News & Press Releases
Alpine Doors Stop Them in Their Tracks
Wood from Sustainable Forests: Another MAi Edge
Biltmore Estate Collection: The Luxury Amenity for Fine Homes
Prehung Doors Benefit Builders and Homeowners Alike
New Alpine Styles
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Alpine Doors Stop Them in Their Tracks
With the first scheduled event just a few months away, the renovation of Lioncrest at Deerpark, Biltmore Estate's new deluxe catering facility, could afford no interruptions. Geoff Gardner, Biltmore Estate's vice president of food and beverage and project manager, was keeping an eye on how things were progressing when he noticed all work had abruptly stopped - and no workers in sight. "I thought, what's going on?" Gardner recalls. When he went to check, he discovered the entire construction crew had gathered in back. The "detail" carpenter had uncrated one of the MAi Alpine doors that had just arrived, Gardner says, and "the workers were just standing around admiring it."
'Simple, Authentic Elegance'
Open for events in the summer of 2005, Lioncrest had once been a barn for Biltmore Estate's prized Jersey cows. Preserving this identity was the goal of the renovation effort and would guide the choice of materials. When it came to selecting the doors, the Alpine Collection had "the simple, authentic elegance we were looking for," Gardner says.
Inside and out, most of the doors at Lioncrest are from MAi's Alpine Collection. "MAi is a Biltmore Estate For Your Home licensing partner, and, whenever possible, we strive to use our partners' products in projects on our property," says Christy Hodgins, marketing manager of Biltmore Estate's licensing business. At the time of the Lioncrest renovation, the door collection MAi was developing for Biltmore Estate For Your Home was not available, so the project team looked at other MAi catalogs for an appropriate style. The Alpine door design, distressed wood and high quality "were perfect for this unique renovation," Hodgins states.
Wood from Sustainable Forests: Another MAi Edge
When choosing products for their homes, more and more people are turning "green." What appeals to them - and what they're most likely to buy - comes from nature, like MAi hardwood doors. Unlike metal or composite doors, no mining or chemicals are involved in the production of our products - just pure, natural wood, provided by suppliers that practice responsible forestry.
The Cade family's search for such partners is ongoing, requiring them to travel to remote, and often dangerous, areas of the world. But it's well worth the effort, says MAi's president, Jeff Cade. "Our search for beautiful and interesting species of wood goes hand in hand with protecting the Earth's timber resources, today and for future generations."
Reforestation Standards Your Customers Will Appreciate
Our line of Alpine doors, for example, is crafted of Andean Walnut, harvested solely from "sustainable" forests certified by the SmartWood Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Such forests strictly adhere to standards that protect both the environment and the native people who plant, harvest and mill the timber. The wood used for our Alpine doors is audited annually for compliance. "Earning the SmartWood FSC seal of approval is one of our proudest achievements," says Raford Cade, MAi’s CEO and founder.
In regions that have yet to adopt FSC practices, we encourage suppliers of other MAi wood species to follow the council's guidelines. The good news is more and more governments around the world are taking steps of their own to protect native timberland, as well as the people who live and work in the forests. MAi works only with partners that have been awarded government forestry concessions and that follow local forestmanagement guidelines.
Telling your customers about MAi's SmartWood-certified doors and Earth-friendly standards is a smart way to promote our products.
Biltmore Estate Collection: The Luxury Amenity for Fine Homes
Bigger homes are still the rage. As reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, home construction slated for completion in 2006 reflects consumers' continuing appetite for size. Furthermore, a look at the characteristics of new housing "suggests there will be more emphasis on luxury amenities," Michael Carliner, economist for the National Association of Home Builders, reports. But, demand for larger homes is't the only factor driving the luxury market, he adds. "Older buyers who are retired, or approaching retirement, are looking not so much for space, but for premium quality."
Size and the quality associated with luxury amenities are signatures of MAi's Biltmore Estate For Your Home Collection of 8-foot doors. The series evokes the Old World elegance of Biltmore Estate, George W. Vanderbilt's country retreat near Asheville, N.C., which he completed in 1895. Crafted of Malaga Cherry and American White Oak, the collection comprises 12 single and double-door designs, many with radius, full-arch or Gothic peaks. Several doors feature forged-iron grillwork and distinctive glass; some are also available with side lites.
"The designs MAi created are truly reflective of Biltmore Estate and capture details that are hallmarks of the doors and architectural motifs throughout Biltmore House," says Christy Hodgins, marketing manager of the licensing business. "This is an exceptional collection and takes door design to a new level."
Please visit www.biltmore.com to learn more about Biltmore Estate. To see the entire collection visit our Product Collections page or use the Request Catalog page to order a catalog online. You may also order a catalog by phone at 800-394-6680.
Prehung Doors Benefit Builders and Homeowners Alike
It's a package our distributors truly welcome: a beautiful MAi wood entry door, prehung complete with jambs, hinges, threshold, weather stripping and lock-set prep. When MAi does the prehanging, the advantages are clear:
- Saves time and effort units arrive fully assembled, protectively packaged and ready to
deliver direct to the job site
- Ensures quality assembly and ultimate customer satisfaction
The value of our prehanging service is particularly evident when it comes to providing complex entry units, such a large upper-end doors with transoms and side lites. "When we prehang our units, the wood on the jambs matches the wood species of the door, a high-quality look builders and owners of fine homes expect. Distributors don't always have these matching materials on hand," says Rodney Nemer, MAi purchasing agent.
Nemer also points out that units with transoms can be up to 115 inches tall and are quite heavy, making them cumbersome for distributors to assemble themselves. Roger Cade, chief operating officer, adds, "We are selling more radius-top doors, in both single and double configurations, which requires that we handle the prehanging assembly. We have all the appropriate materials on our production floor to complete these more complex configurations."
To help meet the increased demand for this service, MAi doors are now prepped on our new precision Full House machining system, allowing us to focus more of our resources on the prehanging assembly process (see "Time Machine" in the next section).
Other Value-Added Factory Services In addition to prehanging our doors, we can finish them, in a choice of stains, add the decorative hardware and enhance their security with advanced threepoint locking systems. For more details, visit our Web site or talk to your MAi sales rep.
New Alpine Styles
At the suggestion of our customers, we've expanded our Alpine Collection of 80- and 96-inch doors. Our two new Alpine Cypress Creek doors feature forged-iron grillwork encased in Flemish and clear glass. Both are available with matching side lites. New as well: two radius-top units with beveled-glass lites - one with a dental shelf; the other with optional matching side lites. There's more: a new transom, with beveled-glass lites, for square-top units.
Click Here for Glossary of Door Terms
© 2004 Moulding Associates, Inc. Site Development by Comfort Technical Assistance, LLC.
© 2004 Moulding Associates, Inc. Site Development by Comfort Technical Assistance, LLC.
