Some of the 552 participants knocked on a piece of Weyerhaeuser Framer Series lumber perched on a 26-foot Parallam PSL beam. We had initially suggested knocking directly on Parallam, but Guinness officials ruled out engineered wood as an option.
In the rolling hills of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, the rap-tap-tapping of 552 people knocking on wood filled the countryside for 10 seconds on a pleasant Thursday evening in late April. As it happens, they were knocking at history’s door, aiming for a Guinness World Record of most people knocking on wood simultaneously.
Many knocked on a board of Weyerhaeuser Framer Series™ lumber mounted to a 26-foot beam of Parallam® PSL engineered wood from our Buckhannon, West Virginia, EWP plant.
When the rapping stopped, they had knocked the old record of 295 people out of the park, and Guinness officials declared the event and its participants “Officially Amazing.”
Organized by Tague Lumber, a long-time Weyerhaeuser customer, the event was a testament to the power of community. Alongside Tague employees, three Weyerhaeuser representatives participated, as did other building product vendors, local builders, their families and local residents.
The mood was festive and celebratory on the grassy lawn of Tague’s newest lumberyard in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. There were booths of wood products vendors (including Weyerhaeuser), food trucks and a live band with a lead singer who couldn’t resist making family-friendly knocking jokes and puns.
Tague reps, builders, vendors, their families and local residents prepare to knock a Guinness Record out of the park.
BRINGING A COMMUNITY TOGETHER
“It was not only a great marketing event but also a fun way to bring the community together,” says Hillary Weiss, an inside sales representative at our distribution center in Easton, Pennsylvania. “Tague has a great marketing team that always finds creative ways to engage customers and the community.”
Hillary was on hand with coworkers Steve Rudowsky, Wood Products territory manager, and Ken Stockhausen, dealer sales representative, to help break the record. All three can now say they’re officially Guinness World Record breakers. Before the knocking started, uniformed Guinness officials asked all participants to queue up so they could be counted individually.
“The Guinness folks are sticklers about the details,” Steve says. “They have very particular requirements.”
In fact, when Tague first reached out to Steve, Ken and Hillary about the event, they initially suggested everyone knock directly on the Parallam, which has a long enough span to accommodate the crowd. After Guinness officials reviewed how the engineered wood product was made, they determined its composition of 4 percent glue disqualified it as a solid wood product.
Although our team disagreed, Steve and Hillary switched to Plan B and placed Framer Series dimensional lumber atop the Parallam beam.
Once the knockers were done knocking, the Guinness Record attempt became 'Officially Amazing,' a term Guinness uses to describe record breakers.
BUILDING COMMUNITIES
“While knocking directly on Parallam would have been nice, our overriding goal was to make the event a success,” Steve says. “We have a great relationship with Tague, and we partner with them as frequently as we can.”
Last year we supported Tague in several outreach events, including one encouraging kids to pursue careers in the building trades. We also jointly sponsored programs for women in the building industry and worked with the local homebuilding association to help aging veterans repair and update their homes.
“Tague is always doing interesting things,” Hillary says, recalling a recent breakfast Tague sponsored with local leaders. “We look for ways to support them any way we can, from product and service excellence to sponsorships and community outreach.”
Representing Weyerhaeuser at the record-breaking event were Ken Stockhausen, dealer sales representative based in Delaware; Hillary Weiss, inside sales representative based at our Easton DC; and Steve Rudowsky, EWP territory manager based in Pennsylvania.
A TRADITION OF COLLABORATION
Tague has upheld this tradition of community support since its establishment in 1908. It’s one of our many shared values, which also encompass quality and impeccable service. Today, the family-owned building materials supplier serves building professionals throughout the Greater Philadelphia area at seven locations.
Hillary, whose father worked as an architect for Weyerhaeuser in the 1970s, is proud to continue a family tradition and to have Tague as a key customer. Although she doesn’t expect to participate in other Guinness Records anytime soon, she’s confident Tague would attempt to retake the knocking record if broken.
“I just read that France took the longest baguette record back from Italy, so you never know,” she says.
In the meantime, she’s focused on making sure Tague continues to get the top-notch products and services they’ve come to expect from Weyerhaeuser.
