating senior from Carondelet High School in Concord, CA, and a future student at San Diego State University, participated in an all-female Engineering for Social Good class. Their ambitious endeavor involved designing and constructing a personalized rest station for nearby farmworkers, relying exclusively on their own abilities and available resources. Despite their limited background, the students demonstrated unwavering determination and successfully delivered an outstanding product that will have a profound impact on the local community.

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New ECB Elevated Column Base Ready for Multifamily Residential Construction

As part of an expanding portfolio of multifamily residential solutions, we’re excited to introduce the Simpson Strong-Tie® ECB elevated column base. The ECB makes it simple to add a waterproofing layer when installing solid sawn posts or hollow columns. It’s perfect for construction of stacked balconies in multifamily housing, or whenever a post is being used to support an awning or roof.   Continue reading “New ECB Elevated Column Base Ready for Multifamily Residential Construction”

A Simpson Strong-Tie Event: Construction Industry and Career Paths for Youths

This article was originally published on Building Talent Foundation’s website, which you can read here 

Simpson Strong-Tie Training Specialist/Outreach Coordinator Dan Scullion has given product demonstrations to engineers, architects, building officials and construction contractors, but a group of students from Jacksonville Job Corps Center kept him on his toes. 

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What You Should Know About Cross-Laminated Timber Construction

Residences and low-rise commercial structures have been built using dimensional wood framing since the mid-19th century.

The first skyscraper ever built was erected with steel framing, however. The Home Insurance Building in Chicago was completed in 1885 and was 10 stories tall.
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Five FRP Advantages for Contractors and Structure Owners

FRP fiber-reinforced polymer provides a number of advantages over traditional concrete-strengthening materials and methods. Strengthening concrete structures by means of this composite has benefits for contractors and property owners alike.

While FRP is not feasible for all applications, there are demonstrable FRP advantages for many structural rehabilitation projects.
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Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymer: Exploring Industrial Applications

The fact that carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) is strong enough to replace bulkier strengthening materials can be a surprise even to some experienced commercial contractors. After all, carbon fibers are only 5 to 10 microns in diameter, a little wider than spider silk.

Intuitively, it doesn’t seem that these tiny fibers could be a major component of a concrete strengthening system several times stronger than mounted steel plates.
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3D Printing and Its Impact on the Building and Construction Industry

Whether you call it 3D printing, additive manufacturing or contour crafting, the ability to create something — from a small tabletop model to a livable home or towering skyscraper, to list just a few possibilities — out of paper-thin materials is intriguing, and promises to shape the future of our world. So promising is this recent technology, in fact, that manufacturing industries, government entities and educational institutions have made significant investments in 3D-printing technologies. These ventures, particularly those driven by partnerships, are shaping up to have a big impact on the building and construction industry.
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Laying Foundations: Simpson Strong-Tie Mentoring Future Construction Leaders of America

Good news for anyone involved in construction: The industry added 23,000 specialty trade contractor jobs in November 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bad news? Construction employers will likely struggle to fill new positions, as a labor shortage triggered by the 2007–2009 Great Recession continues to dampen more robust growth for the builder economy.

In fact, the number of builders reporting a critical shortage of labor has grown from 21% in 2012 to 46% in 2014, 52% in 2015 and 56% in 2016, says Paul Emrath, who tracks industry economic statistics as the vice president for survey and housing policy research for the National Association of Home Builders.
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