Shaw Turf expands in Calhoun offices
Shaw Turf, the synthetic turf-making division of Dalton, Ga.-based Shaw Industries, has moved into a new 28,000-square-foot office in Calhoun, Ga.
Company officials said the move will give extra space for expansion and bring the sales, marketing and operations group in close proximity to the turf manufacturing facility and the Sports Science laboratory, the industry's largest and most advanced lab for product development and testing.
"We cannot be more pleased with where our business is today," said Phil Barlow, the company's vice president of specialty markets and turf. "We have experienced exponential growth in the past few years, and the new move will only enable further expansion."
Shaw Industries has quickly secured a leadership position as a complete turnkey company excelling in providing synthetic solutions for sports, commercial, residential landscaping, pets facilities, parks playgrounds and landfill closures.
The company's portfolio of brands includes Shaw Sports Turf, Southwest Greens, Terrasoft and ShawGrass. Shaw is also an exclusive supplier of synthetic turf to ClosureTurf, an Atlanta-based landfill closure systems provider.
Most home prices down from 2008
An election year comparison of home prices compiled by the online real estate reporting company, RealtyTrac, shows the average sales price of most homes lower than it was before President Obama was elected.
The report found that 65 percent of local housing markets nationwide are worse off than four years ago based on sales prices, foreclosures and other key housing metrics.
But Hamilton County showed modest improvement from 2008.
In Hamilton County, the average home sales price this year of $167,588 is up nearly 2 percent from 2008.
But average home prices were down from four years ago in neighboring Bradley County, Tenn., and Walker and Dade counties in Georgia.
"The U.S. housing market has shown strong signs of life in recent months, but many local markets continue to struggle with high levels of negative equity as the result of home prices that are well off their peaks," said Daren Blomquist, vice president at RealtyTrac.