It starts with sustainability - designing with materials that we've got, whether its an old window, wood being thrown out, or even dumpster diving." - Ramsey Khalidi
The people of Savannah are passionate about their history and it’s important to have people equally passionate about preserving that history. Ramsey Khalidi, the driving force behind Southern Pine Company of Georgia, has been restoring buildings for 25 years, even going as far as deconstructing them and moving them to new locations. With all the buzz surrounding repurposing and upcycling, mainly due to Pinterest DIY projects and magazine articles about new uses for old tools, reusing materials we already have is trending. Here at Southern Pine, we’re passionate about repurposing, recycling, and reclaiming materials. From salvaging architectural details, flooring and brick, to repurposing everything from pallets to doors to bowling alley floors, Southern Pine is dedicated to preserving history one building at a time. Founded in 1895 by some of Savannah’s most prominent businessmen, Southern Pine Company of Georgia consolidated many of Savannah’s leading lumber companies under one roof. Southern Pine owned and operated docks at the Brunswick port and maintained offices in Savannah and New York under Henry P. By 1897, Southern Pine operated one of the largest saw mill plants in the state, located in Nicholls, Ga. Today, Southern Pine is run by Ramsey Khalidi, who also owns and operates RK Construction. Khalidi salvages materials from jobsites, intent on reusing those materials in a multitude of ways, including new construction and historic preservation. Khalidi discovered that most of the wood he saved from landfills was milled by the original Southern Pine Company. Intrigued, Khalidi resurrected the company name. Operating out of the Star Laundry building, which was purchased and restored by Khalidi, on the corner of East Broad Street and 35th Street, Southern Pine repurposes wood salvaged from historic buildings and restores it to be used as flooring, windows, architectural details, and fixtures, as well as furniture. Southern Pine’s goal is to keep usable materials out of landfills, even if that means using them in unconventional and out-of-the-box ways.
