Established in 1970, Alabama-based Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc., is kicking off its 50th anniversary celebration this year with a splash.
The Abbeville-headquartered company over the past five decades has transformed from a two-man crew loading treated lumber into a pickup truck for dealers in rural Alabama to a global industry leader serving a network of dealers in 28 states, the District of Columbia and multiple international markets.
The company, which is now the nation’s top producer of pressure treated lumber for residential, farm, commercial and industrial uses, will pay homage in 2020 to its employees, dealers, contractors and homeowners as it celebrates this exciting milestone.
An exciting slate of initiatives will mark the organization’s semicentennial, starting in a major way in the company’s home state.
Beginning this year, Great Southern Wood’s banner brand – YellaWood – will be the title sponsor of the fall NASCAR Cup Series playoff race held at historic Talladega Superspeedway.
Set to take place less than 200 miles from Great Southern Wood’s headquarters in the Wiregrass, the YellaWood 500 will be a celebration the whole state – and industry – can get behind.
“We are excited to kick off our 50th anniversary celebrations with this NASCAR partnership,” stated Great Southern Wood founder and CEO Jimmy Rane. “We’re honored to join in the great legacy at Talladega as we recognize our own milestone journey as a company. This is a chance to share our vision and our YellaWood® brand products during a highly competitive and high profile event.”
Currently scheduled for October 4 (which could change due to COVID-19 altering NASCAR’s current season), the YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway will debut providing an immersive YellaWood brand experience.
This comes after the famed track celebrated its own 50th anniversary just last year.
“We are thrilled to welcome a fellow Alabama company – Great Southern Wood – and its YellaWood® brand to the Talladega Superspeedway family,” said Brian Crichton, president of Talladega Superspeedway. “It’s two iconic brands in our state coming together to create an authentic connection that fans, employees and customers will rally behind. The 3- and 4-wide racing at 200 mph on the high banks for Talladega is like no other, and we look forward to the YellaWood® 500.”
A Tuesday release outlined that branding elements will include signage; social and digital media; radio; and broadcast. This will all be retained for both the 2020 and 2021 races at the 2.66-mile venue, NASCAR’s biggest and most competitive track. Additional partnership assets will be featured at Daytona International Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Martinsville Speedway.
“We’re looking forward to evolving the For Five-Star Backyards® campaign with incorporation into the YellaWood® 500 at Talladega Superspeedway,” concluded Great Southern Wood chief marketing officer James Riley. “The NASCAR partnership is the perfect time to engage as the sport continues on an upswing with millions of fans. We are proud to share the legacy of the Great Southern Wood brand with them.”
YellaWood is also sharing stories from its history to mark the anniversary, including the scoop on how Rane became known nationwide as “The Yella Fella.”
As previously reported by Yellowhammer News, Rane is well-known for being a champion of the Wiregrass community, as well as the state of Alabama. He has emphasized the motto of his Great Southern Wood — “Duty, Honor, Country” — as being representative of the area’s shared values.
“It’s all about stewardship,” Rane has said. “It’s all about stewardship. We are charged with doing our duty — and it’s a great feeling to know you’ve done your duty.”
RELATED: Alabama’s Jimmy Rane, Great Southern Wood honored as ‘models of how to run a business’
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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