Hardwood Floors August/September 2017

By Katrina Olson

Goodwin’s River Recovered® heart pine and heart cypress qualify for significant LEED credits as well as an Innovation &Design Credit for “innovative performance in a green building category not specifically addressed in LEED.” However, Goodwin’s environmental mission extends beyond their wood and the “green” processes they use to recover and manufacture their products. Recently, Goodwin applied for a joint biomass and solar project grant to build a plant to utilize their sawdust to power their dry kiln. Solar energy will power the sawmill, molder, and cabinet shop motors. These combined efforts will almost entirely power their operations. Goodwin tells their sustainability story on their website and blog, in addition to multiple social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, and their own YouTube Channel. Appearing on television shows including HGTV’s Dream Builders, ABC’s “Made In America,” and DIY’s Barnwood Builders has also allowed them to share their story. To read more, visit heartpine.com/goodwins-environmental-mission/.

Goodwin Heart Pine…Reclaiming the Past In the early 1800s, longleaf pine and other species covered 90 million acres from Southeastern Virginia, south to Central Florida, and west to East Texas. Between the 1870s and 1940s, most was cut to feed the demands of the industrial revolution. As lumbermen rafted these logs down river, 12 to 15 percent of it – mostly the heavier, denser logs – sank to the bottom.

George Goodwin admiring a cypress log with Norm Abrams in 1996.

Fast forward to the 1970s. Master carpenter and homebuilder George Goodwin found some of these perfectly preserved longleaf pine logs while fishing in Florida’s Suwannee River. He recovered these “sinker” logs to use in his new home. That led to the opening of Goodwin Heart Pine Company in 1976, and the rest, as they say, is history. But what makes Goodwin’s woods truly unique are the stories behind them. “People are looking for authenticity, and they’re quick to spot fluff,” explains marketing director Jeffrey Forbes. For George Goodwin, it’s also about preserving history. “If sustainability is about reusing and recycling, it’s the ultimate accomplishment to update and maintain a building that has been part of our history,” he says. Goodwin has contributed to the restoration of the Naples Botanical Garden, the University of Florida’s Dansburg president’s house, and the Texas Governor’s Mansion. Goodwin’s commitment extends beyond his business. He helped the Florida state legislature write into law the Deadhead Logging Permit which regulates archeological research, environmental practices, and which rivers can be worked by loggers. George’s wife, Carol, founded the ReclaimedWood Council, the Wood Floor Guild, and the Association for the Restoration of Longleaf Pine. For four years, she chaired the NWFA Environmental Committee, and currently serves as Programs Committee Chair for the U. S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Heart of Florida Chapter.

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